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Dogs in Shanghai

By August 20, 2012October 23rd, 2020No Comments

I was lucky enough to dig-sit a friend’s Mini-Schnauzer for the past three days. I love dogs, always had one myself and am really missing having one around these days. So the weekend was the perfect opportunity to find out, what dog life is like in Shanghai.

Taking Peko for a walk was an obstacle in itself. I am used to walking a dog through the forest, I’m used to a dog who patiently waits to be taken out to then pick the next green patch to relieve itself and who runs freely with other dogs from the neighborhood.

Not so in Shanghai. Big city dogs learn to go potty on to newspaper pages in the bathroom – quite cat-like. They don’t expect to be walked all that much. They are content with the concrete jungle that is the city and can pee and poop wherever they feel like it.

Implications for me included to having to clean my bathroom frequently (always afraid of the omnipresent cockroach to be lured in), having to carry a trash bag for poop-pick-up with me, and to be asked to stay within the dog-zone at my local neighborhood park.

It’s tough to own a dog in the city – at least when you have those small-town German ideas of how a dog life should be.

But then again – This Is China.
Reading this article chills your blood and CNN calling Shanghai China’s most dog friendly city leaves me with some question marks.

I got their outpatient pet vet app and did consider helping out at the Second Chance Animal Aid Shanghai before – at least that doesn’t mean I am responsible for a dog at all times – it just wouldn’t be fair with all the traveling and zero play opportunities for the dog.

Regardless of all the downsides of having a dog in the city – I did have a great time with Peko!

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