Harsh canine policy would shame civilized Shanghai
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A touching story recently made the papers about the recent tragic fire in Shanghai that killed at least 58 people.
While the building was on fire, a golden retriever called Jingjing watched it from across the street. He was quite anxious, and waited for his master outside the apartment for 40 hours, eating and drinking nothing, until passers-by helped find his master.
The story touched many people. But new regulations on dog ownership in Shanghai have made people think that Jingjing's virtue isn't being rewarded.
According to the regulations, unlicensed and stray dogs will be collected and sent to animal shelters. If no one claims ownership within 30 days, the dogs will be dealt with "according to the regulations."
Liu Jian, a senior legal director with the Shanghai Municipal Law Office, said that meant those dogs would be put down.
Every country in the world faces social problems caused by stray animals.
Many countries and regions have passed sophisticated animal welfare legislation. These countries and regions often solve the problem of stray dogs through collection and adoption.
A few countries and regions have made special laws and regulations that can punish those who abandon or abuse animals.
In the US, there are special veterinary stations for stray dogs. Once a stray dog arrives there, it will receive physical examination, vaccine injection, birth control operation, training, and then finally, most of the time, be adpoted.
Some 80 percent of dogs who pass through such stations receive a new home.
In order to promote adoption, these stations also advertise and give out leaflets. For those 20 percent that nobody adopts, the stations will deal with them based on their health and mental status, which sadly means that some will be put into sleep.
Another method widely used in the West is TNR, which stands for trap, neuter, and release.
It is an effective way to control the number of stray cats. A few countries have already started to use TNR to deal with stray dogs.
These humane methods are becoming standard in the developed world.
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