Dogs injured in the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in China on May 12 are getting a second chance at life, thanks to a private shelter run by Chen Yunlian in Sichuan province. Many of the dogs taken in by the shelter were found dragging crushed hind legs through the rubble-clogged streets of Sichuan province.
They were the lucky few -- stray and abandoned dogs were mostly shot by police and soldiers in the wake of the quake for fear they would spread disease. One of the about 100 dogs rescued by Chen from devastated cities including Beichuan, Wenchuan, Qingchuan and Dujiangyan takes a rest as it learns to walk in a home-made walker. One of the eight staff members at the shelter trained dogs over the weekend to use their walkers. Chen, 60, has been rescuing stray dogs for a decade and now has about 900 dogs and 100 cats in the shelter just outside Chengdu, the provincial capital.
Dog ownership has grown more popular as Chinese become wealthier, but few people have the emotional attachment to pets that is common in the West. Indeed, dogs are still often seen as a source of meat for the family stew pot, especially in some rural areas.
Truly inspirational.
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