Jason Guo was so upset after his pup died following an arduous flight from China that he set up a foundation to cope with his grief and help local animal charities at the same time.
And last week, the Grade 11 student handed over a cheque for $1,500 to the RAPS Animal Hospital in Richmond, after two months of soliciting donations for his foundation, named Dora, after the pup that he lost.
Jason felt compelled to raise the money after his four-month-old pet poodle – which was being sent from China as a gift from a relative – died after apparently being confined to its crate in a cold, cargo-hold of a plane for five days.
According to a heartbroken Jason, the transportation company was supposed to fly his dog direct to YVR, but it ended up going via Tokyo and Hong Kong and was deprived of food and water.
The young dog died after spending a night at a veterinarian hospital in Vancouver.
"I have experience (with losing animals) and I don't want to see anyone go through that," said Jason of the reasons for his foundation and donation to RAPS.
Jason’s mom, Sunny Guo, said he “loves animals, he wished he could have had dogs when he was little.
“I promised him if his average score could reach 93, he could have a pet. Then he achieved the goal by working very hard, but Dora's death broke our hearts."
She explained that Jason's cousin in China wanted to surprise him with a special gift - a puppy - so he hired a China-based pet transportation company to ensure Dora could arrive at YVR safely.
"We were told the flight would be as minimal as possible, but it turned out to be three flights. To make the situation even worse - the flight was delayed, so Dora spent days in the cage," added Jason.
"Our immediate plan is to continue to raise money from people who have hearts to donate to SPCA and RAPS, because they are the largest animal protection agencies in Metro Vancouver, and they can use the money."
