Meet Ruiyun
Inner Mongolia Province, China
For the love of a dog…
Riuyun’s seven year old son begged his mom for months to get him a dog. Everytime, she said, “No.” After all, she was a single mom living in the city, working full-time as a cashier, and living with family. It just seemed impossible to keep a pet.
However, her son was relentless with his pleading and like all loving mothers she finally gave in. She got a small dog for her family, but little did she know that one decision would change the course of her life forever.
This was Riuyun’s first pet. Her family had never kept animals as pets before and she really didn’t know what to expect. In China, dogs are often seen as dirty and not for “inside the house.”
She took over the care of the dog while her son was at school. While spending everyday with her little dog, she developed a very close bond with him. The affection she had for him developed quickly and her love for him grew with every day that passed.
Counting blue cars…
The friendship she developed with her dog warmed Ruiyun’s heart and it grew bigger. She started seeing homeless dogs on the street everywhere she went. Like the “blue car phenomenon,” her awareness and compassion for the plight of animals blossomed from the love bond she grew with the experience of having a pet.
That’s when she started rescuing dogs off the street and bringing them home. At first, she just took in the worst cases, the most vulnerable dogs. The dogs who had injuries from being hit by cars or dogs that were blinded. Soon, there were too many to stay at her family’s home. She had to quit her job and find a new home.
The search begins.
She had to move several times during that five year period. One year she moved four times in a single year. She kept moving farther and farther into the rural areas. She found a place she could build to suit their needs in a remote area in a northern province and had secured a donor to help fund the construction. At that time she had 70 dogs in her care, most of them were special needs dogs..
Build it and they will come.
Ruiyun is now the sole caretaker for 246 dogs in one of the most poverty- stricken rural areas of China. So many people came to her for help to rescue dogs from the meat trade, that her numbers grew from 70 to 246 dogs in only one year.
Many dogs saved from the dog meat trade are malnourished, sick, or injured. They tend to be larger dogs because the weight of the dogs gets the traders more money.
One recent rescue of two Samoyeds just minutes away from being put on a restaurant menu can be seen on this video: Chance & Lucky Get Saved This is one example of many.
“A friend in need is a friend indeed”
Just one year after Ruiyin moved into her sanctuary a torrential flood ravaged China and the new wall and fencing she was building for her sanctuary. She was struggling to keep the dogs safe and inside the sanctuary as you can see by this video: Flood Disaster at Ruiyun's Shelter
WOA Foundation secured the funding for her to fix the damage and continue building the fence. We also purchased food and supplies for the shelter dogs.
Currently, it’s a race against time for Ruiyun.
This province is in the northernmost region of China that experiences early and hard winters that can see temperatures dip to -50F. She has to finish construction on the shelter, including windows and doors before winter arrives in the tundra-like environment. She lost her original funding due to the COVID crisis, only two kennels are built and she needs four to keep the dogs safe.
Join WOA Foundation in securing Ruiyin’s shelter for the harsh winter to come.
The dogs she has saved, especially from the dog meat trade have come too far to be abandoned now when they are so close to finding-- if not a perfect, a permanent home.
You can donate at: https://woafoundation.org/donate-now