THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408260108
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TAMARA VONINSKI, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
ON A RECENT VISIT to China, where my father is working and my brother is studying, I heard about a zoo for dogs called the Dog Loving Park. It occupies an abandoned amusement park in a Beijing suburb on one of the main tourist routes to the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall.
Dogs, as pets, are rare in China. Owning one is considered bourgeois in that communist nation, and a special pet permit or license is required from the government. Dogs lacking correct documents are shot in the street by the police with few questions asked.
Although dog meat is served in restaurants and a mixed-breed dog may cost as little as six American dollars, the price for a purebred dog can run to thousands of dollars, many times the average Chinese salary of $625. A red Pekingese, for example, is listed at $25,000 in the Dog Loving Park catalog.
The dog has been revered in China for centuries. Many legends and myths center around dogs. Most Chinese households have a pair of stone shiski dogs that act as good luck and protection from harm.
Every day, hundreds of Chinese, mostly adults, take buses to the Dog Loving Park. About 60 different breeds are on display. A tour guide said the park has 1,000 dogs. My brother counted 286.
Most of the dogs are in outdoor fenced areas or cages in buildings resembling flying saucers. The visitors, including many in military uniform, press against glass windows and fences like children at an American zoo.
You can rent a dog to stroll around the park for 10 minutes for about six American dollars. There are 19 different kinds of dogs for walking, including common American breeds like golden retriever, schnauzer, black Labrador and beagle.
Dogs perform at the park several times a day. They walk on tightropes, jump through hoops and do other acrobatics.
Chinese nationals pay the equivalent of 75 cents to stroll around the cages to look at the assorted canines. Foreigners who want to experience Chinese culture off the tourist track can ask tour bus drivers to stop at the Dog Loving Park or take a local bus from central Beijing.
I found my way to the park via bus with four words of Mandarin - ``Hello,'' ``One ticket'' and ``Thank you'' - along with a picture of a dog. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by Tamara Voninski
A dog looks out of his cage window at a visitor who had thumped on
the cage. Most of the dogs sleep in their cages between visits from
people, who peer through windows.
Acrobatic and stage shows are held several times a day at the Dog
Loving Park on the outskirts of Beijing, with dogs jumping through
hoops and walking tightropes.
In addition to live dogs, the Dog Loving Park has a collection of
stone dog figures.
Most of the visitors to the park are adults and soldiers, who press
up against the fence like children watching animals at an American
zoo.
A police dog rolls over on command during a training session. Dogs
are trained at the park.
by CNB