We had no idea what to expect. Chinese activists have little support and fewer resources, so we thought that it might be a considerably difficult day. And it was, sort of. We spent most of the time cleaning the few empty kennels (which consisted largely of shoveling gravel, feces and urine. An icky job, but an important one. The student volunteers that were there for the day were busy bathing dogs and putting up smaller gauge fencing for a litter of puppies that was being transferred from a little cage to a big kennel. The students were new to animal activism (Ian stopped one from feeding a dog part of a chocolate muffin), so it was better that they take the more glamorous jobs. Hook 'em with that stuff and then saddle them with shoveling later, I say!
We were pleasantly surprised. It's true, the shelter is overcrowded and this leads to problems and the cement/gravel flooring isn't ideal. But, everyone is well fed, watered and the kennels are diligently cleaned. For as little as they have to work with, it's pretty amazing what they're accomplishing. I mean, these folks are heating water to bathe dogs with a giant, old fashioned wood stove.
Some photos:
Let's get concrete, yo!
Financial:
Shelters can be expensive to run. Yellow Stray Dog Rescue Center relies mostly on the accumulation of small monthly donations and the generous spirit of its volunteers (a group of about 30 young people who each give about 10-15 hours of their time each month). Can you assist us financially? Here's what your money can do:
$30 (180 RMB) sponsors one dog for an entire month
$100 (600 RMB) gets one rescued dog settled in the shelter and sponsors them for a month
$200 (1200 RMB) sponsors one injured or special needs dog for a month (this includes the cost of their initial medical care)
Ready to give? Click here to head over to the fundraiser!!
Non-financial:
Don't have a lot of (or any) disposable income? You can still help.
Are you in Jinan? Great! We need:
-Volunteers ~ Man power is always needed. It takes some time to get out to the shelter, but Peng has connections to people who can help you with transportation among other things. It doesn't take much of your time to make a difference.
-Foster homes ~ The shelter is overcrowded, as spaying and neutering is not yet common practice in China. Fostering (letting a dog live with you for a week or a month) does a great deal of good for the dog you bring home and the dogs that now have more space and attention at the shelter. Chinese shelters (and this one is no exception) have loads of special needs and disabled dogs that face a tough time in shelter conditions. A short stay in your home for an injured dog might mean the difference between a 25% recovery and a 90% recovery. Also, the more socialization a dog gets, the more likely their adoption.
-A web and social media savvy individual ~ One of the greatest challenges the shelter faces is exposure. The shelter has a website: www.jnhhllgjzzx.com, but it's rarely updated. Ideally, there'd be someone who could dedicate a few hours a week to keeping the site up to date. The site is only in Chinese, but it wouldn't take much to add an English "About" page. The shelter has a presence on Weibo, but no presence on English language social media (due to the blocking, obviously). I am more than willing to help run a Facebook group/page for the shelter, but I need someone who will be in China to take the helm.
-Adopt ~ Have an empty place in your home/heart you're looking to fill? The shelter has many, many friendly, adoptable dogs.
-Encourage others to adopt ~ "Don't shop, adopt" rings true here, too.
Not in Jinan? Not even in China? That's okay!
-Spread the word ~ Exposure is a powerful thing. Share this page, share the shelter's website (Google chrome can translate it). Share, share away!
-Consider international adoption ~ Feel moved to bring someone home? As you've seen with Reeves' story, it can be a considerable financial burden to fly a dog overseas. But, it doesn't have to be. If you stay away from the summer months, there are much, much less expensive methods for getting a dog out of China. We can help you.
You helped us change Reeves' fate, now you can help make this world a much brighter place for these 230 dogs.