Two dog-related stories appeared online on Monday, showing the two extremes of people's love and hate for the animal.
A university professor in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, spent 100,000 yuan ($13,000) to hold a funeral for his dead pet dog on Sunday. A week earlier, six men bludgeoned a dog to death before its owner's very eyes in a street in Lanzhou, Gansu Province.
Though his unconventional behavior may cause repulsion given the fact that a fair large part of the Chinese population is still poverty stricken and 100,000 yuan would be enough to put dozens of rural children through school, the professor can't be blamed for he did nothing to harm anyone.
The cold-blooded killing of a dog by six men wielding heavy cudgels, however, is something else.
In their defense, the men said they did not slay the canine without good reason. One of them said the dog, a large collie, had scared his friend's child and its owner had bullied the child's parents during the subsequent quarrel. He said he and the five other friends of the child's parent had to kill the dog because they couldn't count on the local authorities to stop it being a threat to children, even though they had reported it to the police.
I definitely disagree with the brutal slaughter of the dog but I would be speechless if the man asked me this question: "What else do you think we can do for justice to be done?"
I certainly would not say something like, "leave the matter to the government for a proper treatment", as is often suggested by media commentators. I know "proper treatment" in most cases would mean simply letting the matter drop after a suitably protracted delay. The authorities have much weightier things to attend to than trivial brawls between neighbors.
However, disputes between dog lovers and their neighbors who do not raise pets are not trivial.
Last week, a pet wolfhound bit off the left half of a 4-year-old girl's face in Anshan, a city in Liaoning Province.
On August 31 last year, a nine-year-old boy was eaten alive by two wolfhounds raised by a neighbor in Lishi county, Shanxi Province.
Injuries caused by large dogs are not rare: Such reports never cease.
Complaints about dogs have been on the increase, covering everything from their nighttime barking, fouling of pavements, the threat to children and spread of disease.
Most places have laws and rules on the raising of dogs that are generally exhaustive enough to cover all eventualities. But the execution of them is not always as it should be. Violation of the laws and rules is visible everywhere but there seems to be little punishment.
For example, I have never seen anyone who failed to clean up after their pet being punished. Of course, I might have missed the occasions when someone did, but the droppings widely seen in public greenbelts suggest most people are getting away with it.
Another example of weak governance in this regard: Beijing has about 1 million pet dogs but only 500,000 are officially registered with the police.
Pet lovers have the rights to raise dogs. But when their pets' actions impinge on the interests of other people, they must be held accountable and compensate those who are hurt in any way.
Most people do not raise dogs. In Beijing, for example, just one in five households has a pet dog.
To the authorities: Please seriously address the problem of pet-related neighborhood conflicts. Don't leave people's pets to the mercy of angry victims of dangerous dogs.
洗碗
中国气象局6月累计发布气象灾害预警信息4.3万余条
体坛英语资讯:Kipchoge, Bekele to face off in virtual relay marathon
英国:学校9月开学 将实施“气泡”隔离
美丽的春天
国际英语资讯:Feature: Kenyan families eagerly await reunion
国际英语资讯:Irans COVID-19 cases nudge 240,000; Saudi Arabia records 2nd most cases in Mideast
福奇:新冠病毒可能已经发生变异 变得更具传染性
国际英语资讯:Irans COVID-19 cases exceed 240,000; Saudi Arabias tally nudges 210,000
国内英语资讯:China delivers anti-coronavirus medical aid to Arab League
放风筝
冬天的雪景
国际英语资讯:Gun violence rages through Chicago over Independence Day weekend
体坛英语资讯:FIBA secretary general appointed to LA 2028 coordination commission
国内英语资讯:Chinese regions raise flood response levels
体坛英语资讯:Discover China: China introduces Olympic way to shake off poverty
国际英语资讯:WHO discontinues hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir trial for COVID-19 treatment
国际英语资讯:Croatias ruling party wins most seats in parliamentary elections: exit polls
国内英语资讯:HKSAR chief executive, major govt officials pledge to take on responsibility for safeguard
星巴克小哥拒绝服务不戴口罩的顾客反被骂,然后天降20多万小费
有哪些动物非常聪明
网友分享身边的“小确幸”:今天让你最开心的事是什么?
升旗仪式
叠衣服
国际英语资讯:Independence Day weekend celebrations diminish in U.S. West
参观杭州动物园
体坛英语资讯:2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Board holds first meeting
体坛英语资讯:China Paralympic teams called up for 2020 Tokyo, 2022 Beijing Games
扫楼梯
国际英语资讯:Russias COVID-19 cases surpass 674,000
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |