Chapter 38: A Shelter for All Dogs, and Joy on Every Muzzle

“Recently, officers from the Anyang Municipal Public Security Bureau, along with staff from the Municipal Consumer Association, the Municipal Veterinary Drug and Feed Supervision Bureau, and the Police Dog Training Base, jointly uncovered a dog food factory producing toxic products. Reports indicate that the dog food manufactured at this facility severely violated national veterinary drug and feed safety standards, with most of its ingredients being harmful substances. To increase pet appetite, the product contained large amounts of flavor enhancers. Citizens are urged to be vigilant. The tainted products from this factory include Hao Hao Chi Brand Dog Food and Hao Hao Chi Brand Pet Canned Food…”

The morning news in Anyang exposing the unscrupulous dog food factory quickly became the hot topic of conversation among residents. Whether pet owners or not, most people expressed outrage and disgust at such behavior.

From ancient times, nothing has drawn more public ire than tampering with food. Sayings like “Food is the god of the people,” “Life is about eating and drinking,” and “Man is iron, food is steel¹ – skip a meal and you’ll feel weak” all underscore the importance of food in people’s lives.

Although the toxic dog food wasn’t meant for human consumption, animals are just as important to many people. In today’s fast-paced world, human relationships are often entangled with self-interest, and genuine interactions are increasingly rare. Add to that the burden of work, and it’s no wonder people come home mentally and physically drained.

That’s exactly when a furry companion makes all the difference. They greet you with excitement when you return, cuddle up to you when you’re happy, and nuzzle close when you’re down. No matter when you look into their eyes, you’ll find them brimming with pure, unfiltered love. This kind of affection fills the emotional gaps left by human relationships and soothes the soul.

In such a context, anyone who harms a pet treated as family becomes an enemy. And enemies should be dealt with as mercilessly as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves². For a heartless manufacturer like Luo Zikun, a few years behind bars is the least it would take to ease the public’s anger.

Once the news broke, people began checking the dog food they had at home. Those unlucky enough to have bought Hao Hao Chi Brand products were quick to return them, faces full of frustration.

Interestingly, among the pet shops facing customer demands for refunds, some reluctantly complied, while others stood firm – like Cute Pet Home, the same store that had once kicked out Song Changfeng and his team.

Faced with angry customers, Cute Pet Home’s staff claimed they only stocked Hao Hao Chi Brand dog food because pet owners wanted cheaper options and were looking to save money. Since the packaging had already been opened, they insisted on a strict no-return policy. However, they did offer a 10% discount on new purchases of other pet food brands, but refused to meet any other demands.

Their poor attitude only stoked public outrage. By that logic, were people supposed to always buy the most expensive products? And if a cheaper one turned out to be toxic, it was their own fault? Meanwhile, the sellers bore no responsibility?

To sellers, pricing simply targets different customer groups. But food safety is a basic standard that should never be compromised. Besides, Cute Pet Home bought their stock at low wholesale prices but sold it at a premium – seven or eight yuan per pound of dog food, while rice for humans costs just over two yuan per pound.

Some customers, realizing they couldn’t reason with the staff, called the Consumer Association on the spot. It wasn’t long before Consumer Association representatives and officials from the Market Supervision Bureau arrived.

They not only helped customers get refunds, but also confiscated the remaining toxic dog food in the store. Moreover, the Market Supervision Bureau fined the shop for knowingly deceiving consumers and ordered them to suspend operations for two weeks to conduct a thorough internal review and prevent future incidents.

Those who had purchased the tainted food got their money back, but even pet owners who hadn’t bought that brand were now worried. They couldn’t be sure if their current pet food met national safety standards. What if it turned out to be another “Hao Hao Chi”?

As a result, the Veterinary Drug and Feed Supervision Station was flooded with pet owners bringing in various pet food brands for testing. Some people with more free time even turned to short video platforms, following pet influencers to learn how to make homemade pet food.

Still, for pet owners in Anyang City, the most trusted source was the official team. Many flooded the Police Dog Training Base’s video channel, asking the base’s dog food chef to livestream or post videos teaching simple recipes for homemade dog food.

And so, following in Aofeng’s footsteps, the Training Base welcomed its second internet celebrity – Master Zhang the cook. Master Zhang never imagined he’d find a second career peak in his fifties. The passion he once had in the mess hall came roaring back. In his spare time, he pored over books and resources, determined to create more nutritious, delicious, and convenient pet food options.

…

As for Da Huang, ever since he ate that heavily laced toxic dog food, he had been staying at the pet hospital. On the first day, he was unconscious due to anesthesia. When he finally woke up on the second day, he was dazed and confused. Fearing stress or other adverse reactions, the vet had no choice but to keep him under observation in an isolation chamber.

Fortunately, Da Huang only barked in surprise for a short while before settling down. He was, after all, a dog who had seen the world. He recognized that the person in the white coat was a doctor. Years ago, after being hit by a car and abandoned at the doors of a pet hospital, it was someone in a white coat who had picked him up and nursed him back to health.

Sadly, even after he recovered, his owner never came back for him. The vet ended up paying out of pocket to care for him and gave him the name Da Huang.

Life with the vet was happy, and Da Huang thought they would always be together. But the vet’s girlfriend couldn’t stand him. She had a little toy poodle, and one day when she brought it over, Da Huang saw it deliberately pee in the vet’s shoes. He rushed over to discipline it. In Da Huang’s mind, he hadn’t bitten it hard at all, but the vet’s girlfriend was furious.

Although Da Huang couldn’t quite understand what they were arguing about, he knew the doctor was heartbroken after his girlfriend left. That night, the doctor got drunk and mumbled, “No breakups… and no abandoning… Da Huang.”

“Abandoning?”

Da Huang was very sensitive to that word. His previous owner had said it before leaving him at the hospital entrance, never to return. Realizing that he was the reason the doctor was so sad and conflicted, Da Huang quietly left the pet hospital that very night and began life as a stray.

Just like Aofeng had said, the life of a stray dog might be free, but it meant having no fixed home and never enough to eat. At first, Da Huang struggled to adjust, but after countless fights, he gradually came to understand the true essence of being a stray and slowly got used to that way of life.

Now that he was back in the hospital again, Da Huang stared toward the front door, wondering if someone would come to take him home this time.

“Doctor Li, hello. Has that yellow mutt woken up yet?” After who knew how long, a vaguely familiar voice rang out. Da Huang jumped to his feet in surprise, nearly bumping his head.

He pressed his head to the gap in the isolation cage and peeked out, only to see Aofeng and his owner! Just before losing consciousness, Da Huang had heard Aofeng shouting his name and Song Changfeng trying to calm him down.

“Officer Song, he woke up this morning and has been under observation since. But dogs like him usually have pretty strong stomachs. He didn’t eat that much of the tainted kibble either. From what I can tell, there shouldn’t be any major issues. You can take him home.”

After hearing Doctor Li’s assessment, both Song Changfeng and Aofeng breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the poor dog had ended up in this mess because of Aofeng.

While Song Changfeng followed Doctor Li to handle the paperwork, Aofeng sniffed the air, caught Da Huang’s scent, and walked straight to the isolation cage.

“Da Huang, I’m really sorry you had to end up in the hospital because of me,” Aofeng barked.

“It’s not your fault. I was just being greedy. Funny thing is, I don’t even like kibble normally, but yesterday it smelled way too good!” Da Huang sounded a little embarrassed. He hadn’t expected to fall for a bag of dog food.

“It wasn’t your fault. Someone laced the kibble with something. Once a dog smells it, they can’t resist,” Aofeng barked.

“What a scumbag!” Da Huang cursed. He’d already tried so hard to avoid trouble, yet he still couldn’t escape the poisoners.

“Don’t worry, they caught him,” Aofeng reassured him.

The two dogs were deep in conversation when Song Changfeng returned with a tranquilizer gun and a new leash. “Enough chatting. Let’s head back to the Shen Family first.”

He reached for the latch on the isolation cage, but then paused, remembering how wary Da Huang had been when they first met. He hesitated.

“Aofeng, talk to your friend. Let him know I’m putting the leash on, okay?” Song Changfeng asked, not wanting to risk getting bitten for no reason.

Aofeng barked twice toward the cage. Da Huang barked back once, then lay down quietly without moving. Taking a deep breath, Song Changfeng opened the cage and looped the leash around Da Huang’s neck.

On the way out, Da Huang kept looking around, holding his head high and his back straight, putting on a look of proud indifference. Back when he roamed the streets, he always kept his distance from people. He didn’t know why exactly, but he understood that people didn’t like dogs without leashes. Today, he had one, so of course he could walk with pride.

Aofeng felt a pang in his heart. Humans rarely consider what dogs think, yet some dogs are kind enough to stay out of their way. Even so, there are still people who won’t leave them alone, constantly squeezing them out of the spaces they need to survive. Of course, Aofeng also understood that stray dogs could cause problems in the city. But if humans hadn’t abandoned them in the first place, would there be so many homeless dogs?

For a moment, Aofeng was struck by a thought: “If only there were ten thousand sturdy homes to shelter every dog and bring them joy³.” Back in the day, the poet Du Fu had written with empathy for all under heaven. Now, as a police dog, Aofeng couldn’t help but feel the same way.

In truth, Anyang City had done a decent job in this area. There were several Small Animal Rescue Stations in the city, funded partly by the government and partly by kind-hearted donors. Compared to other cities, Anyang had far fewer stray animals.

Still, fewer didn’t mean none. As long as there were pet owners who took in animals on a whim and abandoned them just as easily, there would always be a steady stream of strays.

Translator’s Notes