Dog owners maddened by Beijing canine restrictions

BEIJING (Reuters) - As darkness falls over Beijing, dogowners such as Deng Xiaozhi nervously leave their homes withpets in tow for a walk or run in parks safe with the knowledgethat city dog catchers have already clocked off.

A Beijing law making it illegal to keep dogs taller than 35centimetres (1.1 foot) means that dogs such as Deng's placidGolden Retriever are outlaws and can be locked up and put downif they are intercepted by the authorities in the Olympic city.

Pet ownership in China is booming and dog lovers inparticular complain about Beijing's inflexible laws againstlarge dogs which they say harks back to China's communist pastwhen few people kept dogs as pets, and those that did werescorned as bourgeois timewasters by communist leader MaoZedong.

"The 35-cm rule is not scientific, as most big pet dogs arequieter than smaller ones in reality," Deng said as he lay onthe couch alongside his dog Maomao. "People who make the ruleshave no knowledge whatsoever of dogs."

As pets become popular in China, Beijing dog owners arebristling over the city ban on large dogs and hefty annuallicence fees for small dogs of as much as 1,000 yuan (73pounds).

The ban is strictly enforced. Even a partially blindParalympic medallist is unable to get her guide dog registeredahead of the Olympics and Paralympics in September when she isdue to run with the torch at the opening ceremony.

"I know it's pet owners' responsibility to register theirdogs, but current regulation doesn't allow me to do so," saidDeng. "For big dogs, being captured by the police almost alwaysleads to a dead end."

Beijing's 17 million residents registered 703,897 pet dogsin 2007, up 17.3 percent from 600,096 in 2006. The number isprobably much higher after factoring in unregistered dogs suchas Lucky.

Foreign diplomats are exempt from the size rule, and areoften spotted parading huge Golden Retrievers, Siberian Huskiesand Labradors along leafy streets.

But Beijingers, bound by the rules, more often opt for tinyChihuahuas or the city's white fluffy namesake, the Pekinese.

FURRY OUTLAWS

Some dog owners and animal activists worry about a clampdown after the Olympics when Beijing is no longer in thespotlight and subject to an international outlash for itspolicy on dogs.

Meanwhile, they believe China's desire to present its bestface to the world ahead of the Games in August is keeping dogsout of dog catchers nets for the time being and keeping animallovers quiet about the ban.

In embarrassing scenes the government does not wantrepeated, hundreds of animal lovers took to Beijing streets inNovember 2006 to condemn raids that saw tens of thousands ofunregistered dogs killed.

Beijing officials, however, deny they have gone soft on bigdogs ahead of the Olympics.

"We are carrying out measures as we did in the past," saida spokesman for Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. "Anydogs without proper licenses will be treated accordingly."

Yet local authorities seem to have been especiallysensitive to animal rights issues of late, even orderingrestaurants to stop serving dog meat.

"Driven by the need to maintain social stability, thegovernment has softened its stance on the problem of dogkeeping," said Zhao Jian, a veteran Beijing animal rightsactivist.

CRITICS SLAM BAN

Zhao, a doctor for 40 years, is among the critics of thebig dog ban. He says the law results in owners dumping dogsthat outgrow the height limit, often in the country, where theyare exposed to rabies. This, he says, exacerbates an alreadyserious health problem of rabid dogs roaming around ruralChina.

He has sent over 30 letters to the government calling forthe regulation to be scrapped in the past three years.

"I am outraged by the bureaucracy, snub and inefficiency inrelevant governmental departments," the 61-year old said.

Despite the lack of action, he is confident that Beijingwill drop its 35-cm rule in time. Zhengzhou in central Henanprovince raised its limit to 55-cm (1.8 foot) last year and thefinancial centre Shanghai has no limit at all.

Beijing's rules are out-of-date and out-of-touch, Wang Jin,a professor at Peking University Law School, told the People'sDaily newspaper.

"Existing regulations on dogs were made by relevantdepartments for their own convenience. (They) inevitablydeviate from common practice," he was quoted as saying.

Introducing broader animal welfare laws that China lacks toprotect dogs and cats from culls and abuse would help, nothinder, government objectives, said Lu Di, 77, who foundedChina's first organization to protect small animals in 1992.

"To care for and protect small animals actually (helps) tobuild up a 'harmonious society'," the former universityprofessor said, referring to government's much-quoted socialslogan.

As for dog lover Deng, his wish is simple, to get histrusty Golden Retriever registered.

"Although I spend much money and time on Maomao, the joybrought by him cannot be measured financially," Deng said. "Itwould be just perfect to get a licence."

(Editing by Megan Goldin)