Wang Jialiang's 8-hectare dog farm in Pujiang Town, Pudong, is a veritable oasis in a concrete desert. It's got everything a pet pooch could dream of - grass as far as the eye can see, lots of trees and clear, small ponds. The farm is doggy heaven on earth.

Wang is dubbed the "Dog King" by his friends, but he doesn't like the title. "I'd rather be called a cowboy, or an American-style farmer," says the 53-year-old member of the American and German Police Dog Associations who dreams of moving to the United States one day.

Considered unusual, even eccentric by local Shanghainese, Wang lives by his own rules. He doesn't like big cities, preferring the peacefulness of the countryside.

The former farmer has built the largest dog farm in Shanghai with approximately 100 purebred canines under his care. It all started in 1980. After seeing an advertisement for house alarms, Wang realized he could raise guard dogs as an alternative way for people to protect their family and homes.

He built a farm and began raising German shepherds with a loan from the city's Fund for the Disabled - Wang lost his left hand from an accidental shotgun blast. After receiving many orders he enlarged the farm.

"More and more Chinese have dogs, but many just want to show off," he says, his trademark cowboy hat in place and sunglasses covering his eyes. "They pay great attention to various species and spoil dogs without training them properly. That's why I have set up the idea of a 'dog culture.' I want to improve people's attitudes towards dogs."

In Wang's dog culture, the role of a canine is not only a friend but also a loyal, clever and considerate servant.

In 2002, Wang expanded his operation, called the Jia Liang Company, to include a pet shop and an animal hospital, as well as the dog farm and dog training courses.

Last November he invited judges from the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan to the first Shanghai Dog Show and Training Championship - Wang covered the 500,000 yuan (US$60,241) needed to fund the show.

Wang's dog farm offers six courses for pet pooches, including: obedience, protection, food resistance, housebreaking, searching and tracking - prices range from 1,000 to 12,000 yuan. Courses take as little as two weeks and as long as three months.

Wang says raising dogs is a kind of sport, similar to horsemanship. Members can also bring their pet to the farm on Saturdays for 100 yuan. This offers canines a chance to run and play freely for one-and-a-half hours.

Lu Yaoguang, one of Wang's clients, is a regular. He and his wife have a special relationship with their puppy Xiao Dai.

"We don't have a child," says Lu. "We just consider the three-month-old Xiao Dai our first baby. He is very tame and obedient."

Although the lessons are for dogs older than one year, Lu brought Xiao Dai to Wang's spacious lawns.

"He is a sporting dog but hasn't much space to exercise at home," says Yu Yan, Lu's wife, who also mentions that it is illegal to take dogs for a walk on the streets of Shanghai. "I'm amazed that he kept running after two older, bigger Belgium Malinois. Now Xiao Dai can knock at the door for me on the way back and shake hands with guests. When it grows older, I will give it professional training in Wang's company."

Wang's next plan is to establish a dog club, reduce the amount of dogs at his own farm and let more people raise dogs. He says a family is the best home for dogs.

"It's impossible to take good care of every dog here," he says. "I want to change the focus of my business from breeding to service and professional dog care."

Wang has been surrounded by animals his entire life. Growing up in the canal town of Mudu, near Suzhou, he recalls raising cats, pigeons, sparrows and horses. "My sparrow used to follow me everywhere," he smiles.

In the late 1960s, Wang was sent to live and labor in the villages of his current home in Pujiang Town. Like his peers, Wang was assigned a sliver of a field and lived in a thatched house. But unlike others, the nature lover enjoyed planting mushrooms or raising bees. In his spare time he often went fishing and hunting.

After the shotgun accident, Wang was offered the opportunity to live in downtown Shanghai. He flatly rejected it.

Jenny Yu, his wife and assistant, knows the story well but isn't surprised with Wang's decisions.

"I have been working here for more than 10 years," she says. "He is a very creative man. I'm attracted by his attitude to difficulties. To him if you are doing what you really want, difficulty is not difficulty."

(eastday.com June 18, 2003)