Issues related to uncivilized dog-keeping behavior were a major concern among deputies to this year’s Municipal People’s Congress and political advisers to the Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, according to the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on Thursday.
“I suggest promoting an electronic chip implant for pet dogs across the city,” said deputy Yang Qing when interviewed by the Daily.
The chip is like an electronic ID card with the dog’s information, which can also help pet owners find their lost dogs more easily, and staff in relevant departments are able to acknowledge whether dogs have been vaccinated and whether they were abandoned by their owners, according to the report.
Under current regulations, pet owners receive a paper card after registration. However, it is no more than a paper document to show law enforcement officers during regular inspections.
Political adviser Li Huilin said she thought that a lack of law enforcement as well as management is what has contributed to problems concerning dog keeping.
Shenzhen issued a regulation regarding dog keeping in 2006. However, the regulation has failed to be implemented seriously, said Li, adding that many residents are keeping dogs in the city without registering with the authority.
Another adviser Jiang Lei suggested that the penalty point rule regarding driver’s licenses could be applied to dog owners. When any uncivilized behavior in keeping dogs is caught, the owners’ records could be endorsed with penalty points, and when these penalty points reach a desi-gnated amount, dog owners could be required to study the rules or even prohibited from keeping dogs.
According to the website of the Standing Committee of the MPC, an amendment was made to the city’s dog-keeping regulation during last year’s annual two sessions, deleting provisions on dog-keeping management fees. However, no changes were made on provisions related to dog registration and civilized dog-raising behavior, according to the report.