Three strikes and you’re out law – for pets: kill policy on dogs whose owners are caught defying a ban on walking them is withdrawn in China after outcry
- Weixin county in Yunnan province announced a ban on dog walking, with punishments rising from a warning to a fine to a death sentence for the offending pet
- Officials walked backed the regulation after a backlash. Many Chinese cities have less extreme curbs on pet dog ownership, such as limits on size and breed
After a rise in conflict between pet owners and those without animals, including incidents where unaccompanied dogs have bitten people, a county in China came up with a solution akin to “three strikes and you’re out” laws in the United States – get caught walking your dog in public three times, and the pooch gets it.
In a notice published last week, according to Chinese media company Sixth Tone, Weixin county in the southwestern province of Yunnan said all dogs were to be kept indoors.
First-time offenders would be subject to warnings if seen outside, while those caught a second time could be fined between 50 and 200 yuan (US$7.60 to US$30.50). If someone was caught walking their dog in public a third time, the pet would be captured and killed – a proposal that has triggered criticism from Chinese internet users.
“When have human beings become so atrocious?” read a comment on Weibo – a Twitter-like microblogging site – that got more than 9,000 likes. “Why are dogs punished for mistakes made by humans?” another person asked.
