After the New Year Jinan city government intends to develop new rules for dog breeding to solve the problems of abandoning dogs, handling dog feces and walking dogs on leashes. According to the revised draft of the new rules, abandonment of owned dogs will be fined 2,000 yuan. Will such “heavy fines” reduce the rate of dog abandonment? Will it accelerate the introduction of a national animal protection law?
Jinan Municipal Government on January 1 in the official website of the “Jinan City dog management regulations (revised draft)” to solicit views from all walks of life, the draft includes any unit and individual shall not abandon the dog, the offender will be fined 2,000 yuan; when carrying a dog out of the house should carry with them to remove dog feces items, timely removal of dog feces, the offender will be fined 500 yuan.
Jinan new rules with the wind?
After the New Year, the Jinan Municipal Government intends to formulate new rules on dog breeding to solve the problems of abandoning dogs, handling dog droppings and walking dogs on leashes.
The Jinan Public Security Bureau disclosed that as of September 2020, there were about 120,000 dogs kept in the city’s key management areas, but the dog license rate was only 70%, illegal dog breeding behavior is endless, and stray dogs also pose a potential danger to the personal safety of the public, so the introduction of the draft is expected to solve the problems of abandoning dogs, handling dog waste, and walking dogs on leashes.
In May this year, the much-coveted “Anti-Animal Cruelty Law” was still not introduced, and China still lacks national regulations on pet abandonment and abuse. In the absence of clear regulations and punishments, China relies more on local regulations and moral condemnation. Mang Ping, a professor at the Central School of Socialism who has long been concerned about the welfare of China’s animals, analyzed that the current dog regulations are all made locally, and that if Jinan’s amendment is introduced, it may lead to more local regulations to follow.
“One progress in one place may also lead to (the) promotion of other places. Perhaps the next wave of dog management regulations will be revised toward a more positive goal. If Jinan (passes) regulations on penalties for abandoning animals, it may have an impact on other provinces and cities.” She said.
In August this year, Shanghai investigated the first case of a dog breeder abandoning a dog, and after the breeder admitted to abandoning the dog, he was fined 500 yuan and had his Dog Breeding Registration Certificate revoked in accordance with the Shanghai Regulations on Dog Breeding. In addition, cities such as Yinchuan, Suzhou, Harbin, Changsha, Wuhan and Ningbo have policies that impose fines for abandoning dogs. Even so, the number of stray dogs in China remains high, with the Guangdong Pet Association noting that “98% of the stray dogs on the street are abandoned pet dogs”.
U.S. Epidemic Boosts Adoption Rate, Chinese Pregnant Abandoned Dogs Have Myths
On the other hand, in the U.S., due to the Communist virus epidemic, 90% of the population is in home quarantine and social activities have been halted, and the demand for adoption of stray animals has doubled across the country. The American Society for The prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has said that after the outbreak of the epidemic in mid-March last year, there were as many as 600 applications for online adoption of animals in New York and Los Angeles, a 200% increase over the same period in 2019.
The founder of the San Francisco-based “More Care for Animals Foundation”, Gong Zengheng, analyzed that most Americans view their pets as part of the family, while many Chinese families often have false medical myths that lead to cases of abandonment due to “pregnancy and childbirth”.
“Even young people can’t resist the pressure from their parents or mothers-in-law to give their dogs and cats away or throw them away when they are pregnant, which is a unique abandonment factor in China. Gong Zengheng told the station.
While the establishment of fines for dog abandonment is a major step forward, it still treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Kung is concerned that China’s animal shelters are insufficient and funding is tight, making it impossible for dog owners to effectively deliver their dogs when they are unable to keep them for some reason, leading to abandonment and stray dog problems. She pointed out that China needs to promote education in three areas, including animal protection regulations, adoption and the concept of birth control, in order to effectively address the root of the stray dog problem.
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