(CN) Pet hates

[Guest guest]

Monday, November 10, 2003

BEIJING

by ANDREW K. COLLIER

http://focus.scmp.com/focusnews/ZZZWNMEISMD.html

 

A couple of weeks ago, residents in Beijing were puzzled to

discover an unusual leaflet posted under their doors. The two-page notice

asked that all dogs be registered, and their owners pay a fee of 600 yuan

(HK$564).

 

The registration was not a huge surprise; the city is notorious for

its strict controls - generally speaking - on the private lives of its

residents. It is also clear that the government is concerned about pet dogs.

 

To outsiders, the demand for " two, one-inch colour photos of your dog "

may seem somewhat out of the ordinary. But this is not the case in a city

where it is normal to have one's credentials constantly examined.

 

The real shock was the list of 41 breeds which have been banned from

Beijing. Admittedly, some were not a surprise.

 

Big dogs (the sheet specifies those over 35cm tall) are the main

targets; German Shepherds and St Bernards, along with Pyrenean mountain

dogs, Irish Wolfhounds, Akitas and Great Danes.

 

Aggressive breeds, including Rottweilers, Tibetan Mastiffs,

Dobermanns, and Bull Terriers, are also on the list.

 

But another 28 breeds were targeted - ones that you would not

ordinarily associate with being a nuisance because of noise, their

aggressive nature, or size. Collies, for example (the list specifies both

the bearded and Scottish varieties), which are not seen as excessively large

or terribly dangerous, are a no-no. Similarly, both the regular and

Hungarian breeds of vizslas - a kind of floppy hunting dog with a goofy

smile - are banned.

 

And why would the licensing bureau be concerned about Bedlington

Terriers? I have never heard a bad word spoken about them.

 

Since there does not appear to be a clear pattern, the list seems

arbitrary. Questions need to be asked. How did the government come up with

the list? Who decided which breeds to include and which to leave out, and

why?

 

Perhaps this was merely a case of a group of bureaucrats sitting in a

room and throwing out names until a consensus was reached.

 

What happens if the dog you own is on the list? Will it just be

shipped out of the capital, or put down?

 

It is hard to imagine a Beijing municipal worker demanding to enter a

local residence to drag away the family Dalmatian. Beijing dog owners are

concerned.