Mass Poisoning of Pet Dogs in Guangzhou Sparks Controversy

A young girl in Bazhong City suffered severe injuries to her left cheek after being bitten by a dog that was not on a leash.(Screenshot of a webpage)

(November 18, 2024) — Recently, residents in several districts of Guangzhou have reported online that their pet dogs were poisoned to death. More than 40 cases of suspected dog poisoning have been confirmed so far, and the number continues to rise. The incident has sparked widespread controversy among netizens.

According to reports from Southern Daily and Southern Metropolis Daily, on the evening of November 16, the Guangdong Pet Industry Association issued a statement on its official public account, noting that it had received multiple reports of suspected dog poisoning in the Guangzhou area, drawing significant public attention.

The statement mentioned that preliminary statistics confirmed over 40 pet dogs suspected to have been poisoned to death, with the incidents concentrated around November 8. Affected areas include multiple districts of Guangzhou, excluding Huadu and Conghua. Baiyun, Haizhu, and Panyu districts reported the highest number of cases.

Starting November 8, dog owners in Guangzhou began sharing on social media that their dogs had been poisoned. Netizens compiled a list of locations where suspected poisonings occurred, covering districts such as Liwan, Tianhe, Yuexiu, Panyu, Huadu, and Baiyun.

A dog owner named Shasha recounted that on the evening of November 8, her two dogs were playing as usual in the plaza at Zhoumen Shigui in Liwan District. However, unlike usual, the dogs repeatedly ran into the grass and began licking a specific spot. “They only licked that spot. We even pulled them away once,” she said.

After returning home, the dogs drank an unusually large amount of water. Shasha assumed they were just tired from playing, but the next morning, one of her dogs, “Coffee,” suddenly let out a painful cry. Beside it was vomit, and she immediately took it to the vet, where kidney failure and poisoning were diagnosed. “We also had our other dog, ‘Milk Tea,’ tested and found it was also at risk. Thankfully, it was saved,” she added.

Later, Shasha returned to the site to gather evidence and learned that other families who walked their dogs there that evening also reported poisoning incidents.

Another netizen from Tianhe District wrote on social media that on the evening of November 7, after taking their corgi for a walk, the dog started vomiting at home. Initially, it vomited three piles of dog food and some grass but then collapsed, crying in pain, with limbs twitching, foaming at the mouth, and losing control of its bladder and bowels. It eventually died despite emergency treatment at a veterinary clinic, which confirmed poisoning. The next day, the netizen found jerky pieces in the dog’s vomit around the building.

The suspected mass poisoning of pet dogs in Guangzhou has attracted significant public attention and debate. Some expressed sympathy for the dogs and criticized their senseless deaths, while others voiced dissatisfaction with dog owners for walking dogs without leashes or for incidents where children were bitten.

“How can Guangzhou be such a heartless place?”

“If dog owners had kept their dogs on leashes and used muzzles, how could they have eaten poison?”

“Is poisoning not a crime? Just because it’s not humans, does it mean it can be ignored? Dogs have done so much for humanity. Shouldn’t they receive justice when they need help? Has humanity grown so cold?”

“Underground parking lots have become a refuge for dog walkers in rainy weather, and they’re filled with dog urine and feces. Property management can’t handle it. In elevators, dogs without muzzles scare parents and children. Owners must muzzle their dogs in public.”

According to the Guangzhou Pet Industry Association, the number of pet dog deaths continues to rise. Residents are advised to walk their dogs in monitored areas and use fully enclosed muzzles for pets.

On the same day that the mass dog poisoning incident in Guangzhou was reported, Red Star News revealed another case involving a serious dog attack in Sichuan Province. A young girl in Bazhong City suffered severe injuries to her left cheek after being bitten by a dog that was not on a leash. After the attack, the dog fled. Property management killed the dog, and efforts to find the owner are ongoing.

The girl’s father, Mr. Liu, explained that his 22-month-old daughter was bitten on November 15 at 3 p.m. while her nanny was with her at a playground in their residential complex. A small yellow dog bit the child’s left cheek. The girl was rushed to the hospital, where she received stitches and a rabies vaccine, but her face was permanently scarred.

Mr. Liu urged dog owners to always leash their dogs to prevent harm to others. Given the lifelong impact of the incident on his daughter, he vowed to hold the dog’s owner accountable.

Editor: Lin Congwen