On 28 June, the world woke to the heartbreaking story of a mother dog named Wang Wang. Her unimaginable suffering and the loss of her puppies transcended borders, languages and politics. Millions of people who had never heard her name before suddenly found themselves grieving for a dog they had never met.
I have never watched the video, and I never will. Reading about what happened was enough.
Ever since, I have found myself thinking about her. I imagine her confusion, her fear, and the heartbreak of a mother desperately trying to protect her babies while she was suffering from immense cruelty at the hands of evil deeds that are simply beyond our ability to comprehend.
More than anything, I wish there were another ending.
I wish we could turn back the clock and that one kind stranger had walked around the corner at exactly the right moment. One decent human being. One person willing to intervene. One small act of courage that could have changed everything.
I wish that somewhere, in another universe, Wang Wang is lying peacefully beneath a tree while her puppies tumble over one another, growing up exactly as they should have done.
I wish, more than anything, that there is an afterlife. That somewhere beyond our understanding she has been reunited with her babies, free from fear, free from pain, and surrounded only by kindness.
But we cannot rewrite what happened.
What we can do is decide what happens next.
The extraordinary thing about Wang Wang’s story is that it touched hearts all over the world. Complete strangers mourned her. Animal lovers from every continent spoke her name. For a brief moment, millions of people stood together because one dog’s life mattered.
Perhaps that is where hope begins.
China has many compassionate people working tirelessly to protect animals, often with few legal protections behind them. My hope is that the global response to Wang Wang’s story gives those voices greater strength. That this tragedy is not forgotten. That it becomes another step—however small—towards stronger protection for animals and a future where cruelty is no longer ignored.
There is a saying that a society can be judged by how it treats its animals.
If Wang Wang’s story teaches us anything, it is that compassion knows no borders either.
I hope history remembers her not only for how she died, but for what her story inspired.
If even one law changes, if even one life is saved, if even one person chooses kindness because they heard her name, then her suffering will not have been entirely without meaning.
Rest peacefully, Wang Wang.
The world knew your name. The world wept for you.
Now may the world honour you by ensuring that fewer animals ever have to endure what you did.
If you are in London, there is a gathering at Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner on 1 August from 2-4 pm to give Wang Wang a voice.
There are many organised gatherings, particularly today, as it has been one month since this incident.
