Dog Days
Quite a lot of people in my bulding have dogs, and very few of them bother keeping their dogs on a leash. I love dogs, but this concerns me.
First, sometime last year a small dog attempted to bite me on the street, missing by a milimeter or so.
Second, a big dog the other day jumped me in the elevator, while his owner struggled feebly to retain him.
Normally, I'd be a good sport about this, but having read this report (via China Rises) about the explosion of rabies in China, I'm in a less understanding mood.
Also, I don't really see why owners don't see the benefit in leashing their dogs. From personal observation it seems that people with dogs here spend a disproportionate amount of time running after and yelling at the poor beasts.
Maybe it's just me and the prevalence of leashes in China is no greater or less than anywhere else. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?
February 8th, 2009 - 09:48
Leashes are reasonably common in downtown Beijing- as are dog-shit pathed footpaths, especially in this part of town. But up in our village I have never yet seen a leash and the dogs are left pretty much to live life the way they see fit- including our dog. Fortunately they’re all pretty well socialised and generally only fight amongst themselves. Those that would be likely to pick a fight with a human tend to be kept chained or locked up- and I can’t help but wonder if that’s half the reason they make so much noise when people enter their courtyard.
February 10th, 2009 - 08:37
Here I rarely see leashes. It’s something I noticed when I first came to Shanghai as well. Though most of the dogs are kept in purses or bags, plenty run around wit their owners shouting at them to return, usually with little effect.
February 15th, 2009 - 02:13
I think the biggest problem facing the explosion of pet dogs in China is that most Chinese people are reluctant to have them spayed or neutered. The result is rapidly turning into what you have in the US (too many dogs, not enough owners), but on a much larger scale. Litters of pet dogs often end up as feral dogs roaming the streets, defecating all over, wreaking havoc, and most importantly, as you mentioned, spreading rabies.
I think the interesting thing to point out is that pet ownership (like car ownership) is a a direct product of the emerging middle class, and thus is still in its infancy. As Chris alludes to, the stage of pet ownership in Beijing (and probably Shanghai) is still several years ahead of the rest of the country. Hopefully, as time passes, and people become more educated about pets, the situation will gradually begin to improve.