Have you ever wondered where the dogs come from that dog groomers learning the latest styles to groom? Did you know that in China, there are grooming farms where foreign trainers travel to learn new techniques?
This issue first came to our attention at Crufts a few years back when we met a well-known British training company that told is how impressed they were with grooming techniques in Asia. They said they had travelled to China and were amazed by just how many dogs they got to practice on and how unbelievably quiet all the dogs were.
We know a lot about breeding farms in China. Well-known breeds are kept in horrific conditions, and when breeders can no longer find clients, they are sent to slaughter at dog meat markets, which made us wonder about grooming establishments.
For the next few years Julia and Mr Zhao, who runs our partner shelter, we started to investigate groomers and found some horrific warehouses with tiny dogs who spent their entire lives in wire cages and then were dragged out to be groomed. This business wasn't just for foreign trainees, but with the growth of the pet industry in China, grooming has become a big business. Many groomers also offer dog boarding, and sadly, when owners never return, these dogs also fall victim to cruelty and the dog meat trade.
Poodles and Shitzu seem to be the favourite breeds for grooming training, and our little Hope was a victim to cruelty even worse than we had seen.
During Yulin, we go to so many back street slaughterhouses, and we found little Hope cowering in a cage. It was just before dawn, and there were many different breeds. We thought she was probably a stolen pet. After we rescued her, we saw her spine was curved from being caged so tightly, but as we lifted this tiny soul, barely 3 kilos, from her nightmare, she did not make a sound. We later discovered that her vocal chords had been cut. We knew it wasn't the Yulin butchers, but very likely one of the brutal grooming farms that silence the dogs to stop them barking or crying. Our hearts were completely broken. Not only were her eyes clouded over, but although she could hear, she would never be able to communicate. We brought her back to our base with trepidation, wondering how we could care for her. She was so tiny and would never be able to hold her own with the other dogs.
Then a second miracle happened, a lovely lady called Vikki came forward from London, UK and offered her a home. Vikki knew there would be challenges ahead and is prepared to make adjustments to accommodate her. But as soon as. As soon as she gave us the green light, we moved our little Hope to live with our kittens at the base to keep her warm and safe, and in a few days, she will fly to her new home.
We wanted her to look her best for her new life, but we were anxious about grooming her, given her past trauma. She trusted us and let us wash and brush her. Her silent faith in us moved us to tears.
We are determined to keep going, exposing cruelty in Asia and with your help sharing our petition and news we can do that.
We are a small registered charity run by volunteers and rely on your donations to keep going. This helps us feed and care for our 700 rescue dogs and cats in China until they too can feel hope.