A small animal rescue organization based on Long Island is making a significant impact by saving hundreds of dogs from being consumed as food in China and rehoming them in the United States.
Run 2 The Rescue, founded by Sag Harbor’s own Bonnie Klapper, has successfully rescued approximately 600 dogs from the global dog meat industry. This achievement is made possible through collaboration with dedicated individuals working diligently to prevent these animals from being sold at open-air markets and festivals.
“These dogs were destined to be someone’s dinner,” Klapper shared, holding Junebug, a toy poodle with tearful eyes. Junebug was one of over a dozen dogs rescued after a Chinese breeding facility was closed earlier this year, where unsold dogs were fated for the slaughterhouse.
Klapper explained, “Butchers often steal pets, and people sell dogs to these butchers, who then sell them by weight.” Her team has saved a wide variety of dogs, from Pomeranians to beagles and schnauzers, successfully placing nearly 300 of them into new homes so far.
The Humane World For Animals reports that around 30 million dogs are killed annually for human consumption, with approximately 10 million of these deaths occurring in China alone.
Despite the enormity of the problem, there are few dedicated rescuers focusing solely on the dog meat trade in China, according to Brandy Cherven, a veteran rescuer who co-founded the organization with Klapper in 2024.
The number of rescuers that always accept sick or injured dogs are even fewer, she said, but Run 2 the Rescue “never says no to any dog.”
“We see a lot of hard things,” Klapper said.
“We’ve taken dogs that we know are going to probably pass away soon, and we just bring them to our shelter and we let them humanely go instead of suffer.”
Cherven notes their rescue crews in China periodically stop dog meat trucks and visit butchers, puppy mills and laboratories to negotiate the release of the animals — oftentimes by threatening to call the police if a site doesn’t have its proper licenses. The rescued animals are then cared for at the nonprofit’s sanctuary before being flown into the US.
A 3-year-old Schnauzer named Twitch, who had suffered a fractured skull from “blunt force trauma” and was rescued from being sold to a slaughterhouse, was one of several pups welcomed into the US at John F. Kennedy International Airport Wednesday.
“I love that we can just give him a second chance … knowing he had suffered before and we could give him the opposite of what he’s gone through,” said Freeport, New York resident Yolanda Lobban, who will be fostering Twitch with her daughter Aryanna.
“You get to be the first part of that journey, where they go next, with love,” Lobban added.
The same flight also ushered in toy poodles “orthopedic nightmare” Junebug and partially-blind Pearl, who were adopted by Greg and Amy Carrico of Syracuse, New York — and joining a gaggle of other special-needs poodles they saved from the same fate.
Other notable rescues include a whopping 77 lab-tested beagles who were intercepted en route to a dog butcher.
Among the most memorable case was that of Kronk — a 39-pound Malamute who was beaten so badly by Chinese butchers he still walks sideways and can’t use his back legs.
The sweet, massive “goofball” has since doubled in weight — and now lives with Cherven in Ohio.
“When people ask what’s the most wonderful part of rescue, this is it … seeing dogs that originally we saw in horrific circumstances, first at our sanctuary, healing, and placed in wonderful homes,” Klapper said.
“We feel as lucky as the dogs do because we have a chance to change lives.”
