Chinese dog owners will be leashed by new law
- An amendment to the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law will require dog owners across the country to leash their pets
- Pet ownership is on the rise in China, but so are tensions with perceived bad owners
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The new amendment does not stipulate the punishments for violating the dog leashing rule. Still, experts and police officers said they think it will pose a strong deterrence towards those people with “uncivilised pet keeping behaviours”.
Many Chinese cities already have dog ownership regulations and some places even require leashes to be of a certain length. However, this is the first national law to regulate how people walk their pets.
Dog owners will also have to carry their official certification that proves they are registered to raise the dog. Usually the process requires taking the dog for vaccination and an annual fee.
Dog ownership in China is skyrocketing, as well as perceived bad pet owners, occasionally causing tensions within a community.