Hangzhou is restricting areas where dogs can go, and to control the dog population, and for the first time, illegal dogs will be euthanized, according to a local Hangzhou paper.

New regulations issued by the Hangzhou Municipal Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau stipulate canines should be kept away from "dogs forbidden area" including some parks, squares and main roads in the East Chinese city.

And to control the dog population, unregistered fidos will be put to sleep in its "dog euthanasia" program.

Dogs that don't have a proper identification tag will be given a lethal injection and die peacefully. Then they will be photographed, recorded and then buried.

So far, only 8,000 dogs are registered in the city and the bureau estimates there are another 10,000 more that aren't licensed.

The city implemented these measures after an increase in dog problems and a high incidence of rabies. The Municipal Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau has dealt with more than 2,000 cases in the first three months of 2007 regarding canines, like dog bites or illegal dogs. The number makes up 43 percent of the total number of complaints, an average of seven each day.

According to statistics from Ministry of Health, in January, February and April this year, rabies topped the list of fatal infectious diseases in China.

In 2006, the Chinese year of the dog, people dying from rabies ranked second among those who died from the most deadly diseases in the country. The percentage of deaths from rabies was higher than tuberculosis, the number one killer disease in China.

A Hangzhou resident said there's dog excrement everywhere in their community and dog owners always forget to clean up after their dogs. He also complained dogs bark at night, making it difficult for him to sleep.