It is estimated that every year over 30 million dogs are slaughtered for human consumption in Asian countries including China, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia.

With those numbers, it seems like a hopeless task for the organizations that are desperately fighting to end the dog meat trade in Asia.

For those of you who may not be as familiar with this trade, you can simply Google “Asian dog meat trade” and get a laundry list of articles and websites that have been fighting against this cruel industry for decades.

In the past several years, momentum has been bsimuilding as more and more people are becoming aware of the practices that go on in the Asian dog meat trade.

Celebrities from all walks of life are stepping up to help as well.  Most recently in the news was the donation by Simon Cowell of approximately 32K dollars to help Humane Society Internation (HSI) shut down a South Korean dog meat farm.

Simon’s donation, along with the other monthly donations, helped save the lives of 200 dogs.

Rickey Gervais was featured on a video that Dog Meat Free Indonesia did a while ago with the message of “I didn’t know.”  You can watch it here, but I will warn you it is a bit graphic and extremely hard to watch.

Ellen Degeneres has joined the fight as well.

But today I want to focus on the organizations that are on the ground making this movement possible and standing up and screaming out to the world that this brutal, inhumane practice needs to end right now.

So today, I want to shine some light on an organization that is doing an incredible amount of work to help end this horrific industry in Asia.  Their story starts with a man named Jeffrey Beri and his organization called No Dogs Left Behind.

Ending The Asian Dog Meat Trade – No Dogs Left Behind

Jeffrey Beri didn’t always work on ending the dog meat trade in Asia. Jeffrey was heavily involved with the manufacturing and quality control of the famous jeweler David Yurman’s product line.

Mr. Beri studied in Budapest, Hungary at the Allami Penzero Academy, a prestigious European school specializing in all aspects of jewelry design, manufacturing, and marketing.

His career was taking him in a direction that he had always dreamed of, but somewhere along the way, Jeffrey decided to follow his true calling and work full time at saving the dogs in Asia.

Jeffrey and his team have been fighting “boots on the ground” for the past several years to help save countless dogs from being ruthlessly and inhumanely slaughtered for consumption.

No matter how big the mountain, No Dogs Left Behind is there on the front lines working to save as many dogs as possible from a brutal death.

Jeffery, along with his brave emergency response team, works tirelessly day in and day out to save every last dog that they can.

Where Do The Dogs Come From?

One of the saddest parts of this entire industry is that many of the dogs that get sold to the butchers are pets that are stolen out of people’s backyard.

Contrary to belief, there are not large-scale factory dog farms in Asia, especially China. Most of the dog farms are small farmers with under 100 dogs.

Street dogs also have a very tough life in Asia. Many of them get snatched up as well. The streets dogs pose a different threat because many of them are diseased and have never been vaccinated.

Therefore, public health concerns need to be addressed with the consumption of dog meat.

The Asian Dog Meat Trade – How And When Did The Brutality Start?

If you try and bring up the topic of the dog meat trade with most people, their argument always goes something like this – “it’s part of Asia’s culture.”

I am telling you today that this may not be the case. According to this article by World Dog Alliance, the Chinese did not start eating dogs until 1912.

Here is an excerpt from this article:

While Ancient China condoned the consumption of dogs, the spread of Buddhism in the 10th Century saw a massive decline in dog meat, and from 1644 to 1912 when the Qing Dynasty reigned, dog meat was banned. The Qing (Manchus) considered killing and consuming a dog to be barbaric. This stemmed from the legend of the first Manchu leader, Nurhachi, whose life was saved by a dog; after, he told his followers:

“In the mountains, there are so many kinds of animals which you can hunt for food, but from now on, no one is allowed to eat dogs, nor wear dog skin. When dogs die, they should be buried because dogs can read man’s emotion and can rescue their masters. Dogs are loyal.”

According to this article by World Dog Alliance, it wasn’t until 1912 when the Kuomintang (KMT) Nationalist Party took power that they started killing dogs as a symbol of hatred to the Manchu.

Later when the communist party and Mao took over, he ordered the mass execution of dogs, which only worsened the already poor, brutal practices that were happening. And now we are here today where it seems like nothing has changed.

But with the help and strength of organizations like No Dogs Left Behind, including the education of the next generation, that stigma towards dogs is changing.

Five Pillars Of Rescue

No Dogs Left Behind prides itself on implementing the 5 Pillars of Rescuing when it comes to operating in China:

• Emergency Response – brave activists, will track and then intercept trucks and stop the drivers from taking the dogs to the slaughterhouse.
• Shelter Operations Protocol – Once dogs are saved, they are brought back to the shelter to go through the vaccination process to get them healthy enough for adoption.
• Adoption – The ultimate goal is to adopt these dogs to loving homes. But imagine the cost to fly these dogs from China to the United States or Europe. It is extremely costly, and someone has to step up and volunteer to take the dogs on their flights back to their destination. Flight volunteers are always needed.
• Education– Educating the youth in China is a such a big part of the operation. Teaching children to love and respect animals will only help bring an end to the brutal torturing of these dogs.
• Government Advocacy – Quite possibly the most important step is getting the consumption of dog meat outlawed. As impossible as it may seem, many laws are being put into effect to end the dog meat trade.

Every single aspect of this operation is critical for the long-term efforts in ending the dog meat trade.

How You Can Help No Dogs Left Behind

• Sponsor A Dog – I love this option. It’s the next best thing you can to if you can’t adopt a dog. You can pick a special dog that tugs at your heartstrings. By sponsoring a dog, you are paying for their monthly food and medical care until they can find a permanent home.
• Start a Meetup group in your area – this is a fantastic idea on how to spread the word in your community.
• Write the governments of Asian countries – this is probably one of the best things you can do. It’s vital that legislation is passed to make it illegal to consume dog meat. It’s happening slowly, but we need to keep the momentum going.
• Community Fundraisers – you can go anywhere online on Google “Fundraising Ideas,” and you will get a ton of different ideas.
• Adopt A Dog – This is my ultimate dream – to take one or two of the broken souls into my home and give them the love they deserve. NDLB is constantly looking for homes for their many shelter dogs. Check out the dogs they have for adoption here.
• Donate Monthly – You may not think that your $10/month makes a difference, but when 100 people make a $10/month donation it saves so many dogs. You have to look at the big picture when dealing with monthly donations. Every little bit helps
• Start a GoFundMe page – This is a very easy way for people to show their support for your cause and for you to get your voice heard. Here’s an example of a 13-year-old girl who started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her shelter.

Helping one dog may not change the world, but you will change the world for that one dog.

Stop The Asian Dog Meat Trade – Conclusions

How many times a month do you run to Starbucks and grab a latte? Imagine what would happen if you sacrificed two Starbuck’s Latte’s each month and gave that money to an organization like No Dogs Left Behind. You could be saving a life!

Organizations like No Dogs Left Behind are in constant need of funding for medical expenses. Imagine the colossal expense of vaccinating the 1,300 dogs that came from the 619 Yulin truck. It can’t be done without you.

Take a moment to reflect on how much you could change the lives of these poor dogs that are brutally tortured every day.

If you would like to help Jeffrey and his organization, please go to their website and make a monthly donation.

I would like to leave you with this final quote by an unknown author –

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

CharityPaws would like to thank Lisa, a B2B professional writer for bringing this story to our attention and sharing the work of No Dogs Left Behind with our readers.