The local government of a district in Shandong province has made headlines around China after recently issuing a pet ban threatening to kill all dogs owned by residents, even if they have an animal license.
In a statement released by a village committee in the Dayang district of Jinan on September 7, residents are warned to get rid of their dogs, even if they had followed all the legal procedures required to own one.
“All dogs must be removed from the district before September 10, otherwise authorities will enter your house and kill your dog on the spot,” the statement read.
The ban is meant to prevent stray dogs from hurting residents and to improve “the district’s hygiene”, although the local government did not explain why domestic dogs needed to go as well, according to the Global Times.
Dog owners in the area are, of course, outraged. “It’s unacceptable,” one villager told the Global Times. “Many residents here keep dogs and have an animal license. They cannot kill my dog and have absolutely no right to storm into my house without permission.”
According to SCMP, a local public security bureau said that village committee members who force their way into people’s homes would be committing an offense.
Chengdu, Sichuan province had previously banned residents from owning 22 breeds of large dogs, including Tibetan Mastiffs and German Shepherds, and limited each household to one small dog each. In Sichuan’s Huidong county, the local government prohibits dogs from going into public areas, and said it would kill any strays. Police in the same province have been photographed bludgeoning dogs to death on the street in front of crowds of people.
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