SHS Animals

Carl has been in our care the longest. Rescued in 2017 from a meat truck heading for Yulin, stopped in Guangzhou. He had CDV and was covered in wounds head to toe. He was so petrified and extremely aggressive at first. He was able to get better through his own strength. He must have had a home before. He knew ‘sit’ and just wanted to please. A strong bond formed with a couple of us who he knew he could trust. Sadly, he is still reactive to others, but we know with us, he is happy, confident, and himself. In our eyes he’s an absolute angel and can never do any wrong.

Pete was one of our first ever residents, rescued from a Yulin meat truck in Guangzhou in June 2017. A CDV survivor, the vets weren’t able to treat him but he was able to fight through with his own determination. With a strong aversion to men, and an interest in targeting their nether-regions in particular, we believe he was severely abused by a man in the past. Thankfully over time he has learnt to trust our team. He will always be a member of the Safehouse where he knows he is safe, loved, and has a family.

Mr Big was rescued from a meat truck headed for Yulin in 2018, intercepted in Changzhi. He was extremely sick with CDV, and had a massive abscess on his forehead, likely from a blunt force and the tiny crate he’d been shoved into. He wouldn’t let our vets anywhere near him. We believe he was likely used as a guard dog, as often seen on factory sites around China. So his human interactions would have never been pleasant, even without the trauma of the meat truck. Slowly, he began to let his guard down. He even has started to make friends and learned to play. He’ll never be domesticated, but we know he is enjoying life to the limit.

Koji was rescued in the summer of 2021, from a local slaughterhouse. We don’t know anything about his life before he ended up in the meat trade, but we can imagine it wasn’t good. Although he has been doing better with humans, slowly building up trust, Koji has extreme reactivity to other animals, making it unsafe for him to be around other animals, including dogs, at any time. Though he might be able to live in a domestic home eventually, he’ll never be able to live around other animals, which makes it very difficult to prepare to place him. So to keep him safe, we plan for him to remain with us, in his own safe, stress-free bubble, at the Safehouse.

Clive has been with us since 2018, after he was abandoned by his owners at one of the clinics. His owners claimed to just be going away on holiday but never came back. It became clear that his previous owners had been taunting him with food, in a cage, and as a result is extremely resource reactive and unfortunately has hospitalized a few people. We have learnt his what works/doesn’t work for him. Clive is a sweet and playful boy most of the time, and the resource difficulties are just a tiny part of who he really is. We know he will never be safe to rehome, but he is happy, and loves his Safehouse life.

One of our inherited AAGZ rescues, Gadaffi came to join us in winter 2019. When not glued to Brian’s side (from our Safehouse team), Gadaffi can be found winding up whoever he can find. He thinks it’s absolutely hilarious, trotting around looking for whatever mischief he can find. Gafaffi wears his opinions on his sleeve, and if he doesn’t like something, you probably want to make sure you aren’t on the receiving end..! We believe he was likely abused by a previous owner, causing his strong reactivity, but he has found the only person he cares for, Brian. He will never be suitable for a domestic home, but he seems very happy hanging out with his best friend here everyday.

Kit was rescued by AAGZ in 2018, with a severely broken leg. He came to us with the rest of their dogs in winter 2019, after already having undergone surgery. He clearly has suffered awfully at the hands of humans, and as a result is extremely feral. We let him do his own thing, he loves the other dogs, playing with them outside all day, and shares a kennel with his friend Lizzie, another resident. He will never be ok in a domestic scenario, but he is happy and safe with us, and that is all that we can ask for him.

Rescued as a puppy in Wuhan from a meat market in 2019, Knobby was one of a large litter, rescued together. Unfortunately because of their awful start to life, all of the puppies suffered greatly with fear, anxiety and reactivity. Some of them gradually learnt to trust again. Sadly, Knobby did not, and still remembers what he went through vividly, meaning he doesn’t trust easily, and will shy away from human interaction, which we will never push on him. Knobby enjoys his Safehouse routine, the people caring for him, and has made lots of friends.

Felicity has been with us since Summer 2018. Rescued from a local shelter that was closing down, we took her along with 60 other dogs. Sadly Felicity is one of only three to still remain with us unable to be rehomed. She has clearly suffered severe abuse, and as a result doesn’t trust easily. She has her set routine though and has thrived at our Safehouse. She will always be a part of our team, and we are lucky to have her.

In Summer 2018 we were called to a local shelter, which was closing down, and took 60+ animals into our care, including Bella. She must have suffered extreme abuse from her previous owner. She is extremely scared, reactive, and petrified of humans. Even after all this time, she still is wary of us, on occasion she will allow XieLei (a Safehouse member) to interact with her, but ordinarily give her space, as it helps keep her stress and anxiety down. Bella absolutely loves the other dogs though and plays with them in the big pack, with a waggy tail. And this is all that matters.

Scout was rescued by AAGZ, a rescue based in Guangzhou which closed in late 2019, resulting in all their rescues moving to us. We believe that Scout is an ex-military dog, extremely intelligent and clearly has been trained before. Some of his behaviour suggests he had been trained for attacking. Whilst with us in Harbin, he’s proven to be an extremely sweet boy, who just needs structure and a lot of time and mental stimulation, as common with Malanois Shepherds. Because of his history, it was decided in his best interest for him to remain with us as a resident, to prevent him being put in any unsafe situations.

Rescued as a puppy in Wuhan from a meat market in 2019, Carrot was one of a large litter, rescued together (including Knobby). Sadly, due to so much trauma in their start to life, all of the puppies suffered with anxiety, fear and reactivity. Over time, they gradually learnt to trust, and some of the litter have found themselves new families overseas, but sadly Carrot’s history remains raw, and he isn’t, and may never be, ready for a domestic home. Which is OK. He knows his Safehouse routine, the people caring for him, and has lots of friends. He is happy, healthy and loved, and that’s the main thing.

Guinness was rescued from a meat truck locally as a young teenage pup. He was sick with CCV and CPV but made it through. We had plans for Guinness to go to the USA, but his adopter fell through, as did the ability to send dogs to the USA from a CDC ban. We hope Guinness wont be a permanent resident forever, for now he is. As common with the breed, the longer he has been with us the more territorial he has become of the Safehouse. We aren’t certain he would be confident in a new environment. Though he is secretly a big soft bear, obviously we want to ensure we safeguard him, given his size and power. But for now, we are loving his company.

We rescued Xena as a little tiny puppy years ago, and were told that she would shortly pass away due to her hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain). They gave her 3 months to live. However, Xena is still here, living happily, and pain-free. She will never fly, as the air pressure would be too much for her on the plane, but she has a good life in Harbin with us, and is such a sweet and loving girl. Her hydrocephalus causes behavioural changes related to stimulants, such as food, but our team have learnt her triggers and she has her little routine which she loves.

Ozzie was rescued alongside others in 2018 and is one of the only remaining rescues of 60, pulled from a local shelter closing down. Sadly we don’t know much about Ozzie’s past, other than he was taken from a meat truck and placed in the local shelter. He must have suffered abuse though as he really does not trust or care for humans. He is fondly known as the ‘wizard’ for his long luscious locks, particularly on his little hobbit feet.