Mastiff attacks spark renewed debate on urban dog control_美文

Mastiff attacks spark renewed debate on urban dog control

People who break the rules will face a fine of 5,000 yuan ($815), while organizations keeping dogs illegally will be fined 10,000 yuan, according to the Beijing police.

The crackdown threw many residents who own dogs into a panic.

Feng Jun, a 31-year-old bank clerk living in Chaoyang district, only takes out his Labrador Retriever, much taller than average dogs, late at night for some exercise and nature's call. Feng is worried that his dog will be taken away by the police during the day.

"The dog, despite its size, is mild-tempered and will never hurt people. But now that the police are seizing big dogs all over the city, I can do nothing but hide it inside the apartment during the day and let it out for a while late at night," Feng said.

However, Mary Peng, co-founder of the International Center for Veterinary Services, China's first foreign-owned animal hospital, said keeping dogs inside is no solution and will harm the dogs.

"It's misleading that the government judges whether a dog is harmful according to its size," she said. "This is so wrong."

Some dog owners are simply sending their dogs to relatives living in the suburbs to avoid being caught during the crackdown.

Liu Tan, a 26-year-old resident of Dongcheng district, has sent her Golden Retriever to a friend living in Fangshan district, where big dogs are allowed.