From Dog Meat Soup to Poodle Promenades in the Park... The Story of the Chns Dog

Just as in the U.S., various areas in Chn are known for their culinary delicacies.  Chicago is known for its deep dish pizza just as Beijing is known for Peking duck.  Pittsburgh is known for its primanti brothers sandwiches just as Sichuan is known for its spicy cuisine.  Well one of my childhood homes in Chn was known for its dog soup.  Dogs in Guiyang had it rough, they were by no means pets.  Guiyang was a poor city and the numerous stray dogs were the least of anyone's concern until dinner time came around and then they were a mans best friend.  As stated before, Chn has changed quite a bit and is at the same time, exactly the same... You may be thinking "that statement doesn't make sense." EXACTLY.   

One of the changes that I've recently taken great interest in is the civil rights movement of the Chns K9.  Something has happened over the past twenty years in the equality of dogs.  I walk down the street and I see dogs with their heads held high wearing clothes!  When I see dogs wearing clothes in the states, it's Paris Hilton type people dressing their dogs up for special occasions etc.  I will admit that our deceased dog Mia, was known to don a Steeler shirt during football season.  But dogs wearing clothes are the exception, not the rule.  Here in kunming, some of these dogs wear clothes on a daily basis as if it would be totally inappropriate to leave the house without a shirt and skirt on.  I can't help but wonder, when/how/why has this happened.  I want to interview the owners and ask what made them make the leap from putting a dog in their soup to dressing it up in tennis shoes and jeans.  If this was some sort of campaign, then I want to meet the orchestrator.  Perhaps we should put the Chns dog activist on the committee to bring peace to the Middle East or end world hunger....anything, they must have excellent powers of persuasion.  

Sometimes I resent these dogs.  After all we live in a world where children die of hunger and little Rover has a full belly and Michael Jordan shoes (everything else has been true, the Jordan shoes is an exaggeration).  But what's one little foreign girl to do, run all over town undressing dogs?  So instead, I ask you to rise up oh dogs of kunming, and use your power to join the rest of us in the fight against human rights violations worldwide!  But by all means, put on those split pant jeans, skirts, sweaters and shoes, put your hair up in a ponytail (I kid you not) and hang your purse around your little neck (also true), who says injustice can't be fought in style.  

P.s.  I have been chasing unsuspecting dogs around for a couple of weeks to take pictures.  It's made me wonder if I have a future in photojournalism... It's been exciting to run after dogs in the market and through the park with the camera on my cell phone!  Unfortunately there is little dog that wears tennis shoes, jeans and a sweatshirt that I have seen a couple of times but didn't have my camera out in time.  There was also one wearing a purse, but I was on a bike and taking a picture would have gotten me killed.  I hear from a reputable source, of a dog that wears eye shadow, but haven't come across it yet.