Category Archives: Dogs

Day 362 in Beijing: Nail Time!

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Rachel and the doggie again.

Rachel and the doggie.

What does a guy do after moving?

This guy gets his nails done, of course!

One of the joys of being in China is that manicures are incredibly inexpensive.

There is actually a mani/peid/blind massage store right in our little apartment building.

Having “local” stores in the apartment complexes is fairly common here in China.

We live in a 6 floor walk up and can walk right down to the first floor, open the door and go to the right and buy stuff from a tiny little convenience store (where the owners actually have their bedding in the room right behind the store so they live in their store) or one more door down and go to the nail saloon.  To the left is a copy/printing store and then there are loads of Chinese restaurants in the next building over.

Well, we usually go to the main shopping area, Yashow, but we wanted to see how the local one here was and if we wanted to become customers since it is only 1 minute away from us.

We went in and met the cutest little doggie ever!

As you can see, it actually has its nails painted also.

It was super friendly, sweet, and goofy.

The pedicure was incredible.  It took about 45 minutes and, since we were celebrating just finishing our move, we asked if we could have a beer to celebrate.  The women in the store laughed and didn’t mind at all.

The nails you see with the doggie are our friend, Rachel, who helped us so much.

The 45 minute manicure cost 30RMB.

That equates to just less than 5 USD.

I also bought a “buy 10 get 2 free” package so it comes out to about 4 bucks for a 45 minute manicure.

The blind massage (which is also fairly common in China that people who are blind do massage) is about 100RMB for one hour.  That is 16 USD for a one hour massage.

We will go back and try that in the next few weeks and post about that soon!

 

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Day 346 in Beijing: Corgi Cuteness!

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Ready for action!

Ready for action!

Jill and I went for a walk, a few days ago, and ran across the cutest little doggie ever.

I know I say that a lot, but this time it is true.

We are 99% sure this is a Corgi, who had just been shaved, but if we are wrong, please correct us.

It was so friendly and just wanted to play, jump and run around.

He's so hyper the camera can't even focus on him!

He’s so hyper the camera can’t even keep him in focus!

Going for walks, after a day at work, is one of our joys.

It is sometimes difficult, because of the pollution in Beijing, but we try our best.

When we move to our new apartment, in just about 2 weeks, we will be right by a canal and we will make sure to go for walks every day, even if the pollution is bad, just to get out and see cute doggies and water flowing down the canal.

This little guy just loved Jill and didn’t want to leave her.

Can’t blame him.

Jill is pretty awesome.

 

Day 337 in Beijing: Dog Socks.

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Cutie with bells on.

Cutie with bells on.

Jill and I continued our way to the art festival and noticed this cute little doggie walking with its owner.

The owner, not surprisingly in China, matched the doggie socks with her own sweats.

As she walks away.

As she walks away.

People seem to take a lot of time and effort to make sure their dogs are incredibly well groomed, dressed, and hopefully, treated.

From what we’ve seen, dogs in Beijing are definitely well treated and we hope this is true for the rest of China but we don’t have any proof either way.

This dog also had little bells on its socks and the owner could make sure it stayed close to her and was safe as they walked around near the street.

There are so many cute and tiny little dogs here it is a treat to walk around and just smile at them, lean over and pet them, and see the owner’s responses as they often seem very happy to let them interact with us each time.

 

 

Day 333 in Beijing: Doggie Doppelganger.

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Wait a minute! Is that a reflection of me?

Wait a minute! Is that a reflection of me?

As you are all loyal readers of my blog, you know I love dogs.

Cats?  Not so much.

I’m a dog person.

I think they are loyal, caring and much more interesting.

I also find them much more funny and goofy.

Especially golden retrievers or labradors.

I actually had a black lab, named Horse, when I was a kid.

He was the sweetest dog and he could actually smile when he was happy.

Or, for all I know, he could smile when he was coping us and saw us smiling and we used anthropomorphism his actions into thinking he was actually happy.

Either way, he was a great dog.

I think he set me on my path of loving dogs and it continues to this day.

Now, I don’t want a dog because I don’t want the responsibility.

I also don’t want kids because I don’t want the responsibility.

And yet, I’m a psychotherapist because I love helping people learn, figure out for themselves how they want to live their life, and do what is right for them.

It is somewhat like parenting in my own way and I enjoy this responsibility because people end up making the choice that is best for them and they live with the consequences.

Sort of like raising kids or animals but more freeing, I think.

As I walked to work, I noticed these two cuties getting closer and closer together.

I wanna play!

I wanna play!

I have no idea if the owners know each other or not but they seemed to be enjoying the interaction of their two dogs.

The dogs seemed to want to play but the owners didn’t let them get too close.

Maybe there is some history behind the dogs and it is safer to keep them apart.

My hope is that they get to play together some day soon.

Day 314 in Beijing: Doggie Style.

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The sexy dog.

The sexy dog.

Jill, our friend Rachel, and I were walking around after signing the contract for our new apartment a few days ago.

Rachel had been incredibly generous and had just helped us negotiate our contract for our apartment and we wanted to take her out for a few “thank you” drinks.

We ended up at the Vineyard Cafe and were taking our time.

By the way, that review is from our buddy, Jim Boyce, who goes under the moniker of “Beijing Boyce.”  He’s been here something like 10 years and knows pretty much every single place that has opened, closed, and opened again, through the years.

As we walked over, we passed a small sex/adult shop about one block from our apartment.

This is actually pretty common as sex shops are on every few blocks and it is much more open and less “hidden” as it is in the USA.

This one, however, had a very nice addition to it and it seemed to be much more alive then the manikin that was standing beside it.

The doggie actually barked whenever we got close and didn’t seem very friendly but we still laughed and thought it was too cute.

 

Day 305 in Beijing: Walking the Dog.

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"I'm just minding my own business and taking my human for a walk."

“I’m just minding my own business and taking my human for a walk.”

Jill and I were sitting by the Liangma River and just watching people walk by.

And, of course, watching the dogs as they walked by.

This dog was taking his own sweet time and cruising by the river.

His owner, as you can see, walked his electric bike beside him the whole time.

To be honest, I’m pretty sure the dog was the owner and the guy with the bike was his pet.

The guy with the bike never rushes the dog, never tells the dog what to do, and waits patiently as the dog checks out and smells everything.

Our favorite part is when this cutie notices us filming him, stops, and gives us a nonchalant look, and then walks on as if he is used to it and we are just boring paparazzi following him around while he does his daily routine.

 

Day 294 in Beijing: Dog Fight!

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Okay, maybe not a fight but darn cute.

I really love how one of them uses its little butt to fight and move the other one around.

Yes, I have a pretty awesome life if I get to walk around, watch doggies play, and report about it.

Life is definitely good.

Day 292 in Beijing: And Even More Doggies!

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Yes, you can say I’m addicted to cute dogs.

I was walking over to meet Jill and another friend and noticed this cute little guy.

It was a bit cold and windy so he was bundled up tight.

It has actually been a warm winter, from what I’ve been told, and Spring definitely seems to be in the air.

Winter is just giving us one last blast of cold.

In fact, compared to when I took this picture, about 7 days ago, it is gorgeous, sunny and warm.

I don’t even need a sweatshirt right now to go outside which is drastically different from a month ago when I needed my jacket, hat, scarf and gloves.

The pollution also seems to have decreased as the coal plants that power the heating in the apartments and buildings are now shut off for the year and producing less smog.

All in all, this is a great start to the year and I can’t wait for April!

I’m pretty sure this little guy would agree.

Day 287 in Beijing: More Doggies!

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Hey, there's another dog I can play with right in front of me!

Hey, there’s another dog I can play with right in front of me!

Well, one more doggy.

I have to say, I really do love dogs.

I grew up with a bunch of dogs, and a few cats, but dogs were my favorite.  I remember our black lab, Horse, and how wonderful and loving he was for so many years.

He was named Horse because he was a massive black lab and looked like a horse.  We weren’t a very imaginative family, obviously.

He was one of those special dogs that was able to “smile” when he was happy and that seemed to happen a lot.

At this point in my life, I don’t want to have a dog because I enjoy the freedom of being able to get up and go whenever, and wherever, I want at a moment’s notice.

Being that I also do some crisis response work for my company, it is helpful to be able to pack up and not have to worry about feeding an animal or getting someone to take care of it if I have to be gone for a week somewhere.

That being said, I love seeing the dogs around Beijing and petting them or watching them play.

This big guy was in the elevator and he kept looking at himself.

He got really excited when the elevator stopped and he realized, “The door is about to open and I get to run!!!!”

I’ve seen him outside, carrying his leash in his mouth, and he is just the happiest Golden Retriever around.

Then again, I’m pretty sure Golden’s have been bred so that it is almost impossible for them to be depressed or sad.

Now, many of you have heard of China’s “One Child Policy” but have you heard of Beijing’s, “One Dog Policy?”

Maybe if stare at the opening of the elevator even more intensely it will open up faster!

Maybe if stare at the opening of the elevator even more intensely it will open up faster!

I’m guessing you haven’t.

Not only does it only allow you to own only one dog (obviously this lady is not following the law) but there is a size limit also.

This occurred because of an outbreak of rabies in 2006.

318 people were killed and the authorities decided to step in and change the rules.

Now, you can only have one dog, and that dog can not be any taller than 14 inches.

I know people that have Afghan hounds and they are much taller than that.

I am guessing that they either pay the $650 dollar fine or the authorities aren’t paying that much attention and it is just a law that can be ignored because it is meant as a deterrent more than an actual penalty.

Either way, I love all the doggies around Beijing and hope you do too!

 

Day 286 in Beijing: Doggies!

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Two cuties in their winter gear!

Two cuties in their winter gear!

I was walking to work today and noticed these two cuties.

I’ve seen them around a bit but didn’t have time to grab my camera before today.

I walked over, asked their owner if I could take a picture, and took a few.

The lady said their names so they would look up at me for the picture and then it struck me.

The bigger one either has a physical deformity or had been in some type of accident and had a painful looking injury.

Just walking around. Digging life.

Just walking around. Digging life.

If you look closely at the picture, the doggy’s left leg is pushed out at the shoulder.

Also, he had to turn his neck sideways and look out of the side of his eye to see me.

He wasn’t able to tilt his head back to look upwards like his buddy did.

I felt sad for him but he has always seemed like a happy and joyous dog so maybe he doesn’t even realize he has a problem and just keeps on living his happy doggy life.

Another lesson learned and not a bad way to deal with an injury if one can do it.