(CN) Beijing Dogs

[Guest guest]

It's raining cats and dogs...China Daily

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2001-08-01/23663.html

(WU LI)

08/01/2001

 

When packaged dog food made its first appearance in Chinese

supermarkets a decade ago, people weren't quite sure what it was, and some

even bought it thinking it was canned dog meat.

Today, an estimated 18 per cent of Beijing families keep pets. Almost

half are dogs, numbering at least 160,000, according to Beijing Morning

Post.

 

Why people keep pets

 

" I go out for a walk with my Huahua at six o'clock every morning. Now

I'm healthy enough that I won't be out of breath when climbing to the sixth

storey, " said Wang Qizhen, an aged woman whose children are abroad. The dog

is her best friend now.

 

A young woman named Yao Ying has a kitten as her good friend. " The

moment I open the door after work, my Dami comes up immediately and

scratches my legs. Then I play with her for a while, forgetting how tired I

was when I first came. "

 

People keep pets mainly to ease loneliness, said Hou Yubo, a

psychologist at Peking University.

 

His opinion is backed up by Wang Qizhen who says that since she got

Huahua, she hasn't missed her children that much and that she is cheerful

most of the time.

 

Yao Ying, on the other hand, says that she doesn't get scared watching

a horror film, when she has Dami beside her.

 

" The little creatures also have feelings. If you treat them well, they

will be loyal to you, " Hou said.

 

He recalled that once his neighbour, an aged professor, fainted

suddenly and his dog rushed out and barked for help . " They are very bright

sometimes. "

 

" As the pace of life in the city speeds up, human communication

becomes superficial and tenuous. This is another reason for keeping pets, "

said Xia Jianzhong, a sociology professor at People's University. " People

feel it is much more relaxing and easier to communicate with animals, " he

said.

 

Zhang Jiantao, a worker from the Beijing Aifen Pet Food Company

chatting on a radio talk show said: " If you feel wronged, you can pour out

your grievances to your pet, cuddle them, and even cry with them. " Many

people called the programme expressing the same feeling: " Absolutely, things

are just like that. "

 

Scientists explained that people need to pour out their innermost

feelings, which gives them relief from the pressures of life.

 

" When talking about keeping pets in China, we should pay attention to

the special social problem created by the increase in the number of old

people and the fact that most contemporary Chinese families have only one

child, " said sociologist Xia Jianzhong. " Pets play an important role in such

families. "

 

According to Xia, lonely old people get spiritual sustenance from

caring for small pets. " And the only child may learn to care for others and

have sympathy through having a pet to look after, " he said.

 

Responsibility for pets

 

Pets benefit people in many ways, but they may also create problems.

Pet owners should look after their animals' health, feed them, clean up

after them and even groom them. Some owners lose interest and ignore their

pets, leaving them to fend for themselves.

 

" When you take on a pet, you should take good care of it for its whole

life, " said Zhao Xiaoqin, vice-secretary of the Beijing Small Animal

Association (BSAA).

 

BSAA, the association she works for has been carrying out activities

to publicize the loving nature of pets.

 

" When you truly understand how loving and giving they are, you won't

ever be so cruel as to abandon them, " a member of BSAA said at a pet fashion

show.

 

Zhao says that regulations should be devised to punish irresponsible

owners.

 

A report drafted by the association about the current treatment of

pets in the capital and some suggestions to rectify problems have been

referred to the National People's Congress, the country's main legislative

body.

 

In addition to focusing on pets owners who abandon their animals, the

report also suggests fining those who let their pets defecate and bark in

public places.

 

" Pet owners' lack of concern for the environment brings a lot of

troubles for the city government, " said Li Shaohua, CEO of a property

management company.

 

In fact, the trouble could be easily avoided if owners would pay

attention to such things as taking a scoop and a plastic bag with them when

they go out to pick up their pet's droppings and put them in garbage

receptacles.

 

In order to restrict the number of pets being raised and keep the

city's streets clean, the Beijing Public Security Bureau laid down rules in

1993, requiring dog owners to pay 5,000 yuan (US$603) to register their pet

in the first year and 2,000 yuan (US$242) every year thereafter.

 

" The registration fee is too high, " complained a dog owner. Forty per

cent of dogs aren't registered, according to a survey by the Horizon

Research Group.

 

About three-quarters of the people polled were against the dog

registration rule in a recent poll on the website www.beijing.gov.cn. The

poll was arranged by the Beijing municipal government, which wants to hear

people's views on the regulations currently in place in Beijing.

 

Little pets, big market

 

With the increasing numbers of pets, China's pet service industry has

the potential to become a big money-maker.

 

The survey revealed that a quarter of the dogs in the city are still

fed in the traditional way, because the owners don't know about the new

packaged pet foods.

 

" Things will be different in 5 to 10 years. By that time China will

have become the largest pet market in the world. " said Wang Xiping, manager

of the Bo'ai Pet Supplies Company in Beijing, who is quite optimistic

although the pet market is quite small at present, compared to that in

Western countries.

 

Medical care for pets is also a big market. However, many people are

dissatisfied with pet hospitals, since most of them are not registered and

the fees are too high. The market is obviously ripe for regulation.

 

Pet owners are waiting for the establishment of grooming parlours,

training schools, pet-sitting services, and even funeral parlours for pets.

 

" Where there is consumption, there is opportunity for business, " said

Lao Qing, whose pet photo studio is famous around Beijing.