Dogs rescued from Chinese meat festival starting new life with 'wonderful families,' say Montreal SPCA

It's the start of a new chapter for a group of dogs that were destined for a Chinese dog meat festival as many get to go home to their new families for the first time.

Almost all of the 32 dogs rescued by the Montreal SPCA had been adopted by Friday night.

"We've had so many wonderful families coming in adopting these dogs," society spokesperson Anita Kapuscinska told CBCMontreal's Homerunon Friday.

• Saved from dog meat festival, 32 dogs find new life in Montreal

She added four dogs are still available, but warned they are not well suited for young children.

According to Kapuscinska, hundreds of people came forward in hopes of adopting one of the dogs. She believes their story has captured a lot of hearts.

"There's definitely been a lot of interest for these dogs in particular. Some people have been so touched by the situation and were already looking to adopt a dog, it's the perfect fit," she explained.

'Long journey' for dogs

The dogs were found crammed in rusty cages at the Yulin dog meat festival in China by The Humane Society International/Canada.

They were able to save 110 dogs, bringing them to Canada where they were placed with shelters across the country.

"They had been through a long journey when they arrived in Montreal," said Kapuscinska. "They were not only exhausted, they were also terrified and extremely stressed. The priority was to settle them in."

• Dog meat festival in China takes place despite protest

Dog behaviourists and volunteers worked with the rescues to help prepare them for adoption. All of the dogs have been sterilized, microchipped and vaccinated.

Families thinking of adopting were asked to attend group sessions to know what to expect.

Kapuscinska said some dogs were able to come out of their shells a little bit, but many remain timid and still need some time to adjust.