China Issues 'One Dog' Policy in Beijing

Different culture, different political system, different history. I'm not a fan of dog killing*, but it doesn't surprise me that the approach in China would be to destroy the animals instead of vaccinating them. In a society with such a ginormous population (life has less value) and with the benefit of the many always outweighing the benefit of the one, this approach fits.

(And please understand that I am fascinated and awed by China and enjoy studying the country.)

*Far from it, I'm a fan of puppy bellies. What the world needs now is more puppy bellies. That, at least, is the platform I'm going to run on in 2008.

"Deal with the millions of wild dogs running around instead."
China doesn't have them.

For hundreds of years dogs were pets only the emperor could have.
Today the Chinese can have dogs, but it carries an expensive annual tax.

Although I love dogs, I understand this is a wise concern for China and support that decision.
The next time you step on some dog poo remember most Chinese metropolis have higher population density...

Hmm. Are you sure of this? I spoke to a chinese friend today to actually get the story right, and he said there were dogs running wild outside the big cities.

Although, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this varies all through the very very large country.

And yes, I can see how "life" is different valued in different societies.

's a real shame though, all them dogs. From my point of view ;)

Mass vacation can drastically reduce rabies??? I gotta tell my boss!

;)

No, they're not.

Seriously.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought at one time that China was the one who was killing babies if they were girls.

Wow, those are some pretty awesome stereotypes you are throwing around there, Mr. Ford. Are you baiting? Because it's so shiny and silvery, I can't help but think there is a hook attached.

Of course, there is some truth to it: female children are more likely to wind up in an orphanage in China (and, obviously, the one-child policy is responsible for that) and women (all over the effing world) are traditionally thought of as less-than. But to imply that female babies are regularly murdered is unfair and to say that Chinese women are thought of as lower than dogs... well, that's just inflamatory.

I'm sorry if it came across wrong. My point was that woman are IMO not considered as an equal to a man in China. Here is an article that supports my opinion.

Yes, sex determination and elimination is happening in other countries, too, including India.

I agree that women are second-class citizens (only I think that's the case in every country to different degrees), but I still hope they are above the level of dogs. Especially when dogs are being beaten to death to prevent the spread of rabies.

Your comments just seemed intended to incite an argument.

Of course! But it's a great Freudian slip. And I agree... give the dogs vacations, not death.