Sanctuary Stories
One Dog’s Journey Out of the Chinese Dog Meat Trade
How a brave dog named Backpack made it out, with the help of local activists and a global network of rescuers
From her home in California, Rachel Hinman describes the shelter facility for Harbin Slaughterhouse Survivors as a vibrant, high-energy place, “a place of safety, a place of hope, a place where you feel positivity.” It’s hard to imagine that what she is speaking of is a safe house in Northern China, for dogs who have been saved from the meat trade. Hinman is a board member and the Los Angeles-based director for the global animal rescue network. She has seen a lot, and has many tales to tell. But it’s one story, about a dog named Backpack, that sticks out most of all.
Harbin Slaughterhouse Survivors, or Harbin SHS, was established in 2016, when three expat teachers, “Hayley, from Ireland, Aimee, from Australia, and Emily, from England,” according to their website, started rescuing dogs in the Harbin area in North Eastern China.
“They became friends, united through becoming aware of the way animals were being treated where they live,” says Hinman. “Also the recognition that there are no animal protection [laws], and becoming aware of the dog meat trade.” The three women…
