18 Dogs Rescued After Being Trapped in Sacks to Be Sold Into the Illegal Dog Meat Trade

After three women decided to leave India’s illegal dog meat industry, they partnered with Humane World for Animals to rescue the 18 dogs they no longer wanted to sell. The organization partnered with local groups to take the dogs,

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Eighteen dogs were rescued in Nagaland, India, from the illegal dog meat trade with help from former vendors

The rescue was led by Humane World for Animals and local partners after vendors chose humane careers over selling dogs

Eight of the rescued dogs have already been adopted

Eighteen dogs that were previously captured and held in sacks to sell in India’s illegal dog meat industry have been freed in a first-of-its-kind rescue, with many of them already finding homes with new families.

The two-day rescue mission took place in Nagaland, a state in northeast India, in early July, according to a press release from Humane World for Animals that PEOPLE obtained.

The organization, previously known as The Humane Society of the United States, said three former dog meat vendors made the operation possible after deciding to leave the industry and pursue more humane careers.

The former vendors, all women, sold dogs for 20 years. However, they learned about other career paths through a program called Models for Change. After deciding to move on, they reached out for help rescuing the dogs they no longer wanted to sell.

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Humane World for Animals India’s team partnered with Pro Rural and Dimapur SPCA and received help from the Chumoukedima veterinary department to pull off the rescue mission.

Though the dogs were originally in three separate villages, 15 of them — including three puppies and three pregnant females — were moved to one of the vendors’ homes and tethered in her front yard. The remaining three were kept safe in another woman’s home.

Rescuers noted that arriving at the first property, they were greeted by “a chorus of yaps, wagging tails and jumps.”

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All of the animals were treated by Dr. Piyush Patel, the director of Humane World for Animals India’s street dog program. Some of them had injuries, including one dog with a broken leg. Others appeared traumatized by their experience.

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All the dogs were vaccinated and prepared for transport to a safer future outside of the illegal industry.

At least eight of the dogs have already been adopted by families in Nagaland.

Humane World for Animals praised the former vendors for their decision, saying that they “showed bravery, compassion, determination and great presence of mind to ensure the dogs could be saved.”

Surajit Sharma / AP Images for Humane World for Animals

“This rescue has not only changed the fate of the dogs but has also shown the power of offering people compassionate alternatives to the dog meat trade,” the organization shared in a blog post. “When given the opportunity to practice kindness and mercy toward animals, they often take it. Often inequity and circumstances force animals and people into such misery.”

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The post continued, “It is exactly through finding these root causes and creating trust in communities that we can change the world for dogs, helping the very people who once ran the dog meat trade to become the ones who end it.”

Speaking to the organization, one of the women discussed her decision to leave the industry, saying, “I want more women vendors to know that we can have humane livelihoods, too.”

Surajit Sharma / AP Images for Humane World for Animals

“Despite being illegal in India, thousands of dogs are killed each year for the dog meat trade. Humane World for Animals exposed this cruelty with shocking video footage from the northeastern state of Nagaland, where more than 30,000 street dogs and stolen pets are captured, slaughtered, and sold in live markets annually,” the organization said in a statement shared with The Animal Rescue Site.

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