CHINA PROGRAMS

OUR RESCUE PROGRAM IN CHINA

At The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, we are committed to not only ending the dog meat trade, but also to providing long-term care and medical attention to the dogs who have survived it.

With the help of our amazing 14 person team in China, our Foundation committed to the care of hundreds of dogs, many of whom were rescued from the 2019 Yulin Dog Meat Festival. Several of these dogs had gone through multiple traumas prior to being rescued, and even more were severely malnourished and suffering from infections, skin conditions, traumatic injuries, organ failure and more. Over the last few years at our two rescue centers in China, we have successfully nursed these precious animals back to health and happiness - but our work doesn‘t end there.

In addition to treating the various medical conditions of these rescues, we also provide the dogs with necessary vaccinations, food and grooming, as well as sterilizations to prevent overpopulation. With the help of our on-site mini-hospital, we have performed hundreds of spay and neuter surgeries and, thanks to the support of our donors, our team has successfully sterilized all 500+ dogs that have been in our care! Once we have moved to our new facility and are able to take in more dogs, our work to rescue and spay/neuter dogs in need in China will continue.

We have also begun working with partners internationally to re-home these dogs in areas of the world where rescue groups/ organizations are not as prevalent, and there is less overpopulation. We will continue this adoption process in order to create space for more dogs that will inevitably be saved from The Yulin Dog Meat Festival or other areas of the dog meat trade in the future. We will continue to focus on a combination of adoptions in China as well as working with international partners to relocate and adopt out in areas of low adoption services. We have embraced a platform of education, awareness and legislation, to propel our movement forward in China, as well as around the world.

OUR URGENT SHELTER MOVE

In response to COVID-19, new government regulations have been imposed in China that prohibit animal facilities from residing and operating within city limits. This means our rescue shelters in China, home to our dogs and Yulin survivors, are forced to relocate.

Throughout the last several months, our team has worked tirelessly to find the perfect location for our rescues to call home. In March of 2021, we began renovations on our new and improved rescue facility, where our dogs will continue to receive necessary treatment and care until they find their forever homes.

With our new shelter in place, we must now begin the relocation process of our dogs. With local temperatures averaging 105ºF, relocating these hundreds of dogs to our new rescue facility is not only challenging but dangerous. Each dog must be transported in a temperature-controlled vehicle to our newly renovated rescue center outside city limits. This is an expensive and arduous undertaking. Our Foundation will continue this relocation process until each and every one of our dogs is safe at the new center, where they can eventually be adopted and make space for even more dogs that will inevitably be saved from the dog meat trade in the future.

The safe transport of one dog costs approximately $100. With your help, we can complete the relocation process and dedicate more resources to the care of our Yulin Survivors.

This relocation will cost approximately $100 per dog or $2,500 per trip. With your help, we can continue to provide the best life for our Yulin survivors.

HELP US SAFELY RELOCATE OUR DOGS

ABOUT THE DOG MEAT TRADE IN CHINA AND OUR WORK TO END IT

Each year, 10 to 20 million dogs are killed for human consumption in China. Thousands of these horrific slaughters occur during the several-day-long Yulin Dog Meat Festival, where dogs are stolen from their owners, kept in crowded cages, and killed on-site in a barbaric manner by the festival's vendors. These practices are not only inhumane but also pose an extreme health risk due to the unsanitary conditions in which they take place.

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation has worked tirelessly for years, alongside other animal activists, to demand the Chinese government prohibit the consumption of dog meat. In 2017, our documentary ’The Road to Yulin And Beyond' was released to expose the horrific torture and hidden health dangers associated with the annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival and consumption of dog meat. Our goal was to raise awareness and support, both nationally and around the world, in order to finally put an end to these inhumane practices. In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 launched a global conversation surrounding these practices, and it seems as though our cries for change are finally being heard. There has been some progress in the fight to end the horrific and inhumane dog meat trade in China, but there is still work to be done.

In 2020, despite extreme health and safety concerns, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival went on. There were some changes, like a decreased number of live killings and consumption of the meat occurring mainly in private homes rather than large public gatherings. Still, the continued enthusiasm for the festival and the existence of underground wet markets demonstrates a need for both legislative action as well as cultural change to eradicate the dog meat trade entirely. There is a long road ahead when it comes to ending the dog meat trade in China, and with your help, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation will be there every step of the way.

In 2018, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation began operating two shelters in China that house and rehabilitate dogs rescued from The Yulin Dog Meat Festival. We committed to the care of over 500 dogs rescued from the dog meat trade. Many of these dogs were rescued from a large rescue on 6.19 and had suffered multiple traumas. Most were severely malnourished, with infections and injuries, and many had organ failure. We have spent the past two years getting them the medical attention they deserved and nursing them back to full health! Happily, all 500 are now doing well, and we have adapted our care over the past two years to ensure they have the best lives possible.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Our rescue work in China costs tens of thousands of dollars each month. We are committed to providing the best care for these dogs, and are able to support our China Program through a combination of sponsorship, donations, and peer-to-peer fundraising.