Yunnan County Reassesses Ban On Dog Walking Following Backlash

Yunnan County Reassesses Ban On Dog Walking Following Backlash

Following several reports of kids, bitten by dogs in public places, officials of Weixin County in China’s southwestern Yunnan province have resorted to issuing a blanket ban on dog walking, including a directive to euthanize the dogs after the third offense.

Under this issuance, first-time offenders will be given a fair warning. Repeat offenders will then be fined, and if the dog parents are caught flouting rules the third time, the police are authorized to kill the dog even if no one was found harmed by him/her.

One of the county officials has been interviewed saying that there have been cases of dogs harming people. Some dog families have also been reported as not cleaning up their pets’ excrement while some have even fought against the county’s cleaners.

“The penalty was to correct uncivilized dog ownership in urban areas,” Weixin County officials said, “Residents must keep dogs tied up or in a pen. Dogs should not disrupt the normal order of society or interfere with the daily lives of others.”

After issuing this notice on November 13, the authorities were compelled to reassess the ban after a forceful backlash from the public. On China’s social media, the post on the notice had earned 200 million views, with several viewers strongly reacting against the directive and calling it over-the-top and harsh.

One community resident said that the blanket ban on dog walking is tantamount to disallowing one to keep a dog.

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