Adopt ‘chow’ hounds
Dogs saved from meat market need homes
A pack of five German shepherd dogs who escaped “barbaric” conditions in the Asian meat trade are now destined for New York — and they need homes, according to a rescue group.
The pups — set to arrive March 3 and soon to be available for adoption at Northwind Kennels (northwindkennelsny.com) — in Bedford, Westchester, were bound in June for the annual Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in southern China when activists intercepted a truck in which they were crammed in tiny cages with 600 other dogs, according to rescue group No Dogs Left Behind.
“You can’t possibly fathom what that’s like,” founder Jeffrey Beri told The Post by phone from China. “It’s barbaric. They’re defecating all over each other, they can’t breathe, their faces are smashed against the cages.”
His group took 200 of the animals for rehab at an emergency shelter in Henan province. Nine months later, the dogs are ready for adoption.
The five shepherds should have plenty of lovefilled years ahead: They’re all between 6 and 18 months old.
“Dogs don’t live long in China,” lamented Deborah Hall, a member of the rescue group’s board.
The five pooches up for adoption are long-hairs Laifu and Yukuai, as well as short-hairs Silver, Savannah and Sandy.
Yukuai and Savannah are attention hounds who would thrive in single-dog households, while Laifu, Sandy and Silver are all pack players who like the company of other animals.
If fetch is your game, Laifu is your dame, according to Beri.
“If you don’t have a ball, she’ll pick up a brick,” he said.
Silver is a big fan of playing in water, and Savannah “wants nothing but to be loved” and “licks you in the face when you say hello,” Beri added.
The dogs will go to Northwind Kennels because it specializes in Ger- man shepherds and is careful about where it places its wards, according to the animal lovers.
“They do background checks and wellness checks for all their adopters, and we love that,” Hall said.
Selling and consuming dog meat is legal in China, but many purveyors steal pet dogs rather than farming them, which is illegal, according to Beri. mjaeger@nypost.com