‘Too cold-blooded’: China animal lover who saved Border Collie marked for slaughter after original owner sold dog to meat vendor wins praise online
- Injured dog recovers quickly thanks to care of woman who saved it
- Safe at last, dog was given the name Xinxin, which means ‘new’ in Chinese to mark new chapter in life
A woman in China who saved a Border Collie dog destined for slaughter after it was bartered away to a meat vendor by its original owner has earned praise on mainland social media.
The woman, surnamed Liu, from Inner Mongolia in northern China, first came across the dog at the meat vendor, where she discovered it had been let go by its original owner following a car accident that left it unable to walk.
The dog had been exchanged for 20kg of pork and the new owner planned to kill the animal and sell its meat.
Liu was deeply concerned.
In an interview with Hebei Radio and TV Station on November 26, she said: “I have never raised a puppy before, but when I saw this little dog, I could not bear its fate. I didn’t think twice, I just rescued it.”
Liu then provided tender care to the canine by hand-feeding it and providing warmth and comfort.
Remarkably, as a result of her care, the dog managed to stand on its own the very next evening, a moment that surprised Liu.
To mark this remarkable transformation, the dog was given a new name, Xinxin. Xin means “new” in Chinese.
“I think that from the day I rescued Xinxin, the dog embarked on a new chapter in life,” Liu said.
The touching rescue has garnered praise for Liu and sparked outrage about the original owner who abandoned the dog.
One online commenter said: “How can anyone trade their pet for meat? That is too cold-blooded. Can irresponsible people please stop keeping pets?”
Another said: “Please be a decent human being! Border Collies are so smart. It might even be more intelligent than you!”
While eating dog meat is not widespread in China, it persists as a cultural practice in certain regions, highlighted by the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Guangxi in southern China.
The annual festival started in 2009 and has resulted in the slaughter of thousands, and sometimes even tens of thousands of dogs during a single event every year.
In April 2023, the national agricultural and rural affairs authorities issued a notice that dogs and cats had to be labelled non-food animals.
Some of those found guilty had been charged with “manufacturing and selling harmful food”.
In September, two people from Putian, Fujian province in southeastern China, were jailed for multiple years after being convicted of using poison needles to kill dogs and sell their meat.
