NoToDogMeat charity is calling for people from the city to help dogs in need
Brighton is well-known as the UK’s most dog friendly city, and the NoToDogMeat charity is calling for people from the city to help dogs in need, at a time of real crisis. The NoToDogMeat charity is based in the UK, and CEO Julia de Cadenet and other bosses regularly travel to China to assist work at rescue centres that the charity supports.
Key supporters of the charity are based in Brighton, and NoToDogMeat has held special awareness days in the city. NoToDogMeat Trustee John Hughes, who lived in the city sadly died while helping with rescues in the Philippines. The pandemic has been hard, but NoToDogMeat has been plunged further into crisis after Chinese authorities banned flights in and out of Europe.
Volunteers and activists are currently struggling to support 450 dogs at the centres, which have become more packed than ever because many pet owners abandoned their dogs due to coronavirus fears. Ordinarily the larger dogs would be rehomed in Europe and America, but this is not possible, and smaller dogs can not be as easily rehomed in China because of the stigma that they carry the virus.
Julia said: ” All visas to China were cancelled even long term ones like mine.
“No foreigners are allowed in or out unless proven resident and then it is not easy.
“Then as of last month they started to look at opening business visa as flights from Europe to China resumed. But now there has been a blanket ban.
“This means we can’t go there and this is desperately worrying as we do need to be onsite and on hand for major issues, we also need to continue our lobbying work, and monitor our investigations.
“We rely on volunteers. In fact it is mostly foreign expats that fly with the dogs when they come back home on holiday and also sometimes Chinese students coming to Europe.
“Restricting not just ours but their movement again deals another blow for the dogs.
“We will now have to rely on expensive cargo (over £2,000 a dog) and that is just not possible.”
France is the charity’s main landing point for the rescued dogs, but due to UK regulations onward travel is now also problematic. To support NoToDogMeat by buying a t-shirt, hoodie or one of their new face-masks, make a donation or to sign up to become a volunteer go to www.notodogmeat.com