Hangzhou - No place to live
In a village near Hangzhou, a whole neighbourhood has disappeared except for one house. It’s the Xiaoshan Small Animal Shelter, the biggest personal refuge in Hangzhou, but it is facing demolition now.
There are more than 350 dogs and 50 cats here. The shelter was founded by Qian Fengying, who has been involved with animal welfare for 25 years, at great personal cost.
Mrs Qian was running a teahouse business before. Unintentionally, a friend sent a homeless puppy to her called Feifei. This was the start of everything. In the beginning, her husband and two daughters supported her, but they began to change their mind as the dogs became more numerous. Her husband fought with her. One time, he threw a dog away from the second floor, and the dog died from a cerebral haemorrhage. They did not reconcile before he died. “I do not forgive him. The life of a dog is the same as that of a person. I will take care of those dogs until I die.”
Hangzhou was in the news in November when the city government announced a policy of “civilised dogs.” After a couple of cases of people being bitten by pet dogs, the animals must now be leashed and can only be walked in downtown Hangzhou from 7:00pm to 7:00am the next morning.
Forbidden dog breeds like Tibetan mastiffs face being confiscated or killed. It’s another sign of the tough road that dogs face as the growing middle class wants more pet dogs, but regulations pop up to make it more difficult. And life is toughest of all for stray or abandoned dogs that only find protection in places like Mrs Qian’s shelter.
A whole neighbourhood has disappeared except for this shelter, photographed on 16 April 2019.
The Daily Routine
“Every morning at 05:30, I cook 100 pounds of rice at home. When everything is done, I bring it to the shelter. I always clean the dog cages in the afternoon. I clean up the faeces in the cages and take them out one by one. It is challenging for one person to do everything. So some relatives or neighbours will help me sometimes.” Mrs Qian says dogs can't be kept in the dog cage for a long time as it is too cruel for them, so she releases them during the day so that the conditions are “breathable”.
At about four o'clock in the afternoon, after cleaning cages, she cooks beef broth with rice for the dogs’ meal. “We have some dog food donated by warm-hearted people, but it’s still limited for every dog, so the rice with some minced meat is the cheapest way for rising those dogs. We do not have enough money.”
Every year the shelter spends more than 150,000 yuan (£18,000). Mrs Qian has to buy cages, food and get vaccinations for the dogs and cats. She also needs to spend money on neutering the male dogs to prevent excessive reproduction. Mrs Qian says her annual income is only 40,000 yuan, so her elder daughter helps pay for the vaccines and cages; her younger daughter gives 20,000 yuan for daily expenses.
And other money is donated by some charity organisations or individuals. She still remembers a donor who emigrated to Australia a few years ago coming to the shelter every year to see the dogs and bring pet food. They become friends immediately. Mrs Qian says she has spent all her money saving these dogs, and sometimes she eats the same food as them and sleeps in the shelter when it is too late to go home.
Wang Jinfeng, who works in a nearby elementary school, sends leftovers from the school cafeteria every day to help feed the puppies.
The Adoption Problem
When we arrive here, a very young cat is being nurtured in the cat cage. Mrs Qian told us this kitten was picked up only two days ago.
Whenever a stranger approaches the shelter, the puppies will scream, but there has been no incident with anyone getting injured in the 25 yers Mrs Qian has cared for the dogs. They only attack when they feel threatened.
Despite the burden of running the shelter, Mrs Qian says she won’t allow anybody to adopt adult dogs. Every dog has a good relationship with her, she always calls their name when feeding them, and she thinks it is ruthless to separate the dogs. Dogs know the relationship, they have gotten used to the environment and people, and if they are adopted by others, she thinks they will try to find their “real home.” She’s also worried that adult dogs will be lost to the dog meat trade.
There are numerous dog meat restaurants in Hangzhou, and notoriety about the brutal way strays and pets are snatched by unscrupulous suppliers. (warning: graphic video)
However, for the little dogs, Mrs Qian will try to find them homes, but takes selecting the owners very seriously to prevent the animals being abandoned again.
The job never seems to end, and the shelter’s looming future without a home is an added concern. “I am 63 years old and feel my body is getting worse. I am really worried about these dogs because they will become homeless again. I muddle along with no thought of tomorrow. My biggest wish is that the dogs have something to eat and they don’t get sick anymore.”
