New leash on life
Dada, a 2-year-old blind dog, is shy whenever a visitor comes around compared to his extremely enthusiastic brother, Langlang, and sister, Xiaoman, who both bark, jump up and lick visitors to offer their warmest welcome. By comparison, Dada is content to merely sniff his guests and lay down quietly next to them.
One year ago, the former stray was adopted by Liu Suman, a 35-year-old resident from Fengtai district, who has since loved and cared for the animal by providing a loving home.
"You can only imagine what Dada suffered when he was on the street," Liu told Metro Beijing, holding back tears. "When I saw his sad face at a veterinarian clinic, I couldn't help but cry. I was determined to give him a warm home."
Life on the streets was unspeakably harsh for Dada, who had his right eye gouged out. His left eye remains, although has lost all sight. Fortunately, there was a happy ending for Dada thanks to Liu, who was introduced to the dog during a pet adoption day held last year by organization Beijing Adoption Days (BAD).
BAD's good cause
BAD volunteers help stray pets find their way into caring families. Since it was established in November 2011, BAD has held regular monthly events connecting animal lovers with animals often from traumatic backgrounds. More than 300 dogs and cats rescued from streets and animal shelters in Beijing have been adopted thanks to BAD, which has a dozen regular workers and hundreds more volunteers and rescuers.
The organization's 11th pet adoption day was held on Saturday, September 22, at the 3.3 shopping mall in Sanlitun, Chaoyang district. More than 6o dogs and cats seeking adoption were displayed before crowds of people eager to find a four-legged friend.
One of the rescuers attending the event was Song Yijia, 22, a white-collar worker in Beijing. Song has helped find homes for more than 50 stray dogs since 2009. On Saturday, she brought a dog named Jinbao which, like Dada, had been cruelly gouged blind in one eye.
"All I hope for is that an adopter will give Jinbao a home and promise to never abandon him," Song said. Ge Xu, a 29-year-old dentist, found out about the pet adoption day online and decided to go along. She ended up enamored with a dog she claimed at first glance she shared "chemistry" with.
But not just anyone can adopt a pet. Like the animals, potential owners must meet strict standards to prove they will be responsible masters.
When an animal is rescued from the street, volunteers take it to a veterinarian clinic to be examined, cleaned, neutered and vaccinated. Strays are fed and cared for by rescuers at their home until a suitable adopter can be found.
On adoption day, people seeking a pet must fill out application forms and talk to rescuers. What follows next is a visit to the would-be owners' homes to ensure they can provide a caring environment for their adopted pet. Finally, a contract is signed whereby the adopter promises never to abandon the pet.
"Our procedures are effective. We are glad to say that no mistreatment or abandonment has been reported of the 300 animals we have adopted out," said Yang Yang, co-founder of BAD.
'Adopt, don't shop'
The idea of adopting strays instead of purchasing them from pet shops is widely encouraged in many Western countries, but in China the concept remains comparatively new.
"Adopt, don't shop," is BAD's slogan that is printed on banners, T-shirts and cards. Among the many reasons BAD wants to promote adoption of strays is that Beijing's population of homeless pets continues to swell, said senior volunteer Gong Yi.
"This is because the costs are growing to care for pets," Gong explained, adding some pets are even shown the door by owners because they are "no longer in fashion."
"Many people buy pets that are 'in vogue' or serve as a symbol of social status," said Yang. "Last year, it was the bichon frisé and this year it is the Labrador. Fashion comes and goes. When you see more dogs of a certain breed dumped on the street, you know their trend is over."
Furthermore, pet farms remain a cruel and largely unregulated industry in China driven to meet consumer demand. "I once visited a pet farm in Tongzhou district that was unbearable," said Yang.
In order to breed purebred puppies, dogs are kept in cramped cages with inadequate food and water, she said. They are injected with hormones to encourage them to breed, but such injections often leave them with cancers and skin diseases. Dogs deemed "unqualified" or "sick" are killed without question, Yang added.
Need for government support
All of BAD's members work in their field of expertise. Yang, whose full-time job is in advertising, handles public relations, while Chen Jia, an IT manager, handles online social networking duties, such as maintaining the organization's official microblog.
Many people have helped BAD through a variety of means. Artists have designed promotional cards for free, singers have composed theme songs in support, malls have provided spaces for adoption days and shops have donated items for charity sales.
Tang Chunlin, a lawyer with the Beijing Yingke Law Firm, would like to see grass-roots welfare NGOs such as BAD receive greater support from the government in the form of "funding to build animal shelters" and "tougher legislation to protect animal rights."
For her part, Yang would like to see more people become involved in BAD's cause either as a volunteer or responsible pet owner.
"We hope other cities in China can share in our experiences and resources."
Yang's call for action appears to have been heeded, with Tianjin; Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; Chengdu, Sichuan Province; and Kunming, Yunnan Province among cities that have their held pet adoption days this year alone.