Man's best friend lives the good life in China.

Money changes everything, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

With wealth and the rise of a prosperous middle-class in China, the dog has come into its own. 

The dog loving community is on show everywhere, and its beloved pooches will be decked out in jackets, and smart cravats, with bows in their hair and bells on their toes - well, on their feet,  anyway. 
                                                                   

(AFP in Daily Telegraph)

Sad, you think? Think again. Think Money.

That's just what 34 year old Tang Yang thought, when he realised his girlfriend was spending approx. £45 a month feeding her pet rabbit.

He dreamed of a sort of Facebook for pets. And so www.goumin.com (loosely translated as dogpeople.com) was born.

Now, seven years on, Mr Tang already has 530,000 pet owners registered on his site, with 600 joining every day. He reckons he will have no trouble raising the $10m (£6.2m) to fund his expansion plans, with a possible public listing in a few years.

It's estimated that pet owners spend somewhere around $2 million a years on their pets.

It's the same old story. Find what lots of people like and, regardless of what you think about their choices, you'll find that's where money is to be made.

However, with wealth come the problems of over supply and flooding of the market.  So much so that a new law has had to be rushed through. From May 15, only one dog per houseshold will be permitted. However, people who already have two or more licensed doggies can keep them.

But from May 15th puppies must be given to eligible no-dog households or government-approved agencies, before the pups are 3 months old.

Rather sensible really. It's all apart of the regulations concerning the environment, in regard to unscooped waste and sanitation rules.

So doggies like this buddle of fluffy fur with panda eyes, will have to be as well trained and well behaved as their middleclass owners the world over.  (photo courtesy of Daily Telegraph, AP).

Yes, it's a dog's life in China these day.