Jan. 29 was the Chinese Lunar New Year, the official beginning of the year of the dog according to the Chinese calendar. I did some dog-on-the-street interviews to find out what we can expect this year under the helm of the dogs.
Dog No. 1, Baron: "The nation is going to the dogs, which is a good thing, since the chickens have really left us with a mess. Last year was a disastrous year: hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes and the aftermath of the tsunami. The chickens spent a lot of time running around like their heads were cut off. And then, to top it off, they left us with bird flu! We dogs have got to get things back under control. The Japanese have lost confidence in their government too, so we're planning on employing more government watchdogs to ensure building safety, medical care, etc. Our goals are to build a healthy economy, a decent social welfare program and return to a peaceful political agenda.
"With Japan's birthrate decreasing and the population graying, Japanese people will depend more and more on us dogs. From police dogs to rescue dogs, seeing eye dogs and guard dogs for private homes, we're already being overworked. I'd like to see a move to a more reward-based system -- more dog bones for hard work and good behavior. And Japan should take a leading role in the world for dogs by providing a safe haven for dogs, like India does for cows."