Her Dog Was Poisoned. Now She’s Fighting to Reform Pet Laws.

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After her dog was poisoned, Li Yihan’s pursuit of justice has become a landmark legal battle, one that could bring significant changes to China’s approach to pet protection laws. Four days after the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2022, Li Yihan took her 13-year-old dog Papi for their usual morning walk. Hours later, her mother called with devastating news: Papi was twitching uncontrollably and might not make it. By that evening, her West Highland White Terrier was gone — one of 11 dogs and several stray cats poisoned in their Beijing neighborhood over the course of two days starting Sept. 13. Police investigations later revealed that a 65-year-old resident surnamed Zhang had deliberately placed poisoned food. He had soaked chopped chicken neck bones in fluoroacetic acid and put them near the community children’s playground, targeting pets that frequented the area. While other pets died within minutes of ingesting the toxic bait, Papi clung to life for nearly three hours. For 35-year-ol ………………………………