A FAMILY from Crossgates have adopted another dog that was rescued from the Chinese meat trade.

Willow, a gorgeous mix between a Shar Pei and a Golden Retriever, has now been with the Arnott family for seven months after she was sold off to the meat trade in China by her owner and rescued by the Great Bulls of China charity.

Steven Arnott told the Times: "We've had Willow now for just about seven months and she is an absolute bona fide rescue.

"She was bought off a meat truck by a gentleman in China who rescues dogs. She was literally on her way to market.

"My wife seen her, the charity brought her across and she was actually meant to be a foster but she was the world's fastest foster fail and within a couple of days my wife knew we were keeping her."

Willow joins a large family with Steven, Christine and six other dogs, including Deena who was also rescued.

Now, she will be joining her sister, Deena, in becoming a therapy dog at the Camilla House Nursing home in Auchtertool.

He continued: "Because of Willow's nature and with Deena already being a therapy pet, I wondered if she would be able to do that so I actually took her along to our local care home, just for a visit and she was absolutely fantastic, she really was.

"She had her assessment last week and the lady that does it had absolutely no problem with her joining the team.

"We think that she's part Shar Pei and part Golden Retriever, so she's like a Shar Pei in a Golden Retriever jacket. I call her a Shartriever!

"But she's just got one of those faces that everyone wants to touch, she's got a big sad face.

"She's really easygoing, she's so calm and I've not actually seen her get distressed or upset since we've got her.

"What I find amazing about the rescue dogs, especially the Chinese rescue dogs, is that they're just so loving and they've got no reason to trust humans."

For anyone considering rescuing a dog from Great Bulls of China, Steven says: "Absolutely get in touch with the charity.

"I'm not going to lie, it's not the cheapest thing in the world to do, but at the same time all these dogs want is a family, they just want a home and when I see Willow, I mean, this is a dog I can have off the lead in the field.

"It's almost like she's just so happy just to be here."

For more information on how you can support the Great Bulls of China charity, visit: https://www.greatbullsofchina.co.uk/ or find them on Facebook.