Three women spent 20 years selling dogs into India’s illegal dog meat trade. This July, they made a different choice, and it changed everything for 18 dogs.
The rescue took place over two days in early July in Nagaland, a state in northeast India, according to a press release from Humane World for Animals, formerly known as The Humane Society of the United States.
The organization said the operation was only possible because three former dog meat vendors decided to leave the industry behind for more humane careers, thanks to a program called Models for Change, and then reached out for help rescuing the dogs they no longer wanted to sell.
Humane World for Animals India partnered with Pro Rural, Dimapur SPCA, and the Chumoukedima veterinary department to carry out the mission.
The 18 dogs, originally scattered across three separate villages, included three puppies and three pregnant females.
Fifteen were gathered at one vendor’s home, tethered in her front yard, while the remaining three were kept safe at another woman’s house.
Rescuers arriving at the first property described being greeted by “a chorus of yaps, wagging tails and jumps.”
Not every dog was in good shape, though. Dr. Piyush Patel, director of the organization’s street dog program in India, treated the animals for various injuries, including one dog with a broken leg, while others showed clear signs of trauma from what they’d been through.
Every dog was vaccinated and prepared for transport away from the industry entirely. At least eight have already been adopted by families in Nagaland.
Humane World for Animals praised the three women, saying they “showed bravery, compassion, determination and great presence of mind to ensure the dogs could be saved.”
One of them put it simply: “I want more women vendors to know that we can have humane livelihoods, too.”
According to the organization, more than 30,000 street dogs and stolen pets are captured and sold in live markets in Nagaland each year, despite the practice being illegal in India.
This rescue is a small but meaningful step against that number, and a reminder that lasting change often starts with offering people a better way forward, not just the animals.
“It is exactly through finding these root causes and creating trust in communities that we can change the world for dogs,” the organization shared, “helping the very people who once ran the dog meat trade to become the ones who end it.”
What do you think it takes to end practices like this for good?
Source:
1. people – “18 Dogs Rescued After Being Trapped in Sacks to Be Sold into the Illegal Dog Meat Trade”
2. Humane World for Animals