Now, one-dog policy to counter Shanghai’s burgeoning population

BEIJING - Shanghai city’s dog owners could soon adhere to a proposed pet law that says each household can only have one dog, given the high population density and limited living space.

The draft regulation that is before the city’s governing council also says that if dogs have puppies, dog owners should give them away to other eligible adopters or send them to government-approved adoption agencies by the time they are three months old.

The alternative, it said, is for owners to perform sterilization surgery on their dogs.

Regulators in Shanghai are also thinking of lowering the exorbitant cost of dog licenses and registration, Xinhua reports.

According to the draft, the threshold will be cut to about 300 Yuan (45 dollars), taking into account the cost of certification, planting an ID-chip in the dog for identification purposes and providing a rabies vaccine every year.

Currently, dog owners pay anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 Yuan annually for their dogs’ licenses and vaccination, depending on where the dogs are raised.

The closer dog owners live to the city’s center, the more they will have to pay to keep a pet. (ANI)