A Beef Stew Feast for the Dogs

When there aren’t many mosquitoes, Mr. Lu, the caretaker at the temple, prepares fresh meals for the dogs once a day. Today’s meal is tender, slow-cooked beef mixed with diced potatoes and carrots—three large buckets filled to the brim, with the aroma of the meat wafting through the air.

First, they feed the puppies in the outbuilding on the east side of the yard. Mr. Lu swings a large, long-handled metal ladle to scoop out the food, and the volunteer takes the food bowl, deftly opens the cage door, sets the bowl inside, and closes the door again.

After feeding the puppies, they pulled the cart over to the dog kennels by the courtyard wall. This area is home to large, rather aggressive dogs. Before the cart even got close, they went wild—dozens of dogs barked at the top of their lungs, their voices mingling into a deafening roar that made my ears ring. You have to move very quickly here.Usually at this point, I’d help pass the bowls—taking the bowl filled with beef from Mr. Lu and turning to hand it to the volunteer auntie. She’d quickly open the cage door, toss the bowl inside, and then lock it immediately, afraid they might bolt out.

After feeding the dogs in the yard, there was still one bucket left. Mr. Lu carried the bucket up to the second floor, where dozens more pet dogs were kept. Each metal cage was crammed with two or three dogs, stacked in two rows. The dogs’ barking echoed through the room, making it seem especially noisy.I continued passing the bowls back and forth between Mr. Lu and the auntie, and before long, the bucket was empty. The dogs, which had been making a terrible racket just moments ago, all buried their heads in their food and began munching away, falling silent in an instant—with only the occasional yelp as they scrambled for food.

The beef used for fresh meals is all donated by kind-hearted people. Compared to their usual dry food and commercial dog food, this beef stew is clearly more to the dogs’ liking.