China Rescue Dogs is working to raise the funds to fly the canines they pulled from the dog meat trade to North America, where they will be put up for adoption

China Rescue Dogs and 12 other U.S. dog rescue organizations are currently working on getting a new group of 60 dogs stateside by the end of January.

According to Jill Stewart, the president and founder of China Rescue Dogs, there is an “urgency to save as many dogs as we can before the Chinese New Year.”

“The country basically shuts down during the month of February. For their survival, we have to get as many out as possible,” she added in her statement on why this rush rescue of 60 dogs is so important.
For all the dogs to arrive via two cargo planes to New York City’s John F. Kenney International Airport on January 28 and 29, China Rescue Dogs and their partners need to cover the travel costs of all 60 dogs.

After fundraising and contributing their own money, the dogs rescuers still need $14,000 to ensure that none of the canines are turned away from the trip.

“With the public’s support, we can save all 60 (so they can be adopted into loving forever homes, and lead long, happy, and healthy lives,” Stewart said in a release about the rescue mission. “I don’t want to think about what will happen to those dogs if we have to turn some back.”

The travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19 have made it impossible for China Rescue Dogs to depend on commercial flights and volunteers to move dogs to the U.S. Now, the organization must rely on cargo planes to fly the dogs to the U.S., a much more expensive route that often ends up costing the group $3,500 per dog – making the donations the rescue depends on even more essential.

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever,” Ryan McDonnell, vice president of China Rescue Dogs, said in a statement. “This is my favorite quote. It truly does encapsulate our mission and organization.”