China’s archaic dog policy shadows their child policies!!
Good thing that there is only one dog on that leash!!!
Yesterday I wrote an interesting entry about a woman who used her talents to make clothing for the dogs she loves and for those that hire her to make clothes for their dogs as well. However, according to a recent article on MSNBC, people in China, will soon only be able to have one dog in their household. Yes, that’s right!! Beginning on July 1st, each household will only be able to raise one pooch. Unfortunately, this regulation won’t be grandfathered in, so families with two or more dogs will apparently have to decide which one gets to stay. I can’t imagine having to make that truly difficult decision.
This regulation is going into place in a city called Guangzhou, but many other Chinese cities have also regulated dog ownership. The regulation appears to be part of an effort to control stray dogs, specifically in this City, formally known as Canton. However, it is one of the richest cities in China and has a rapidly growing middle class that can afford to own dogs. Many of those that are owning dogs for the first time, are not knowledgeable about responsible pet ownership. As a result, some people will just abandon the dogs, they will reproduce and there you have the problem. Because of a lack of vacination policies, groups of rabid dogs can form and the government uses this as an excuse to round up as many dogs as possible to dispose of.
These rulings, which exist in many cities, as mentioned, including Beijing, gives the government the authority to do almost anything they want with the dogs that don’t have homes or the ones to be displaced.
What China needs is stronger animal control measures. It looks like they are headed in that direction, but at what cost to the families that will have to make a most difficult decision.
Leave a Reply