Chapter Nineteen: A Visit to the Dog Market

"Stop, stop, stop." Song Jiawei was momentarily overwhelmed.

He had no doubt that if he insisted on getting a dog, Zhang Congwen would certainly help him. But ultimately, the dog would be his own, and he couldn't always rely on others. After Zhang Congwen's words, he realized he truly wasn't prepared for this responsibility.

"So what should I do? I've already promised Zhu Qingyan—should I just tell her I'm not going?" Song Jiawei was troubled.

"That's your problem," Zhang Congwen replied.

Song Jiawei thought for a moment. "How about this: tomorrow we'll go to the dog market, just to look around and get a feel for things. When I'm ready, I'll make my decision."

"Alright," Zhang Congwen agreed.

Back in bed, Zhang Congwen felt exhausted—not physically, but mentally. When it came to dealing with people, he realized just how much he lacked.

Out of nowhere, he began thinking again about the idea of becoming a dog trainer. Suddenly it occurred to him: even as a trainer, he couldn't avoid interacting with people. Especially when faced with someone like Chen Na, communication and persuading them to accept his views would be the most challenging part of training.

The thought alone gave him a headache.

The next morning, it was Song Jiawei who knocked on Zhang Congwen’s door once more.

After a quick wash, the two of them got into Zhu Qingyan’s car again. Song Jiawei gave her an address and Zhu Qingyan started the engine.

The dog market Song Jiawei mentioned was quite a distance from where they lived, out in the eastern suburbs of the city—a drive of over an hour.

As soon as they got out of the car, a strong smell of dogs hit them, prompting Zhu Qingyan to cover her nose. Yet the discomfort didn’t last; it was quickly interrupted.

“Oh… how adorable!”

Just as they entered the market, Zhu Qingyan let out a cry of delight.

She was about to pick up the puppy she found so cute when she noticed a dirty patch on its fur, and drew back her hand. Even so, she kept praising how lovely the little dog was.

"Boss, what kind of dog is this?" Zhu Qingyan asked, pointing at the adorable puppy.

"A native dog, not even two months old. It's at its cutest stage," the stall owner replied with a beaming smile.

"How much does one like this cost?" Zhu Qingyan continued.

"Five hundred. Not expensive at all. You seem to have a bond with it, just take it home," the owner quoted casually.

Zhang Congwen was speechless. Someone who couldn't even recognize a native dog coming to a dog market to ask for prices—who else would the vendors overcharge?

Moreover, the puppy Zhu Qingyan was asking about was clearly not a real native dog, but some kind of mixed breed.

The stall owner called it a native dog just to trick people like Zhu Qingyan.

Many people believe that native dogs are simply various mixes, scruffy and plain. But that’s not the case.

A true native dog refers to local breeds—a general term. It doesn’t mean any mongrel without a clear breed, nor the so-called old native dog. Yet in many minds, native dogs are associated with mixed breeds, lacking pedigree, and less desirable than the foreign breeds.

In reality, native dogs include many different breeds. The most representative were once the most common in rural areas: the "four-eyed dog" and the big yellow dog. These two breeds are part of countless childhood memories for rural children. Though Zhang Congwen’s family never kept a big yellow dog, they had several four-eyed dogs.

One four-eyed dog, by the time Zhang Congwen was old enough to remember, was already so old it could barely walk, and eventually died at home, leaving the family sighing and lamenting for days.

But due to people's disregard for local breeds, these dogs have faded from public view—nowadays, they're rarely seen.

Besides these two, whose breed names Zhang Congwen wasn’t sure had been officially defined, there are many familiar native breeds.

For example: Tibetan Mastiff, Xiashi Dog, Pekingese, Shar Pei, Pug, and Chow Chow—common or often-heard names. Of course, there are many more native breeds, but like the four-eyed and big yellow dogs, they have become rare and are disappearing from public consciousness.

Nowadays, when people are asked about dogs they know, most immediately think of Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, Labradors, Huskies, Poodles, and Corgis—foreign breeds.

Zhang Congwen didn’t hold any grudge against these people; after all, not everyone has the time or interest to study dogs. He just felt a bit regretful about the decline of native breeds. After centuries of breeding, surely they shouldn’t be seen as inferior to imported breeds.

"Boss, what kind of dog is this? Why does it look so much like a Corgi?" Zhu Qingyan’s attention quickly shifted from the mixed puppy to another adorable dog at a different stall.

This vendor looked at Zhu Qingyan in confusion. "This is a Corgi."

"Ah?" Zhu Qingyan was both dumbfounded and embarrassed. "Don’t Corgis have no tails?"

Song Jiawei felt a bit ashamed. "How could there be a dog with no tail? Corgis have tails. Most of the ones you see without tails have had them docked."

"Ah? Why?" Zhu Qingyan asked again.

This time, Song Jiawei was a bit uncomfortable. "Congwen, you explain."

"For appearance’s sake," Zhang Congwen answered directly.

He said "for appearance’s sake" because the reasons for docking Corgis’ tails today are completely different from before.

Originally, Corgis were working dogs used for herding cattle, with long broom-like tails. Tail docking used to be a necessity to prevent their tails from being injured by cattle.

But now, as Corgis have become more popular as pets, they no longer need to herd cattle, so tail docking isn’t required. Yet a few years ago, there was a craze online, with countless posts showing Corgis with docked tails and their "electric butts." Many photos even featured Corgi fur trimmed into various shapes.

Since then, Zhang Congwen noticed that more and more people were keeping Corgis, and almost all had docked tails. Seeing one with its tail intact became as rare as seeing a four-eyed or big yellow native dog.

Nowadays, the "electric butt" has become a symbol of the breed, and many Corgi owners are drawn to this feature. This has led to a situation where some people, lacking animal knowledge, believe Corgis are naturally tailless—there are many like Zhu Qingyan.

Even now, some insist that Corgis must have their tails docked. Zhang Congwen once argued about it online; the other party’s reasoning was that Corgis might step on their own tails.

Zhang Congwen was speechless—what animal could be so clumsy as to step on its own tail? Even if they did, with a Corgi’s small size, how much damage could it do? It’s like a person stepping on their own foot—how much could it hurt? Even if it happens, it’s hardly injurious.

Zhang Congwen didn’t object to owners docking their Corgis’ tails; it’s their dog, their decision. He just couldn’t stand people who claim it's for the dog's benefit, when it's obviously for their own preference.

Is it really so hard to admit it's for looks?

"Congwen, what do you think of this dog?" At that moment, Song Jiawei had spotted a dog that caught his interest, and tugged at Zhang Congwen to ask.