Jiang Meng: Humans more important than dogs

Some people challenge the Shanghai draft regulation on keeping dogs, saying it means stray dogs can only stay in animal shelters for 30 days, after which those not claimed or adopted would be executed.

But Ding Wei, a local official, has said such people have misread the draft. The draft only says that stray dogs would be "dealt with" after being kept in the shelters for 30 days, not necessarily executed. Only dogs with infectious diseases would be executed. Policymakers are still considering how the others would be "dealt with", because the law is blank on that.

Rehabilitation centers are temporary shelters for homeless dogs, that offers animal lovers the choice to adopt the dogs. But instead of doing that they are protesting against the draft. They should not force the government to shoulder the burden of keeping and feeding thousands of dogs.

Can all the problems be solved through adoption? No. A recent program on China Central Television said a woman had so many cats in her house that she was forced to stay in a public dormitory.

That created all sorts of problems for neighbors, who complained against the foul smell emanating from the house in summer and the cats' calls and cries at night. But the woman did not feel sorry for what she had done. On the contrary, she said her neighbors complained against her because they hated animals.

People do have the right to keep pets but only if they or their pets do not disturb other people. No person has the right to violate other people's right to live in peace, and pet owners should know that all rights come with obligation. Protecting private rights is important, but so is protecting public rights.

According to another media report, a woman in Shenzhen of Guangdong province has more than 10 pet dogs. These dogs have bitten more than 20 people in the neighborhood. Once, three of her dogs attacked a 3-year-old boy. The woman may be a great animal lover, but her dogs have become a threat to her neighbors.

Many dog owners are found wanting when it comes to social responsibility. They don't care when their pets excrete on pavements or other public places when they are supposed to clean up the mess. This shows that even a dog that has owner can be a big nuisance.

More than 100,000 cases of dog attacks have been reported in Shanghai each year, according to official data. In the first four months of 2008 alone, more than 60,000 people received rabies vaccines. Dogs may mean happiness to some, but they can be trouble for others.

Love for animals is a good thing, but it should not be taken to extremes. A person who loves dogs or cats cannot and should not expect others to do the same.

Putting animals with infectious diseases to death is a service to humankind. But radical animal rights activists oppose even that. How can such activists eat pork, beef, mutton, chicken and fish and be passionate about protecting dogs and cats at the same time? Should they not stop wearing leather shoes and using other products made of leather as well?

To love dogs and cats does not mean being hypocritical about animal rights.

The author is a freelance writer based in Beijing.