AMei | NL Animal Rescue

Yan’s Rescue Story, A Mei:

“My work and family leads me to travel back and forth between China and Germany regularly. As a result, when I’m not in China, I have to keep all of the rescue dogs at the clinic. It’s heartbreaking to leave them because I’ve grown so attached to all of my rescues. I’m always especially worried about the fragile ones who require constant attention because I know that the employees have to spread their attention evenly among all of their occupants. One dog, Amei, in particular was unrecognizable when I returned to the clinic. Her fur had been trimmed down drastically and she was significantly skinnier all around. It wasn’t the clinic’s fault whatsoever. The fact that these animal shelters were always filled to maximum capacity simply demonstrated how dire the stray animal problem was in China.

I cleaned her eyes with a disinfectant wipe but the crust had completely solidified, resembling a petrified substance the size of a peanut. There was a putrid scent emanating from inside her ears. After peering it, it became clear to me that no one had checked her ears once in the past few months she’s been at the clinic. The vet accompanying me used hemostatic forceps to cut out clumps of ambiguous gunk from her ears. The hair over Amei’s entire body was incredibly tangled and unbrushed. There were several old wounds on her legs that had already begun to scab over. These battle scars were the product of a tiny Amei being kept in the same small cage as another cowering puppy and a fierce German Shepherd. I took both frightened puppies out, naming the new one Abiao. Several tests were conducted. Somewhat luckily, the two suffered only from skin trauma, malnutrition, and paralysis -all curable so long as the proper treatment was provided for two consecutive months.

I had to briefly leave her back at the clinic to visit my other rescues situated in a different area of China. When I came back, Amei’s paw tenderly reached out to me through gaps in the crate. I could see in her eyes that she had missed me dearly. The residential doctor of the clinic gave me permission to take Amei out for a walk. She thoroughly enjoyed the warm feeling of sunshine and the scent of crisp fresh air. In the middle of our stroll, I sat her down to take a photo. Amei immediately nestled down next to me and placed a gentle paw in my open hand. This soft gesture was her shy way of showing appreciation. She remembered that I was the one who’d laboriously cleaned her eyes and ears yesterday. Our walk eventually concluded and I hurriedly brought Amei back to the clinic so I could attend to more dogs. She was mature enough to understand that her leisurely time had ended and promptly sauntered back to her cage.

As I’ve gotten to spend more time with Amei, my love for the little puppy grew exponentially. She was one of the sweetest rescues ever and didn’t deserve such a tumultuous past. I want her to find a happy family -one that provides her not only with food and shelter but also the tenderness and unlimited cuddles she constantly craves. I promised to one day take her some beautiful place where she could run around as freely as she pleased.”