Doris, the story of the rescue dog who saved me

There has always been one very simple reason behind everything I did in my life. Whether it was exploring the world, making career choices, or supporting a cause. The common denominator throughout my existence has always been ME. Very little difference was made if it was to reinforce my overachiever status or my need to be needed. It has always been ME, the primary reason for all my actions. This time, however, it was different. Well… maybe it wasn’t at the beginning when everything started, but when things progressed and got into shape, they changed. Suddenly, the focus shifted, and it wasn’t about me anymore.

Let me rewind a little and start again. From the beginning this time. In Beijing, where I was living at that time. It was the beginning of 2020, after the first China Covid lockdown, before the rest of the world realised, just like in a sci-fi movie, that everything was about to change because of an unknown virus. During these months, analysts were trying to make predictions, and people were betting on the different points of view on what measurements each country needed to take, for how long, and what economic impact they could sustain. Some people were even debating whether it was all real…

I am sure everyone remembers those days, so I won’t talk too much about them, also because I don’t remember them as clearly as perhaps you do. Around this time, I was diagnosed with a bad advanced tumour. Without any option to travel back to Italy to my family, as China had closed its borders with no exceptions, I went through a scary surgery and rehabilitation pretty much solo, until solo I wasn’t anymore…

I was depressed, scared of whether I would have made it through that period. China was keeping its position of isolation, with many of us stuck outside or inside but anyway, far from our homes and far from our loved ones. This is Rosa’s story, my first dog, but this story is for another post, which I will write soon, as it’s somehow connected.

So back to us and to why Doris. During my recovery at home with the only company of my phone, I found myself stumbling on a Wechat post of someone called Pipi. In this post Pipi was asking for help on a rescue mission that was about to start. Objective: save 300 dogs!

In this WeChat post, for those who do not know WeChat, it’s the principal social channel in China, Pipi described an illegal truck identified a few hours from Beijing with 300 pure breeds. Mainly poodles, pugs and shiba. The dogs cramped inside, kept in inhumane conditions, were on the way to a meat market.

Bored I decided to follow the story and get in touch. In a few hours, a WeChat group got formed, and from ten people, maybe less, we quickly grew to twenty, forty, hundred plus and then, just like magic, a strong community started.

I was unsure what I was doing in this group of dog lovers. I have always been a cat person, after all, and at that time, the only dog I had was not even mine. Rosa, whom I was keeping in my house, waiting for her owner, a friend of a friend, to take her back as soon as the borders opened again. So technically, I had no dogs… and I can say with no intention to have one. But the story of the truck with the frenetic actions and the passion was the most exciting thing that had happened to me for a long time. It was like watching an action movie live, as they were shooting it but from a far and from my sofa. Effortlessly and quickly, however, I got closer until without realising it I became part of the story.

I got to know the rescuers on the ground, their lives and their motivation and even helped them raise money. I started learning why this was happening; with the police’s additional inputs and additional research and perspective, I was able to go deeper and unveil the dynamics of the black market, where in disbelief, I got to know that dogs and cats get constantly tortured by soulless people who anonymously show on social media these suffering animals to trick other people into donating money with a promise to save them but in reality only to sell them to meat markets for a few dollars, in pain and left alone to die. Because dogs are not what they care about. Money is. And with this, the big problem good-hearted rescuers face. TRUST.

Suddenly, I couldn’t sleep anymore. All I could think about was why this was happening. Why didn’t I know this before? And why weren’t there more people like Pipi trying to stop this atrocity? I was thinking about how we all come to this world to die but not to get killed. But these dogs were about to get killed for no acceptable reason, and if it weren’t for these rescuers, who sincerely cared for them, they would all be dead. But with their determination, love, and connections, this incredible low-profile group of animal lovers could overcome a thousand obstacles and finally save them. This was the miracle compassion, and love were able to bring.

So here is why I am writing this story. Amongst those four leg souls, there was Doris. The sweetest dog I had ever seen. Doris Was Not Meat. No. She wasn’t. She was meant to be my dear dog, friend, and rescuer. With Doris, Jimmy her brother from the same meat truck, Rosa and of course Chief and Bintang, my cats with me around the world for ten years now, I was able to push through rehabilitation, the severe depression and snap out from the anxiety and everything else there was in between me and serenity. Finally able to take my life back.

I became busy learning again. I realised I was still teachable and started seeing the world differently. I woke up early every morning to take care of Doris and Jimmy’s skinny bodies and deep wounds, who, with their big eyes, were teaching me every minute how to fight, but most importantly, how to be grateful for the life we have and for those around us who never stop fighting for us.

And so, this story is dedicated to those who keep us standing every time we feel we can’t do it anymore, who fight when we can’t, who never give up when we want to let go, and with patience, finally, help us to put one foot in front of the other until we can stand to move forward. To all these people who love so much, I want to say thank you. My heart goes out to all of you

From all of us who fight invisible but powerful monsters and on behalf of Doris, who didn’t make it and all dogs like her, who were fortunate enough to have another chance, thank you. This project is dedicated to all of you.

Chiara and Doris