Rumors only widen rift over dogs

AFTER A DOG OWNER IN HANGZHOU attacked a woman who was trying to move his dog away from her frightened children, leaving her with a concussion and fractured finger, the city's urban management department announced that all dogs must be registered and kept on a leash in public, among other measures. Thepaper.cn comments:

Although the local authorities have made it clear in their news release that they want dog owners to act responsibly, not stop people having dogs, the rumor still spread that the authorities were banning people from owning dogs.

For example, some people posted bloody photos of local staff capturing and beating stray dogs on social media, without mentioning when or where it happened.