Dog license hearing for pet owners in Luwan district

The Shanghai Daily reports that in Luwan, people who want to raise dogs will only be allowed to do so pending the agreement of their neighbors. Here's what they say:

The pilot program has been launched in the district in a bid to avoid neighborhood disputes caused by dogs, the district's public security bureau director said yesterday.

Households that fail to get the nod from all five neighbors will not be granted a dog license, and unlicensed pets will be confiscated.

A Chinese article in Xinmin describes this process in slightly more detail, saying that this "hearing" not includes the five most nearby neighbors but also members of the neighborhood committees. During this hearing, the prospective dog owner must explain to these people why they want to own a dog, and how they are going to take care of that dog and make sure that it doesn't cause any problems. If the five people agree then a "gentlemen's agreement" is formed and the person is allowed to raise a dog.

As @lisamovius points out, this practice is susceptible to abuse. It seems that whenever there is unanimity required, you're going to have the problem of the one person that just vetoes everything, kind of like the US vetoes UN resolutions that might have created a framework for a just solution to the Mideast conflict that they now seem so keen on effecting. But we digress. We'll see how it goes—it seems that this experiment is limited, thus far, to a neighborhood in Luwan, and not the whole district.