Chinese county plans to confiscate and kill dogs whose owners are caught walking them in public

A Chinese county in Yunnan province has been forced to reconsider its new policy that bans residents from walking their dogs in public starting November 20. Weixin county reportedly released a circular last November 13 which stated it will confiscate and kill the dogs of anyone who has violated the policy for a total of three times.

The rules were drafted by four authorities of Weixin County, including the Public Security Bureau and the market watchdog. The said policy was drawn in an effort to quell incidents of unleashed pets biting people. However, the policy has been met with public outrage as locals took to social media to criticise the extreme measure. Despite its intentions to "protect" residents and promote "civilised" dog-raising habits, residents say these are uncivilised policies.

Under the new policy, pet owners caught walking their dogs in public will be issued a first warning. If caught for the second time, violators will be fined between 50 yuan (£5) and 200 yuan (£23). Third time offenders will have to deal with their pets being confiscated and killed by local authorities. The same penalties apply to pet owners who don't keep their dogs tethered or in captivity around the clock, the BBC reported.

Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Singapore, said,"Instead of banning the walking of dogs, educating pet owners on responsible pet ownership and putting in place regulations can be considered instead such as keeping a dog on a leash at all times."

Dr. Singh Gill added that confining dogs indoors permanently can be "detrimental to the animal's welfare."

Weixin County is not the first to ban people from walking their dogs.

The same policy was implemented in the city of Hangzhou in 2018, which prohibited ownership of larger breeds and banned dog walking during day time. However, if the policy is implemented, Weixin will be the first to ban dog walking at any time of the day.

Meanwhile, Shanghai, Qingdao and Chengdu have imposed strict one-dog policies for each household. Residents of Huangshi on the other hand, are prohibited from raising larger canine breeds measuring more than 45cm.

On Monday, a spokesperson from the government of Weixin said the new policies are yet to be formally introduced. As a growing number of criticism spreads across social media with people questioning the legalities of the new policy, officials are now rethinking the new ruling.