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Expat volunteers and pet rescuers pose for a group photo.
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Lola Munns (center) and Lily Kraft (right) pet the dogs.
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Lily Kraft pet a dog.
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Expat participates interact with the animals.
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Rescuers and expat visitors interact with animals.
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Danja Brus (left) takes care of a stray cat.
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Lola Munns helps a contestant dog cross a loop.
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Amy Zhang and Banban win the obstacle course at 1 minute 28 seconds.
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Lola Munns and Suantou standing out in squatting with 38 squats in a minute.
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Concert performance of the event
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“Stray Paws Fun and Adoption” concluded successfully on Sunday, with Amy Zhang and Banban winning the obstacle course in 1 minute and 28 seconds, Lola Munns and Suantou excelling in squatting with 38 squats in a minute, and Amy and Sesame securing the championship in the final tug-of-war.
Best Friends China (BFC), a bilingual welfare group in Shanghai, invited Zhang and Rosanne Tay from Singapore, Munns from the UK, Ioana Kraft and Lily Kraft from Germany, and 14 stray dogs to participate in Sunday’s animal sports event at Laowaijie. City News Service, Shanghai Daily’s one-stop information service platform for international residents and visitors, sponsored the event.
Munns from the UK said she liked the obstacle course in particular. She thought it was a good way to see how active the dogs would be.
In the second part, which involved squatting, she hugged Suantou, an eight-month-old, and completed 38 squats.
“I think she is a very loving dog, though today she was very anxious,” said Munns. “But I think that when she is comfortable, she will be a joyful and loving dog.”
“They are wonderful and adorable dogs, and most of them are very calm,” said Ioana Kraft. “I really like this event to bring people together to raise awareness for animal adoption. I wish today’s dogs and cats all find a wonderful home.”
The 14 dogs participated in the sports activities, while the remaining 6 dogs and 6 cats later joined the adoption section.
Danja Brus, a supporter for BFC since 2016, who hails from Germany and has lived in Shanghai for 23 years, shared her story with stray animals. She has adopted about 30 cats.
Brus started by rescuing her first stray cat — a pregnant one.
“She couldn’t have a baby then, so I brought her to the vet,” said Brus. “Then she had babies, one that was later adopted, and the rest I kept myself.
“From that point on, I consistently encountered stray kittens. Then I learned about BFC. In 2016, I attended the first adoption event and officially adopted my first cat.”
For Brus, stray cats can be even healthier than the ones that are sold in pet stores, for they are usually breed felines, and breed cats are often overbred.
Suantou, Banban and Sesame experienced their limelight moments on Sunday’s sports section. Their rescuers, who brought them to the competition, recounted their past lives as “fugitives.”
“Suantou was a stray who lived around our school campus in Baoshan with the other three stray dogs,” said rescuer CC. “Her life was generally content till some wedding organizing company nearby intended to kill her with steel balls for fear that she and the other dogs would disturb a wedding ceremony. We brought her to today’s event because she was the most tamed one and most likely to be adopted.”
Jiang rescued Banban, who was three years old. She met him outside a hotel when she was going to a celebrity concert in Wuxi, in neighboring Jiangsu Province.
“He was so hospitable, welcoming me from the taxi and accompanying me to the hotel. I thought it would be safer for him if I brought him back and found adoption for him,” said Jiang.
Little Sesame was among the pod of six stray puppies someone sent to a police station. The police later contacted Li Yugang, who had previously offered help for stray animals.
“Sesame was one month old when I met her. A previous adoption resulted in her return. She is eight months old now,” said Li.
Munns, who raised one dog and two cats — all of whom were once stray and in need of a home — believes that stray animals are grateful creatures.
“They’re loving; they are especially grateful. They are so just happy for every little thing,” said Munns.
According to BFC, Sunday’s adoption section was successful in finding homes for two puppies.
“The stray animals will be happy once they have an owner,” said Brus. “Adopting an animal, such as through an adoption day, is likely to bring better pet care.”
Grace Hsu, founder of Chipper Fresh, a Taiwan pet food company, offered pet food awards for the stray animals during the event.
Hsu’s entrepreneurship started when her pet friends grew older and she intended to feed them better.
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BFC is an active member of the City News Service community. If you’re interested in adopting a stray animal, visit the Pet Adoption in Shanghai group on the CNS Community webpage https://community.citynewsservice.cn/ig/PetAdoption/topics or scan the QR code above.
,https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2411049925/