Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’ll walk to save dogs...i just hope people follow my lead
Animal lover’s bid to end cruel meat trade in Far East
The trade is about applying as much torture as possible as they believe it is better for the meat ROBERT DONKERS PICTURED WITH SEVEN OF HIS DOGS
A MAN has vowed to walk 82 miles across Northern Ireland to save dogs from the meat trade in South East Asia.
Robert Donkers, from Ballymoney in Co Antrim, has been trekking the St Patrick’s Pilgrim Way this week along with his eight pooches and will finish in Downpatrick today.
The man behind the Walking To Save Dogs campaign has raised £20,000 over the past seven years to help end the barbaric killing of animals.
This included walking the entire distance of the UK – 1,034 miles – which took him 65 days to complete.
Robert, who is orginally from Holland, said he is doing this as dogs are “killed in the cruelest way” in the Far East and he wants to play his part in helping prevent this from continuing.
He told the Mirror : “Every year I walk with all my dogs. I try to raise awareness and funds to help organisations to stop the dog meat trade across the world. It’s a really cruel trade – dogs are skinned alive, boiled alive and barbecued alive.
“I have seen it happening and I can’t let it go. I want to stop it.”
Money raised to date has gone to a charity in the Philippines called Dogs
Mountain – and also The Sound Of Animals in Thailand, which works with canines which have been rescued from Cambodia.
Robert’s route this year began in Armagh, then on to Scarva, Newry, Rostrevor, Hilltown, Newcastle, Tyrella and Downpatrick – totalling 82 miles.
He said: “Dogs do so much for us. They don’t understand cruelty, even when you are cruel to a dog it will still want to be friends with you.
“The dog meat trade in the Far East is about applying as much torture as they can because they believe that is better for the meat. No animal should ever die in torture, in the most horrible way.”
To donate to help save dogs from the meat trade in South East Asia, visit www.walkingtosavedogs.com.