A day in the life of a city dog in China

This is Cola. Cola is a nearly two-year-old Shar Pei lady who lives with her friend Dolly, a 7-year-old Rehpinscher and their owners, in Wuhan City, Hubei. Cola comes from a breeder in Guangdong.

Cola and Dolly are city dogs and live in a gated community, as it is customary in China. They are allowed to move freely anywhere in the house, only the owner's bed is taboo. Since there are still many people in China who are afraid of dogs, the owner has installed door protective grids in the hallway, so that he can separate the dogs during visits by anxious friends.

Every morning and evening the owner walks both dogs for one hour at the neighboring lake. Both dogs are fed with high-quality kibble plus fresh ingredients and enjoy good health. Likewise, both dogs are regularly dewormed and vaccinated.

Cola's favorite activity is to enjoy the sun in the conservatory with her toys and, like all Shar Peis, to watch the neighborhood.

Actually, Cola lives a life as every dog in the world should live. She is loved, she gets a lot of attention and she can be a dog.

Thanks to people like the owners of Cola and Dolly, the image of dog ownership in China is changing.

Since I traveled to China for the first time almost 20 years ago, there have been huge changes in dog ownership, a change I heartily support.