"This new one-dog law stinks." Photo: China Photos/Getty Images
Beginning July 1, residents of Guangzhou, a southern city in China, will be allowed to have only one dog per household. The law doesn't have a "grandfather clause" allowing people who already own two or more dogs to keep their current number of dogs.
"It's a cruel regulation," says a resident named Mrs. Chen, who must choose between "her scruffy terrier mutt and a white fluffy Pekingese mix with buggy eyes," reports AOL News. "These dogs are like family. How can you keep one and get rid of the others?"
The law is apparently aimed at controlling a growing stray dog and rabies problem in China. (The capital city of Beijing has had a one-dog policy in effect since 2006.) But the founder of "Family of the Pet," a local dog shelter in Guangzhou, fears the new regulation will result in more stray dogs roaming the streets.
When Mao Mao started the dog shelter six years ago, the phone only rang a few times a month from people calling to inquire about giving up their pets. "Since March [when the new one-dog rule was announced], every day we get about 10 calls a day," says Mao Mao.
Mrs. Chen, meanwhile, has come up with a solution to her "Sophie's Choice"-like canine conundrum. She will register one of her dogs with her parents, rather than give one of her beloved pooches away.
And here we thought Chicago's attempt to pass a five-dog limit was controversial!
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