Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
We eat sheep and cattle but it is humane ..some of these souls are tortured for hours
Chinese meat dogs rescued by Ulster girl SAFE HANDS
MEET the Northern Ireland nurse rehoming dogs saved from “horrifying” deaths on Chinese meat farms.
Kind Gabby Gardiner was so traumatised by the plight of pooches tortured and killed she felt she had to do something.
So the Belfast woman started working with Chinese group Harbin SHS which rescues thousands of dogs fom slaughter house lorries .
Already, Gabby’s new charity – Doggy 911 – has delivered six lucky pooches to loving Northern Ireland homes.
She told the Mirror: “I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it. I set up this rescue organisation to get as many of these wee precious souls out as we can.
“Last year there was a meat truck in Guangzhou which four of our rescues came from.
“A lot of the dogs were stolen family pets and they didn’t have the correct permits, so the whole shipment was seized.
“The meat truck was carrying more than 1,200 dogs. A lot of them still had their pet collars and harnesses on.
“Over 600 died because they had been starved of food and water for days.
“A lot were ill with canine parvovirus so that took many lives.”
Gabby’s charity was able to give some of those defenceless animals a second chance when she brought them over in January.
She said: “One of the dogs has a limb deformity that we are trying to get sorted.
“Another started taking seizures in China. He collapsed and went into cardiac arrest and the vets got him back.
“They told us we couldn’t take him on the flight. But we got him over and the diagnosis is a very rare brain disorder as a result of inbreeding in poodles, which is heartbreaking.
“At least he has a few months to experience a loving home – he took his first trip to the beach on Monday and had an absolute ball. We’ve got two more coming at the end of this month. A disabled rescue from a government shelter where another dog mauled him and broke his back.
“Thankfully his wounds have nearly healed up. He is up in a wheelchair and he is loving life again.”
Gabby, who is retraining to become a doctor, said it costs about £600 to get each one to Northern Ireland with paperwork, passports and vaccines.
The four-night journey on planes and ferries is not for the faint-hearted either.
The 27-year-old said: “People ask me why I am saving dogs from China.
“We eat sheep and cattle, but I think the main difference is that it is more humane here. Some of these souls are being tortured for up to three hours because the belief is that the more pain that’s inflicted upon the animal the better quality the meat will be.
“I know it’s a drop in the ocean and it’s only a couple of dogs. But for those dogs the world has changed for ever.”
If you would like to help Gabby save more dogs from Chinese meat farms you can contact her on Facebook or make a donation at www.gofundme.com/doggy911.