FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Litigation for Animal Welfare Exposes International Abuse in New White Paper: The Global Dog Meat Rescue Scam

New York, NY — June 15. 2025 — Litigation for Animal Welfare (LAW), a legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting animal rights through strategic litigation and policy reform, has released a groundbreaking white paper entitled THE GLOBAL DOG MEAT RESCUE SCAM. The report uncovers disturbing patterns of fraud, exploitation, and animal abuse perpetrated under the guise of international dog meat trade "rescue" operations.

The white paper presents extensive evidence of a growing global grift in which opportunistic organizations and individuals collect large donations by claiming to rescue dogs from slaughter in Asia. In reality, few dogs are actually imported from China into the United States with most “rehomed” Chinese dogs actually originating in the United States found through online platform ads (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, community news sites etc.). The few that do come from China are purchased from breeders and legitimate rescues, not from meat markets. The findings point to a system that not only fails to protect animals, but also undermines legitimate rescue efforts.

“This white paper pulls back the curtain on a dark underworld hiding behind a carefully crafted image of compassion.” stated Alexandrea Merrell Director of LAW. “The global dog meat rescue industry has become a cottage industry for fraud, where suffering animals are used as fundraising props and donors are misled. It is time for transparency, accountability, and reform.”

Key findings from the report include:

Inflated Rescue Claims: Some organizations exaggerate the scale of their efforts and fabricate life-or-death scenarios to solicit donations.

Fraudulent Importation and Health Care Documents: Most of the dogs that are rehomed as “Chinese dog-meat market rescues” are simply local dogs found on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and local news sites that are accompanied by faked import and CDC documents to make them look legitimate.

Rescue-to-Retail Pipelines: In many cases, dogs are sold to adopters at a 400% markup over local rescue rehoming fees. They are also used to support influencer-driven fundraising schemes with little regard for welfare or follow-up care.

Danger to Adoptive Families: Dogs without vetted medical and emotional backgrounds are placed with unsuspecting families as “family friendly” when they have extensive health and behavioral needs, putting other pets and people in danger.

Local Exploitation: The white paper also documents harm to local Asian rescue groups who do the actual hard work of rescuing dogs and changing laws in China and South Korea. When fake rescues syphon millions of dollars into their own pockets, beleaguered legitimate rescues struggle to stay financially viable.

LAW calls for:

• Federal investigations into fraudulent fundraising practices;

• Regulatory reform on the importation of animals under rescue exemptions;

• Easier interactions between rehomers and the CDC to verify animal origins and health;

• Greater support for legitimate, community-based animal protection groups in countries affected by the dog meat trade.

The full white paper is available at:

www.litigationforanimalwelfare.org/whitepapers

Further updates will be provided as the investigation develops.

For more information about Litigation for Animal Welfare, including how to get involved or contribute, visit www.LitigationforAnimalWelfare.org or follow on social media Facebook and Instagram

Media Contact: media@litigationforanimalwelfare.org

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