Finding pets a new home: Lucy Feng
Print Edition
AS part of her CAS project, Lucy Feng has been working with organizations in Shanghai to find dogs and cats forever homes. We got a chance to talk to her about her project and other charitable organizations she is involved with.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I’ve been in Shanghai and at SCIS since I was six years old, so it’s been 10 years. We came here for my dad’s job and my mom works at SCIS. I’m going to graduate next year and then I’m off to college. I want to study environmental sustainability but I feel like there aren’t many careers than branch off from that so I’m not sure how that would pan out in the future.
Q: Do you have any favorite memories at SCIS or Shanghai?
A: My friends and I love going to music festivals. We have gone to JZ festival, Storm, Echo Park, Strawberry Festival. The vibe is really nice and you meet really cool people. My favorite memory at SCIS so far this year would be ACAMIs volleyball. It was a lot of fun. It was my first ACAMIS and it was home so a lot of people could come watch. It was fun competing against all these teams from all over China.
Q: Tell us about your CAS project and the organization you are working with.
A: I am working with several organizations that help dogs and cats find homes. One of them is called People for Pets. Another organization is called Best Friends China. This past Sunday, I went to an event in the Pudong New Area. We brought dogs there and we showcased them to people. People came and played with them and asked us questions about the dogs. It was a nice experience being able to see all these people who want dogs. They showed so much compassion for the animals.
Q: How does the adoption or fostering process work? Is the adoption process expensive?
A: First, contact me and then organization will come to your home and they will see if it is fit for adoption or fostering. They will come checkup once in a while and you can always keep in contact with the organization. It doesn’t cost anything. The only cost would be checkups and vet fees. And the length of fostering depends on how fast these dog find adoptive homes. It can be months or days. I met a woman who just fostered a dog for three days and she’s already so in love with him.
Q: I see the posters around campus. Have gotten any responses?
A: I haven’t gotten any so far. People have come up to me that say I really want to but I already have one, my parents won’t let me, or they can’t have one in their building. It’s disappointing but at least it’s out there and maybe people will respond to it.
It really hard to keep a pet in Shanghai. It’s such a huge, industrial city and space is so limited.
One of the reasons people told me for not having a dog here is that they don’t have a big garden to play in. I feel bad for the dogs who stay inside the apartment all day. Most owners take them jogging or to a small park so that they can go for a stroll and be outside.
Q: What can people do to help?
A: Volunteer. Volunteering is a really great because a lot of these organizations don’t have volunteers. Volunteering would be a good way to spend time with these animals, especially if you can’t have one at home. Donating is great, too. Fostering pets is also a big help. Fostering dogs is a great help because it takes them out of their cages.
Q: Do you see yourself working with animals in the future? Will you continue to work with these organization?
A: I love animals, but my parents think it’s too big of a responsibility. I will continue to work with animals and these organizations in the future. I was originally only doing it for CAS, but now I have an emotional connection to them. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t want a dog or cat!
There is also another organization I am involved with. Last year, my friend started a fundraiser for an organization (ABCNepal.org.np) that fights sex trafficking in Nepal. She made latkes and sold them at the winter market. She raised close to 3000 RMB. She moved last year so she passed down the fundraising to me. At the International Food Fair this year, I raised about 3000 RMB. This organization does a lot of projects, not only sex trafficking. It is about raising awareness and providing education. They deal a lot with women’s and children’s rights. In Nepal, they prefer sons over daughters so a lot of times when they have a daughter, they are abandoned and get sold to the sex industry. They help those who have been affected through rehabilitation and therapy. My friends and I are also planning to go to Nepal during Chinese New Year 2018. We want to go visit the local orphanages, interact with the local people and see what we can do to help.
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