Young pet owners in China are taking their dogs to worship the Dog God, offering canine food and placing their leashes in incense ashes to pray for the health and safety of their pets.
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In Chizhou city, eastern China’s Anhui province, the picturesque Jiuhua Mountain, one of China’s four great Buddhist mountains, is home to a unique pagoda dedicated to the Dog God Diting.
It is believed to be the only pagoda in the country that honours animals.
Legend has it that the Earth Store Bodhisattva, who protects souls and controls disasters, raised a white dog that accompanied him on his spiritual journey.
After achieving enlightenment at Jiuhua Mountain, the dog became the divine Diting, a mythical creature with the head of a tiger, a horn, dog ears, a dragon’s body and a lion’s tail.
Revered as a symbol of wisdom, justice and loyalty, Diting was believed to have the power to discern good from evil through its keen hearing and understanding of the human heart.
To honour Diting, a pagoda was built at Jiuhua Mountain, housing a stone statue of the divine creature.
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