Beijing Dog Poisoning Allegations Fall on Deaf Ears

A Beijing resident hoping to warn the public about a rash of dog poisonings has instead sparked a furor from Chinese netizens who accuse negligent pet owners of ruining neighborhoods by not picking up after their pets.

A Weibo user named @大于谦和小Emma said her family dog is the latest victim of a string of poisonings in the Chaoyang District neighborhood of Kangquan. Emma said her dog is recovering after a veterinarian was able to pump out her dog's stomach after ingesting a "poisoned hot dog" on Saturday.

Several local news outlets have picked up Emma's story, but her uncorroborated story is accompanied by several photos of small sausages left out in the open, covered by a strange white liquid.

Despite many dogs in the east Beijing neighborhood (located near Line 1's Baliqiao Station) having suffered the same fate, Emma said the local police don't care to investigate the matter. For this reason, Emma also published a photo of the person she suspects is responsible for the poisoning, along with his address.

Emma's news has drawn cries of outrage from fellow pet owners. However, her warning has gotten little sympathy from Chinese netizens who claim the real problem lies in Beijing pet owners who don't take responsibility for their pets by picking up after them or using a leash when walking outside.

One top comment wrote: "As childish as it is to poison (pets), it's even worse to not pick up your pet's feces!!!" Another put the blame for the poisonings on the pet owners themselves: "Poisoning animals is malicious. But if dogs aren't leashed and are allowed to drop their feces everywhere, who are you going to blame?"

However, dog lovers rejected the accusation as being one of false equivalence. As Emma herself wrote: "These are two different things. Even if we are lacking in some regard and have our faults, does this give other people the right to poison small animals?" Another person took the comparison to its logical conclusion by saying: "If I run a red light and die in an accident, I deserved it because I ran a red light!"

Even some netizens were adamant that "one must not harm life," the heated discussion saw both sides issue threats towards each other.

One person wrote: "There's a giant, black dog that lives next to me that is never put on leash when walked. It runs all over the place and has scared my child twice. If there's a third time, I'm going to be putting out some poisoned sausages of my own!" And then another said: "The responsibility for picking up after a pet lies with people; then why must the dogs get poisoned? That's why I want all the people who say the solution is to pick up after your pet to be poisoned half to death themselves."

Both sides used the same arguments to try to gain leverage in the online controversy. One person against leaving poisoned sausages out in public asked: "What if a child were to eat it, then what?" while another person countered with: "What if a child were to pick up dog droppings and eat it? Wouldn't that be a bigger tragedy?"

As well, the debate saw both sides attempt to seize the moral high ground. One person said, "If you happen upon a pet owner who doesn't pick up after their pet, then perhaps you live in an area where people have few morals," while another simply said, "Dog lovers have compassion, but don't have a conscience."

Dogs were poisoned by tampered hot dogs two years ago in Songyuan last year in Nanjing, and just this past May in Changchun in which a RMB 50,000 tip-off reward was offered after a pet dog was poisoned to death.

Owning a pet has become popular among China's growing and affluent middle-class. However, even though this has led to increased support for animal rights in urban centers, some Chinese rural areas still engage in the consumption of dog and cat meat. With the government often unwilling to take a stand on this issue, numerous conflicts over this issue have happened.

Beijing pet owners are reminded to carry their pet registration with them at all times. In 2014, an expat from the UK had his pet dog beaten to death by chengguan (city management workers famous for their brutality) when he failed to show them the proper papers. That same year, Beijing banned residents from owning large-sized dogs.

Images: Weibo, Sgou.com, WeChat, Sina.com.cn, Qingdaonews.com

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