A Golden Retriever mix named Chi Chi is currently settling in to her new home in Phoenix, Arizona, which is the last stop on a long journey that started behind a South Korean butcher shop.
The 2-year-old dog had been acquired by the meat market and was destined for someone’s dinner plate when a butcher decided that her meat wasn’t up to his standards. Her legs were bound with wire, she was wrapped in a garbage bag and thrown into the trash behind the shop. Chi Chi was discovered by an animal rescue organization, who saved her from her plastic prison and immediately took her for veterinary treatment.
The doctors determined that in order for Chi Chi to survive, her badly damaged legs would have to be amputated. She lost all four legs and has since been fitted with a set of prosthetics.
ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education), a Los Angeles-based rescue organization, learned about Chi Chi’s horrific ordeal and began sharing updates through its Facebook page. Her story — and her big, sad eyes — caught the attention of Richard Howell and his family, who decided to adopt her.
Chi Chi, photographed in South Korea shortly after her legs were amputated. Via Chi Chi of ARME/Facebook
“When it came down to it, the biggest need was that she needed a place to live,” Howell told the Associated Press. “I think ultimately as we progressed with her story, we just felt a connection with her. Chi Chi is different. She might actually change the world.”
The Howells, who live in Phoenix, Arizona, have rescued three other dogs; according to AZ Family, two of them were saved from medical testing facilities.
Chi Chi will join the Howells’ three other rescue dogs. Via Chi Chi of ARME/Facebook
Chi Chi has been with the Howells a little over a week now, half a world away from where she was bagged, discarded and left to die. In Arizona, surrounded by her new, loving family, her life can finally begin.
By: Jelisa Castrodale
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