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April 16, 2019

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Hard times for strays are doggone

Source: Xinhua | 00:00 UTC+8 April 16, 2019 | Print Edition

A LIFE-changing moment has finally come for Demacia, a 6-month-old stray dog in the central Chinese city of Changsha.

Demacia was found by animal activists in a basement car park about a month ago. After a number of failed attempts to find its owner, the dog was taken home by a volunteer.

On Saturday afternoon, 51 cities, including Shanghai, held the fifth China Simultaneous Adoption Day that promotes adopting strays rather than buying pets.

Demacia was among 30 dogs and 10 cats waiting to be adopted in Changsha.

The event was staged in a downtown shopping mall. Each animal had their own profiles including ages, personalities and health conditions next to them.

Before long, Demacia won the love of 29-year-old Xue Pingping and her son.

鈥淲e used to keep a dog in our family,鈥 Xue said. 鈥淢y son fell for Demacia at first sight. After the volunteer鈥檚 introduction and some discussion with my husband, we decided to adopt the cute little thing.鈥

As soon as they filled out the form, the family came back to Demacia鈥檚 cage and confirmed the date for a 鈥渉ome visit鈥 with a volunteer.

Organizer Hu Yiming said: 鈥淲e have to make sure the new owners are the most suitable ones for the animals. The potential owners have to sign an adoption agreement and produce a copy of their ID information before they can have the animals in their arms.鈥

He Hao was also among the crowd, with his own dog.

鈥淚 adopted the dog on June 17 last year and named it 17 to commemorate the date of our meeting,鈥 He said.

A charity sale booth was also popular. All the sales of pet snacks, toys and supplies will be used to help stray animals. Veterinarians were also offering free consultations.

It was the third time Wen Haitao, director of a local animal hospital, has participated.

鈥淚 can see the improvement of pet protection efforts in China in recent years, as more cities have introduced guidelines for keeping pets and animal charities have mushroomed,鈥 Wen said.

Hu鈥檚 animal rescue institution is now operating at full load with 150 dogs and 13 cats.

鈥淭o ensure the living quality of each and every animal, we are no longer taking in new ones, unless some are adopted,鈥 Hu said.

Xia Bing, a volunteer, added: 鈥淎nimals cannot be saved by an institution, but by the good heart of everyone in society.鈥

She takes pictures of animals during her leisure time and hopes that her photos can bring in more people.

As of Saturday evening, Hu had received over 130 applications, an increase compared with previous events.

鈥淎bout 70 percent of the animals will be adopted, which is more than last year,鈥 Hu said.

In Beijing, more than 30 healthy and friendly cats and dogs were at an adoption venue.

Popular actors and artists endorsed the event as it was live streamed on social media.

鈥淧erhaps because I am an actor, I was lucky that what I said could be heard by many people,鈥 said Sun Li, also an animal welfare activist.

Successful experience worldwide has proven that the promotion of adopting strays instead of buying pets could effectively reduce the number of stray animals, said Dr Sun Quanhui, a science officer with the World Animal Protection.

Pet adoption also goes hand in hand with public education on animal welfare.

鈥淭o treat animals with kindness is not only a duty of mankind but also an important symbol of a civilized society,鈥 stressed the scholar.

Professor Qiu Renzong with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences鈥 Institute of Philosophy, added that 鈥渁nimal welfare should be respected and treated the same way we treat people.鈥

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