Dog Restriction Raises Debate in Beijing

Though it is universally recognized that Labradors and Golden Retrievers are the best companion animals, they cannot be raised in downtown Beijing due to their height.

Under the current regulation, the public cannot raise dogs that grow taller than 35 cm in densely populated areas in the Chinese capital.

However, many of the dog lovers have been calling for a change on the ban.

Chen Zhe has the details.

After the regulation was issued in 1994, residents with larger size dogs either have to live in remote areas or run the risk of getting caught.

Recently, a city government proposal to end the ban has triggered a huge public response from those who prefer something a little larger.

"The four big dogs we commonly raise are Samoyed dogs, Siberian Husky, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers. They help people with many things. It's unscientific to define dangerous dogs by size alone."

"Large dogs are better behaved than smaller ones. Small dogs bark and bite more often."

The proposal was published on the official website of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Many owners of large dogs see this proposal as an opportunity to release their beloved friends from the strict regulation.

However, oppositions remain.

"People get scared at the very sight of large dogs. In contrast, small dogs are cute."

"We should not raise large dogs especially in populated communities. The owners might know the temper of their pets but other don't."

Some insiders suggest the public raise purebred dogs to avoid possible danger and call for more education on the public about dogs.

However, more people are concerned about the harm that raising dogs will do to the environment. They say for example dogs pee and excrete every where, but the owners don't clean them up.

Thus the key to solving the problem is to form a mature system that deals with dog owners, not dogs.

Zhou Handong is CEO of a dog website.

"The first thing is to regulate who are qualified to raise dogs. Dog owners should watch the behaviors of their dogs and train their dogs so that they don't disrupt other people. "

American families raise the most dogs around the world. Every state of the country has its own regulations on raising pet dogs. Most of them focus on the responsibilities of dog owners instead of the size and breed of dogs.

For example, dog owners are required to have their pets vaccinated termly. They will be punished if their dogs bark three times in certain communities.

Zhou Handong suggests China should learn from other countries as more urban dwellers raise pet dogs.

"In Japan, people who abandon a dog will be fined at least 300 thousand yen. In Russia, owners will be fined heavily, too, sometimes even a fine that they can't afford in a lifetime if their dogs bite people. Under such a harsh regulation, the owners have to carry out their obligations."

Statistics show that about 900 thousand dogs were registered at the end of June 2009 in Beijing and there are more than ten thousand large dogs failed to be registered due to the restriction.

For CRI, I'm Chen Zhe.