Pet Owners In China Are Sending Their Furbabies To Cafés To "Work"
They get paid in treats (and the occassional belly rubs).
By Celine Low — 16 Oct 2024, 03:32 PM
China's café scene has a new breed of employee: furry, adorable, and fuelled by snacks
Pet owners are sending their cats and dogs to work as "snack earners" at cafés across the country.
This trend, dubbed 挣毛条钱 (Zheng mao tiao qian), which literally translates to "make money", sees pet parents sending their furbabies to cafés for a "purr-fectly" productive day of socialising and playtime.
It's a win-win situation for everyone: cafés get adorable mascots to attract customers, pets get to enjoy treats and a day out with their fellow fluffballs, and pet parents can save on electricity at home.
Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu has been flooded with café owners posting recruitment ads looking for furry friends to fill up vacant paw-sitions
Many of the ads advertised typically promise snacks as salary for the pets. And many pet owners have expressed interest!
One café posted an ad, offering some enticing benefits for potential pet employees. Every time a furry friend clocks in for "work", they can indulge in treats. With enough check-ins, these hardworking pets can receive special beef salads and other pet gifts like a customised shirt.
This adorable poodle earned a customised cup in return for its services.
Image via 18号酒馆 (Xiao Hong Shu)While the idea of pets "working" in cafés might seem like all fun and games, it turns out these furry employees have to meet certain standards. It's not just about looking cute and cuddly; social skills, good behavior, and even, ahem, bathroom etiquette are all part of the job description.
One pet owner revealed that her dog had to pass a "paw-sonality test" to prove its friendliness and compatibility with other furry colleagues before getting hired. And the scrutiny doesn't stop there. Just like their human counterparts, these four-legged employees are subject to performance reviews.
One dog café in Chengdu takes this evaluation process pretty seriously. They've created a "Wall of Fame (or Shame?)" featuring work badges for each of their canine employees, complete with hilarious descriptions of their strengths and weaknesses.
One of their dogs, a golden retriever named Doki, was labelled as "chaotic". While he's got the charm and energy to spare, Doki's performance review reveals a tendency for "indiscriminate pooping", "biting hands", and a knack for inciting mischief among his colleagues.
