Retriever Clover ran on grass for the first time ever after being saved from an illegal dog meat lorry.

The 12-month-old is one of scores being rescued from the horrific Chinese trade by a small UK charity.

Cindi McNeil-Regan, 43, who runs Rushton Dog Rescue, said: “This evil trade should be shut down, so I decided to try to make a difference by saving some animals.”

Clover was found by activists in China in a disturbingly skinny state, with severe skin problems and suffering pneumonia.

Vets say he would have died in a month because of his poor diet and condition.

Bred for meat in disgusting cages, he had never before run on grass.

Now he has been rehomed with a family in Gloucestershire, near the charity’s Somerset HQ.

A week after his arrival, he was joined in England by Tibetan Mastiff Sasha and Pomeranian Ting-Tong, both equally neglected.

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Photo Credit: Rowan Griffiths – Daily Mirror