With the acceleration of urbanization, dog ownership has shifted from a personal hobby to a social issue related to public safety. According to the "2026 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumption Report)" recently released by the Pet Industry Branch of the China Animal Husbandry Association and the China Veterinary Association, the number of urban pet dogs will reach 53.43 million by 2025, an increase of 850000 compared to 2024. The large number of pet dogs also brings some problems: some pet owners walk their dogs without tying them to ropes, vicious dogs injure people, barking dogs disturb the public, etc. These have become important triggers for exacerbating neighborhood conflicts and generating oppositional emotions. On January 1st of this year, the newly revised Public Security Administration Punishment Law came into effect. According to experts interviewed by the Legal Daily, compared to the old law, the new law has upgraded the punishment intensity (the upper limit of fines has been increased from 500 yuan to 1000 yuan), added administrative detention punishment measures, and expanded the scope of punishment (including the addition of punishment categories such as raising strong dogs and injuring people without taking safety measures). Through investigation and review of public information, it was found that relevant departments in various regions are gradually promoting the implementation of new regulations. Some cities are urging pet owners to comply with the regulations through publicity, guidance, inspections, and law enforcement; Pet owners, ordinary citizens, and professionals in the pet industry are also highly concerned about this. The new regulations have prompted a shift in mindset. Previously, people thought that leash was a restraint for dogs, but now they understand that it is not only to protect others, but also to protect their own pets. ”Recently, in a park in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the reporter met Ms. Gu who was walking her dog. She tightened the traction rope in her hand while discussing the newly revised Public Security Administration Punishment Law. The snow-white Western Highland dog sat at her feet, curiously looking around. In the park, several slogans such as "civilized dog raising" and "walking dogs with ropes" are prominently displayed. Ms. Gu admitted that previously, she would occasionally loosen the leash in a secluded area of the park to let the dog "have fun". Recently, in the chat groups of the community and dog enthusiasts, she often saw propaganda about "civilized dog raising", and even heard about a case where a dog owner was punished for accidentally loosening the leash and causing their dog to chase and bite pedestrians. So she changed her mind. Nowadays, not only must she tie a leash when going out, but she has also specially equipped dogs with mouth covers and toilet bags. The community bulletin board reminds her to fulfill her responsibility of keeping a dog by stating that "if she causes animal injury without taking safety measures, she can be detained for up to ten days". Ms. Wang, a Beijing resident, has recently completed a series of detailed compliance preparations. First, she checked the list of forbidden breeds in key management areas and confirmed that her favorite corgi dog is not in the forbidden range; Proactively contacted the pet hospital and administered vaccines to the soon to be adopted small dog; We have selected two non retractable towing ropes with a length of no more than 1.5 meters, as well as safety equipment such as portable toilet bags and pet mouth covers. Currently, she is registering and applying for a dog ownership certificate for her dog. I used to hear from friends that owning a dog only requires' bringing it home to keep ', but now I realize that the legal requirements for dog ownership are very clear, and being prepared in advance can avoid breaking the law. ”Ms. Wang said so. The change in ideas between Ms. Gu and Ms. Wang is a vivid reflection of the effective implementation of the new regulations on civilized pet raising laws. On January 1, 2026, the newly revised Public Security Administration Punishment Law came into effect. Article 89 of the Law stipulates: "Those who raise animals and interfere with the normal life of others shall be given a warning; those who fail to correct after the warning, or allow animals to intimidate others, shall be fined not more than 1000 yuan. Those who violate relevant laws, regulations, and rules by selling or raising dangerous animals such as vicious dogs shall be given a warning; those who fail to correct after the warning, or cause animals to harm others, shall be detained for not more than five days or fined not more than 1000 yuan; those with serious circumstances shall be detained for not less than five days but not more than ten days. Those who fail to take safety measures for animals and cause animals to harm others shall be fined not more than 1000 yuan; those with serious circumstances shall be detained for not less than five days but not more than ten days. Those who drive animals to harm others shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 51 of this Law. In the new stage of full chain supervision, law enforcement in various regions has responded quickly. According to public information, on the first day of the implementation of the new law, the Public Security Bureau of Baokang County, Hubei Province quickly handled a dog injury case, becoming the first batch of dog related law enforcement cases in the country. Recently, the Tongchuan Branch of Dazhou Public Security Bureau in Sichuan Province imposed administrative penalties on Wang for allowing dogs to "run freely" for a long time and interfering with the lives of neighbors in accordance with the law. Yang Jingwen, associate professor at the School of Administrative Law of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, believes that the new regulations on civilized pet raising respond to the actual needs of the people. In practice, incidents such as illegal dog ownership and dog injuries have occurred from time to time, and the public has strongly reflected on them. The addition of "illegal sale and breeding of dangerous animals" and "animal breeding causing harm to people" as violations of public security management in this amendment is a practical embodiment of the concept of legislation for the people in the field of public security management. Yang Jingwen pointed out that the new regulations on civilized pet raising reflect an important shift from "post event accountability" to "source control". In the past, incidents such as illegal dog ownership, dog injuries, and disturbance to the public mainly relied on the Civil Code to pursue civil tort liability. The infringer usually only needs to bear direct losses such as medical expenses and lost wages, and the cost of illegal activities is relatively low. The new regulations clarify behaviors such as "failure to take safety measures for dogs" as violations of public security management, and intervene through administrative penalties to prevent and reduce disputes from the source. This marks a key shift in governance thinking: in specific areas of civil infringement, in some cases, it is difficult to effectively and timely protect rights through civil remedies alone, or when the cost of safeguarding rights is too high, the law explicitly authorizes administrative agencies to intervene, essentially fulfilling the state's obligation to protect citizens' basic rights and using public power to compensate for the shortcomings of private remedies. The new regulations on civilized pet raising mark a new stage of refined pet management across the entire chain. ”Yang Jingwen commented that the new regulations have achieved full chain supervision of "sales," "breeding," and "management. In terms of punishment mechanism, the new regulations not only focus on the punishment of negligent behaviors such as "management negligence", but also attach great importance to and severely punish subjective malicious behaviors such as "driving others to harm". A tiered punishment system has been established, reflecting the basic principle of proportionality in punishment. On January 14th, the reporter visited a pet supplies store located in Chaoyang District, Beijing to implement graded and classified supervision. According to the staff, the sales of pet safety products such as leashes, mouth covers, and toilet bags have significantly increased. However, some consumers are confused about the definition of "safety measures" and often ask questions such as "what kind of leashes comply with regulations" and "do small dogs need to wear mouth covers". The staff member suggested that relevant departments could consider issuing more operational guidelines to help consumers and practitioners accurately understand the requirements of the new regulations. Yang Jingwen believes that civilized dog raising is shifting from the category of "private morality" to a public responsibility that requires "public-private collaborative governance". The key to the implementation of the new regulations is to find a reasonable balance between pet owners and non pet owners. In this regard, the concept of "responsive law enforcement" can be practiced in dog management and law enforcement, implementing graded and classified supervision, combining flexible law enforcement with strict supervision to enhance law enforcement efficiency and social acceptance. For example, for minor illegal acts (such as failure to tie ropes or timely cleaning of feces), education and guidance should be given priority, and flexible methods such as persuasion and warning should be given priority, giving the parties the opportunity to self correct and reflecting the warmth of law enforcement; For situations involving personal safety, real danger, or multiple violations, strict punishment measures must be taken decisively in accordance with the law, demonstrating law enforcement rigidity and upholding legal authority. Yang Jingwen suggested that in addition, relevant departments can release typical cases to help the public, dog owners, and law enforcement personnel accurately understand the boundaries of the provisions, unify factual determination and law enforcement standards through case interpretation and other means. In Yang Jingwen's opinion, it is necessary to strengthen the publicity and education guidance of legal knowledge, enhance the public's understanding and recognition of the law, cultivate the consciousness of civilized dog raising from the source, and achieve close coordination between pre prevention, daily management, and publicity and education. Promoting the transition towards intelligent management and guiding public cognitive transformation is a long and arduous task, and the implementation of new regulations also requires long-term efforts. To achieve the normalization of civilized pet raising, in addition to the rigid constraints of legal punishment, it is also necessary to build a multi-party collaborative and flexibly guided social governance ecology. ”Yang Jingwen suggested that in terms of community autonomy, street and township governments can guide residents' committees, village committees, and owners' committees to negotiate and formulate community civilized pet raising conventions through residents' meetings, village meetings, owners' meetings, and other means, refine rules for dog walking areas, time, and fecal disposal, such as designating public areas in the residential area where dogs are prohibited from entering, transforming laws and regulations into neighborhood recognized "doorstep standards", and forming a cooperative governance system of government department supervision, dog owners' self-discipline, grassroots organization participation, and social public supervision. Yang Jingwen mentioned that some cities have started piloting smart pet raising platforms, integrating data from the entire chain of dog registration, immunization, law enforcement, and containment, establishing dynamically updated electronic pet files, achieving information sharing and process standardization among departments, and promoting the leap from "difficult management" to "intelligent management" of dogs. Yang Jingwen believes that the Public Security Administration Punishment Law and local regulations on dog ownership have a relationship between "superior law" and "subordinate law". The Law on Public Security Administration Punishments provides a unified national law enforcement bottom line and framework, and local authorities should refine and supplement it according to local conditions. The two together constitute a complete regulatory system for dog management. In Yang Jingwen's view, in terms of behavior identification and measures refinement, local authorities can further clarify the list of vicious dogs, what constitutes "taking safety measures" and "interfering with others' lives", and other specific situations, making the regulations more operable. In terms of management and punishment gradient, local dog regulations usually cover multiple aspects such as registration, standardized breeding, adoption, and operation. For behaviors that have not yet reached the level of public security punishment, local authorities can manage them. (New Society)