NoToDogMeat is a pioneering movement that opposes the cruel slaughter of all animals for food, fur and ‘traditional’ medicine.
NoToDogMeat was founded by Julia de Cadenet, a dual-qualified activist lawyer who witnessed first-hand the horrors of the live meat markets in China in 2009. She began by lobbying for the rights of dogs in South Korea in the UK Parliament and pushing for the closure of Moran Market in Seoul, where one dog dies every 13 seconds and torture is commonplace.
The NoToDogMeat campaign started on social media in April 2013 with the help of a like-minded group of volunteers, all motivated by their love of dogs and cats. We lobby the UK and international governments and support grassroots campaigners to run animal shelters in countries with a dog and cat meat trade. We were among the first charities of this kind in the world.
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In May 2013, NoToDogMeat presented a short film on the dog meat trade in South Korea at the Cannes Film Festival (Marche du Film) using footage of cruelty gathered by long-term activist Kyenan Kum from IAKA. This was the first time the dog and cat meat trade was exposed so publicly.
People worldwide responded immediately, and on 18th May 2013, NoToDogMeat held public protests for the first ‘World Awareness Day’ against the dog and cat meat trade in over 36 towns and cities. This initiative encouraged other grassroots groups to spring up and join the NoToDogMeat movement.
In January 2018, our work was formally recognised by United Nations and granted Special Consultative Status.
We are committed to mobilising and inspiring others to raise awareness and bring about lasting change. It is not part of any country’s culture to treat animals inhumanely, which is the main focus of NoToDogMeat’s campaign. It is unacceptable that beloved pets are stolen to be made into fur and archaic ‘medicines’.
Dogs are beaten and blowtorched while alive in Korea, cats are boiled alive to make soups and ‘healing tinctures’ in Vietnam, and festivals such as Yulin glorify the torture of loyal and loving companion animals. We do not believe this cruelty is culture is not culture; it is abuse on an industrial scale. We believe that all animals deserve respect and compassion, and many countries we operate in are taking note.
In China, close to 10 million dogs are skinned alive for food and fur. Frequently, this barbaric cruelty takes place in front of children. Dog meat festivals such as in Yulin are commonplace, and there is no regard given to health or sanitation. Some Koreans have been led to believe the more the animal suffers, the better the meat tastes.
Cats in Vietnam are boiled alive to make soup and elixirs. In Indonesia, dogs are burnt alive in open markets just minutes from tourist attractions. This epidemic of cruelty, which extends throughout Asia and beyond, can have no place in any modern society.
Since the pandemic caused by zoonotic disease, China has been moving to reclassify dogs and cats as unfit for human consumption. In Vietnam, there was uproar when footage obtained by this Charity showed cats being boiled alive for a cure for respiratory ailments. The tide is turning on this cruelty.
Our Charity is committed to helping brave rescuers who stop trucks on the way to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China and rescue dogs from markets and slaughterhouses. In 2015, we formed a partnership with a committed grassroots Chinese activist and together, we have built a partner shelter near Beijing.
Our shelter has since grown and moved to Hebei. A genuine sanctuary to over 700 dogs and cats where once rescued, their medical needs can be taken care of, and slowly they can learn to love and trust humans again.
All rescues are microchipped on arrival, and the Charity operates a strict spay and neuter programme. Rehoming and adoption of the smaller dogs take place in China, allowing the Charity to teach kindness to animals and responsible care.
We rehome larger dogs overseas, many to Europe and the USA. We believe education is the key to change, and to further our compassionate mission in 2021, we set up an education centre in Cambodia.
To know more about NoToDogMeat or join us, please send us an email via the contact form or call us on 0300 302 0326. For more information on our policies and legal status, please visit our blog at NoToDogMeat.blog.