Pet pooches are once again free to roam the streets of Jiangmen, China without fear of the dogcatcher after accusations of animal cruelty forced officials in the southern Chinese city to pull back from a plan to cull dogs from the urban area.
Originally the city had planned to clear “illegally-raised dogs” from its downtown area after a spate of canine attacks led to a higher incidence of rabies. Dog owners were ordered to bring their pets to special stations where they would be either put to sleep or given to new owners in the countryside. Dogcatchers were readying to team up with police to search for “illegal dogs”, with any strays destined to be killed on the spot.
However, there was outraged reaction among local residents, with large numbers criticizing what they said was inhumane treatment of otherwise innocent canines.
“The key problem is to educate people to raise dogs in a civilized way rather than simply ban dogs,” local resident Wang Yubin said.
And although city officials have backtracked from a full-scale canine massacre, the rules are still pretty harsh.
From now on, pet dogs are banned from public places such as parks, squares and shopping malls. Residents who take dogs to public venues “would be advised to leave”. And in the case of attacks, dog owners would be responsible for all medical bills, lost wages and other compensation.
Owners have until August 26 to license their pets, but the details of how they go about this remains unclear. On the Chinese social networking site Sinaweibo, the reaction ranged from the wry to the outraged.
“So, because a top official in Jiangmen gets bitten by a dog, the whole city is forbidden to have a dog? Does that mean if a person hits him, they would kill all the people in Jiangmen?” asked Wu Gaolong.
Despite the furor over the new plans, dogs do remain a problem in the city of nearly four million. According to Xinhua news agency, 12,014 people were injured by dogs in Jiangmen last year and 42 people died of rabies between 2008 and 2010.
The new policies are the latest instance of the uneasy relationships between man’s best friend and the Chinese authorities. During the Communist era of Mao Tse-tung, pets were frowned upon as a middle-class affectation and government opponents were condemned as capitalist running dogs. But China’s growing openness, combined with its rising affluence, means that pets are making a comeback as there are now around 100 million pet dogs in China.
Why is it so hard to vaccinate and spay or nuter their dogs and cats. Sounds like it would create new jobs their as well.
they frown on dogs god i feel bad for evry dog have ti live in that godforsaken country china !! we all know most of these dam ppl rather eat dogs then take any kind of care of dogs !i rather see a dog eusanized then being in the hands of a chinese person
The majority of people in Asian countries that eat dog (China, Vietnam,
and Korea mostly) do not eat dog. In Vietnam, for example, only about
30% of the population have ever eaten dog meat, and even fewer eat it on
a regular basis. And this number is declining as the years go by. My
ex-boyfriend was Vietnamese had it once; said it was delicious, but he
felt uncomfortable because he had a pet dog of his own (which, for the
record, he did NOT eat). Dogs that are eaten in these countries are
usually raised for their meat and fur or, in some shadier parts of the
country, strays taken off the streets. They are NOT people’s pets. Do you really think the woman in the picture is contemplating eating that poodle beside her?
Other countries (India being the best example) are appalled by us eating cows, as they consider them to be holy animals. But I’m guessing you enjoy a burger now and again, don’t you? Unless you’re a vegan and never consume any animal products you have no right condemning certain people for eating any kind of animals.
Why don’t you do a little research before spreading your racism all over the place? Thank you.
Don’t they know there is treatment for rabies? There is treatment for humans if they get help after being bitten from an infected animal.
China can be a little odd about things like that sometimes. Unfortunately, it can sometimes cost people their lives.
I’m glad I don’t live in China, although there are certain sections of British society who would wish to see dogs banned and culled, hard to know where this bigotry comes from.