Confusion and Confiscations as Beijing Tightens Dog Restrictions
Central Beijing has never been a particularly dog-friendly city – what with the lack of green spaces, heavy traffic, and the occasional unprovoked beating to death of dogs – but it seems like life for man's best friend is about to get more difficult even in the city's suburbs.
The notice posted by singer Pu Shu on his Weibo earlier this month
The news quickly spread online and with it confusion and anger among dog owner communities as well as rumors of mass cullings. Most of the confusion stemmed from the reclassification of Tongzhou as a "central controlled zone," therefore making it subject to the same rules as Beijing's downtown districts of Haidian, Shijingshan, Xicheng, Dongcheng, Fengtai, and Chaoyang. Meanwhile, many netizens saw the notice as an ultimatum, signaling that their dogs would be put down if they did not relocate their pets. For example, alongside posting the notice, Pu Shu pled for more time to find a new home for his dog.
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That residential areas in Tongzhou have in fact been considered centrally controlled zone since 2006 on account of their growing population. Therefore, large dogs and aggressive breeds should not have been allowed to live in these compounds for the past 13 years. Second, the police confirmed that according to the regulation, they have the right to confiscate any dog that violates the law and punish the owner, adding that the three-day notice was merely a grace period to give owners enough time to find new lodgings for their dogs.
The "central controlled zone" is largely confined to Beijing's six central-most districts, however, according to a government directive from Jun 7 this year, the government retains the right to modify the definition of a district from "generally controlled" to "controlled" based on the population density, which is used to explain why the residential apartment areas in Tongzhou have been subject to stricter regulations since 2006. According to updated restrictions from June this year, large size dogs and aggressive breeds are defined as dogs whose height exceeds 35cm, measured from the shoulder. The PSB offers a helpful list of breeds that are guaranteed to grow to oversized, such Tibetan Mastiff, Dobermann, Greyhound, Chow Chow, Akita, among others and therefore may not be kept as pets in central controlled zones. Certain exceptions to the height rule exist, for example for service dogs that assist the visually impaired or disabled. Under Beijing law, all dogs must be registered with the PSB, otherwise, they are automatically considered stray, and can be taken by the police at any time. Registration must be renewed annually, between May 1 and Jun 30, regardless of when the dog was initially registered.
READ: Furry Situations: Important Rules Regarding Pet Ownership in the Capital
Images: Tom Arnstein, Pu Shu (via Weibo)
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