BEIJING -- Beijing citizens have been heatedly discussing how to raise dogs in a civilized manner in order to prevent rabies and enhance pet management.

A woman blow-dries a dog at a pet market on the outskirts of Beijing November 17, 2006. [Reuters]

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"Abandoning dogs should be outlawed by the government", "Dog owners should be trained and have to pass tests", "The public must know how registration fees are spent" -- these were just some of the suggestions made by delegates attending a "civilized dog raising" forum on Thursday.

11 people, including pet owners, local lawmakers and local political advisors, were invited to the forum, held by Beijing News, to discuss how to raise dogs in a civilized way.

More than 1400 people simultaneously took part in the discussion on the paper's website.

The details of the forum were published in Friday's Beijing News. The organizer of the forum said all the suggestions would be passed on to government to help with policy-making.

"It's good we made our voices heard in the media and we hope the government will listen to our suggestions," said Niu Xiaoxia, a dog owner from Dongcheng District and one of the delegates.

Given the problems caused by stray or abandoned pets, almost all the delegates agreed that the government should introduce harsh punishments for those who abandon their pets.

"Adopting stray pets should be encouraged," said Niu. "The government could lower registration fees for people who adopt stray dogs."

Meitao, from Haidian District, said that many hygiene and environmental problems are caused by dog owners' negligence, such as refusing to clean up excrement and letting their pets roam unleashed.

He said that, in return for the annual management fees it collects from dog owners, the government should train dog owners in basic dog raising skills and regulations.

"Dog owners should have to get a license to raise a dog, just like we need a driving license to be able to drive a car," Mei said.

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