Beijing Loosens Leash on Pet Dogs
Beijing's dog lovers could have restrictions on their pets relaxed and registration fees lowered as Beijing Municipal People's Congress (BMPC) approved a new regulation on domestic dogs Friday. Under the new regulation which came into effect Friday, dog registration fees of 5,000 yuan (604 US dollars) in the first yearand 2,000 yuan (242 US dollars) a year thereafter have been lowered to 1,000 yuan (121 US dollars) and to 500 yuan (60 US dollars) respectively. The old regulation, which was made eight years ago, required "strict" limiting of dog ownership and control of their numbers, while the new one focused instead on "strict management and combining restrictions with management", said Li Xiaojuan, a member of the BMPC. The revision of the old regulation started two years ago, but the results were delayed because disputes on keeping dogs always existed and both sides seemed justified.
I agreed with new regulation. In the United States, low income people usually can’t keep dogs because it costs a lot for medications, but true is different. Even U.S. people couldn’t enough medication for own dogs. In my own dog’s case, I go to the animal hospital two or three times a year. They usually check the dog’s health conditions, give some shots, and give me some medicines to treat heartworm and kill fleas & ticks. I paid about $200 annually for his treatment. I will not say it is expensive; if my dog could speak he probably would tell me what he wants or what he needs. But dogs can not tell us. It is my duty to care for my dog. This article mentioned that dog owners in Beijing are mostly middle and lower income people. I think that means these people are in business of selling puppies or the use the dogs as a watchdog. If these people really loved dogs, I think they would take care of their dogs as if they were member of family. However, the new regulation will cost them a lot. The result will probably be only middle or high income people will be able to keep dogs, which will decrease the number of unhealthy dogs. One reason why SARS spread so quickly in China, is many Chinese people don’t understand hygiene. If they had kept their country clean, the SARS would not have turned out so badly.
One problem is that low income people can not raise dogs even they are real dog lovers, but I nevertheless support the new regulations because having a clean city will protect our health too.
http://fpeng.peopledaily.com.cn/200309/06/eng20030906_123815.shtml
