Restrictions, criticism faced by dog owners

Hidden dangers

The number of stray dogs in China has surged in tandem with urbanization.

In November 2017, a large blaze in Beijing's southern district of Daxing destroyed an apartment building, resulting in a least 19 deaths and dogs being abandoned on the streets. There were already a significant number of strays in the area.

Shen said that a special dog inspection center was set up in the capital in 1998 to shelter and manage strays, whose numbers have continued to grow in recent years.

The strays are also a major cause of rabies.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3,820 people died from rabies in China from 2013 to 2017. Last year, the disease caused 410 deaths in the country, second only to India.

Yao Yue, the Better Life for Dogs campaign manager at the World Animal Protection Association, said,"The high death toll from rabies is also closely linked to the fact that a large number of stray dogs have been mistreated, and the rabies vaccination rate is quite low.

"More important, as they strive for regulations to be relaxed, dog owners should ensure that they can care for their animals responsibly."

Yao said any problems caused by dogs are the responsibility of the owners and management departments. As long as there is an effective mechanism with serious punishment for breaches, owners "will learn their lessons and abide by the regulations".

In November last year, tough restrictions for dogs were introduced in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. The animals could only be walked from 7 am to 7 pm, with a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 yuan for errant owners. In addition, only 34 breeds can be kept as pets in the urban area, including Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and poodles.

Such restrictions have also been introduced in several other cities as part of a canine clampdown following a number of incidents.

In August last year, a Shanghai man was involved in a fatal fight with a resident in his community and her father after the daughter failed to keep her dog on a leash and it barked incessantly.

In September last year, a dog owner, whose animal was not on a leash, clashed with a woman in Hangzhou. The woman later gave birth prematurely, and police said the female owner had attacked her with the intention of causing injury.

Wang Jingbo, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said such incidents signify that enforcing the regulations remains a big problem.