Every postman in Switzerland is issued with a pamphlet on how to deal with
dogs and new recruits receive special training on dealing with dogs. However, no
such instruction is offered to their Chinese counterparts.
Gao Weidong, chairman of the trade union of Beijing Post Bureau, said the
union had held meetings to warn postmen of the danger and told them to be on
their guard when delivering mail. "We are not specialists in this field and it's
difficult for us to tell them how to prevent an attack," Gao said.
Dog owners are legally obliged to ensure victims of their pets are sent to
hospital immediately and to pay for the medical expenses. Unlicensed dogs are
impounded and the owners fined up to 5,000 yuan (US$616).
Gao said postmen could refuse to deliver mail to houses with dangerous dogs
until their safety is assured. Others who have never been bitten also fear dogs.
Yu Weidong, 49, always has at least 10 dogs barking around him on his
20-minute delivery run to about 15 households.
In front of one home, Yu pointed to three dogs yapping at him and said
loudly: "Get away!"
The warning sparked a protest from the middle-aged woman owner: "Stop doing
that. They didn't mean to attack you. You frightened them."
Yu said: "See? They only care about the dogs, not about whether their beloved
pets bother other people."
Yu refused to blame the animals.
"After all, they are animals and it's natural for them to protect their
owners," he said.
Yu said the owners should watch their dogs carefully, and keep them leashed
in accordance with regulations issued in 1994 to govern pet ownership, Yu said.
Tan Xu agreed, saying the owners were responsible for controlling their pets.
"Many people are unsuited to raising dogs. They even can't take good care of
themselves," Tan said.
He said regulations on the behaviour of dog owners were rarely enforced.
"It's impossible for the public security bureau to check the dogs all day
long," Tan said.
According to the Beijing Public Security Bureau, the city has 550,000
registered dogs, but the number of unlicensed animals is unknown.
About 70,000 people were injured by dogs in the first half of the year,
according to local health authorities.
Although everyone who reported being bitten by a dog in
Beijing was vaccinated against rabies and none developed the disease, according
to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, the experience still left physical and
psychological injuries.
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