Dozens of dogs 'waiting to be butchered and made into sausages' are rescued from a slaughterhouse in China

• 40 dogs, many believed to be stolen pets, were found in a farmhouse in China
• Animal lovers accused workers of killing dogs and turning them into sausages 
• Phrases including 'live dogs killed to order' and 'dog meat sausages' were seen
• Officials moved all pooches into an official shelter to be looked after yesterday

Dozens of dogs allegedly abducted to be turned into sausages have been rescued from a farm in China.

The animals, many believed to be stolen pets, had been transported to a rural village in south-western China to be 'killed to order' and made into dog meat sausages, according to animal lovers.

It is said that workers would share pictures of the dogs onto a social media app and take orders from customers through the platform.

Local officials yesterday found 40 dogs, including Labradors and Golden Retrievers, locked in cages. They have moved them to a state-run shelter.

The business was hidden in a farmhouse in Huilong Village in the town of Angu in Leshan city, reported Leshan TV Station.

According to the station's news show Daily News, animal lovers accused the residents of the farmhouse of slaughtering and cooking dogs after seeing pictures of its operation on social media.

It is alleged that the business owners brazenly posted pictures of live dogs on Chinese messaging app WeChat to look for customers. 

The public could pick dogs by browsing through the owners' album and order them to be killed and turned into sausages.

Footage released by the TV channel shows phone numbers and phrases including 'live dogs killed to order' and 'dog meat sausages' written on the walls.

Animal lovers swarmed to the house Monday afternoon to demand the owners turn in their dogs and close the premises.

One woman, who claimed to be a director of the business, insisted that the place was just a kennel, not an abattoir.

She questioned a reporter: '[These dogs] are raised by us. Is it illegal?'

The woman added that the words on the wall 'were written by children for fun'.

Another man 'in charge of' the business, Mr Yi, criticised the animal lovers for allegedly trying to take the dogs away without paying.

He said: 'Our kennel has 40 big or small dogs, whose total value is between 14,000 yuan and 16,000 yuan (£1,600-1,830). Dog lovers just want to get the dogs away without spending money.'

Speaking to another news outlet, Leshan News, Mr Yi admitted that 'some of the dogs' would be killed for their meat, but many others would be sold alive. 

On the other hand, animal lovers claimed to have gathered evidence, including pictures of dog fur and videos of animals being killed and cooked.

An insider, Ms Zhao, told Xuanwo Video that she had received many complaints from people for the 'dog meat sausages' posts on WeChat.

She added: 'Some people whose pets had been stolen received phone calls from [the business] and got told to pay to get their dogs back.

'Of course, they would not admit, but things like this have happened so many times. Therefore, pet owners would be on guard.'

Ms Zhao claimed that she and her colleagues had investigated the allegations for months, and called various government organisations to complain.

Local officials arrived at the farmhouse yesterday after animal lovers had besieged it for some 20 hours.

Li Shugen, director of Comprehensive Agricultural Service Center of Angu Town, told reporters: 'The Good Samaritans have agreed to have the dogs moved into a shelter and looked after by it.

'The property owner who kept the dogs has reached an agreement with them. This matter has been settled.'

Authorities had transferred all of the 40 dogs by 7pm yesterday. Social media footage shows officers carrying the dogs onto a pick-up truck.

Ms Zhao expected the shelter to look for new owners for the dogs.