Summary: For some reason the pet shop owners think dogs, rabbits, and hamsters are the same.

Day1: Colleagues tell me there is a market in Anning where i might find a dog. I arrive there at 12, and i first thing i find they are using a gas burner to roast a dog. Not what i had in mind, so i left. Not a good start.
Day2: I go to a local vet, near Wenlin Jie. They tell me about two pet stores I should check out.
First store on Yuantong street leading to east side of Green lake. There were ~15 dogs in small cages. 10 dogs were mature adults. Cages were barely big enough for them to turn around. We ask about other dogs, shop keeper says there are more down stairs, but we are not allowed down there. I take a peak, an underground room with little light and many dogs barking like crazy. Non of the cages had water.
Second: after lunch, we go to the bird and flower market, downtown KM. We saw an old lady sitting on the sidewalk with pups in a basket. For some reason, she insisted on selling us a pup that still cannot open its eyes. Pup was still not weaned off its mother.
Third, a pet market on Xingyuan street. Again, dogs are locked up in cages just big enough. Again, no water! I really cannot remember seeing any cage with a drinking source. It's a big market. But this time I was surprised to see most dogs were full grown adults. Huge dogs (Labradors, Mastiffs, only one greyhound!!!!, Alaskan Malamutes, Huskeys, one St. Bernard!, various shepard dogs, that's all I can remember now) such huge dogs cannot be locked up in tiny cages. Owners were holding onto them hoping someone pays them 3000 rmb, or the dogs go crazy.
One lady wanted to show us pups outside the market, in a private home. 30 minutes later, a lady and a man show up carrying two ~10 kg pups. We were told they are 2 months old. They were frightened, and weak. They could not walk properly. Obviously they were locked up for a long time. Asking price was 2800 rmb each. They were something similar to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmouth_Cur but they were black except for brown feet and brow spots above the eyes. The lady was carrying the dogs like rabbits. Their tails were cut off.

We go back to the pet market. A pup in a cage facing the shop were in is dead. It was not dead when we left. Again, no water! This pup is barely a month old. I cannot speak much Chinese. My friend finds the shop owner, and tells him about the dead dog. He picks it up with a news paper, and throws it in a bin outside the shop. We ask why there is no water in the cages, he said they just ate and cannot drink water. Actually, seems they were not touching their food, they were too weak to eat. My friend flips and starts shouting. A mob gathers around, silent, only looking to see what the commotion is about. The owner puts some water in the cages and goes back to playing mahjongg.
Now that I write about it, it kind of reminds me of the cabbage fields in villages around KM. Cabbages are left to fully grow and then wither and dry up on the ground.

Welcome to China!

Sad, but thats how it is mostly. When we got out dogs it took us a long time to find an actual breeder and no producing shop.....

That makes me sick to hear about those poor dogs. We bought a poodle in the small bird and flower market in the West near Chuan Yuan. It's right down from Red Star if you know where that is. All the dogs we looked at seemed pretty healthy and they did have water. I think we paid 700 rmb for a poodle puppy. Now I do think he was a lot younger than the shop owner told us, but he was walking and had his eyes open. He's been a great little dog and our family is really enjoying him. You might try looking around there.

My ten cents worth is that wherever possible you should get a dog privately from someone who has just had a litter or a private breeder where you can check their facilities. I don't believe in pet shops anywhere, but here they are definitely even worse.

I have to put notice in here for my baby dog –xiaoxin who need a good heart person to take care him .before i have taken care him nearly half of year,his owner asked me to help her to look after him during she back to French for vocation .around six months .now she can't go back for some of reason and I will have more business trip in the new year,I love the baby dog too much but sometimes the life have no choice,I couldn't have more time to accompany with and look after to him .i pray god to let xiaoxin –the baby dog meet a good heart and nice person who will give him a happy and health life to grow up .,the god will bless xiaoxin .(xiaoxin is a beagle mixture,around two years old,the weight is six kilogram ).if you are interest in the cute dog –xiaoxin,please contact with me .kublican1999@hotmail.com.

in the eyes of shop owner, the pup is goods to earn money

Hello All -

We recently got a new Alaskan Malamute puppy named Atka.

Can anyone tell me where the parks are in Kunming that will allow dogs?

I learned the lard way last weekend that Green Lake does not allow dog ;-)

Your help is appeciated.

Jonathan

AS long as there are people who think they must have a dog, there will be Chinese to exploit this business.
If you feel do bad about how they are treated, STOP BUYING THEM!

What can I say, unfortunately, the animals here is not being treated properly. To learn the way they are killed would make a lot of people sick and faint. My husband and I tried to rescue two dogs last year but they both died of deadly distemper.

My suggestion is that, if you want to have a pet dog in China, try not to buy from the pets shop or the puppy farmers who have only interest in money and give no concern for the life as seen in your own eyes.

I would consider adopting one as there are so many abandoned dogs and pups. There is one breed of dog here which is my favourite regardless being classed as meat dog (or rural dog土狗) for food because they are too ordinary in here (but they are unique looking in a good way in western countries). They are gorgeous looking, a close breed to Akita with similar temper, properly more gentle, and very loyal.

slabo - thanks for posting your experience - this sounds like an excellent opportunity for the Kunming Gov to intercede and charge licenses AND the regulation that goes along with dog breeding/retailing licenses. Kunming's gonna need a LOT of money to pay off the phenomenal debt from all the infrastructure building going on - not to mention the new subway/airport construction debts...so if you know some gov officials...spread the word - more tax revenues!!