Guide dogs in China have a working life of 10 years. They are also extremely rare, with only a few hundred in the entire country. That’s what makes the passing of the very first one to work in Jiangsu Province all the more poignant.
On 20 November, Ding Zhiqiang, a blind masseuse from Changzhou, announced through his WeChat Moments and video account that his guide dog, Zhuang Zhuang, who had been with him for 10 years and 10 months, had left this world.
As the first guide dog in Jiangsu, Zhuang Zhuang (壮壮) came to Changzhou in February of 2012, officially retiring in August of 2021. Zhuang Zhuang then continued to live in Ding’s home, becoming good friends with his successor, Odie.
Ding lost his sight due to retinal detachment when he was 6 years old. At the age of 8, he went to Nanjing School for the Blind to study. He worked hard to go to college and study acupuncture and massage.
Upon graduation, he returned to his home town of Changzhou to engage in massage work for the blind, before going on to open a parlour of his own.
By chance, he learned about the China Guide Dog Base in Dalian, the largest such training centre in the country that is also one of only two in China recognised by the International Guide Dog Federation.
With the mentality of giving it a try, he applied. At the end of 2012, Ding became one of the very lucky few to receive notice that he could go to Dalian to begin 1 month of training. Thereafter, Zhuang Zhuang officially became Ding’s eyes on the world.
In February of 2013, after flying from Dalian to Shanghai, a reporter for the Yangtze Evening News accompanied them to the Metro and a high-speed train. With their arrival in Changzhou, Jiangsu so too welcomed its first guide dog.
Choking up on camera, Ding said in the farewell video to his best friend, “Zhuang Zhuang is the first guide dog in Jiangsu. He has now completed his mission and will leave us soon. I will say goodbye to everyone on his behalf”. Zhuang Zhuang was 14 years old.
