More children, more financial security in the future. Do you believe in this phrase?? Does having more children ensure that we will be living comfortably during our golden years? Well , some people in China actually do and that was why their government had implemented the "One Child Policy" rule to control the ever-growing population of China. However, how absurd would it be to implement this strategy on dogs???

In the Shanghai province of China, a new draft dog law has been made whereby each household is only allowed to have one canine due to Shanghai's immense population and limited space problems. And when their pets reproduce, the pups would only be eligible to be given to no-dog households or to government approved adoption agencies before they reach three months. The law has also called for the annual licence fee to be cut down to 300 yuan from the usual 1000-2000 yuan. This had been done as high fees normally discourage people from registering and vaccinating dogs.

The estimated number of dogs in Shanghai itself is at an estimated 800,000 , and only a quarter of them are actually registered.

In my opinion , this policy is really ridiculous as the real problem of over-population of dogs is not just about how many canines each family owns but its how these dogs are being nurtured and being taken care of responsibly. Most of the 800,000 dogs in China happen to be stray dogs or dogs that had been left by their irresponsible owners to fend for themselves on the streets.The Government should instead have campaigns or organise events to educate the public on the responsibilities of owning pets and maybe should have a policy whereby owners guilty of leaving their pets on the streets would be imposed a fine. Even animals should have their own basic rights and should not be subject to acts of cruelty and ignorance. Think about it, does the problem truly lie with the dogs or is it just the cruel and irresponsible nature of human beings? The Answer?? You Decide.

Labels: French Press Agency (11/11/2010)