That woman is gold…
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Her heart probably aches for the ones she could not save.
She could not stop the whole trade by herself, but every dog she saved got something priceless: one more chance to live beyond a cage.
Dogs
And she left with hundreds of lives.
Yang Xiaoyun was 66 years old when she traveled across China to Yulin, a city that had become known around the world for its dog [me.at] festival. While many people signed [pe.titi.ons] and shared [ou.tra.ge] online, Yang did something [pa.inf.ully] direct.
She went there herself.
In 2015, reports said she spent more than [$40,000] of her own [mon.ey] to save hundreds of animals from [sl.au.gh.ter], including about 500 dogs and 100 cats. The animals were later taken more than 1,500 miles back to her shelters in Tianjin, where they could be cared for and rehomed.
But the rescue came at a huge cost.
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Yang said vendors recognized her from previous years and mocked her, asking how much money she had brought this time. She also said some sellers raised prices because they knew she would try to save as many animals as possible.
That is the [he.artbre.aking] part.
Compassion can be exploited by people who know a rescuer cannot walk away.
Yang had already given up so much for animals. [Re.po.rts] said she had spent family [mon.ey] and even faced rejection from relatives because of her rescue work. But still, she kept returning.
Because for the dogs in those cages, she may have been the only person standing between them and [the e.n.d].
Pets & Animals
Animal advocates have estimated that around 10,000 dogs were [k.i.l.le.d] during the festival in some years, though the number has been [di.spu.ted] and the event has faced growing pressure and global [criticism].
No caption can soften what those animals faced.
But Yang’s story is also proof that one person’s refusal to look away can matter.
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Horses
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Livestock
She could not save every dog.
But for the ones she carried out, everything changed.
And maybe that is what real compassion looks like sometimes.
Not comfortable — Not easy — Not clean.
Just one human walking into [ho.rr.or] and saying: Not this one — Not if I can help it.
