Southwest University of Political Science and Law: Two stray dogs wander around the campus.
Southwest University of Political Science and Law: Staff members take care of three stray cats on campus.
Stray Dogs
Graduation is approaching, and students are leaving campus or even this city. What should they do with the cats and dogs they raised? After a breakup, how should they deal with the pets that were once symbols of their love...
Graduating students have left, lovers have parted ways, and there are more and more stray cats and dogs on campus.
Recently, Chongqing Evening News reporters received numerous calls from university students reporting an increasing number of stray cats and dogs on campuses. As it is graduation season again, Chongqing Evening News reporters visited several universities including Southwest University of Political Science and Law (Xizheng), Sichuan International Studies University (Chuanwai), Chongqing University (CQU), and Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CQPT).
Chongqing Evening News reporter Zhang Shuihong wrote the article; Zhang Zhi took the photos.
Observation
Shapingba Campus of Southwest University of Political Science and Law
Pomeranian and Pug
Together in Stray Life
The day before yesterday, the reporter entered the Shapingba campus of Southwest University of Political Science and Law. Nearby the gymnasium, Ms. Gu Jie from the后勤 office was seen holding cat food to feed a few stray cats nearby.
Ms. Gu Jie said that there are quite a few stray cats and dogs around the campus. Recently, the school security department conducted a drive to remove stray dogs due to concerns about attacks, so there are fewer stray dogs currently on campus. There are more stray cats now.
Ms. Gu Jie and her colleague Ms. Mu Li feel sorry for these stray cats, so they bought cat food to feed them. They named each cat based on their head fur color and physical features, such as "Ma Zhong Fen" and "Huang Zhong Fen."
"Every year when students are about to graduate, the number of stray cats and dogs on campus increases," Ms. Gu Jie said.
Subsequently, during a walk around the campus, the reporter noticed many stray cats moving around and also saw a few stray dogs, including a Pomeranian and a Pug, who were always together in their wandering life, moving from the living area to the playground, seemingly getting along well.
Near the "Sino-French Bookstore" on campus, a local dog was spotted. The bookstore owner, Mr. Wang, introduced that the previous owner of this dog was a student who often followed the student wagging its tail while walking. Two years ago, after the student graduated, the dog was left behind. Since then, the dog has been searching back and forth along the road where its owner used to walk.
Reasons
Graduated, Leaving Campus, Abandoning Cats and Dogs
This situation exists not only at Southwest University of Political Science and Law but also at other universities. The reporter subsequently visited Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing University, and Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, all of which reported a significant number of stray cats and dogs. According to students and faculty members, some were abandoned by graduating students or those who no longer wanted to care for them, while others wandered into the campus from outside.
On the slope near the Guanyunti staircase at Sichuan International Studies University, it has almost become a "refuge camp" for stray cats. Ms. Li, the owner of a nearby convenience store, said that a retired female teacher insists on bringing food daily to feed these stray cats and has built a sheltered tent for them in the woods.
At the small market between Guanyunti and Zhuyuan, Ms. Yu, who sells vegetables, said that a few days ago, a female student asked her to help find someone who might want a pet dog.
Mr. Gu Shihai, a cleaner at the Shapingba campus of Chongqing University, said that there are a large number of stray cats on campus, dozens of them, mainly concentrated around the school fleet, swimming pool, bathhouse, and Dormitory 12. When it gets dark, you can see groups of four or five stray cats roaming together. "Some were abandoned by students, and others wandered in from outside," he added.
In the animal world section of the Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications campus forum, the reporter also found many posts from soon-to-graduate students offering to give away their pets, such as "Adopt a kitten" or "Give away a puppy."
Breakups, Heartbreaks, and Discarded Love Tokens
In addition to pets being abandoned upon graduation, some are discarded after breakups among couples on campus.
A third-year student majoring in Chinese Language and Literature at Southwest University, Xiao Liu, told the reporter that one of her friends started dating during the second semester of her sophomore year. They bought a Pomeranian together from a pet market to witness their love. Although the school explicitly prohibits keeping pets, they secretly brought the dog into the dormitory or sent it to a friend's rented place. Every time they went on a date, they would bring the dog along. In October of last year, they broke up due to personality differences. The dog was left with the girl, who initially cried every day while hugging the dog due to heartbreak. Later, fearing continued emotional distress, she took the dog out of the campus and abandoned it.
"This kind of situation happens frequently on campus," Xiao Liu said. She disapproves of abandoning pets after a breakup, turning them into sacrifices of love and leaving them to wander aimlessly.
Opinions
Small Animal Protection Association:
This is a Lack of Respect for Life
So, what does the school think about this situation? Director Zhang Ling of the Security Office at Southwest University of Political Science and Law (Shapingba Campus) introduced that schools clearly prohibit students from keeping pets in the dormitories. Some students secretly keep them, but once discovered, they are required to immediately give them away or take them home.
Zhang Ling explained that the current stray cats and dogs on campus mainly come from two sources: first, students who, due to graduation or job hunting, no longer have time to care for their pets and leave them to roam freely on campus. Second, stray cats and dogs that wander in from outside the campus. Zhang Ling said that the school feels powerless against these stray animals.
Regarding this, President Chen Mingcai of the Small Animal Protection Association said that this phenomenon is nothing new to them. Around graduation time, they often receive calls from university students reporting that students abandon animals on campus. The association has adopted stray animals multiple times.
"We have consistently opposed university students adopting small animals," Chen Mingcai said. Students' primary responsibility is to study, and they lack sufficient time and financial resources to properly care for pets. Furthermore, once students finish their studies and face various pressures like internships and job hunting, they struggle to take care of themselves, let alone cats and dogs. "These actions reflect a lack of respect for life and show irresponsibility on the part of students."
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