Dogs

Dogs are increasingly popular in China. Maybe this is because the government limits family size so severely. Traditionally, the Chinese ate dogs and raised them as livestock, but today the practice is frowned on by many, though still occurring. Old people walk beloved canines in the park and doll them up with hair ribbons. In cities, dogs may not legally exceed a height of 14 inches, though I am told this law is often violated. Just as married couples are limited to a single child, there is a limit of one dog to a household. Everything is regulated, it seems.

In some communities, there is growing concern about rabies, since most dogs have not been vaccinated. In a centralized authoritarian system, such problems are addressed with dispatch. I have read that in Beijing, dogs are being rounded up en masse and killed as a public safety message