From the Meat Trade to Loving Homes
Four lucky pups arrived in Los Angeles last week, rescued from the horrific South Korean meat trade. Getting dogs out of the most dangerous circumstances is the main mission of Shannon Keith, founder of Rescue + Freedom Project.
For about a year now, she and her organization have been focused on getting dogs out of China and Korea, where the dog meat trade is thriving. It’s hard for Westerners to imagine, but in certain Eastern communities, dog meat is highly valued and is often traded and served in a sort of underground or “black market.”
Freddie, May, Taylor and Johnnie arrived in Los Angeles on Jan. 18, 2019
Through the help and dedication of rescuers and volunteers on the ground locally, RFP is able to safely negotiate the release and transport of animals and help get them into loving foster homes in the U.S. This latest effort, dubbed “Bohemian Woof-soody” brought four dogs (named after the members of Queen) who are all just looking for someone to love, to Los Angeles, with the help of another non-profit, Koni.
No stranger to dangerous and high-profiile missions, Shannon became involved in animal rescue nearly ten years ago with the Beagle Freedom Project, whose main objective was rescuing dogs used for laboratory testing in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. (Beagles became the dog of choice for many testing programs due to their friendly and docile nature). She started with one lab, and eventually grew it to include a network who were willing to agree to turn over dogs “when they were done with them,” instead of slating them for euthenasia.
Last week, the RFP had a crew on the ground to welcome these four sweet dogs - who were likely pets before being stolen and held on a meat farm - to their new homes in the United States. Watch the video below to see their arrival.
“Almost 9 years later, we are still getting animals out labs,” Shannon explains, “but we’ve also changed a lot of legislation and the consciousness. We are creeping slowly towards eliminating animal testing altogether.”
Watch as these four dogs arrive in Los Angeles and prepare for their new lives in loving foster homes. #happytails
