Loved, but not loved enough. There has been a dramatic rise in the number of pet dogs being dumped in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, a trend animal protection groups put down to higher pet fees.

The local small animal protection association has taken in more than 30 homeless dogs in the last two weeks.

This follows a move a month ago by the city to raise the annual dog fee to 1,000 yuan (US$130), double the previous annual charge.

Some of the dumped pooches are posh, expensive breeds. The association is braced for more dumped dogs over coming months, with dog dumping rates expected to climb even further.

(Nanguo Metropolis News April 9, 2007)