The Municipal People's Congress of
Guangzhou
is reviewing plans to liberalize its laws restricting the ownership
of pet dogs after receiving many reports that most people in the
city have a positive attitude towards allowing people to own pet
dogs.
A
City Forum organized by the Municipal People's Congress will be
held on problems related to dogs in Guangzhou to which people from
all walks of life can voice their opinions to help provide guidance
on the upcoming amendment.
Wang Zechu, a deputy to the Municipal People's Congress, said the
current regulations have not worked out well since they took effect
in Guangzhou.
"A
good regulation should be easily implemented, otherwise it
indicates there are problems with it. It is necessary to
investigate to decide whether the restrictions should be relaxed.
If so, the regulations should be amended according to the legal
procedures," Wang said.
Wang further said that it damages the authority of the law as well
as the image and prestige of the Municipal People's Congress and
the government if a regulation cannot be carried out after it takes
effect.
"Although it is correct to control dogs," Wang Zechu said, "we
should not try to use a single model for all problems. We should
consider people's feelings and needs towards pet-ownership and
balance the interests of dog-owners while doing no harm to the
interests of those who have problems with allowing dogs in the
neighborhood."
Several other Municipal People's Congress deputies interview
agreed, saying that they considered that relaxing restrictions on
dog ownership will be a dominant trend of the times.
Ling Shufa, deputy to the Guangzhou People's Political Consultative
Conference, suggested restrictions on dog ownership could be
relaxed by reducing fees related to registration and annual
check-ups. According to Ling, with the improvement of living
standards, pet stores and pet hospitals are becoming a new industry
in Guangzhou. If the regulations continue as they are they will be
opposed by more and more citizens, which will only encourage a
trend of illegal ownership, he said.
Ling suggested an amendment clarifying what kinds of dogs can be
kept as pets; establishing specific areas where dogs are permitted
and where they are not permitted; reducing the registration and
annual check-up fee and simplifying dog licensing procedures.
(www.ycwb.com, translated by
Wang Qian for china.org.cn, April 15, 2002)