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)