Hair and Dogs

   Hey there, so I just wanted to talk a little bit about some things I've experienced here. Recently both my gf and I got our hair cut at a salon here. Not on the same day but at the same salon. Now I'm not sure if all salons here are this way but we did check out a few others before settling on this one and I saw a big difference in how American salons and Taiwanese salons are run. As I believed I mentioned before, all the stylists appear to dress however they please whether that be in high heels and a dress or sneakers and a baseball cap, and you don't pay based on the haircut, you pay based on the stylist doing your hair. Some cost more than others but I don't know whether that means your gonna get a terrible haircut or not if you pick one of the cheapest people. I'm thinking it must be based on how long they've been in the business or something. My stylist was about average price I think, I got my hair cut and styled for about $13. That's basically the price I pay back home at Great Clips just to get my hair trimmed up some without and sort of styling at all. They aren't even allowed to blow dry my hair without having the boss lady say something, but with the Taiwanese salon this is not the case at all, my hair was cut and styled-dry without any additional charges. However, the attitude at the salon seemed very lax, my stylist actually got on her phone and walked away leaving me sitting there waiting with partially cut hair. It was super awkward and it seemed really rude to me but maybe that's just how people are here? Unless it's cause I'm a foreigner and they don't care or something I dunno.. Either way I was satisfied with my cut and I didn't pay an unreasonable amount for the service so I was content.
     Now, something else that I noticed that leads into my next topic is that they had a dog running around in the salon. It was not the first time I had seen an animal hanging out at a business nor was it the last, in fact I have seen dogs just about everywhere here. People treat the dogs like babies and roll them around in strollers or carry them in their arms. Many places such as the cat cafe I mentioned or the Risotto restaurant I may have talked about, all let their animals freely roam the shops. Dogs wander the streets at all times of the day, some with collars some without and they do as they please. Some have formed little packs and roam the streets scavenging while others are spoiled little hairballs that lay in beds lined with fleece with little water bottles nearby in case they get thirsty. The most popular breeds of dog are the little dogs particularly the short ones like corgis or dachshunds, but by far the dog that I see most are these curly-haired, light-footed brown dogs that I think are called Cockapoos or something. They definitely aren't poodles but whatever the hell they are everyone has one of these. Taiwan has truly astounded me with their treatment of these animals, they are obviously a country of dog-lovers and I am always pleased to see a carrying bag holding a cat instead of one of those barking little afros. Don't get me wrong I love dogs too, I just need a little more variety of breeds every once in a while 

~Savi