R.I.P. Zhuang Zhuang; Farewell to Jiangsu’s First Guide Dog

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.