Sanie, only 4-months old, had seen more in her little life than most other puppies her age. Ripped from her happy family in Cambodia, Sanie was taken to a dog meat farm in another part of the country. She was thrown into a cage, alone, surrounded by other dogs whose fates were the same as hers.
The pup could do nothing but watch the horror around her, as dogs were taken from their cages, their howls and screams, and the sight of a butcher man with a sharp knife as the obvious clues that they were never to return.
On a visit to Southeast Asia, Michael Chour, founder of The Sound of Animals, was on a particular visit to a slaughterhouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, when he met Sadie. He tried to rescue three out of the dozens of dogs held in captivity, but the owner refused. Michael was only able to save one, and even that was a challenge.
The moment Michael lowered himself into Sanie’s cage, she cowered back into the corner, growling and shaking. She was in survival mode, fearful for her wellbeing and in a state of complete panic. Michael expected this, and was very slow and gentle with her, taking his time and careful not to move quickly or abruptly. He made sure to use a soft, soothing voice to tell her it was going to be ok and that she was going to make it out. It took some time, but she seemed to loosen up and trust the seemingly kind stranger.
“When I got out of the cage, she was still terrified, and she was looking at the butcher,” Michael said. “But after I turned my back to him, she pushed herself against me, and put her head under mine.”
From then on, it was clear that Sanie was on her way to freedom. She could feel that she was in good hands, as she nestled and tucked herself into Michael’s chest and under his neck, not ever wanting to leave his warm and safe embrace.
They took Sanie to a vet for a checkup before being brought to a shelter to be with other rescue dogs who have similar stories. “She hugged me and didn’t stop,” the resçuer recalls. “When I took her to the vet clinic and tried to put her on the floor, she still didn’t let go.”
The lucky pup is safe, has lots of new friends, and will hopefully make her way to Europe to be adopted by a family. In the meantime, Michael is still doing everything he can to help lost and forgotten dogs get a second chance at life.
Click the video below to watch the moment Sadie gets scooped to safety.
