A poodle rescued from a dog meat market has finally found a forever home after travelling over 6,000 miles to meet her new owners.
Lilibet was up for sale in a Chinese meat market, when she was spotted and rescued by charity workers. She then spent 18 months being transported 6,000 miles, before she found a new home with Michelle Taylor, 47, and solicitor husband Chris, 52, in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The lovable pooch was one of a selection of dogs rescued by charity Great Bulls of China, who helped to transport her to Moscow then Ukraine, where she became stranded when war broke out, before she finally made her way to Buckinghamshire to meet her new family last February.
School administrator Michelle said: "When I first set eyes Lilibet her she didn't look anything like a poodle. She had chronic ear infections, abscesses between her toes, her skin and fur was stained yellow and brown with urine, she was covered in dried faeces and she had a dreadful skin condition. But she sat next to me in the car on our drive home to I realised that she really is the loveliest, loveliest dog imaginable. I was close to tears with all the emotion of meeting her but she kept putting her head on my lap as if she was trying to comfort me."
In the year since, she's become a beloved addition to the family, who paid a £1,200 adoption fee before they met their pet two years after her rescue.
"She was so friendly and my son, Louie, eight, adores her," Michelle added. "Even our Bedlington terrier, Duke, who has terrible anxiety loves her."
Now, Lilibet has now been trained as a therapy dog with Cariad so she can carry out visits to schools, hospitals, and therapy centres. Michelle explained: "Because Lilibet is giving us so much joy and love each and every moment of the day we just wanted other people to be able to benefit from her as well.
"She amazes us every day. She loves the beach but waves scare her a little. She's an absolute food monster and hoovers up her own Sunday dinner in minutes."
Michelle and Lilibet even have coordinated outfits. "We've even got matching stripy jumpers which my husband thinks is hilarious. I'm so proud that she has qualified as a therapy dog. When we visit the local hospital to visit patients their faces light up when they see her. She brings so much joy. She's a truly wonderful dog," the proud owner revealed.
Praising the charity who saved her beloved pet, Michelle said: "The charity does incredible, tireless work and has no statutory funding - it's all funded by donations. It cost £4,700 to transport Lilbet to the UK and save her life."
She added: "What these poor little dogs have to go through in the Chinese meat market is barbaric. Their suffering is unimaginable. These poor dogs are stacked up in cages one on top of the other. Sometimes they are starved and then fattened up before the festival.
"They are boiled and skinned alive. Some are torched and clubbed to death in front of other dogs still in cages witnessing it all and waiting for the same fate. A lot of these dogs have been stolen from their loving homes and sold on for just pennies."
The annual Lychee and Dog Meat Festival held in Yulin, China, sees around 10,000 dogs eaten each year.
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