People prefer killing to adopting stray dogs: poll

An overwhelming number of people said they would rather see stray dogs killed than adopt them, according to an online survey.

AS in a Weibo account called Shendu News, or in-depth news, conducted a survey Sunday to find out if people are willing to pay more than 100 yuan ($ 14.79) per month to adopt stray dogs or prefer that the dogs be euthanized by urban management officers.

The Sunday survey shows that 86.7 percent of nearly 20,000 respondents support the latter option, while one percent said they are willing to pay 10,000 yuan per month to keep the dogs.

The account, followed by more than 190,000 Weibo users, said that stray dogs pose serious safety hazards, and some developed countries require stray dogs to be killed if not adopted.

A woman surnamed Long in Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province died 28 days after she was bitten by a stray dog, despite receiving an antirabies vaccine, China News Service reported Thursday.

China does not have a law on animal welfare. But protecting animals is included in some regulations, Guangming Daily reported in 2016, adding that strong law enforcement does not only express people’s kindness toward and love for animals but also a choice people make.

The issue of stray dogs is a also a social issue that requires greater public involvement, such as a specific government budget, animal regulators’ efforts and also a specific law on animal abandonment, Weibo user “wangrianshi” wrote on Monday.