Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
Dog owners in China have been told their pets will be killed if they are caught walking them outside their homes in a move that has been branded incredibly cruel by animal activists.
The controversial dog-walking policy was introduced on Friday, 13th November, in Weixin, a county in the northeast of China’s Yunnan Province.
Officials have said that the new rule was imposed as a result of a significant rise in dog-related conflicts among residents, for reasons such as dog bitings through to dogs relieving themselves in public places.
The policy, that apparently intends to promote ‘civilised’ dog-raising habits, prohibits dog owners from ever taking their dogs out of the house.
If someone is caught breaking the rule, initially they will be issued a warning, followed by a fine of CNY 50 – 200 (GBP 6 – 23) the second time, and if they happen to break the rule for the third time, the policy states that the dog will be confiscated and killed.
As quoted by BBC, Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, executive director of Singapore’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, confining dogs indoors permanently can be ‘detrimental to the animal’s welfare.’
He added that instead of banning the walking of dogs, it would have been better to “educate pet owners on responsible pet ownership and putting in place regulations such as keeping a dog on a leash at all times”.
Du Fan, the president of Wuhan’s Small Animal Protection Association, in an interview with media portal Sixth Tone called Weixin’s new policy ‘extremely inhumane’.
He said: “Trying to deal with the problem isn’t wrong, but I think this kind of approach violates various legal provisions.”
After a hefty outrage from dog-loving residents, officials are now said to be ‘rethinking’ their decision and it is unclear whether the policy will stay in place.
This is not the first case of dog-related restrictions being enforced on Chinese residents – two years ago daytime dog-walking was prohibited in the city of Hangzhou and in Huangshi, and dogs larger than 45 centimetres (18 inches) have been banned for domestic households.
Other Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Qingdao and Chengdu have existing strict dog keeping policies that allow each household to own no more than a single dog.
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