Dog Teeth For Sale in Chongqing and Online

Roughly between the center of the Jiefangbei shopping district and Chaotianmen in Chongqing, one day I noticed a woman selling some interesting items.

Two days later in the same area, I saw a man selling similar items.

I asked the woman if those were dog heads in front of her, and she said they were. I asked the man if those were wolf heads in front of him, and he said they were. Both followed up their answers with comments that left me a bit confused though. After some online research, I believe they were explaining that the heads and teeth for sale in front of them were from wolf-dogs, an animal which I did not know much about at the time.

Wolf-dogs, as their name suggests, are a mix of wolf and dog. Wolf-dogs can have varying degrees of "wolfness" and "dogness" in terms of genes and behavior, and there are disagreements over what should be labeled as a wolf-dog. One type of wolf-dog, the Kunming Dog, was bred in China. PetYourDog has a description of the breed:

The Kunming Dog is a wolf dog that originated in China in early 1950s. The purpose for its development was to create a military dog for the Chinese army. Several breeds of dogs as well as several cross breeds were involved in this dogs' gene pole but most of the breeds used are unknown. . . .

It has exceptional and proven working capabilities and the dog is gaining popularity among common people as a family companion. This rare dog needs early age socialization and obedience training. A well trained and socialized Kunming Dog will make very good family pet; one that gets along well with children and treat them as its masters. This breed generally gets along well with other dogs and pets in the family. With proper training and socialization, this rare breed of dogs can be an exciting addition to a family.

The Dog Breed Info Center says that Kunming Dogs can "make excellent pets".

So it is possible what I saw came from animals that I suspect many people would consider to be dogs, even if it is technically accurate to describe them as wolf-dogs.

News articles about people in China selling items similar to what I saw can be found here, here, and here (all in Chinese and all include images). In those cases, the teeth are described as coming from dogs. The articles explain that some people believe dog teeth ward off evil spirits. Also, sellers can be concerned their products will be perceived as fakes — a reason to display dog heads.

If you want to buy dog (or wolf-dog or wolf) teeth, you do not need to visit a seller in person. It is easy to find sellers online. For example, on Alibaba's Taobao, a Chinese website similar to eBay, one seller offers jewelry made with teeth from the Tibetan Mastiff, a domestic dog.

And Alibaba's related site which targets online buyers outside of China, AliExpress, also offers plenty of dog teeth options, including one seller offering "vintage fashion".

Want to instead use a U.S. online site to buy your dog teeth? eBay has a few options, including a bracelet.

I don't know whether the sellers I've mentioned are selling what they say they are. But given how often I see restaurants in China with dog meat on the menu, I wouldn't be surprised by genuine dog teeth being readily available.

Many questions come to mind, but I don't plan to dig more deeply into dog teeth sales, something I have come across far less often in China than seeing people with their pet dogs. However, one day I will get around to commenting on the practice of eating dog meat and sharing some of what I have seen.

A Pet Cat in Chongqing

What I had expected to post today requires a bit more time. So instead, I will share something to provide another type of contrast to yesterday's light post about pet dogs in Chongqing.

I met the friendly cat on scenic Mountain City Lane today. Based on the cat's behavior and the collar it wore, it seemed likely to be somebody's pet.

More tomorrow . . .

Pet Dogs in Chongqing

During the past month in Chongqing, I have seen many dogs as I have explored the city. Here are a few of them:

Walking next to Songshi Avenue

Keeping an eye on another dog near People's Park

Sitting on a bench near the Hongsheng Cultural Square

Outside at the SML Central Square shopping mall

Guarding a home not far from Liziba Park

Taking advantage of an armrest in the Gulou Lane historical area

Like the dog is the last photo above, some wore coats or other clothing. This is my favorite one so far:

One of about 10 dogs hanging out together in Jiefangbei

Perhaps someday I will discover the secret chips of love.

Whatever my future holds, in all of the above cases I am fairly confident the dogs were pets, even though apparent strays aren't uncommon to see. And none of this is unusual for Chongqing. It is easy to see people with their pet dogs.

No deeper points at the moment. Mostly, I just wanted to provide some context for an upcoming post.

Taiwanese Dog Dozing

Earlier I shared photos of dogs riding a wheelbarrow, sitting in a park, taking a walk, and swimming in a river in Hengyang. In Taipei I have seen many more dogs. So to continue the theme, here is a dog I saw sleeping yesterday evening:



Despite where its leash was anchored, I doubted it would later have an experience like another dog I saw in Hengyang: one running in front of a motorbike.

More Dogs in Hengyang

In Hengyang, Hunan, I have seen dogs taking a run, a ride, or sitting around in a park. One day in Hengyang next to the Xiang River, I also saw dogs taking walk . . .



. . . and taking a swim.



Just some more dog love in Hengyang.

Birds at a Hengyang Restaurant

On a wall at a restaurant in Hengyang, Hunan:

Children and Dogs on Huiyan Peak

Just because, here are a few photos of two girls, a boy, and two pet dogs I briefly met on Huiyan Peak (回雁峰) in Hengyang, Hunan:

Taking the Dog for a Ride in Hengyang

In contrast to a man I saw taking a dog for a run while he rode a motorbike, a woman I saw today with a non-motorized vehicle expended more energy than her dog as they moved about Hengyang.

The scene made me think of a story I had heard decades ago about someone using poodles in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. A quick online search led me to an AP article from 1990:

John Suter will drive his black standard poodles up the Iditarod Trail for the last time in 1991.

The three-time Iditarod finisher has been trying for 14 years to raise an all-poodle team to run in the 1,200-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. He's spent an estimated $150,000 on the project and weeded through 80 poodles, a span of six generations, he said.

"It just didn't sell," he said recently by telephone from his home in Chugiak. "You can score on the news with poodles but you can't get a cup of coffee or a bag of peanuts with them."

I don't know if the woman I saw today has gotten any bags of peanuts with her dog. At least it appears she has a furry companion though.

Taking the Dog for a Run in Hengyang

Seen on a bridge over the Xiang River in Hengyang:

Some points perhaps worth making:

1. This is not at all a common sight for me.
2. The dog was running at a decent speed for its size and, as seen in the photo, leading the way. Sorry, no video.
3. The dog was not pulling the motorbike.

Pets for Sale in Zigong

Today I saw a street in Zhanjiang which reminded me of far away Zigong, Sichuan province--a place I wouldn't mind returning to. So here's a scene from Zigong I haven't shared before:

A small outdoor pet market with dogs, cats, turtles, and other animals

More later ...

Bonding Over Chickens

Late last night, not long after having finished the previous post "A Dinosaur in China and a Chicken from Hell in the U.S.", I showed someone I know in Maoming's Maonan District, about an hour from Gaozhou, the post's first photo:

I explained to her I especially liked how the chicken was directly facing me.

She then shared that I was not the only one to photograph such an event:

I was so overwhelmed by our mutual appreciation of attentive chickens, I forgot to check whether she knew she had photographed a dinosaur.

A Dinosaur in China and a Chicken from Hell in the U.S.

Across the Jianjiang River (鉴江) from the Baoguang Tower (宝光塔) in Gaozhou (高州), Guangdong province, a dinosaur spotted me last Monday.

The dinosaur was clearly indignant at having been tethered.

Despite it still being able to move around to some degree, it displayed much pluck by holding its ground when I came nearer.

Regarding any questions about labeling this fine animal as a dinosaur, I will share an informative comic from xkcd:

On that note, perhaps the formidable attitude of the dinosaur, more commonly called a chicken, I met was passed down for generations from the "chicken from hell", more formally known as the Anzu wyliei:

Mark Klingler/Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Details about the Anzu wyliei, "a 600-pound cross between an ostrich and a velociraptor", were recently published, Christopher Joyce for NPR explained the "chicken from hell" nickname:

For the past decade, dinosaur scientists have been puzzling over a set of fossil bones they variously describe as weird and bizarre. Now they've figured out what animal they belonged to: a bird-like creature they're calling "the chicken from hell."

There are two reasons for the name.

First: If you took a chicken, crossed it with an ostrich, bulked it up to 500 pounds, stretched it out to roughly 11 feet, put a bony crest on its head (like some ancient Greek helmet), added a dinosaur tail and a pair of forelimbs with five-inch claws, and then, finally, stuck some feathers on it ... you would have what paleontologist Matt Lamanna formally calls Anzu wyliei ...

Reason two for the nickname: The three new specimens Lamanna has now put together were dug up from the Hell Creek geological formation in Montana and the Dakotas.

Although the research did not address what it tasted like, Christine Dell'Amore for National Geographic explained how researchers deduced what the Anzu itself ate:

Physical features on the North American skeletons indicate Anzu dined on a variety of items from the Cretaceous smorgasbord, including vegetation, small animals, and possibly eggs.

Small prongs of bone found on the skulls' palates may have helped the dinosaurs swallow eggs; the same prongs are found today in egg-eating snakes.

The dinosaur also had big hands with large, curved claws, which are usually found on animals that grab small prey to shove down their throats.

And the Anzu's jaw shape suggested it could shear pieces off plants.

Fortunately, the dinosaur in Gaozhou did not possess large curved claws and did not eat me.

As far as its own fate, after noticing a change in its demeanor, I realized it was no longer tethered by the string. I'm not sure how this came about, and I decided it was best to avoid interfering with a proud relative of the Anzu. As I departed, it also walked away. I don't know where it went but ...

... there was a road nearby.

Equanimity in the Face of a War with Goats

Some non-threatening goats I saw last year in Zhuhai, China (photo previously shared here)

A brief break from all things China ...

If I am ever misquoted by a newspaper, I might appreciate it more if it leads to a result similar to the recent misquoting of Richard Robinson, founder of the Brighton Science Festival in the UK (HT Tania Branigan). In its apology The Argus explains:

We would like to clarify that the quote “I have become increasingly convinced that we are heading for a disastrous confrontation and that the 21st century will be remembered for a terrible war between mankind and goats” was a reader question and not a response from Mr Robinson.

The next paragraph, “People often underestimate how dangerous a goat can be – I personally know six people who have become severely injured by goats, and the annual death toll racked up by goats is over 2,000,000”, is also a reader question and not a response from Mr Robinson.

The Argus is happy to correct this and would like to apologise for the error.

I'm glad they were happy to correct the article. I imagine some readers received quite a jolt from the original version. The apology is currently circulating online for obvious reasons. What is often missing, though, is Robinson's deadpan response, one that stayed true to his outlook on life, the universe and everything:

The reassurance provided by a purely objective, existentialist view of life is that one can view with equanimity the scenario in which we humans are displaced by almost any other animal on the planet, including goats. It is all one, in the grand chaotic riot of things.

See the full article here for more of Robinson's thoughts and his lighter (or darker?) response to the followup question.

And more here soon on other topics also part of the "grand chaotic riot of things".

Not Hot Dogs in Hong Kong

To be clear, I have no reason to believe any dogs were harmed in relation to the previous post about KFC's pizza dog.

Dogs eating out near Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Watchful Geese in Guangdong's Sujiawei Village

About two years ago next to a pond in Sujiawei, Guangdong province ...




... I met two Chinese geese.



According to the waterfowl breeder website Ashton Waterfall:

The Chinese is one of the post popular and well known breeds of domestic goose. Unofficially, there are two kinds of Chinese geese: those that hate the world and everything that moves within it, and those which have to be picked up and carried to their shed. They are so tame that they prefer to stand around your feet and won't be driven. The sort you end up with depends partly on the strain, but mainly on how you rear them and treat them. They can be wonderful watchdogs - tame and real pets with their owners, but noisy when anything unusual is around.

Unlike the geese mentioned in the previous post, I saw no signs these two geese were employed by the local police. Nonetheless, the geese seemed more than willing to serve as watchdogs. Based on the above description, I believe I fitted into the "everything that moves" and "unusual" categories since they raised quite a ruckus when I approached. After listening to their eloquent protests and photographing them (which didn't seem to please them either), I left them in peace so I could enjoy lunch in a traditional setting.

And no, I didn't even try to pick them up.

Assorted Links: Fruit is Good, a Future Mini-Atlantis, and Police Geese

On this first Friday of August* I will share a few links to a semi-random assortment of pieces which don't strongly connect to any recent themes here but caught my attention and may provide some minor enlightenment for others as well.

1. Even though fruit is full of sugar, it is good for you. More specifically:

Dr. David Ludwig, the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, said that sugar consumed in fruit is not linked to any adverse health effects, no matter how much you eat. In a recent perspective piece in The Journal of the American Medical Association, he cited observational studies that showed that increased fruit consumption is tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of obesity-associated diseases.

Whole fruits, he explained, contain a bounty of antioxidants and healthful nutrients, and their cellular scaffolding, made of fiber, makes us feel full and provides other metabolic benefits. When you bite into an apple, for example, the fruit’s fiber helps slow your absorption of fructose, the main sugar in most fruits. But fiber is not the full story.

See the blog post in The New York Times here for more, including why the following holds true in terms of health benefits: fresh fruit > dried fruit > fruit juice. I have found that the last claim can easily rile some fruit-juice lovers.

2. Often those who had little to do with creating a problem are among those who are most affected by it:

Almost no one in America has heard of the Alaskan village of Kivalina. It clings to a narrow spit of sand on the edge of the Bering Sea, far too small to feature on maps of Alaska, never mind the United States.

Which is perhaps just as well, because within a decade Kivalina is likely to be under water. Gone, forever. Remembered - if at all - as the birthplace of America's first climate change refugees.

I'm not sure if the "forever" is a foregone conclusion. There could be another ice age in thousands of years, right? Whatever the case, see the article on BBC News Magazine here for more about the plight of the indigenous Inuit people who live in Kivalina.

3. If you have never had the chance to interact with a goose, I recommend visiting your local geese congregation point. Geese have a lot of character, including the desire to fight crime as appears to be the case in Xinjiang, China:

Law enforcement agents described the geese as a new “highlight of stability maintenance work” and said they had proved themselves “better than dogs” in tackling crime.

“Geese are very brave. They spread their wings and will attack any strangers entering [someone’s] home,” said Mr Zhang, the local police chief. The birds were like “a radar that does not need power”, he added.

See the article on The Telegraph here for more about the heroics of the police geese.

I had another piece to share in this post, but I now feel commenting on it deserves more thoughtful consideration than I now have time for. So I'll share it later. Plus, it's hard to top a gaggle of geese.


*This date holds no particular significance for me, but it seemed like enough of an excuse for semi-random linkage. Who knows, maybe it's the beginning of a tradition.

Partial Collapse of Pier to Huilan Pavilion in Qingdao

Huilan Pavilion in Qingdao on a foggy and not-so-busy day last week

Last night in Qingdao was one of those nights when typical umbrellas show their mortality. In other words, it was very windy and rainy. And sadly, the cheap umbrella I bought almost 2 years ago in Yuli, Taiwan, will never again do what umbrellas do best.

The rain and winds stopped today and around lunch time I took a walk over to Qingdao Bay. While there I noticed that the usually busy pier to the Huilan Pavilion, which can be found on the logo for Tsingtao beer, was empty. I then noticed a curious number of police and the closure of beach areas adjacent to the pier.

Police doing some of what they do best

Security doing some of what they do best

And then I noticed a portion of the pier had collapsed.

That seems to explain it.

According to one report (in Chinese), the collapse happened last night during the storm. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Given last night's weather, it would be surprising if anyone had been on the pier during the storm. And for dog lovers out there, it would also be surprising if any dogs were sitting on top of concrete posts next to the water.

A dog two years ago in Qingdao doing some of what dogs might do best

I suppose I could now try to make a strained analogy with China's Great Firewall or collapsing bridges in the US, but finding that dog photo while digging through some earlier photos from Qingdao broke my flow. So I'll leave it at this.

A Riddle in Penang

The other day while walking around in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia, I witnessed an event related to an age-old question.

Although I can't dispute the typical answer for why the chicken crossed the road, I suspect there were other issues at play too. However, the chicken wasn't interested in talking and had protection.

Non-chicken-related posts on the way. But if you crave another chicken & rooster photo, see the earlier post "China Scenes: Villages Around Kaili, Guizhou".

Birds and an Unexpected Ad at the Bird Park

The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park claims to be the "world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary". As a kid I was fascinated by aviaries so I decided to make a visit. It did indeed seem rather large, and it was possible to see a variety of birds in close proximity (although some were kept in smaller cages).

Keeping an eye on the human

I will refrain from sharing a full set of bird photos, but I feel compelled to share a photo of one of the few advertisements posted outside the park.

Advertisement for chicken nuggets

Maybe Ayam A1 thought looking at all those birds would put people in the mood for some chicken.

Not humored

OK. That's all--back to more typical topics in upcoming posts. 

My Thanksgiving in Changsha

Last night, I was able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner meal in Changsha thanks to a Thanksgiving-themed buffet at a hotel. I ate and drank my fill. Actually, I ate more than that. And some more. There were some Texan ranch owners wearing their cowboy hats at the restaurant. Several Italians and of course some Chinese joined in the fun as well.

Afterwards, I stopped by a favorite bar and had a glass of their home-brewed India Pale Ale. I also had some great conversations with the Filipino band during their breaks. They really liked the small pig I had just bought. When squeezed it makes duck-like sounds. No, it's not a real pig. One of the bar staff later tried to take the pig as partial payment for my drink. However, it didn't fit in the cash register.

Afterwards, I saved a rather large rat from what I suspect would have been a most unfortunate fate. Yes, it was a real rat. I will admit I did not expect it to run more than halfway up my leg for safety from the two people who seemed intent on its demise. I believe there was a brief moment while it hung on my pants when the rat and I looked at each other trying to figure out where this newfound connection would lead. After that special moment, I left the rat in safer conditions and walked away while chatting with two friendly (to me, not to rats) guys from Changsha. I assume the rat is now off doing what rats do best when they are not on my leg or being cornered by humans amusing themselves.

And those are the highlights to my Thanksgiving evening in Changsha--plenty for me and a rat to be thankful for.