Shanghai’s New Dog Rules Mean One Best Friend Per Household
Shanghai, China’s richest city, is extending the country’s one-child policy to animals as it moves to limit residents to one dog per household in a bid to curb the growing popularity of man’s best friend.
The population of dogs is causing headaches for the city government which is banning certain breeds because of an increasing number of attacks under new rules passed by lawmakers, according to a statement released by the municipality today.
Shanghai’s population may have reached 23 million people last year as more migrants moved to the city, China Daily reported Feb. 23. Dog ownership has also risen dramatically with incomes in China, which passed the one-child policy in 1979 to limit its human population.
The city’s gross domestic product last year grew 9.9 percent to 1.687 trillion yuan. The city now has 600,000 unlicensed dogs, according to a report in the Shanghai Daily. The newspaper added that the government will also impose a 200 yuan fine on dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets.
“As incomes rise, more people want pets,” said Shaun Rein, Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group. “It’s becoming a serious issue about dogs running around, pooping and causing a mess.”
The Shanghai government wants to cut down on the number of animals in urban areas to decrease cases of animal attacks and prevent rabies, according to a statement on its website. Canine abuse has also been targeted, it said.
Last year, police handled about 140,000 cases of people being bitten by unlicensed dogs, compared with 100,000 such incidents in 2006, according to the Shanghai Daily report. Banned attack dogs include Tibetan mastiffs, Beauceron wolfdogs and English bulldogs, the newspaper said.
Owners who violate the new law will face fines of as much as 1,000 yuan ($152), the Shanghai-based newspaper said. A dog that attacks people more than once can be seized by police, it said.
The new regulations go into effect May 15.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Wong in Shanghai at swong139@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bruce Grant in Hong Kong at bruceg@bloomberg.net
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