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Angry Chinese Blogger:
The news and views about China that the big media can't, or won't, tell you The is no single truth Menu: Home |
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One party, one China, one child .... One Dog?
There is 1 China, which is a 1 party state where families are only permitted 1 child, who will be taught that China has 1 continuous history that can be interpreted only 1 way and, if that child is a farmer in central China, they might well be forced to live on about $US1 a day.
What with all these 1s, you might think that there was no room for any more. Unfortunately, Beijing can always find room for 1 more 1.
One China, one Dog
Under newly unveiled legislation, families living in 9 districts of Beijing will only be permitted to own 1 dog per household. Families found harboring additional dogs, or keeping unregistered dogs, will face legal sanctions, and 'extraneous dogs' will be put to death by animal control authorities unless their owners are able to pass them on to a dog-less household.
In addition to the one dog per household limit, dogs will be banned from many of Beijing's public areas and green space. Large dogs will also be prohibited in certain areas, and forced to travel under restraint in others.
| "Only one pet dog is allowed per household in the zones, and dangerous and large dogs will be banned. Anyone keeping an unlicensed dog will face prosecution" Xinhua, State Media agency, China |
Once bitten, Twice Shy
Officially, the new dog control measures are part of Beijing's efforts to crack down on rabies infection, which have now reached alarming levels and which result several hundred per month across greater China. Unofficially, the dog eradication program will also reduce the number of dogs on the streets (Chinese dogs are often allowed to roam freely during the day, and are often not spade or neutered, resulting in large populations of stray/apparently stray dogs) during the 2008 Olympic games.
Beijing's crackdown on dog ownership comes after several areas of South China launched dog kulling programs, including Shandong Province, which ordered every civilian owned dog within three miles of a rabies outbreak be destroyed. At the time, provincial authorities were unable to reveal the true extent of the outbreaks, or release much information on the kulling process because of state restrictions releasing information about serious public health issues.
| "I cannot reveal any information because this is an epidemic situation and I need authorization to talk." Spokesperson, Center for Disease Control and Surveillance, Jining, Shandong |
Other Kullings, such as that carried out in Mouding county, Yunnan province, resulted in 50,000 dogs being destroyed.
Criticism
Beijing's policy announcement has received sharp criticism from both China watchers and animal welfare organizations, who have accused Chinese authorities of writing legislation without properly understanding the issue at hand.
| "It is wrong to consider dogs as a threat to human beings. There are no evil dogs, only bad masters.... We should learn from other countries' experiences, instead of allowing the fates of our dogs to be decided by the whims of officials." Meng Xiaoshe, Dog Daily (website) |
Among the criticisms offered has been that the policy is misdirected, aiming at reducing the number of dogs in order to reduce instances of rabies, rather than reducing the instances of rabies among dogs.
| "We believe it's a policy that is misplaced in that the focus should be on rabies vaccination rather than a limitation on the number of dogs in a household" Wayne Pacelle, President, Humane Society of the United States |
Although the rabies vaccine is available in China, there is no state mandated vaccination program, and it is thought that only around 3 percent of dogs have received it.
Additionally, while the legislation singles out larger dogs for destruction and ownership reduction, 80% of dog bite injuries are caused by small dogs, which make up the vast majority of all dogs owned in China.
Stark criticism has also been handed out over Beijing's destruction policy, which China watchers have described as being 'unnecessarily cruel', particularly as it will force families to choose which of their pets will live and which will die.
| "Owners who wish to dispose of their pets should hand them over to local dog control authorities" Xinhua |
The Numbers
According to the Chinese media, there are approximately 550,000 dogs currently registered in Beijing, and a similar number of unregistered dogs. Registration costs 1,000 yuan per dog.
Between January and September this years there were 2,254 cases of rabies. Resulting in 318 deaths in September alone. These instances represent a 30% rise on figures for 2005, during which time 69,000 people in Beijing sought precautionary anti-rabies treatment.
Maybe China should start culling the bureaucrats, hmmm? I agree that
household pets should be spayed or neutered, and I would urge officials to
stop and reflect: how we treat our dependent animals is much how we treat
our children and ultimately each other. One of the best ways to teach a
child to empathize with others and to care for the natural world around us
is to teach him/her to care for a pet, especially a dog.
Yet another reason to get a cat.
Hmmm, cats can get rabies too. Or maybe Beijing doesn't know this.
I've just been informed that registration and vacination together can cost
somewhere between 4 and 5 thousend Yuan depending on where you live. Which
is quite a wedge of money for most Chinese, even in a city like Beijing.
I must agree that the owner is responsable for it's dog ,if the owner is
not with dog ? Kill dog . If the owner of an infected dog attacks .
Kill both . Not just Biejing eather .
I think that the Chinese government just treat dogs as animals. But, in dog
owner's eyes, their dogs are members of the family. I think that it is too
cruel.
One China, one child, one dog... lol... that's pretty funny for some
reason. Well a link would be appreciated; your place here sounds really
interesting.
I will use the fact that I was recently bitten by a dog in China and am
having my last rabies shot tonight to shamelessly promote <a
href="http://chabuduo.sinosplice.com">my own post</a> about dog
bites and rabies vaccinations in China. I've included prices and
Chinese/English vocab etc.
As an american chinese veterinarian, I found this very interesting.
Absolutely, dogs, cats all mammals can carry rabies, so I can understand
why China is trying to enforce some control on the situation.
Unfortunately I don't think allowing one dog per household is going to fix
it. For one, the absolute first aim should be to reduce the number of
stray dogs (in other words, dogs that are not kept by a family). These
dogs should be euthanized (or ideally neutered and rehomed but sadly I fear
the problem is too big for this option). This will reduce the number of
dogs that are a) exposed to the disease and b) that can spread the disease.
Secondly, laws should enforce responsible dog ownership. Dogs should
always be leashed- not only for the sake of rabies, but for the sake of
children and other passers by that may be bitten. Any unleashed dogs
wandering the streets should be quarantined/euthanized.
A new organization to be aware of:
www.dogsinasia.com - It is just getting off the ground. If anyone has
first hand knowledge of the situation in China, and would like to
contribute their thoughts/ideas, I'm sure the group owners would welcome
it!
Somebody start a petition. This is cruel and barbaric, no living dog should
have it's life ended just because of this retarded law. If they want to
stop rabies then they have to take better care of their dogs(don't abandon
them). This is a problem to people everywhere, but this won't help the
olympics in china this year. The cause of rabies is because of the locals
abandoning their dogs or abandoning the puppies that are from their dogs.
Me talking about this won't change anything, but i will eventually want to
and will make an end to this.
hello,
I'm not from Beijing so I don't know how much dogs cost, but they can be
quite expensive especially if you give them their shots.
sarah-
DUH! What do expect in a repressed commie craphole like China? Dio you
think for a SECOND they treat their people well? They are poisoning their
people with coal-fired and factory based uncontrolled emissions, changing
history (lying) to their people about the Chinese right to control Tibet,
feeding our pets food that's deadly, poisoning our children (and I assume
theirs as well) with colorful lead paint toys, controlling access to the
Internet. In 4000 years of civilization, the Chinese should have starships
and hydrogen fusion power- yet they are barely out of the stone age. All
thanks to their emperors and now their commie leaders, which are the worst
of all. Aided and abetted by WalMart (and the fools who shop there) they
are flooding the world with their slave-produced, inferior quality, cheap
junk...and stealing many fine blue-collar, clean and safe (in comparison)
factory jobs where quality items once came from. They are a blight on
humanity. And you expect them to treat their animals well?
In China's favor, at least it doesn't water board foreign nationals in
secret prisons.