Job Discussion Forums

[lost-in-translation-again]

Hi everyone
well im a long time reader here, but seldom post until now !
to star this off, i recently changed employers, to what i thought was a pretty good place to work.
the pay scale is a bit low for a college and the work load a little high, but never the less acceptable for the time being.
the problem im having here will affect my employment, but im a person that lives by what i believe in . Principles, fairness, right and wrong !
here's the problem i have i have a Dog, now im not the only teacher that has a Dog. but the only foreign Teacher that has one so i guess i stand out like a sore thumb here taking him for walk's
we live in an apartment building that is not on campus, their are two buildings actually another school has Chinese teachers living here and of course they have dog's!
so one day im walking my dog outside on the street, low and behold the president on the college see's me. which i never have met the man but his first reaction is to make a mad rush to the foreign affairs department and demand in no uncertain terms that that foreigner has to get rid of his dog ! university rules blah blah .
now other uni teachers here have dogs" Chinese Teacher's " but they blend in so their dogs i guess are not a problem
my dog is a small breed, well behaved doesnt make problems for anyone
but my dilemma is i wont be pushed around by rules tht are made when they seem to suit an individuals spur of the moment thought
oh and nothing on the contract says anything about prohibiting having a pet. so next week the foreign affairs staff will tell me that no teacher here can have a dog , and sticking to my gun's my response will be that the only way i will get rid of my dog .is if you fire me
am i being unreasonable here ? caring for a pet that provides companionship and affection? i think not
well thanks for reading my post here , any comments feel free to reply here. have a great day !!!!!!

[wailing_imam]

...and just what do you intend to do with this dog when it's time to pack your bags and head home?

[lost-in-translation-again]

Good question you asked
i have been here 3 years now, the dog is 10 months old.
i dont plan on going back home anytime soon if ever and if and when the time ever arose that i would go back, of course my dog would go as well , i would not abandon him !

[cj750]

I went through the same thing with Jackson and my first motorcycle...the School all of a sudden came up with a rule after I got my first bike and dog that no teacher could have pets..of course other teachers already had them..I had a pet licence and a drivers licence and all tag paperwork associated with being legal..so I said..I am very close to my dog and bike and I do understand the need for rules..so if the school really think that they need to enforce this rule..OK, but if the dog goes ..so do I...just give it to me in writing and a release letter..and me and Jack will be on our way...I was allowed to keep the dog (..but later they did give me a code of conduct, which of course, I followed strictly, well OK ..maybe I strayed a little) anyway, he, the dog, had a code of conduct presented to me in written form..which did him no good cause..after all he is a dog and cannot read..so he did have a few code violations (bones left in the hall, poker games with his cat buddies til well after midnight) but no one noticed..
Sometimes the Chinese cannot stand that you would assume that life in china can be your life and not just a foray into Chinese culture for the benefit of the school...power to the puppies

[cj750]

[BlakeS]

[cj750]

[clarrie]

If you didn't want to TAKE it back home with you, what's wrong with a neighbourhood b-b-q?

Get some evidence! Get some shots of the other people with their dogs to present at the right time. If the concept of having a pet doesn't wash, tell the powers that be that it is a temporary situation and you're working as part of a collective which intends opeining a dog restaurant in the local area!

[NathanRahl]

Can't you take the animal back to the states with you? People do bring pets overseas often enough. They have to travel with the baggage og course, and have special requirements, and it would cost a fair amount, but I would think it is not impossible. Likely it is a real hassle though, guess it depends on how attached you are to your pet.
I had thought about getting a dog here, but how doe's one go about it? I see them everywhere, but I don't know what dogs belong to someone, what dogs are strays, and it's impossible to even think about taking one home. Thats because the chinese here watch every little move I make. It gets old after a while, but you get used to it. I went into a restauran the other day though, and they refused to serve me, because I would not purchase some of the more expensive items, and only wanted soup, wtf. Now, that ticked me off.

[kev7161]

Quite frankly, I would've said something to the effect of, "Just as soon as my Chinese colleagues get rid of their beloved pets, then I'll follow suit. Until that time, Fido stays with me." One thing that irks me are made-up-on-the-spot rules (or, if they were pre-existing, I was certainly not told about them!). Those seem to happen a lot.

[KidfromBrooklyn]

Lost:

I have a cat and there are no problems at my school. Its a great school too. If ever presented with the situation where it is as you described I would when it came down to them telling you the dog had to go.....I would say respectfully that I am going too. End of story. FT's could also get together and send in dogs from other parts of china to bite the gonads off this chinese balla boss.

There also were teachers here last year that flew to home with there dog and to another post in another country!!!! Me and the cat have extensivly travelled in China no problem on the plane you need proof of vacination. That you can get locally it cost me 200 kuai for the cat and the same for my friends dog. The train the plane and in the cabs my pet goes where I go. hahahahahaha

Dont take this guys sh==!!!!!!!!!

FIGHT BACK!!!!!!!! it makes me so mad when they pull this crapola

[Steppenwolf]

You are an FT and as such only a temporary sight in China; they probably assume you will decamp leaving behind your four-legged friend.

As you may know, there is a strong fear of rabies in China, not without some justification. Every once in a while dog hunters are sent out to cull strays, and often legally-owned dogs end up being clubbed to death too. I think your employer simply is afraid there might be complications when such an operation is underway in your part of China - a foreigner raising hell about his beloved dog being exterminated - an invitation for bad press.

Maybe you should think of an agreement: you will take your dog with you after completing your stint there. DOn't forget, in many cities you need a LICENCE to have a dog...DO you have that?

[crashartist1]

Anyone who leaves their dog homeless deserves to have their gonads removed by a dull, rusty knife and beaten over the head severely. Anyone who has owned a dog knows that when a dog looks at you they are looking at their everything. To leave a dog homeless is heartless.

[Ariadne]

The very best dog I ever had was a stray left behind by another American in Japan. I took her back to the states when I left. I liked to say that my dog had more air miles than most people. She's gone now, but she was something special.

People desert animals all the time, all over the world. They seem to love their pets, but then they move or get married or get too busy and the pets get left behind. It's lousy, but that's the way it is. Shelters are overflowing. Don't fool yourself that 'dog people' are better than 'cat people'. There are lots of cats AND dogs walking the street.

All of that said, I think that if a person is only going to work a 10 month contract, they should leave the pet at home with a trusted friend or relative. There are enough things to work out in a new country without adding the obvious and not so obvious difficulties of pet ownership. Veterinary care might not be available near your school. The apartment that comes with the job might really NOT allow pets. Pet food might be hard to find. Day trips and weekend excursions might require a pet sitter. It takes pretty much forever to get to anywhere in Mainland China from anywhere else. That's hard travel for a pet, even if it's all on a nice fast plane. Personal pets HAVE been clubbed to death in China when rabies raised its ugly head. Give your best buddy a break. Leave him home. If he's already here with you, be sure he leaves with you when you go.

.

[cj750]