Zilong, a five-year-old Labrador retriever, finally made his way onto the subway in Beijing. He has been waiting for his chance to ride the subway for almost two years.

Zilong became Wu Wenhao's "third eye" in the summer of 2013, but he found it difficult to guide his visually-impaired master around the city since regulations did not specify whether guide dogs were allowed on public transport.

But starting this May, Zilong is able to guide his owner onto subways and trains in Beijing now that the city has begun to allow blind people to bring their guide dogs with them, as long as they have permits and the dogs wear equipment that prevents them from biting.

From refusal to welcome

Wu and her dog Zilong have only taken the subway six times in the past two years.

In the past, Wu and subway staff often negotiated over whether she and Zilong could take the subway together while the Labrador sat on the ground waiting for his owner or tried to keep away from other passengers who flocked to watch the pair.

Zilong seemed to be aware of the difficulty they had getting on the subway. Wu said that whenever Zilong saw a subway security checkpoint, his first response was to rush into it. "He has grown used to it. He barges into the subway every time," Wu said.

But the pair received a warm welcome when they tried to get on the subway in suburban Shunyi District on the afternoon of May 6. Staff working at the subway led Wu and Zilong along, and even asked Wu to leave her mobile phone number with them so that they can help her into the station when she wishes to travel by subway.

The two were escorted onto the carriage, and Wu tucked Zilong under her seat to keep others from tripping over him.

Taking the bus still an ordeal

Despite their hard-earned admittance to the subway, Wu and Zilong still find themselves denied the use of other means of transport, especially buses.

Wu runs a massage business with her boyfriend in a remote part of Shunyi District that is about a 30-minture ride from the nearest subway station. Every time she tries to take a bus, it becomes an ordeal for her.

She has to argue with bus drivers to allow her and Zilong onto the bus and has sometimes even called the police for help. Zilong often puts his foreleg on the bus doorstep and sticks out his tongue in an attempt to win the bus driver over with his cuteness. Unfortunately, that tactic has never worked.

If she can't argue her way onto the bus, Wu then has to wait for the next bus -- which does not come until 30 minutes later -- in the hope that the ticket seller will be kind enough to let her and Zilong aboard. Otherwise, she has to go to another station that does not have a bus attendant that can prevent them from getting on the bus from there.

Due to the difficulty she encounters taking the bus, Wu only goes to downtown Beijing or to visit her mother's home once every two weeks or so.

"I can hail an unlicensed taxi -- only if they don't refuse us -- but I still want to take a bus," a frustrated Wu said.

Many places still beyond their reach

Wu was able to acquire Zilong two years ago when she filed an application with China's guide dog training center. It costs between 120,000 yuan (about US$ 19,000) and 150,000 yuan to train a guide dog, which can work for a visually impaired person for eight to ten years.

Wu felt quite lucky when she was picked from among several thousand applicants to get Zilong, but she later found that she was not always so lucky when taking Zilong around, for instance to shopping malls, which often don't allow pets. Wu has to persuade security guards there that guide dogs are not pets, but she and Zilong have still been rejected many times. Zilong was once literally thrown out of a mall by a security guard, and the infuriated Wu has never set foot in that mall again.

Despite their difficulties, Wu still tries to take Zilong out with her. "I'm ready to try visiting places that do not welcome us or places that others don't dare to try. I'll convince those places that refuse us [to admit us]. We'll get more attention when we try more often and when guide dogs are seen more often," Wu said in an unwavering voice.

"There are still many places that the subway cannot take us to," Wu said. She hopes that she and Zilong will be allowed to visit many more places in the future.

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