Here is a little clip of the children in our community and our neighbour’s dog which the they absolutely adore. 

It was the first time to have an in-depth Q&A session with the wonderfully patient owner. It’s funny what the children ask about! They ask a number of questions- “Is he naughty?” ”Does be brush his teeth?” ”Does he have vaccinations?..” The list goes on!

The most important thing I like is that the kids become familiar with animals as much as we are as adults.

We are ‘dog-lovers’ but we haven’t yet decided to get one given the amount of work and commitment needed. One has to be fully ready and prepared for the long haul. Despite all the campaigning, there are still far too many individuals- some through no fault of their own- end up having to give up their pets which is too sad all round. 

The kids have written letters and provided great and reasonable reasons why we should have a dog. We’ve narrowed it down to a Yorkshire Terrior, Schnauzer or a Labrador if/when that day will ever come- but we’ll see!

More than Seven Questions!

The kids still believe that adults should be responsible for cleaning up the dog’s mess- so maybe we have a way to go before they are truly ready!

The neighbour’s dog is called Seven and she is gentle and amenable- definitely family dog material! I haven’t yet ascertained how she came up with the name Seven- but I really like it! The neighbour tells me that soon Seven will be eight and for some reason that makes me laugh inside and repeatedly every time I’ve seen Seven since! 

Shanghai is a city of pet lovers- I’ve never seen so many dogs and cats being pruned, primed, trimmed and cared for in my life! Some pets here have their own butlers, have full course meals and are treated to their own drivers. It’s quite warming to see the love people in the city have for animals- it’s never too long before you witness kindhearted passers-by who bring pet food for stray cats at different locations, who turn up in cue. 

One day we will have a dog- I’m sure of it. But until then, we will enjoy but from a small distance!