Dog owners in China fearful after mauling of two-year-old leads to crackdown and anti-dog sentiment

Molly Mo takes her corgi out every midnight, and lately she has been seeing more people walking their dogs around the city of Shenzhen in southern China at a similar time.

Ms Mo said they were trying to avoid encountering people who might make a complaint about the walkers' pets. 

"Many even say they walk their dogs at 1am or 3am," Ms Mo told the ABC.

China's authorities have been cracking down after a roaming Rottweiler badly mauled a two-year-old girl in Chengdu earlier this month.

The attack has also stirred up anti-dog sentiment with reports of at least one suspected mass poisoning incident.

“Recently, I only dare to walk my dog in the middle of the night, I run immediately even if it's just someone I spot in the distance," said a Weibo user in a post along with a picture of a golden retriever.

"I'm so scared and worried. Humans are the master of the world. I feel like I’m doing something wrong keeping a dog. It is really too difficult."

Another user wrote: “The last two days... I ran with my dog whenever I saw people around. And I walked him every night at 11pm.

"It’s my laziness plus I’m afraid people might be scared of him.”

Pets taken away

Even before the attack this month, China already had strict rules around dog ownership.

Many cities prohibit the keeping of "large and powerful" breeds, and don't allow those dogs to be registered.

Chinese Tugou (native village or rural dogs), German shepherds and Akita Inu are not allowed to be kept in most urban areas.

In a few areas other breeds such as Samoyeds, Alaskan huskies, golden retrievers and French bulldogs are also banned from being registered as pets.

After the girl was mauled, officials in parts of Chengdu, Xi'an, Zhengzhou and Wuhan went door-to-door forcibly removing unregistered dogs and those reported to have been seen walking off-lead.

Some owners were reportedly fined and pets returned afterwards.

On Tuesday, police in Shanghai said they removed a "large and powerful dog" from an apartment after a neighbour reported the owner for walking the dog unleashed and unmuzzled.

Social media videos and photos showed police entering an apartment and dragging away a German shepherd.

During the pandemic, there was backlash after government workers forced their way into homes to take away pets for "harmless disposal" while their owners were in quarantine. 

In one video from the time, a dog was beaten to death by a man wearing a protective suit.

Humane Society International's China specialist Peter Li said he understood the concerns of those owners who have unregistered pets.

"Local authorities should give a grace period for them to register their dogs," Dr Li said.

But Dr Li said pet owners also had a responsibility to ensure their animals did not bother or harm others.

"To prevent the occurrence of this kind of tragedy, punishing dogs is not the solution," he said. 

Reports of poisoned dog food

It's not just the sudden crackdown that has dog owners worried.

Since the attack some on social media have called for a total ban on keeping dogs while others have said they should be poisoned.

A veterinarian clinic in Chengdu reported that five dogs had died after being brought in with suspected poisoning.

Photos were also shared on social media showing pierced dog food bags in delivery boxes.

While the food was tested and found not to be harmful, the incident caused widespread fear.

In response, several online pet food stores said that to be safe they would disguise their deliveries.

Shi Youyi runs a dog cafe in Shandong province and keeps several shiba inus.

She told the ABC the breed was not banned locally, but some officials came to check on them after the girl was mauled.

Ms Shi said the inspections had not worried her, but the anti-dog comments online and reports of poisonings had made her concerned for the safety of her dogs.

"I'm more vigilant myself. More surveillance is in place and I'm recruiting more staff to keep the place safe," Ms Shi said.

"I don't know if reports about poisoning dog food are for real or not.

"I usually buy dog food in bulk, 20 or 30 bags at once, so I still have some left from my last purchase.

"But I'm afraid to buy more for the time being."

Anti-cruelty law delayed for over a decade

China doesn't have an animal cruelty law, even though a bill was proposed as early as 2010.

Dr Li said China needed to bring in the legislation to "deter and prosecute some of the worst and most shocking acts of cruelty".

He said resistance had come not just from political elites, who don't see animals the same way as younger generations do, but also from the livestock industry, which fears the cost of complying with the proposed law.

Griffith University animal law expert professor Deborah Cao participated in the development of the proposed Prevention of Cruelty to Animals law.

She also would like to see it become official.

"They … should also see the harmful effects of such anti-social behaviour on Chinese people, especially young people and the Chinese society, not just on the animals," she said.