ABC TV/Radio on dogs in Beijing

[Guest guest]

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports on the

status of dogs in China in 2006

................................

ABC TV: Foreign Correspondent

 

China - Running Dogs

Broadcast: 09/05/2006

Reporter: John Taylor

 

They were outlawed and almost eradicated during the

Cultural Revolution, perceived as a fashion accessory

of the bourgeoisie - but China’s lapdogs are making a

stunning comeback.

 

The Chinese are obsessive about their dogs. About 150

million are registered as pets, and a purebred “well

shaped” dog can sell for as much as $180,000.

 

With the One Child Policy limiting family size, dogs

have become surrogate children pampered by members of

a new urban middle class. Pet industries cater for

this increase in canine popularity, with pets and

pet-related products now exceeding 2 billion dollars a

year.

 

Bureaucrats also have latched on to the explosion of

dog ownership, regulating everything from the

importation of breeds to the size and number of dogs

allowed in apartment blocks.

 

However there’s a downside to the dog mania. Rabies

has become the most dangerous infectious killer in

China, surpassing tuberculosis and HIV AIDS. In

Beijing alone, as many as 6,000 people are attacked by

dogs each month.

 

There's also a more traditional role for the dog in

China. It's still the meat of choice for many Chinese,

and the animals can often be seen in cages at dog

markets miserably awaiting their fate.

 

Transcript:

 

TAYLOR: At a sprawling showground on the edge of

Beijing, thousands of pet dealers and owners have come

to market. Not so long ago Communist China scorned dog

ownership, linking it with the ruling class and the

decadent lifestyles of the bourgeoisie.

 

No more – the dog is back.

 

The market for pets and pet related products in China

now exceeds 2 billion dollars a year. Each year in the

Chinese zodiac, another animal is celebrated. In 2006,

it’s the canine’s turn.

 

In this Year of the Dog, man’s best friend has been

rehabilitated and brought in from the cold. China’s

growing middle class has embraced the canine as a

symbol of affluence and modernity but for many animals

here, it’s still a dog’s life of suffering and pain..

 

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2006/s1631713.htm

 

Photo:

Chinadogcops

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/images/chinadogcops.jpg

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ABC RADIO: The World Today

 

(1)

Chinese middle class embrace pet dogs

The World Today

3 May, 2006

Reporter: John Taylor

 

ELEANOR HALL: Now to our special report for The World

Today from Beijing.

 

It wasn't so long ago that the only place for dogs in

China was on the dinner table.

 

But now the emerging nation's rapidly expanding middle

class has embraced the dog as a symbol of affluence.

 

There are now 150 million pet dogs in the country.

 

Many owners dote on their pooches like children and a

million dollar industry has sprung up to care for the

animals, as China Correspondent John Taylor reports..

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1630014.htm

.......

(2)

Beijing's dog squad limiting risk of rabies

The World Today

4 May, 2006

Reporter: John Taylor

 

ELEANOR HALL: To the second instalment in our series

on dogs in China.

 

As we heard yesterday, China is witnessing a boom in

pet ownership. It's estimated there are now more than

150 million pets in China.

 

But there is also a dark side to the boom in the

popularity of pet pooches, as China Correspondent John

Taylor reports from Beijing..

 

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1630810.htm

.......

(3)

Dogs popular on Chinese dinner plates

The World Today

5 May, 2006

Reporter: John Taylor

 

ELEANOR HALL: Now to the final part of our series on

Dogs in China.

 

As we've been hearing over the last couple of days,

pet ownership is booming in China, particularly

amongst the burgeoning middle-class.

 

One hundred and fifty million pet pooches and counting

is a lot of mouths to feed, and bodies to pamper.

 

And, just as in the west, pet care has now become a

multi-billion dollar industry.

 

But while a new industry emerges in China, an old one,

which sees dogs on the dinner plate, is also thriving,

as China Correspondent John Taylor reports..

 

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1631531.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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