A LOW-PITCHED whimper echoed through the room – the last of eight puppies born to Ruby, a severely malnourished dog sold into the meat trade, had died.
She was heavily pregnant when she and nine others were discovered “locked in filthy rooms” and living in “horrifying squalor” in a disused factory near Beijing, China.
The poor pooches were destined to be boiled alive by their cruel captors who starved them and even cut off one of their paws to stop them from escaping.
They were rescued by NoToDogMeat, who documented the pregnant dog’s losses to expose the barbaric nature of the trade.
The charity’s CEO Julia De Cadenet, 50, from London, told The Sun: “Because of Ruby’s small size and the starving conditions, she needed an emergency caesarean.
“Soon the unlucky canine was mum to eight adorable puppies after suffering from dystocia, which meant that the puppies were too large for her body to handle.
“The puppies were very poorly when they were born and heartbreakingly, as the days went on they left us one by one.
“They were in the incubator and died because the mum didn’t have the right treatment when she was pregnant and was treated cruelly.
“It’s little comfort but at least they were not screaming in terror like they would have been if they stayed in that warehouse.
“Ruby was also very poorly when she was rescued and has been so depressed since that our team has had to coax her to eat.”
Humane Society International estimates between 10 and 20 million dogs are killed each year in China – where a dead adult typically sells for £100 to be cooked in a spicy soup or a stew.
This comes despite the nation ruling canines “companion animals” rather than recognised livestock last year amid the spread of Covid-19.
It should have led to a reduction in the killings and consumption but enforcement is yet to be seen according to NoToDogMeat.
In June, The Sun reported on a “secret slaughterhouse” where hundreds of dogs were boiled to death and then blow torched for the annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
At the time, Julia said: “In these secret killing places you can still choose your dog and kill it live.
“They are basically breeding to kill as well as stealing pets, rounding up strays and more.”
Julia said: “When rumours were spread that dogs and cats were causing Covid, Anna and the pets she was caring for ended up under siege.
“The brave teenager also went out to collect stray pets that had been abandoned by their frightened owners.”
Anna took part in the recent raid after hearing reports that butchers were using the disused Beijing warehouse to boil dogs alive for food.
She told The Sun: “We found the poor dogs living in squalor – starving to death – beds full of tiny puppies and to our horror Ruby.
“This little dog had had her back paw cut off so she could not run away. This is not new to us.”
‘Filthy rooms’ trauma
The heartbreaking story of Ruby, whose age is unknown, is just one of many NoToDogMeat have shared this year in the hope of encouraging change.
Julia said: “Our hearts go out to poor Ruby who is safe for the first time in her life but has lost her beloved puppies.
“Our compassionate team has put toys in Ruby’s bed to comfort her and we truly hope once she’s recovered back at our shelter we can find her a home.
“All of our work relies on donations, so please consider buying our charity 2022 calendar, which will help us look after dogs like Ruby.”
Ruby and the nine other dogs survived despite being abused and kept in “dirty and unsanitary” conditions.
Julia explained: “The dogs were locked in filthy rooms. The warehouse was not being used as a breeding farm, just an opportunistic place to abuse dogs and eat them.
“We are really sad about this situation, but we are also pleased to have saved Ruby and the others.”
Julia has called for greater scrutiny in China in the wake of the most recent rescue and new footage.
She said: “Dogs have been officially placed on a protected register so they can not be raised as livestock.
“This for us is a massive blow and it has to be stamped out.”
China’s ‘multiple breaches’
Despite the promise to end the killings, NoToDogMeat and other groups claim to have found multiple breaches.
It’s not only charities calling for change – over the last three years the Chinese public has voiced opposition to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
The RSPCA claimed content relating to the event was being censored from social media, such as Weibo, within the nation.
Julia believes there needs to be more accountability, including outsiders being allowed into the nation to call out the concerning violations.
She said: “Sadly, this is not the first time that we have witnessed such barbaric cruelty and we are not surprised that animal cruelty is going on.
“We are very disappointed in Beijing because they promised last year to open an animal welfare office in Beijing to address the issues of animal welfare and animal cruelty and they haven’t done it.
“Since most of the West is still banned from entering China there is no real scrutiny of what is going on and our activists are doing their best.
“It would be much better if the British authorities would allow us to fly our animals to safety.
“There was no change in the dog meat trade in Yulin and there is no change at the main slaughterhouses.
“There are changes in the attitudes of some normal people, because of course more and more people are starting to care about animals, but this issue is still a very big one.”
This story first appeared in The Sun
