Luo Wenguang can't say the exact number of Chihuahuas he has, but he narrowed it down to somewhere between 120 and 130. Luo, a single 51-year-old man who stands an imposing 6-feet tall, does not worry about his masculinity being damaged by being so closely associated with the cute, tiny dogs most famous for being carried in heiresses' handbags.
"Some people have golden retrievers or Tibetan mastiffs to show their manliness. But you know, what matters is knowing the importance of dogs and loving them. After all, I already feel powerful in my exhibition business and I don't need to prove anything," said Luo.
Luo is best-known for his career as the founder and general manager of Beijing Sidex Exhibition Service. In his earlier years, he also won international prizes for his pottery, painting and singing. He is a consultant for commerce and agriculture organizations too. Luo also has many more pursuits he'd like to follow. "I might go to a rural area and become a volunteer-teacher, or start an old people's home," said Luo.
The dog pound
But for now, he is tethered to his Chihuahuas. To take care of his dogs Luo bought a traditional courtyard house, and a new apartment close by.
With the help of his full-time assistant, Luo has set up the supersized dog house in accordance with strict, scientific breeding principles. Luo calculates the precise amount of space the dogs need. He lets them out according to a staggered schedule. Outsiders are forbidden from visiting. Even friends and like-minded Chihuahua enthusiasts must be sanitized before entering the house since they might carry bacteria. This reporter was forbidden from entering.
At his apartment in Shunyi district, filled with assorted books on Chihuahua raising from all over the world, Luo lit up a cigarette and said, "I want no fame or profits out of this. My Chihuahuas are not for sale."
This hobby is a luxurious one. Luo has spent more than 2 million yuan ($325,000) on food and medical supplies, in addition to the cost of the house and assistant. "We buy the best pork legs and grind them with canned dog food. We also give them calcium tablets, vitamins and other nutriments."
The whole thing started by mistake, when one of Luo's friends borrowed about 10,000 yuan from Luo to buy a Chihuahua 20 years ago. Unable to pay back the money, the friend gave the dog to Luo, triggering a lifelong, obsessive love affair. "They say I am a weirdo, a geek," he said.
Now Luo is a prize-winning breeder. With their pure descent, beautiful shape, noble walk and graceful gestures, Luo's dogs have won about 120 prizes in international and domestic dog competitions.
Luo shares his experiences with other Chihuahua owners in QQ groups, and sometimes gets into arguments over different opinions.
Luo is recognized as "father of Chihuahuas in China" in breeding circles. "They call me 'the big boss'," he said. People say nobody will overtake his accomplishments for years, but he modestly admits that there's still room for him to grow. "I'll keep studying and surpassing myself," said Luo."Actually it's quite annoying that you win every time."
Luo is obsessed with purebred Chihuahuas. "They are beautiful and cute. Purebreds have apple-shaped heads, thick hair, big eyes and erect ears," said Luo. "Recently I heard a cross-breed weighs about 18 kilograms," said Luo with disapproval, proudly noting that his purebreds weigh at most 2.7 kilograms.
Basically there are two kinds of Chihuahuas, short-haired and long-haired, with the latter being more expensive and rare. Luo is one of the first to breed long-haired Chihuahuas in China. After generations of breeding, his dogs' long-haired genes are sturdy.
Origin of species
Luo studies the origin of each dog and its ancestors before he starts to do his match-making magic. He says he can control the fur colors and gender ratios of the puppies before they are born.
"I like Chihuahuas because learning about their genetics is fun and never-ending," said Luo. He knows, for example, how the weather affects the length of a female's labor, and how to predict the ratio of female and male puppies.
Luo has a bigger dream than just breeding the best Chihuahuas in the world. "They are called 'lap dogs', and are best as companions. Imagine when the children get married. The parents grow old and get lonely," Luo said. "Chihuahuas follow their owner around. They don't attack, and are best for a Chinese family."
A Chihuahua's health is very fragile. "More than 90 percent of the births are difficult," said Luo. He has to take the dogs for cesarean sections, which cost thousands of yuan each time.
"To me, the cesarean sections are brutal enough, so I won't have let females get pregnant more than three times." Dog breeders are usually associated with brutal behaviors, such as forced mating, frequent artificial insemination, and cruel midwifery.
Luo says many mate one dog twice a day, or starve a pregnant dog so that the dog can give birth more naturally. Luo condemns such behavior.
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