Alice: A Dog Who Has Captured My Heart

One of my favourite corners of the Internet is the Facebook page of Esther the Wonder Pig. In late 2012 or early 2013 (I forget which), Esther was purchased as a supposed "mini pig" by Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, a couple who lived in a small suburban home in Ontario, Canada. However, they soon realised that they had been duped. Esther had been bred into existence as a commercial farm pig, who would very quickly outgrow their small house ... and grown she has: her final weight stands at 650 pounds! In the face of this daunting situation, Steve and Derek decided to keep Esther. They ultimately moved to the country and founded an animal sanctuary called Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary (HEEFS) in her honour ... all because they had fallen head over heels in love with her.

I have been following both Esther's page and the HEEFS page since 2014, as their posts always bring me joy. I love reading about each new resident's story. Following their progress as they begin to trust humans again, relax into their new surroundings, and reveal their true personalities, quirks and natural habits is a delight. I just have to take one moment here to highlight the story of Esther's friend Cornelius: a turkey with a heart of gold and one hell of a personality. 😂

The purpose of this particular post, though, is to talk about another resident of HEEFS whose story has captured my heart. Her name is Alice and she is a beautiful, goofy Saint Bernard who was rescued from a Korean dog meat farm at the end of 2017.
Image Credit: Steve Jenkins/Facebook
I wish I didn't have to say this, but given the way the Internet can sometimes be, the first thing I feel the need to state is that the issue of how we as humans have treated animals, the natural world, and the very ecosystems that sustain life as we know it cannot be blamed on any one country or continent (though I feel that Western countries with a history of colonialism have the most to answer for in that regard, if I'm being perfectly honest). It is a matter in which every last one of us is implicated. I'm sad to say that whenever I've seen the issue of dog meat farms highlighted online, there have nearly always been racially abusive comments underneath the post, targeting those who live in countries where these farms exist.

While many non-Asian people feel entitled to pass disparaging remarks, it must be remembered that there are plenty of dedicated, passionate activists on the ground, all of whom are doing amazing work to advocate on the dogs' behalf. Soi Dog Foundation is one organisation which has been renowned for its work in liberating dogs from meat production facilities, as well as providing compassionate education and proposing alternative methods of earning a livelihood to dog meat farmers. To date, they have rescued 16,121 dogs from the meat trade. The dog meat industry is also beginning to die out. According to one study conducted in China in 2016, 69% of Chinese citizens have never eaten dog meat, and of those who did, many of them had only eaten dog meat on rare occasions.

Steve himself addressed this issue in the post where he introduced Alice to his Facebook followers. He wrote:
Alice is a meat dog, having only recently been freed along with 170 other dogs from an intensive meat dog breeding farm in Korea. The farm she came from has since been shut down, the farmer now growing blueberries thanks to the help and guidance of the rescue organisation. Before anyone starts calling names, or making racist comments, I think it’s important to remember that these farms exist all over the world. In their barn it was Alice, in the barns over here it’s Esther. There’s no difference whatsoever. Each and every one of them deserve better than what they were born for, and we’re beyond lucky to have the opportunity to provide it for them.

Image Credit: Steve Jenkins/Facebook

Alice lost both of her ears and had her tail docked in the farm. Steve stated that when she first moved in back in January, she was extremely timid and frightened, "almost certainly because of the unspeakable things she saw/heard before she arrived at our house." However, it did not take long for her to settle in and make friends with the other canine residents, Reuben and Shelby. She was initially startled by Esther's sheer size – as she had never seen a creature quite like her in her life – and I'm sure she was also somewhat taken aback at the sight of a turkey strutting around like he owned the place!

However, this plucky girl has now learned how to feel comfortable and relaxed around all of the HEEFS residents. I particularly love this picture of her with a pig named Tammie. 🐶🐷❤️
Image Credit: Humane Society International – Canada/Facebook

And here she is meeting Esther for the very first time.
Image Credit: Humane Society International – Canada/Facebook

Just look at that beautiful smile!
Image Credit: Steve Jenkins/Facebook

This gorgeous girl has come a long way.

Image Credit: Humane Society International – Canada/Facebook
Image Credit: Steve Jenkins/Facebook

There is one video I love, which features Alice running, barking and enjoying her new garden to the full soon after she arrived at HEEFS. It is simply captioned, "I think she's starting to remember what it feels like to be happy" ... which says it all to me. ❤️ Steemit won't allow me to embed the video, which is slightly annoying, but the link is here if anyone wishes to view it. To keep up with Alice, Esther and their other friends' adventures, follow Esther on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. Steve also maintains a Facebook page where he often shares pictures of Alice. I will do another post on Esther (and perhaps Cornelius) soon ... or maybe I will just write about the sanctuary in general. It remains to be seen! 😊

As a side note ... I haven't wanted to delve too deeply into the ins and out of the dog meat trade in this post, because I wanted to focus on the hope and joy that Alice brings, rather than the gruesome details of it all. If you feel that you would like to learn more, some links are provided below.

Tackling the Meat Trade – Animals Asia

Ending the Dog Meat Trade – Soi Dog Foundation

Students Across China Stand Up to Dog and Cat Meat Trade With Moving Poster Project – One Green Planet