SHANGHAI — China’s largest city is setting a limit of one dog per family in an effort to gain control over the soaring pet population and curb rabies.
Cao Yi already was walking her dogs at 11 p.m., hoping to avoid trouble both with neighbors and with the authorities over her brown poodle and golden retriever.
“I’m afraid one of the dogs might be taken away,” she said.
The rule that takes effect today means either finding a new home for one of her pets or registering one with her parents.
Shanghai’s new pet ownership rules also slash steep fees for dog registration — in hopes of bringing more undocumented dogs onto the books — and require those walking dogs to keep them on leashes.
Only about 140,000 of Shanghai’s estimated 800,000 dogs have been registered under current rules.
For some middle-income Chinese, the canine controls are an unwelcome intrusion into their private lives. Whether the lower costs will induce more Shanghainese to legalize unregistered pets or get rid of the ones above the quota remains to be seen.
