Shanghai Daily News

More than 30 stray animals have found a good home in the city over the past three months thanks to the efforts of Second Chance-Animal Aid, an animal adoption organization set up by an American expatriate.

Carol Wolfson, a dedicated pet lover from Chicago, started SCAA in Shanghai in March, after noticing the city's growing problem with homeless cats and dogs. She has gathered a small group of volunteers to help run the organization and hold meetings twice a month.

The organization held a small adoption yesterday at O'Malley's, an Irish Pub on Taojiang Road, and one kitten Carol saved from the streets and fostered was adopted.

"Currently, we don't have our own shelter but we are supporting one in Baoshan District," Wolfson said during an interview at yesterday's event.

She said the animal protection association is mainly supported by the local expatriate community and dedicated to saving the lives of abandoned and homeless animals.

The mission of the SCAA is to raise funds and help upgrade facilities for existing local animal shelters and organizations to Western standards as well as looking for homes for abandoned pets after they receive medical treatment.

"We seek to find relatively worthy local projects that have the true welfare of animals at heart and have transparent accounting methods to make sure they are legitimate and not just out to steal supporters' funds," said Wolfson, who has been actively involved in animal protection over the past 25 years in the United States and throughout Asia.

She is currently on the worldwide board of directors of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a US-based organization that helps wild and domestic animals.

Wolfson says it is a shame that there are very few animal shelters in the city that meet Western standards, a necessity to properly treat and foster sick or abandoned pets.

The organization hopes to build its own animal shelter in Baoshan District after a factory owner there - a devoted pet lover - agreed to provide land for the SCAA.

"Hopefully, after we get all the approvals from authorities, we could start with the project in the next couple of months," said Sonny Gao, an SCAA volunteer.