In downtown Hangzhou, dogs are on a schedule now: 7pm to 7am, and no other time will do.
The city in eastern China has been enforcing its Restraining Dog Raising Rules in central zones, the South China Morning Post reports. Owners of small ornamental dogs may walk them only during those hours. Large dogs cannot be taken outdoors at all. A leash is required, and waste has to be cleaned up on the spot.
Fines, licences, and the reaction
Getting it wrong costs 200 to 1,000 yuan, about US$30 to US$150. Serious cases can cost an owner the dog registration licence itself. Registration is compulsory for city dogs in mainland China and renewed yearly for a fee; an unregistered dog can be treated as a stray and taken away.
The public response has been sharp. One commenter quoted by the newspaper asked how dogs are meant to get any sunshine, and whether a city that only accounts for human residents can call itself civilised.
What this means for your dog
Most of us will never face anything this strict, but the argument underneath it is familiar to anyone who has fought a park curfew: cities dividing shared space between people, cleanup, and animal welfare, with most of the burden landing on dogs.
Walking the same route at the same two times every day does less for a dog than owners assume. Sniffing new ground is the workout. Change the route when you can, let your dog stop and read the neighborhood, and judge the walk by how much it sniffed rather than how far it went. Our fall hiking guide has ideas for breaking the routine this season.
Read the SCMP report: China tech city dog-walking limits criticised.