Barney, Winnie, Hazel,
Chance, Gus, Chip, Blackie, Nayla, Bo, Kenai, Lady ...…. these are just a few of the special dogs
that are no longer with us but have touched my life either directly or
indirectly.
One of my favorite dog quotes is “ There is only one great dog in the world, and that is every child’s dog”. That of course means the child in all of us… young and old, American or Chinese.
One of my favorite dog quotes is “ There is only one great dog in the world, and that is every child’s dog”. That of course means the child in all of us… young and old, American or Chinese.
As I start my travels around the world not knowing what to
expect Greg always tells me “ People are People” and that continues to hold true. In every country I continue to see families
and children having fun, arguing, and just getting through everyday life. One thing I have noticed in China is their
love of dogs, so here I adapt the saying to “Dog People are Dog People” .
( OK—this is the opportunity for someone to tell a bad joke about what is eaten here, but I will
tell you we are in North China and dog and cat are not served for meals
here. That is in the South. They say the Northern Chinese like their
noodles, buns and dumplings and the Southern Chinese like their “weird food”
. )
Most of the dogs I
see are the tiny “ mop type dogs” but
that fits with the Chinese city life. Small
spaces work for small dogs, and I have
only seen a few “big” American type dogs
here. One mutt Barneyesque type dog was
always waiting behind a gated courtyard near our previous hotel location … .....I walked by that
gate all the time just to get a look at that face, hear the deep bark and it would make me smile. I saw a Golden Retriever being walked down
the street and another time a Husky ran
past us on his own as we left a restaurant; but 99% of the dogs are the under
15 pound type. The locals here love
their dogs; they are carried, transported in bicycle baskets, dressed in silly
sweaters, pampered and loved as they
share a meal of street food. The
Chinese love dogs as much as I do … as a companion and someone to enjoy a good
walk or a heart to heart talk with.
On my daily walks when I see dogs and owners out and about I greet them and ask permission to pet their
dog. They don’t understand English and I
don’t understand Chinese but as I tell them what a beautiful dog they have the
language is universal and they smile.
This is dedicated to Hazel and all the special dogs out
there that have touched our hearts and have gone to Dog Heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment