"My small shop has closed down, and I only have two freezers full of meat left. Today, I want to do something meaningful." Recently, Ms. Zhao from Wuhan packed up the leftover meat from her restaurant and drove to Shiling Village, Fasi Street, Jiangxia District. More than 400 stray dogs and their "mother," Pan Guiye, live there.
In the public eye, managing household chores, caring for children and grandchildren, and occasionally dancing in the square are typical retirement activities for 55-year-old women. Pan Guiye, however, is "unconventional." She abandoned the vibrant life of the city. Cleaning up dog feces, feeding dogs, giving them injections, and frequently rescuing dogs, she lives a secluded life in the fields, sleeping with more than 30 dogs every day. She even sold her house to dedicate herself to rescue and adoption. This lifestyle has continued for 20 years.
In 2002, Pan Guiye rented several shops in a town in Baishazhou, Wuhan, to do wholesale business. A dog enthusiast, she kept four or five dogs at that time, one of which, a Border Collie, she especially cherished and often shared a bed with. "It would come running as soon as I called its name; it was always the first dog to greet me when I came home," Pan Guiye recalled. This was her first dog, and because of its unique breed, it often attracted attention when she took it for walks, even drawing envy from professional dog trainers.
They lived together for over a year before it disappeared. Pan Guiye suspected that someone had been watching it for a while and was waiting for the right moment to kill it. Even so, she searched everywhere the dog might be for the next few years without finding it. "I can't bear to see stray dogs in such a sorry state, so I brought one home every time I saw one."
From dozens to hundreds of dogs, Pan Guiye converted her shop into a kennel, pouring all her love for her Border Collie into the other dogs. She devoted herself entirely to the rescue, eventually giving up her business to become a full-time volunteer rescuer. "She was obsessed," Ms. Zhao sighed. In her more than ten years of rescue work, whether it was adopting stray dogs from various neighborhoods or intercepting vehicles across provinces to rescue dogs from butchers, she actively participated, thus meeting like-minded people all over the country. "Everyone couldn't stand seeing these dogs treated so roughly and always wanted to give them a home."
