5 Things: Dan Christensen and Tao Zhu on Pet Ownership
By Justine Lopez
A That's series where we ask a Beijing-based somebody (or in this case somebodies) to tell us 5 Things specific to his or her life.
Dan and Tao are basically the gurus of all things pet related here in Beijing. They love their two pups Caesar and Lady so much they are considered part of the family. Dan and Tao have gone to great lengths to keep their animals healthy and happy. They even turned their passion for animal wellness into a business called Penny’s Food Studio, which makes all manner of fresh, healthy and safe food for pets. This stuff is so healthy it’s even safe for humans to eat. One of our staffers (ahem, Noelle) ate a plate of Penny's dog food and she's just fine.
But food aside, Dan and Tao have a lot to say when it comes to being a pet owner. So let’s hear from them. Shall we?
1. It’s okay to be one part cat person and one part dog person:
Tao: I am a dog person. But I want a cat.
Dan: Tao is actually a cat person in dog persons’ clothing. Or rather, she is a Caesar person. Caesar is our husky. I am a dog person first, cat person second. I always had both growing up. Dog people tend to be more social, like dogs, I guess, while cat people tend to be more independent, like cats.
2. There is a philosophy to making pets healthy and happy:
Dan: We adhere to a three-part philosophy on general well-being: exercise, food and love. In that order. A possible fourth would be health care, like making sure your dog or cat has regular checkups and is up to date on his or her shots. A fifth could be discipline!
3. Pets really can be a part of the family:
Tao: Our dogs are family members. They are not people, of course, but still family members. We try to include them in as much of our day-to-day lives as possible. We try to encourage our customers and pet-owners in general to regard their dogs and cats, if they don’t already, as family members. Our motto is “family quality” after all.
4. No matter how much you love your pets sometimes they will piss you off:
Dan: Caesar is pretty well behaved. He does have a strong prey-drive, however. I won’t go into the gory details of what happened the last time he encountered a chicken. Lady, our mongrel rescue, once tried to eat my favorite hat. I threatened switching her diet to kibble, however, and it hasn’t happened since.
5. Beijing is a great city to be a pet owner:
Dan: I don’t really agree with the idea that Beijing is a “challenging place” to keep dogs and cats. People say that a lot, though. I have always kept big dogs in apartments here. They just need long, frequent walks (or runs), which is true for dogs anywhere in North America too. Western dog owners seem to have this idea that your dog needs a yard you can abandon it in while you’re at work. I don’t believe that. There’s no magic formula for keeping your pets happy in Beijing versus another city.
Tao: The weather here is not too extreme for pets. People have a habit of projecting their own impressions of the weather onto their family members. Dogs and cats are actually very robust and adaptable to hot and cold. We don’t recommend leaving your miniature poodle outside when it’s -15C, but he probably doesn’t need those boots and sweater for his walk either!
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