Animal saved from dog meat festival in China has a new home in Wendover

A rescue dog saved from a notorious meat festival in China has been safely relocated to Wendover.

Not-for-profit organisation, NoToDogMeat, believes she is the first dog to be rehomed in the UK from China since the pandemic.

Three year-old Debbie Hairy was saved from the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in Beijing.

NoToDogMeat which has two shelters for rescued dogs in China believes that up to 10,000 dogs and 5,000 cats are slaughtered during the 10-day festival.

Now, the spitz-type pup is loving walks in the Wendover Woods after being saved by the charity.

He was taken in by Wendover couple Peter and Hayley Finch, who are planning to take her out to raise awareness.

Hayley, 38, who works as press officer for NoToDogMeat and adopted Debbie after working on the story of the dog’s arrival on the first leg of her journey from Beijing to Paris, said: “We are so excited to give Debbie a new home, and by sharing her story, Debbie will help raise money for other dogs to come over from China too.

“NoToDogMeat currently has 750 dogs in its Chinese shelters, and all of them need loving homes which are not always possible in China because of size restrictions and an unwillingness to adopt.

“Debbie absolutely loves Wendover and can’t believe that she now has a garden to laze around in, she also loves a little piece of cheese and having her tummy tickled, a far cry from the Yulin Dog Meat Festival where she was almost slaughtered to become soup.”

Since arriving in England, Debbie has been on television and was paraded around Aylesbury Vegan Fair on 23 July, where she wore her NoToDogMeat bandana.

Debbie has trouble trusting men, something the charity attributes to the way she was treated in China.

Charity worker Peter, 53, said: “It was hard at first as Debbie did not like me at all, and as a dog lover it felt sad when she didn’t want to interact with me. But over time we have built a trusting bond, which makes it all the more special.”

Last week, Debbie also took a big step, when she attended the newly opened Clips grooming parlour at Dobbies Garden Centre in Wendover, where caring stylist Courtney Hearsum provided some much needed coat care, a first experience for the brave canine.

Hayley added: “We have been completely blown away by Debbie’s strength and resilience. She has been so willing to try new things, and it’s wonderful to see her interact with her safe and happy life in such a wholehearted way. Courtney at Clips was fantastic and understood that Debbie needed patience and kindness, and now she looks a million dollars.”

The NoToDogMeat charity was started in 2009, after London lawyer Julia de Cadenet witnessed for herself the “horrors of the meat trade”. Since then the charity has obtained United Nations Special Consultative Status. More details on the welfare charity can be found online here.