Cats become top dogs in Chinese cities, usurping man's best friend

To put a paw on the pulse of the sudden shift from dogs to cats in China, I took a semi-scientific survey among my WeChat friends (margin of error +/－50 percent), asking if they must raise either a cat or dog, which would they choose and why. The jury was hung, but the answers showed feline fans favoring their would-be pets because of perceived ease of ownership, with no walks needed and fewer complaints from neighbors. Meanwhile, every canine connoisseur praised man's best friend for dogs' perceived loyalty and friendliness.

Dogs haven't had it easy here, culturally at least. Just pawing over a few ancient literary references to pooches gives one the impression that canines have the deck stacked against them.

While they may be our best friend, we have, over the millennia, had a funny way of showing our gratitude. Take for example a few Chinese proverbs related to pups, all of which are less than complimentary.

"Chickens fly and dogs jump" (jifei goutiao) alludes to a chaotic situation. "Dog fumes" (goupi) is a somewhat more genteel translation of calling something or someone's opinion "nonsense". And who could forget "wolf's heart and dog's lung" (langxin goufei), used to describe the most unsavory of individuals. This one is doubly damning because it impugns both domesticated dogs and their feral ancestors.

The English language isn't much more "cano-philic". Referring someone to a "dog" typically means you don't expect them to grace Vogue or GQ magazine anytime soon. A lazy person is just "dogging it", unfettered competition leads to a "dog-eat-dog world" and even an overread book is not handsomely worn, but instead "dog-eared".

So next time you are stuck under rubble (never I hope), or have vision issues, or even need a comfort animal to ease your fear of flying, smile at the rescue dog, the seeing-eye dog or collie in coach class. After all, they're here to lend a helping paw, and do it all for free, out of the kindness of their hearts, even if their hearts evolved from wolves.