Training and camping as pet-friendly facilities become a norm in Minhang
An 18-month-old West Highland white terrier learns self-control under the guidance of Li Fucheng, a dog trainer with two decades' training experience.
Li uses some treats to help keep the dog in its sitting posture, and the dog owner follows suit in this canine obedience training.
The course takes place at a pet outdoor sports challenge park in Pujiang Country Park in Minhang District.
"The treats and chews are used to frame the actions of the dogs. The dog stands up to beg for the food, but the pet owner postpones to give it the food until the animal sits down. Then we level up the training, maintain the dog in its sitting posture for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds and 1 minute, or with the owner standing away from it by 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters and 5 meters, then reward it with the treats," Li explained.
"It's rare to find a pet-friendly space to allow our pets to play to their hearts' content," said the resident surnamed Bao, owner of Max, the West Highland. "Our dog also learns self-control. When it returns to the residential neighborhood, it is less likely to be involved in a fight with other dogs."
The pet outdoor sports challenge park, or Let's Dog pet world, is a first of its kind in Shanghai that offers outdoor sports challenge competitions for pets and their owners.
The 1-kilometer racetrack is divided into smooth track, hazard zones, including hurdles, mud pools, mazes, suspension bridges, tires, channels, seesaws and punch sacks, as well as a final sprint track. Dogs are categorized depending on their size – small, medium and large – and invited to compete for a winner.
Pet owners and their dogs ready for an outdoor sports challenge.
A medalist of the competition also includes a cat!
Winners of the pet outdoor sports challenge pose for a picture.
Chen Yi, founder of the pet world, said the idea to set up the venue occurred to her out of the lockdown experience with her two border collies during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022.
"The dogs were a great relief to us during the lockdown. We thought of setting up a pet world here, in this lovely environment of Pujiang Country Park," she recalled.
"As a dog trainer, we train dogs for professional use, or for a competition. Or like the family companion dogs here, we teach them to abide by rules, so that they are less likely to play tantrum and cause trouble," Li added.
Also in Minhang, the first pet-friendly neighborhood in Shanghai has been set up in the Xinzhuang Business Zone. As a highlight of its second phase project, a "pet building" designed exclusively for pet owners is slated to open and recruit tenants in late July.
Its attached facilities, including a 2,000-square-meter lawn and a barbecue zone, will offer pets plenty of space to have fun while their owners avail of the opportunity to camp and grill food.
As the city's first pet-friendly neighborhood, pets are learning to socialize in a human society, fully adapt themselves to a community and try to act like a well-behaved "urban resident."
"In addition, we can find out the problems pets face when they are fully connected into a neighborhood in this way," Li pointed out.
As the district starts promoting its night life economy, nine of its shopping malls are choosing to be pet-friendly.
LaLa Station, a shopping mall around Lianhua Road Metro Station, for example, welcomes pet owners bringing their pets across its outdoor pedestrian bridges. And small-sized pets, on condition that they are properly supervised in a cart or with other protection tools, are allowed to enter the mall. As the shopping mall is closely connected with a subway and bus station, guide dogs are allowed in as well.
At the POPC shopping mall, pet exclusive dustbins, leashes and fecal bags are provided to pet owners. The mall is also actively introducing pet-related businesses to settle in.
At the POPC shopping mall, pet exclusive dustbins, leashes and fecal bags are provided to pet owners.
Powerlong Plaza in Qibao Town is opening its outdoor dining spaces of about 20 eateries for guests with pets, as well as offering convenient pet services like pet bathing and grooming.
The MIXC mall, on the other hand, has allocated a 1,000-square-meter Paw Paw Park lawn for pets to do exercise and socialize.
"Our pets have little access to public space. There is a park near my house. But since it doesn't allow my dog in, I rarely frequent it. I sense a pet-friendly atmosphere will also benefit the economy," said a pet owner surnamed Wang.
The Paw Paw Park of MIXC mall in Minhang
A dog gallops at the Paw Paw Park lawn.
