Pet dogs wear formal wear to receive "marriage certificates", some citizens think: boring and extravagant
The "Qixi" Valentine's Day is a traditional romantic festival in China, and in recent years, its popularity has been catching up with the Western Valentine's Day on February 14th. As another year's "Qixi" arrives, reporters learned on the 14th in Yangzhou that while couples take this opportunity to express their love for each other, some owners of "single" pets are busy finding suitable "partners" for their own treasures. A young woman in the urban area of Yangzhou spent more than 1000 yuan to hold a lively "wedding" for her female dog and its newly found "ideal husband" on Qixi day.
Reporters learned through interviews that taking advantage of the popularity of "Qixi", many pet hospitals have started new businesses in matchmaking, acting as "matchmakers" for pets. A pet hospital in the urban area of Yangzhou posted a promotional poster saying "On Qixi, let your beloved pet end its single life." Pet owners just need to register here, and the hospital will establish files for them, detailing the pet's age, breed, health status, etc., and even collect the pet's "pictures" into a booklet for other pet owners to browse and choose from.
During the interview, reporters saw Ms. Zhang bringing her schnauzer "Xiao Xiao" to register. Not only was the pet's basic information written down in the registration book, but also the vaccine inoculation time and medical history were recorded. The owner of the store introduced that since the activity began half a month ago, they have already collected over a hundred pieces of pet information. As long as both "parents" agree, the pets can meet and go on a date under the guidance of their owners. "The other day, we successfully paired two Scottish sheepdogs here," said the owner.
In the past few days, Ms. Liu, who lives in Guangling District of Yangzhou, has been particularly busy because she is preparing for a small wedding, and the "bride" turns out to be a Teddy dog. Although the scale of the "wedding" is not large, it is by no means careless. From the dog's accessories to its formal wear, everything was personally selected and purchased by Ms. Liu. Ms. Liu told reporters that she also made a marriage certificate online. Reporters saw that except for the certificate number which was "made up", the dog's name, gender, and birthday were all officially printed on the red marriage certificate, with the dog's photo attached.
Regarding the behavior of marrying dogs, many citizens expressed their confusion. Mr. Wang said, "Isn't it a bit boring? It's really something to do when you're idle. Spending so much money on pets for Qixi is really too extravagant." However, pet owner Ms. Zhang rebutted, "I think pets are also a part of our family. I spent several thousand yuan when I bought it, so why am I worried about this now? Moreover, we've met a lot of friends and had a lot of fun."
By correspondent Zhang Lingjiao, Cui Zhu, and reporter Chen Yong