There are very few things in this world that have the capability of inducing a glee-laced squeal from me, all of which involve animals. In particular, puppies. I am an animal lover, and as such, it is sacrilege to publicly declare favor for one furry species over another, but I will admit there is something about the readily available adoration, kisses and fawning of a happy pup that just wins it for me. I am the weirdo that will peer into a car just to engage in a full-blown baby talk goo-goo ga-ga conversation with a dog that doesn’t know me from a sack of potatoes. But it is always worth it.

Such love however comes at a price. There is seldom as heartbreaking a sight as an abandoned puppy fending for itself on the cold streets. It is heart-wrenching to see such adorable little creatures knowing you might not have the resources to take them all home and give them the protection they all deserve. Luckily, there are organizations in Beijing that take that mandate to heart, giving otherwise abandoned and neglected pups a second chance, and a new lease on life. Lost Puppies is one such organization, constantly striving to provide these lost little angels homes, rehabilitate them, and facilitate adoptions for as many of their little puppies as they can.

This year, their fundraising and awareness campaign has taken a rather sexy turn, as Lost Puppies has enlisted the help of several Beijing based hunks to create a hunk and pup calendar. Let’s just say this spread puts ‘snack’ into puppy snacks.

To find out more about Lost Puppies of Beijing and the work they do, check out our interview with volunteer, and former beijingkids staffer, Auna Harris.

And to get a sneak peek of this year’s calendar, scroll below.

Photos: Courtesy of Lost Puppies of Beijing

38 puppies and 8 adult dogs have been found on a construction from https://www.heritagebuildersnj.com/services/roofing/ site in southeast Beijing, and are now urgently in need of foster homes.

The animals are currently at a shelter, and donations are welcomed to fund their immediate feeding and medical treatment. We spoke to Alex Cukor, who is coordinating the English-language side of the campaign to find homes for them.

“I co-run a rescue network called Lost Puppies of Beijing,” Cukor told us. “We’re a network of dog foster volunteers and rescuers who rescue, heal, rehabilitate, and rehome dogs throughout Beijing. So far we have rescued 45 since September and rehomed all but 12. But this latest rescue is going to push those numbers higher.”

The puppies were found on Monday night (March 11), and it’s not yet clear how they came to be abandoned.

“Due to the language barrier it’s hard to get all the details,” Cukor said. “Right now, I’ve been focused on just the critical ones required to ensure the dogs aren’t on the streets, and to start coordinating volunteers and funds. Often people don’t often spay and neuter their dogs, so when they become strays they start having tons of puppies. Some construction sites are huge, and the workers there feed the dogs, and this creates huge packs that just keep getting bigger.”

Anyone who wishes to help, whether by offering a foster home, volunteering to care for the animals, or just making a donation to support the immediate effort, by contacting Cukor via the QR code below.

Ready to foster any of these rescued dogs? Here are some things you need to know about owning a pet in Beijing.

Photos and video: courtesy of Alex Cukor

There are hundreds of animals hoping to find loving homes in Beijing. If you are considering adopting a pet, Doggy/Moggy of the Week will feature animals from volunteer shelters, animal rescue groups, foster care providers, and pet owners needing to rehome animals. This week’s puppy, Mia, Lucy, Sweetie, Spotty, Mr. Shy, and Oscar, are from ICVS’ Adoptable Pets.

Introduction: Hi everyone, our names are Mia, Lucy, Sweetie, Spotty, Mr. Shy, and Oscar.

Background: Our momma was a rescued dog and we are living in an outdoor compound. We are being taken good care of by our kind foster mom, Ladka.

Personality: We are all beautiful, smart, fun, and playful puppies. We will bring our new families lots of love and a life time of joyful companionship.

Ideal home: We are now about 3-months old and are ready for adoption. We are young puppies so need families that are patient and understanding to help us with toilet training, teething and teaching us everything we need to know to become socialized and happy dogs. We would be happiest with individuals, couples or families with older children (e.g., 8 years and older).

Breed: We will be small to medium mixed breed dogs with short hair.

Sex and Age: We are now 3-months old. We are a litter of 3 boys and 3 girls!

Medical notes: We will need to be dewormed, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered.

Post-adoption care: The International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS) has enrolled me into their Rescued/Stray/Rehomed Pet Adoption Benefits Program. ICVS will provide my new family with significant discounts (up to 50%) on my vaccinations, accompanying examinations, and spay surgery during my first year of life with my new family.

Official Vaccination Certificate: With my rabies vaccination, ICVS will issue my new family the official Beijing Animal Health and Immunity Certificate (e.g., vaccination red book) at no charge. I need the official vaccination red book to prove I have been legally and properly vaccinated for rabies in order to move another city or leave China with my family.

Official Spay/Neuter Certificate for Dogs: After my spay surgery, ICVS will issue my new family the official Spay/Neuter Certificate that will provide my owner with a 50% discount (e.g., up to RMB 500 savings) on the dog license registration fee at the Public Security Bureau.

Puppy and Adult Dog Obedience Training Programs at ICVS: ICVS has introduced new puppy and adult dog obedience training programs. The dog training classes will help my family and I live a more harmonious life together. All profits from the puppy and adult dog training programs will be donated to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs.

ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs:
Please support and donate to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs. Your donations support ICVS in helping the many pets like Bubi as well as the many stray/rescued/abandoned and shelter animals in our community. The pets receive medical care, treatment, good nutrition, and socialization with love and compassion that allows them to become healthy adoptable pets.

Please also contact ICVS for more information about beautiful adoptable pets:
Tel: (010) 8456-1939/1940
Email: ICVS_CHINA@yahoo.com

Photo: ICVS

There are hundreds of animals hoping to find loving homes in Beijing. If you are considering adopting a pet, Doggy/Moggy of the Week will feature animals from volunteer shelters, animal rescue groups, foster care providers, and pet owners needing to rehome animals. This week’s puppy, Bobby, is from ICVS’ Adoptable Pets.

Introduction: Hi everyone, my name is Bobby! I am a very sweet 4-month old puppy.

Background: My former owner let me wander and live on the streets. I could easily have been run over by a car or picked up and sold into the animal markets. One day he gave me as a gift to my German friend, Tatjana, who brought me to ICVS for a checkup and vaccinations! I tested negative for infectious diseases and parasites. I have a mild cherry eye, which is a treatable condition.  I am receiving eye drops for my eye.  I am so happy that Tatjana took me immediately that day because the next day it started to rain heavily. I would have been miserable and sick if I had stayed outside in the rain. I am staying with a lovely foster family but am hoping to find my forever adoption family soon!

Personality: Bobby is the cutest puppy ever! She is very affectionate, loves to play and enjoys being with people very much. She is very trusting of people and opens her heart to every new person she meets. She needs a safe home where she can continue to trust people and love them with all her heart.

Ideal home: Bobby would be happy with an individual, a couple, or a family with children (e.g., 8 years and older).

Breed: Bobby is a small mixed breed dog with short hair.

Sex & Age: Bobby is a small, white and black female dog with soft, short fur. She is about four months old.

Medical notes: Bobby is very healthy, has already been dewormed, and has received her vaccinations at ICVS. She will be ready to be spayed soon.

Post-adoption care: The International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS) has enrolled me into their Rescued/Stray/Rehomed Pet Adoption Benefits Program. ICVS will provide my new family with significant discounts (up to 50%) on my vaccinations, accompanying examinations, and spay surgery during my first year of life with my new family.

Official Vaccination Certificate: With my rabies vaccination, ICVS will issue my new family the official Beijing Animal Health and Immunity Certificate (e.g., vaccination red book) at no charge. I need the official vaccination red book to prove I have been legally and properly vaccinated for rabies in order to move another city or leave China with my family.

Official Spay/Neuter Certificate for Dogs: After my spay surgery, ICVS will issue my new family the official Spay/Neuter Certificate that will provide my owner with a 50% discount (e.g., up to RMB 500 savings) on the dog license registration fee at the Public Security Bureau.

Puppy and Adult Dog Obedience Training Programs at ICVS: ICVS has introduced new puppy and adult dog obedience training programs. The dog training classes will help my family and I live a more harmonious life together. All profits from the puppy and adult dog training programs will be donated to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs.

ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs:
Please support and donate to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs. Your donations support ICVS in helping the many pets like Bubi as well as the many stray/rescued/abandoned and shelter animals in our community. The pets receive medical care, treatment, good nutrition, and socialization with love and compassion that allows them to become healthy adoptable pets.

Please also contact ICVS for more information about beautiful adoptable pets:
Tel: (010) 8456-1939/1940
Email: ICVS_CHINA@yahoo.com

Photo: ICVS

There are hundreds of animals hoping to find loving homes in Beijing. If you are considering adopting a pet, Doggy/Moggy of the Week will feature animals from volunteer shelters, animal rescue groups, foster care providers, and pet owners needing to rehome animals. This week’s puppies, Pasta, Puer, and Meiji, are from ICVS’ Adoptable Pets.

Introduction: Hi everyone, we are Pasta, Puer, and Meiji and three of the loveliest puppies on the planet. We were born on June 18, 2016 to a sweet rescued momma dog and looking forward to our new homes.

Background: Our momma was found in the street in May 2016. She was very weak and a very kind rescuer took her to the vet who discovered she was pregnant. Our rescuer kept our momma safe, and we were born at the home of our rescuer. We are now healthy and affectionate and lots of fun. We are ready to find our forever adoption families.

Personality: Pasta (on left ) is the most laid back and more quiet of the three. He has a stunning healthy black coat with white paws and dark blue eyes.

Puer (in the middle) is the most active and he is a very smart puppy. He loves food and is the largest puppy of the three. Puer has gorgeous dark brown and black fur.

Meiji (on right) is the smallest of the three pups. Meiji is very active and playful. He has beautiful brown, black and white fur.

All of the puppies are curious and are not afraid of people or other dogs. They want to explore the world. They will probably be small to medium size dogs when grown up.

Ideal home: The puppies would be happy with an individual, a couple or a family with older children (e.g., 8 years and older). The families must be ready for the responsibilities of adopting a young puppy, with toilet training and obedience training essential to help the puppy become housebroken and socialized.  Understand the hard work with a young puppy. Everyone in the household must agree on having a young puppy as a new family member. The puppies must be neutered after they complete all of their puppy vaccinations and must relocate with families when departing China.

Breed, Sex, and Age: The puppies are about 7 weeks old. All the puppies are male puppies and are small to medium mixed breeds with short hair.

Medical notes: The puppies are very healthy; they are already dewormed and had their first vaccinations.

Post-adoption care: The International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS) has enrolled me into their Rescued/Stray/Rehomed Pet Adoption Benefits Program. ICVS will provide my new family with significant discounts (up to 50%) on my vaccinations, accompanying examinations, and spay surgery during my first year of life with my new family.

Official Vaccination Certificate: With my rabies vaccination, ICVS will issue my new family the official Beijing Animal Health and Immunity Certificate (e.g., vaccination red book) at no charge. I need the official vaccination red book to prove I have been legally and properly rabies vaccinated to move to another city or to leave China with my family.

Official Spay/Neuter Certificate for Dogs: After my spay surgery, ICVS will issue my new family the official Spay/Neuter Certificate that will provide my owner with a 50% discount (e.g., up to RMB 500 savings) on the dog license registration fee at the Public Security Bureau.

Puppy and Adult Dog Obedience Training Programs at ICVS: ICVS has introduced new puppy and adult dog obedience training programs. The dog training classes will help me and my family live a more harmonious life together. All profits from the puppy and adult dog training programs will be donated to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs.

ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs:
Please support and donate to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs. Your donations support ICVS in helping the many pets like Bubi and the many stray/rescued/abandoned and shelter animals in our community. The pets receive medical care, treatments, good nutrition and socialization with love and compassion that allows them to become healthy adoptable pets.

Please also contact ICVS for more information about beautiful adoptable pets:
Tel: (010) 8456-1939/1940
Email: ICVS_CHINA@yahoo.com

Photo: ICVS

There are hundreds of animals hoping to find loving homes in Beijing. If you are considering adopting a pet, Doggy/Moggy of the Week will feature animals from volunteer shelters, animal rescue groups, foster care providers, and pet owners needing to rehome animals. This week’s adorable dog, is Shadow from ICVS’ Adoptable Pets.

Name: Hi everyone, my name is Shadow.

Background: I am a rescued puppy currently living with my wonderful foster family. I am now looking for my own loving forever family and hoping to be adopted soon.

Personality: I am a sweet and affectionate puppy. I like playing with chew toys and get along quite well with other dogs. I always follow my foster dad around everywhere. I am very smart. I understand right from wrong; I will look at you sweetly when I do something naughty and will proceed to never do it again. I have the cute habit of occasionally trying to bite my own neck, which is funny because usually dogs chase their tails. My foster dad thinks I am unique and special. I will bring my new family lots of love and a lifetime of joyful companionship.

Ideal home: I would be fine with individual owners, couples or families with older children (e.g., 8 years and older).

Breed, Sex, and Age: I am a black, short-haired, female puppy of medium mixed breed. I am 5-7 months old.

Medical notes: I have started on my vaccinations and have been dewormed. I am healthy and ready for adoption.

Post-adoption care: The International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS) has enrolled me into their Rescued/Stray/Rehomed Pet Adoption Benefits Program. ICVS will provide my new family with significant discounts (up to 50%) on my vaccinations and accompanying health examinations and neuter surgery during my first year of life with my new adoption family.

ICVS Annual Vaccination Packages: ICVS has wonderful wellness and annual vaccination packages to keep me healthy and free of parasites, fleas and ticks. All of the vaccinations I need every year are included and the packages are discounted by 40-50 percent. Please contact ICVS for more information.

Official Vaccination Certificate: With my rabies vaccination, ICVS will issue my new family the official Beijing Animal Health and Immunity Certificate (e.g., vaccination red book) at no charge! I need the official vaccination red book to prove I have been legally and properly rabies vaccinated to move to another city or to leave China with my family.

Pet Import/Export Counseling: ICVS will provide my family with unlimited relocation counseling and accurate information to take me with them when it is time to move to another city or to another country. ICVS can provide microchipping, legal rabies vaccinations and rabies antibody titer testing that is required to export pets to the EU and other countries!

Door-to-Door Pet Transport Service: ICVS can help my new family arrange for a car and driver service to take us door-to-door for my appointments at the hospital.

ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs: Please support and donate to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs. Your donations support ICVS in helping the many pets like Blackie and the many stray/rescued/abandoned and shelter animals in our community. The pets receive medical care, treatments, good nutrition and socialization with love and compassion that allows them to become healthy adoptable pets.

Please also contact ICVS for more information about beautiful adoptable pets:
Tel: (010) 8456-1939/1940
Email: ICVS_CHINA@yahoo.com

Photo: ICVS

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There are hundreds of animals hoping to find loving homes in Beijing. If you are considering adopting a pet, Doggy/Moggy of the Week will feature animals from volunteer shelters, animal rescue groups, foster care providers, and pet owners needing to rehome animals. This week’s puppies, Rudi, Ziggy, Harper, Ricky, Evie, and Rosie are from ICVS’ Adoptable Pets.

Introduction: Hi everyone, our names are Rudi, Ziggy, Harper, Ricky, Evie, and Rosie.

Background: Our momma was a rescued dog and we were born inside the safe and loving home of our wonderful foster mom, Kath.

Personality: We are all beautiful, smart, fun and playful puppies. We will bring our new families lots of love and a life time of joyful companionship.

Ideal home: We are now 8-weeks old and are ready for adoption. We are very young so need families that are patient and understanding to help us with toilet training, teething and teaching us everything we need to know to become socialized and happy dogs. We would be happiest with individuals, couples or families with older children (e.g., 8 years and older).

Breed: We will be small to medium mixed breed dogs with short hair.

Sex & Age: We are now 5-weeks old. We are a litter of 2 boys and 4 girls!

Medical notes: We will need to be dewormed, vaccinated and spayed/neutered.

Post-adoption care: The International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS) has enrolled us into their Rescued/Stray/Rehomed Pet Adoption Benefits Program. ICVS will provide our new families with significant discounts (up to 50%) on our health examinations, vaccinations and spay/neuter surgeries during our first year with our new adoption families.

Official Vaccination Certificate: With our rabies vaccinations, ICVS will issue our new families the official Beijing Animal Health and Immunity Certificate (e.g., vaccination red book) at no charge! We need the official vaccination red books to prove we have been legally and properly rabies vaccinated and to move to other cities or to leave China with our families.

Official Spay/Neuter Certificate for Dogs: After our spay and neuter surgeries, ICVS will issue our new families the official Spay/Neuter Certificates that will provide our owners with a 50% discount (e.g., up to RMB 500 savings) on our dog license registration fees at the Public Security Bureau.

Puppy and Adult Dog Obedience Training Programs: ICVS has introduced new puppy and adult dog obedience training programs. The puppy training classes will help all these pups and their families live more harmonious lives together! All profits from the puppy and adult dog training programs will be donated to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs.

Pet Import/Export Counseling: ICVS will provide our families with unlimited relocation counseling and accurate information to take us with them when it is time to move to another city or to another country.

ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs:
Please support and donate to the ICVS Non-Profit Humane Animal Welfare Programs. Your donations support ICVS in helping the many pets like Bubi and the many stray/rescued/abandoned and shelter animals in our community. The pets receive medical care, treatments, good nutrition and socialization with love and compassion that allows them to become healthy adoptable pets.

Please also contact ICVS for more information about beautiful adoptable pets:
Tel: (010) 8456-1939/1940
Email: ICVS_CHINA@yahoo.com

Photo: ICVS

On June 25, I got a WeChat message from my roommate. Jonny and his friend Jan had found a puppy all curled up in a paper bag hung from Jan’s bike handlebars. The person who left him there had written in Chinese on the bag: "For a good-hearted person to take in." Jonny and Jan brought the puppy to our house, toweled him off, and made sure he was warm. The dog was dirty, exhausted, and smelled faintly of urine, but above all tiny.

We speculated about the puppy’s age and what we should feed him. Jonny asked his mom over Skype while Andrea (our other roommate) and I "ooh" and "aah"ed over our new charge. He peed on us a few times, but we were too enamored to care. Jonny and Jan nicknamed him "Baxter Wang Hund" to reflect his British/Chinese/German surroundings.

We knew couldn’t keep him. Not only were we too busy with work, but Andrea was mildly allergic to dogs. We posted about Baxter on Facebook and asked if anyone could take him in. The response was swift. One friend wrote "Send to Canada!" and another "I’m literally dying here … AAHHHHH I want a puppsie wuppsie!" One person came over to see him that very night. Clearly, Baxter wouldn’t have trouble finding a good home.

Mary Peng, the co-founder of the International Center for Veterinary Services, also saw our message on Facebook. She offered to give Baxter a free physical exam; as a rescued dog, he also qualified for ICVS’ discounted vaccination program. The latter gives 60 percent off on all the shots needed during a dog’s first year of life.

A few days later, Jonny and Jan took Baxter to ICVS. Jonny called at some point; there seemed to be some confusion about the price of the physical exam. He passed me to the Chinese-speaking receptionist, but the details were too technical to understand. I hung up and called Mary. She was caught up in a meeting, but would help us find out what was going on as soon she got out.

When she called back, it was with bad news. "I’m so sorry, Sijia," said Mary. "This puppy is very, very sick." I was shocked; after all, we were just trying to confirm whether the physical was free. Turns out it was, but the vets had found something terribly wrong with Baxter; the receptionist was just trying to tell us that further treatment would cost more.

Baxter was diagnosed with canine distemper, a viral disease that initially infects the respiratory system but can move on to the digestive system, nerves, and brain. The canine distemper virus (CDV) spreads through the air from coughing and sneezing and through contact with infected bodily fluids like discharge from eye and nose discharge, feces, and urine.

There is no known cure and puppies are especially vulnerable. According to the ICVS website, fatality rates are "as high as 70 percent among puppies and dogs with weak immune systems or a poor history of vaccinations."

Yet, the diagnosis itself wasn’t the most heartbreaking part. The general consensus is that puppies should only be separated from their mothers at eight weeks of age or older. Baxter was only three weeks old. In addition, marks on his skin suggested that he’d received treatment before ICVS.

The most likely story is that Baxter was taken from his mother too soon, kept in a crowded environment that was a perfect breeding ground for disease, and peddled to an unsuspecting customer. His new owners soon realized there was something wrong with him, took him to an animal hospital, and abandoned him when they learned how futile and expensive treatment would be. "This is an all-too-common story in Beijing," said Mary.

Since there is no cure for CDV, the only thing that ICVS can do if a dog is diagnosed with distemper is to support the animal’s immune system as much as possible. Antibiotics may be administered if there’s a secondary infection, but the veterinarian will focus on helping the immune system fight off the disease on its own. Combined with early diagnosis, many dogs survive CDV but end up with lifelong health conditions. The most serious include “degeneration of the nervous system” and “progressive deterioration of mental abilities and motor skills” (Wikipedia).

A more conservative person might say that the chances of survival for a 3-week-old puppy were very low. In effect, they were next to nothing. I called Jonny to relay everything I’d found out. I told him that the decision should be his and Jan’s, since (a) they found Baxter and (b) were at ICVS with him.

Eventually, they made the difficult decision to put him down. To say that we were heartbroken was an understatement. Andrea had taken care of Baxter day in and day out at home, while Jonny and Jan had been attached to him from day one. Perhaps because of his impossibly small size, we’d all felt extra protective of Baxter.

There was anger too. Anger at the thought of a puppy being taken from its mother so young, anger at people for supporting this industry (however inadvertently), and anger that Baxter would never get to play fetch, chew on a shoe, or become someone’s best friend.

We’re constantly told by animal shelters and hospitals to adopt, but that never really sank in until we found a dog, loved him, and lost him to a cruel disease. We have no illusions about the fact that stories like Baxter’s will continue to happen again and again in this city, but you can help bring down those numbers:

• Adopt, don’t buy. Beijing has a huge overpopulation problem with both dogs and cats. With so many animals in need of a home, it’s frankly cruel – not to mention irresponsible – to support the repulsive pet industry. Click here for our March 2012 feature on where to adopt.
•  Spread the word. Did your friends just buy a tiny, adorably puppy from a box on the street? First, find a polite way to tell them that that was a dumb move. Then (because dogs are forever), refer them to the next and final point.
• Vaccinate your puppy. Puppies should get their first distemper vaccination between six and eight weeks of age, then continue getting the booster shot every two to four weeks until they’re 16 weeks old. They will not be protected against CDV unless they complete the series. This is crucial; owner irresponsibility is a major contributor to CDV outbreaks.

To find out more about canine distemper and other diseases, visit the ICVS website. Mary and her staff will be happy to answer all your questions.

Photos by Andrea Caballé Pais