Agencies seek new homes for Thai dogs

Confined canines raised for food get second life in US

LOSANGELES — For the first time, they gobbled up treats, walked on grass and rolled in the dirt — things many American dogs take for granted.

Betsy Garvin’s three dogs were rescued from Thailand, where they had been caged their entire lives and where many dogs roam the streets or are raised as food for other Asian countries.

The trio of mutts, ages 2 to 9, left an outdoor Thai facility where dogs are crammed together in filthy cages and, 40 hours later, glimpsed freedom in Southern California.

In their new home, Gigi and Mimi cautiously emerged from an airplane crate and glanced around, while the male pooch, Singha, bounded out.

He padded across a rug, a sensation he had never felt, and then took a big whiff of the earth outside.

“It’s like he was saying: ‘Like, wow, I’m home.’ I let them have some freedom, go to the bathroom and get fresh air,” said Garvin, who lives in Agoura Hills, about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

LIFE Animal Rescue in the California city has placed 50 Thai dogs in the last two years, including Garvin’s, said founder Emily Bernie.

She partnered with Cindy Amey, who lived in Thailand for five years and set up a network of rescues, veterinarians and shippers.

They aren’t the only ones working to save dogs bound for a serving dish, even though the taste for dog meat is fading overseas.

In March, Humane Society International and the Change for Animals Foundation teamed up to bring nearly 60 dogs from a South Korean meat farm to Northern California to be adopted.

The farmer agreed to close the business and raise produce instead.

In January, more than 20 dogs were saved from a Seoul dog meat farm and sent to Washington, D.C.

In adopting a dog that hasn’t had the advantages many Western dogs enjoy — toys, treats and attention — Garvin didn’t know what to expect.

She wondered about simple things, such as how they would act in her backyard.

“I didn’t know if I should let them have that much space immediately,” she said.

But “they came out extremely relaxed and appreciative. It was a joy to watch.”

Thai dogs are rescued from often appalling conditions, says Amey, who helps save animals through her group, K9Aid International.

Bernie’s group in California faces criticism for rescuing dogs abroad when there are animals at home that need help.