22-11-2006: Tragic fate awaits Beijing dogs

It is not only the dogs that are being confiscated – because they are unlicensed, ‘surplus’, too big or too dangerous – that are doomed to die in the government dog pound.

The same tragic fate awaits dogs that have been abandoned on the streets, discarded by their owners to avoid being fined by the police during their house searches.

Owners who cherish their dogs are trying to keep them away from the authorities. Some dogs in the danger zone are being kept permanently indoors. Others are being sent to farms in rural areas, in the hope that they will be safe there. Many of these dogs, however, have been reported missing and their fate is unknown.

One dog owner tells us:  “I have a one-year-old husky. My dog and I are still okay, but our lives have changed completely. Before the dog killing campaign we could go out twice a day, and on weekends we could go to the pet park, but after the dog control policy started, we dare not step outside the house, and I dare not open the door to any stranger. Even the pet park is now closed to dogs taller than 35cm, such as mine.

“My dog has now stayed inside the house for 15 days. He has become very nervous, but I have no choice. Many of my friends are sending their dogs to villages, but I don’t want to do this because I don’t want to be separated from my dog. I have also heard that some people’s dogs have been lost in the villages.”

As a consequence of the current policy, rescue groups in Beijing are flooded with roaming or unwanted animals. The dogs in the rescue centres aren’t safe either. The regulations, combined with the amount of increased work, make it impossible to have them all registered before adoption. On top of this, the new policy is also promoting a negative attitude towards dog-keeping, making it hard to get the public to adopt dogs.

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