A Shanghai-based "animal welfare organization" was on Monday exposed as having been illegally selling stray animals for a decade.
The organization, whose Chinese name can be translated as Shanghai Pet Rescue and Adoption Network, claimed to be the only formal charitable pet rescue organization in the city on social media but is in fact a for-profit business, reported Shanghai-based news site kankanews.com.
The report revealed that the organization made its money by charging animal lovers fees for both taking in and adopting stray animals.
One of the employees argued that "it is impossible for us to give away these pets for free as we need to pay workers to take care of the animals. For a golden retriever, we charge only 1,950 yuan ($284)."
"We are a rescue charity, not a pet store," the employee said when asked if the business is authorized, adding "we are not selling illegal merchandise, just pets, and anyone can sell pets."
The organization claimed that it vaccinates all the dogs and cats in the shelter and therefore charges animal adopters for the cost of these injections, revealed the report.
However, animal lovers who have adopted pets from the agency said on social media that the adopted dogs started to vomit, cough and even die within a week of being taken home.
Some dog lovers in Shanghai said that the organization is actually the former pet store Eastern Dog Store, which was shut down in 2006 after being ferreted out for trafficking pets.
Lydia and Coco (pseudonyms), two volunteer workers with another Shanghai local pet adoption agency called "Aunty Wang," told the Global Times that "anyone with cash could buy dogs from the shady network. It is very irresponsible."
"The only paperwork required for adoption is a signed document saying that the organization has nothing to do with the adopted dog after the signing of the paper," Lydia noted.
"If we expose their shady conducts online, the infamous network would create unofficial social media accounts to verbally abuse us. I was one of the victims three years ago," said He Yukuan, a Shanghai dog lover.
