Buddha was on his way to the Yulin Meat Festival in China in 2017 when animal rights activists rescued him and saved his life. He is now a happy family member of Middletown residents Robin and John Klein.
By Allison Perrine
On June 19, 2017, a 1-year-old dog nicknamed “Big Head” was crammed onto a large red truck carrying 1,300 other dogs en route to the Yulin Meat Festival in Yulin, Guangxi, China, where they would be tortured, killed and served for human consumption.
But with the help of animal rights activists from the No Dogs Left Behind non-profit and Chinese residents opposed to the festival, several of those dogs were rescued and safely transported to a sanctuary about 40 miles north of Beijing, including Big Head. They were given shots and were nurtured back to health before being flown to the U.S. for eventual adoption.
Not long after the 27-hour flight to the U.S., Big Head was adopted by Middletown residents Robin and John Klein, two animal rights activists who work closely with No Dogs Left Behind and its founder Jeff Beri. Today Big Head, now named Buddha, runs freely in the Kleins’ yard with plenty of toys and bones, alongside their three other dogs.
“He’s just the most amazing creature. Watching him become a dog has been pure joy,” said Robin. “At first I thought, four dogs? But I said to my husband, how do I speak to this cause without having them in our home. It was the best decision we ever made.”
When the Kleins first rescued Buddha, he was very shy and disengaged. According to Robin, rescued dogs like Buddha tend not to draw attention to themselves. “They don’t bark, they don’t whine,” she said. But with proper training and lots of love, he has transformed.
Buddha’s story is just one of the several happy endings for dogs that have been rescued from this festival. The Kleins, No Dogs Left Behind and individual supporters have helped 18 dogs fly from China to the U.S. since 2017, through the “Divine Nine One” and “Divine Nine Two” missions. They use the Russian airline Aeroflot for transports because it allows them to board nine dogs – eight in a climatized environment below and one small dog in the cabin.
After they arrived in the U.S., the dogs were brought to the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Within two weeks they were all adopted and brought into loving homes.
According to No Dogs Left Behind, Jeff Beri founded the organization in 2016 after coming off a historic rescue mission in China where he successfully treated, rehabilitated and transported 121 dogs from Yulin. The sanctuary near Beijing now serves as a safe haven for these animals. There they are cared for, vaccinated, microchipped and evaluated. Most of their conditions are “horrific,” at first, said Klein. Beri’s ultimate goal is to shut down the poaching and illegal dog meat trade. More people in China are against the festival than are in favor of it, she added.
The Yulin Meat Festival is a 10-year tradition held each June during the summer solstice. The tradition started as dog meat consumption began diminishing in China, said Klein. She and her husband learned about the festival through friends about three or four years ago. After visiting Beri’s sanctuary in China they have sponsored the costs for some dogs to come to the U.S.
“Mainly, we just wanted to get exposure and get the word out,” she said.
Overall, the experience has made Klein feel as though the problems in her life are minuscule compared to what others are going through all over the world – including Buddha. She feels compassion for the animals when thinking about the pain and anxiety they have been put through. She’s joyful knowing that the animals they rescue are bringing happiness to families in the U.S. and that the animals are now in comfortable and loving environments.
She also makes sure to check her anger at the door, she said, because getting angry won’t improve the situation. “I am not going to tell you that my eyes might not well up, but I won’t go to my knees,” she said.
In addition to future trips to rescue dogs from Yulin, the Kleins also help people, both in the Two River area and internationally. Robin is on the board of trustees for Count Basie Center for the Arts. John is the president of the board of trustees for LunchBreak.The two are also actively involved in fundraising for the Ubum-we Community Center and School in Rwanda.
“There are absolutely people and animals that need to be saved and protected everywhere, but John and I kind of believe in balance in the world. And this is just part of that balance,” said Klein.
