British woman rescues more than 300 dogs from China

A woman from Britain has relocated more than 300 dogs she found in Chinese meat markets and found them new homes in the UK and the US.

Kerry Elliman, a 40-year-old charity worker, started saving dogs in 2017 with her charity Candy Cain Rescue, Metro UK reported. She had started caring for greyhounds used in racing and subsequently discovered that many retired racing dogs were being sent to China illegally.

Elliman went to China and saw retired greyhounds being sold in the meat market. Greyhound racing happens underground in China and rakes in top dollars from wealthy people. The offspring of the greyhounds are then sold to the meat market.

According to a media report, Candy Cain spends about 8,000 pounds (US$10,490) treating and relocating a dog to a safe environment. They also work with Plush Bear, a charity based in China.

She said while her job has its moments, there have been hard times as well. She recalled when she was asked to save 20 dogs that were headed to be slaughtered, but she had no means to do it.

The fact that she cannot save every dog remains the hardest part of her mission, she said.

China remains the world’s largest consumer of dog meat, followed by Vietnam. Late in 2018, authorities in Hanoi urged people to stop consuming dog meat in a bid to promote the city’s image.