Doing their best to protect pooches

Dogs are caged separately to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Wang Jing / China Daily

Chaos has surrounded not only the rescue of 1,100 dogs saved from a restaurant-bound truck but also their relocation into Chongqing municipality's Jingkou freight depot.

It has been hectic, to say the least, to manage the volunteers and provide the strays' food and medical care, volunteer coordinator Zhu Qian says.

The division of labor was unclear, and volunteers' efforts were inefficient, says Zhu, who works with the Chongqing Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA).

Despite their passion, many volunteers failed to carry out such urgent tasks as independent disease testing, and assisting doctors with injections and transfusions.

Sometimes, the work was done, but incorrectly. The cages, for example, were arranged in a haphazard way. Some contained two or more dogs, which shared feeding bowls.

Such conditions could quickly spread disease, volunteer Wang Chengye says.

The 28-year-old founded a club in Tianjin to save sick, injured and stray dogs.

Wang has learned that neglecting one small detail can be fatal for the animals.

For example, less experienced volunteers kept refilling dogs' bowls when they were empty. But then CSAPA couldn't determine which strays were sick with poor appetites. So early diagnoses weren't completed.

While the CSAPA has been running for seven years and has secured a long-term base, Zhu says the organization still lacks professionalism in some areas.

"We've previously been relatively parochial in our animal protection," he says.

"While we engage counterparts in other cities, we rarely discuss practical details."

So CSAPA chairman Chen Mingcai hired a group of seven professional dog handlers from Beijing to assist.

The group leader Liu Tianzhao started working for the China Small Animals Protection Association about six months ago. He has contributed expertise on feeding, cleaning and disinfecting.

Other seasoned activists - people like Wang, who have participated in many dog rescues, including the massive rescue in Beijing on April 15, 2011 - are bringing their experience to Chongqing.

Consequently, conditions at the freight depot are rapidly improving. The cages have been arranged in a more orderly fashion to leave passageways among them for feeding, cleaning and ventilation. Every cage has just one dog and is numbered.

Every animal's health information is recorded in a notebook and posted on a sticker on its cage.

Volunteers check the dogs at least three times a day and update the information. Those suspected to have diseases are moved out into separate areas, respectively designated for canine distemper, parvovirus, pneumonia and hepatitis.

The entire area is disinfected with liquid and lime to ensure the viruses don't travel via humans.

The amount every dog is fed is strictly monitored according to their health status.

Weak dogs are fed a mash of fresh meat, rice, eggs and canned dog food to ensure they receive enough calories and trace elements.

Volunteers and professional dog handlers share care responsibilities and pass down their knowledge to their successors if they leave, Zhu says.

As the situation has improved, Zhu is considering hiring more workers and having them trained by professionals from Beijing.

"We've got to make sure precious experience is passed along to ensure the association's long-term development," Zhu says.

"I think that with all this experience we're accumulating, our organization will be able to do more to better protect vulnerable dogs."