In just a few years, people in China have become so attached to their pets that there will soon be more dogs, cats and other animals in cities than there will be young children.
By 2030, the country will have more than 70 million urban pets and fewer than 40 million children under the age of four, according to a Goldman Sachs report quoted by the Financial Times. And owners tend to behave like real parents to their pets: they don’t hesitate to celebrate their pets’ birthdays – or even their weddings.
In China, many animal owners go in search of a soulmate for their pet. Some even take part in matchmaking events to find the ideal companion for their furry friend. These encounters sometimes give rise to heartwarming intraspecies love stories.
For example, Bond and Bree, two golden retrievers living in Shanghai, tied the knot at the end of June in front of an array of human and canine guests, reports the South China Morning Post. Their masters took their wedding vows for them, with the dogs promising each other love and fidelity.
Bree also pledged to share her treats with her future husband and play with him when time permits, according to the Chinese newspaper.
To celebrate their union, Bond and Bree’s owners went all out: they called on professional photographers to take pictures of the ceremony, as well as a pastry chef to create a wedding cake specially adapted for dogs. The custom-made cake cost 800 yuan (RM485), according to the South China Morning Post.
But then, you can’t put a price on love, as Bree’s “father” Ling Rye asserts. “People have weddings, why can’t dogs, right? So we arranged for Bree and Bond to have a wedding ceremony, to give them a sense of ritual,” he told the newspaper.
Members of the family
The privileged place pets now occupy in China is the result of a long societal shift. Young middle-class people in China are increasingly reluctant to marry and start a family, despite the end of the one-child policy and Beijing’s efforts to encourage births.
Many of them transfer their desire for parenthood to their dogs or cats, whom they consider true members of their family. Some owners want to share all kinds of life experiences with their pet – by dressing them up, taking them to restaurants, or organising their wedding.
This phenomenon is not unique to China: pet weddings are increasingly common in the US and India. In the most affluent families, these weddings sometimes take on spectacular proportions.
Last year, Jojo and Luna, two Alaskan Malamutes, said “woof” for life at a luxurious ceremony organised in the Pantai Indah Kapuk region of Indonesia. For the occasion, the bride and groom donned several festive outfits – one western in style, the other traditional Javanese – much to the delight of their guests and, above all, their owners.
The pet parents reportedly spent 200 million rupiah (about RM55,000) to celebrate the happiest day of their dogs’ lives.
These new extremes shocked many in the Asian archipelago: Jojo and Luna’s wedding is said to have cost 40 times the Indonesian minimum wage, provoking outcry in a country where one in 10 inhabitants lives below the poverty line. The scale of the controversy prompted the newlyweds’ “parents” to publicly apologise.
“We regret it very much and we would like to apologise for Javanese culture enthusiasts and all Indonesians who were uncomfortable and hurt by the event,” they said at a press conference. But will that be enough to curb the enthusiasm of pet parents who can’t wait to spend lavishly on their own furkids’ weddings?