It's dogs' life!
(Asian Times)
Updated: 2006-02-01 11:58

However, the low end of the market is in fact the largest. The growing popularity of pet dogs is not simply an urban luxury that accompanies increasing affluence in the context of a booming economy. Increasingly, dogs are the companions of choice for the retired elderly, whose proportional numbers are growing rapidly because of the one-child policy.

In the drive to give the city a facelift before the 2008 Summer Olympics, most of the capital city's historic, community-oriented neighborhoods have been torn down, and families who have lived next to one another for generations have abruptly been separated and relocated in anonymous highrises on the city's outskirts. Far away from their increasingly mobile and busy children, China's elderly are turning to dogs for comfort and love in their old age.

Zhang Gui Lan, 60, fussed after her frisky Pug, Xiang Pi, as he frolicked down a winding street. "Be careful, Xiang Pi, avoid the bicycles, keep to the side," she anxiously yelled out. Xiang Pi was a gift from her son. "Earlier, I was bored and alone. I rarely saw my children. Now Xiang Pi is like my new child," she beamed.

Nonetheless, owning a dog is no stroll in the park in urban China, particularly for the less well-off. And pets still fall victim to communist bureaucracy: all dogs must have a license. In Beijing for example, the fee for this license was originally $600, followed by an additional yearly registration fee of $250. Since late 2003, the initial registration has been reduced to $120 and the annual fee to $8. More than 40 categories of dogs including Dalmatians, terriers, collies and Labradors remain illegal to own, as they are deemed "dangerous" by city authorities because of their size. Moreover, in a manner similar to the one-child policy, Beijing imposes a one-dog policy whereby each family is restricted to ownership of a single canine.

Elene Locke of Hong Kong recently opened Beijing's first "dog cafe" where, rather than being served up as food, pooches are placed at the table alongside their owners. Her four-footed customers can choose from a variety of home-made doggie cookies, including cheddar cheese, garlic chicken and corn-flake flavors. Other than nibbles, scarves, raincoats and even necklaces are available for furry fashionistas.

Locke said, "In China it's still not easy being a dog. Even people who own pets sometimes see no problem with eating them." She added, however, that attitudes are gradually changing, as evidenced by the bounding, panting customers that fill her cafe. Moreover, even diehard dog-meat fans in China tend to distinguish between dogs (usually large mongrels) that are meant to be eaten and fall under the generic category of "food dog" (cai gou) and such dogs as the ubiquitous Pekinese, which are definitely pets.

Growing disparities frame a lot of the analysis surrounding contemporary China. It's no surprise, then, that for canines as well, there is an increasing distinction between the haves and the have-nots: for some dogs, life is one long spa treatment - but for others, it's nasty and short.