Hero A&E nurse: “I’ve rescued hundreds of dogs – while helping to save lives during the pandemic”
Despite having her work cut out in healthcare, Gabby Gardiner is passionate about saving pups as well as people
As an A&E nurse, saving lives and caring for others is all in a day’s work for Gabby Gardiner. Over the course of her career, not only has she helped many people but, during the past four years, she’s also rescued 100 dogs from the meat trade in China, where up to 20 million dogs are killed for human consumption annually.
Gabby, 30, has been saving pups through her charity, Little China Dog Rescue, which she founded with her fiancé Chris in 2018.
Gabby, from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, says, “If someone had told me four years ago that I’d be rescuing dogs from the other side of the world as well as nursing through a pandemic, I wouldn’t have believed them!
HORRIFIED
“Running the charity alongside my nursing career is like having two full-time jobs, but I love every minute.”
Gabby was scrolling through
Facebook in October 2017 when she spotted the furry face that would change her life forever.
She recalls, “I saw an appeal to help Ollie, a disabled toy poodle in a Chinese animal shelter. He’d been badly abused and sold into the meat trade from an animal-testing lab, before being rescued by activists.
“My heart ached for him. Chris and I already had two dogs, Border Collie Charlie and German Shepherd Sam, so I knew we could provide a loving home for Ollie.”
Gabby began researching dog rescue in China, but she made a horrifying discovery.
She reveals, “I hadn’t realised that dog meat is a delicacy in some parts of China and is eaten regularly throughout the year. And every June, thousands of dogs are eaten at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. Some people even believe the more an animal suffers, the better their meat will taste. I felt sick to the stomach – I had to find a way to bring Ollie home.
“Chris and I decided that if we were going to fly him home, we might as well bring other dogs back, too.”
Gabby and Chris, 38, a doctor, formed a fundraising group and in just three months raised £2,000 to bring six dogs – including Ollie – to Northern Ireland, where animal lovers they’d connected with online were waiting to adopt.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Gabby says, “The cost of flying dogs home, vaccinations, paperwork and vets’ bills amounts to thousands of pounds. It was so surreal collecting dogs from the airport. With Ollie, it was love at first sight. He curled into my arms, quivering with nerves and excitement – it was like he knew I was his saviour.”
But Gabby couldn’t stop thinking about the thousands of dogs still suffering. So, six months later, she took two weeks off work and flew to China and volunteered at a rescue centre, before selecting 18 dogs suitable for rehoming.
The dogs were flown to Europe, where Chris was leading a team of volunteers to collect and drive them to their new homes in Northern Ireland. Over time, Gabby and Chris’ network evolved into a charity called
The Little China Dog Rescue.
Gabby reflects, “From our humble beginnings, we’ve raised over £200,000 and brought over 100 dogs back to the UK for rehoming.
“I’ve been back to China four times. During my last visit, in October 2019, I met another severely disabled poodle, Daisy. When I knelt down, she clung to me. I lifted her into my arms and looked into her eyes. I knew I was never letting her go.
“After quarantine, vaccinations and health screenings, Daisy came home – she immediately hit it off with Ollie. They became like an old married couple, bickering one minute and snuggling the next.”
Sadly, the pandemic has put trips to China on hold and delayed rescues, but Gabby says the charity has used the time to fundraise. She says, “Currently, volunteers in China are caring for over 31 dogs. As soon as travel restrictions lift, we’ll get those dogs back to the UK, where we have adoptive homes waiting.
SO IMPORTANT
“There are still many dogs suffering in China, but the good news is it’s now illegal to sell canine meat. Chinese activists are also campaigning to make sure these laws are enforced to stop people eating dogs for good.”
Meanwhile, Gabby has also continued to save lives in the UK. She says, “Working in A&E throughout the pandemic has been tiring and I’ve treated patients with Covid.
“At times, it was very distressing and I could be on my feet for 12 hours a day. Then, after my shifts, I’d focus on the charity. But Chris, who works full-time as an A&E doctor, and I knew that the work we were doing – both on the wards, and with the charity – was so important. We just had to keep going.”
“I’ve rescued hundreds of dogs abroad and saved many more humans in A&E – I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“If I ever feel like I can’t go on, I look at Ollie and Daisy, who were destined for a restaurant menu. They keep me going.”
By Bella Evennett-Watts
● To donate, visit littlechinadogrescue.co.uk