Cadet Killian Buckley's Blog

In the United States, household cats and dogs are thought of as companions and an essential part of many American families.  Up until recently, this was unheard of in China.  China, much like many cultures, do not hold cats and dogs to the same esteem that Americans do.  Many cultures see them as a nuisance or even dangerous.  Before the 1980’s, having a furry friends in a household was against the law in Beijing.  Pets were not culturally acceptable in Communist China because keeping pets was thought of a luxury.  The idea of keeping and feeding an animal as part of the family was seen as elitist. This was particularly true during the period of the “one child policy”.  If a family could only have one child, keeping a pet seemed extravagant and unacceptable both legally and culturally.

In the early 1990’s, after a change in the “one child policy” and overall cultural change, the laws that limited pet ownership were lightened.  As of 2012, there were currently 1 million registered dogs.  In the city, dogs must be registered and must fit within a certain height limit to be considered legal.  There is an official “Beijing Small Animal Veterinary Association” and there is a growing industry related to this spike in pet ownership.  There was over 7.84 billion Yuan spent on cat and dog care in China.  While the government is still wary of the increasing number of pets and has released negative rhetoric in regards to pet ownership, it is, never-the-less continuing to grow.  Sadly, however, there is also a growing issue of stray domesticated animals due to the lack of spraying and neutering of pets by the new owners.

This small cultural change gives us insight into the overall change in Chinese society.   The youth and people want the finer things in life; they want the newer technology and to have a animal as a pet.  While, in American culture, this seems like it would be a normal generational shift. However, it is, in fact, a huge cultural change and, more likely than not, a part of globalization and, in some cases, westernization.

Personally, it was insane to think that people would go to dog bakeries or take photographs of his or her pets in American culture.  However, it is now happening world-wide, including China and Brazil.  Perhaps, it is just human nature to want to coddle our furry friends.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-21/chinas-skyrocketing-pet-population