Dogs rescued from meat trade arrive in Houston to start new lives
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Three small refugees from a half world away arrived at Bush Intercontinental Airport this past weekend, preparing for new lives in Texas.
They are dogs that were rescued in Thailand, and saved from the dog meat trade in Asia, where human consumption of dogs is part of the culture.
According to the Soi Dog Foundation, which is working to eliminate the dog meat trade, the practice is still prevalent in Vietnam, South Korea, and other southeast Asian countries.
Waiting for the special passengers were volunteers with Addicus Dog Legacy Rescue and its Texas volunteers, who arranged for foster homes for two of the pups, named Linos and Whitney.
A third pup, which was rescued from a slaughter truck will have a permanent home in Houston.
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Working with the Soi Dog Foundation, Addicus has brought dozens of dogs that might have been sent to slaughter to Texas.
"Some of them were pets that were stolen. Others were strays taken from the streets," said Kim Harmon, with Addicus.
"They're crammed into crates and sent to the slaughter houses," Harmon said. "A lot of them die on their way to be killed, and that's a mercy. The way they're killed is far worse."
She said that includes boiling animals alive and, in some cases, torturing them for two weeks, "thinking it improves the taste of the meat."
There's a movement among rescues to eradicate the dog slaughter trade, and every dog rescued and given good homes represents a victory.
For more information on the rescue efforts, go to Addicus' Legacy Dog Rescue on Facebook and soidog.org.
