New pet owner rules take effect in Shanghai
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Xu Lixia, a 24-year-old female resident, has three dogs in Shanghai, two of which are kept in her father's factory in Baoshan district, a suburban area of the city.
"I didn't raise two of my dogs in the city," Xu said. "They are a Border Collie and a German Sieger - a medium-sized and a big dog - and would definitely scare people away with their loud and constant barking."
Huo said he doubts a dog's barking can greatly disturb the peace of mind of others.
"It's very difficult to determine to what extent a dog has endangered public safety or disturbed other residents," Huo said. "Every dog has a different temper, just like human beings, and we cannot force them to break their barking habits."
Local police have said there are now about 140,000 licensed pet dogs in Shanghai, a group dwarfed by the 600,000 dogs that are believed to be unlicensed.
"There are certain people living in the suburbs who don't have their dogs licensed," Xu said. "Most of the dogs they have were brought to them from the countryside or were given to them by others. So they think it's not worthwhile to spend much money on them."
To encourage more dog owners to have their pets registered, the cost of that process will be cut down to about 200 yuan - far less than the current cost, which can be up to 2,000 yuan.
Still, owners will continue paying 40 yuan to have their dogs vaccinated and another 60 yuan to have placed under a dog's skin a computer chip that can identify the pet as being licensed.
"The lower licensing fee will definitely encourage more dog owners to register their pets and to get them vaccinated regularly," said Chen Yuefa, the sole police officer in charge of enforcing regulations on pet owning in the Changning district.
Chen said he has learned through his work that there are about 4,000 registered dogs in the Changning district, along with at least 40,000 unlicensed ones being raised by local families.
In February, when it was announced the new regulation would take effect since May 15, government offices had ceased accepting applications for new dog licenses. They now plan to reopen to the public after Sunday.
To make getting a license more convenient, the number of such offices in existence will increase from 18 to 350 and there will be at least three places in each district where the public can go to have dogs vaccinated.
All dogs except guide dogs will meanwhile be banned from entering cinemas, hospitals, Metro stations, buses, restaurants and other public places. Owners who violate that rule will receive fines.
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