Shanghai's ever-increasing dog population is leaving walkways treacherous, blighting the environment and filling court dockets with lawsuits.

"Dogs biting people and people slipping in the animals' excrement and falling down are the main causes for the pet-related lawsuits," Li Hongguang, a spokesman for the Jing'an District People's Court, told Shanghai Daily.

Li said such cases dwindled after the city introduced regulations on pet ownership in 1997, but now the number is climbing again because there are so many dogs in the city and police are less stringent in their supervision efforts.

The police estimate there are more than 10,000 licensed dogs and 6,000 unlicensed ones in the downtown areas alone. The canine population across the whole city may top 100,000.

More than 45,000 residents were bitten by the animals in the first 10 months this year, according to the Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Center.

Doctors advise victims to get to a disease control clinic in their district within 24 hours of an attack to have the wound cleansed and receive a vaccination. Even if the dog turns out not to have been rabid, it's better to be safe than sorry.

"We've had no cases of rabies this year, but there has been one case each previous year," said Li Yanting, director of the disease control center's epidemic department.

"I was bitten on the ankle by my neighbour's dog two weeks ago," said a still-smarting Richard Qu. "It was terrible. I was familiar with the dog, and it always looks so gentle. I was afraid I might get rabies, so I went to the hospital for a shot right away."

"Shanghai issued a regulation in 1997 prohibiting people from walking their dogs in public places," said Zhou Xuemin, a local public security policeman, who routinely hauls away dogs not wearing license tags.

"There is also a rule saying 'one dog per household' and another saying people must clean up their dogs' excrement," Zhou said.

Owning a dog can cost several thousand yuan a year, but that doesn't seem to dampen people's enthusiasm for canines.

"I used to have a pet dog, but it was taken away by the police because I didn't get a license," said 24-year-old government worker Ye Zhen. "I was sad at the time, but I think the police are right to clamp down."

Now she's ready for another canine companion.

"This time I'll apply for the license first. I think owning a dog is lots of fun, even if we can't walk them in public places. I'd like to see some residential community areas be made available for pets."

(eastday.com December 19, 2001)