Chan Tai-man from Sham Shui Po walked his mongrel Bo Bo into a cha chaan teng on Thursday and nobody blinked. That was the whole plan working. More than 940 restaurants across Hong Kong opened their doors to pet dogs from July 9, and RTHK is calling the first day a smooth start. No drama, no fights over who gets the corner table, just a dog under a table where a dog was not allowed to be a week ago.

Here is what actually happened: some committee designated the eateries, put up the signage, and Hongkongers did the rest by just... showing up with their dogs like it was normal, because it always should have been. That is the real story. The city did not need a campaign to make this land, it needed permission. Next test is a wet Saturday when the tourist crowds hit Tsim Sha Tsui and someone's poodle meets someone's shopping bags in a queue for siu mei.