As people's living standards continue to improve, the types and numbers of pets such as dogs and cats kept by families are increasing day by day. However, in a village in Meilong Town, Minhang District, Shanghai, a villager has kept more than 70 stray dogs in his home. Over the years, he has become the veritable "dog commander" in the eyes of the villagers, causing headaches for nearby villagers and village committee staff.
It turns out that the dog owner, Mr. Chen, is a kind-hearted person who takes home any stray dogs he sees on the street. Some villagers even joked that he treats dogs better than his own parents. Besides emitting an unpleasant odor, sometimes up to 20 dogs would suddenly rush out at the same time, forcing most villagers to keep their distance.
Due to issues such as barking disturbances and dog chasing, the police at the Meilong Police Station in the area have received numerous reports related to these incidents. Although there is currently no explicit limit on the number of dogs that can be kept in rural areas, Mr. Chen, who neither vaccinated his dog as required nor exhibited many uncivilized dog-keeping behaviors, has clearly violated the "Shanghai Municipal Dog Management Regulations" and has been subject to administrative penalties and orders to rectify his behavior by the police.
Lu Mengfei, a police officer at the Meilong Police Station of the Minhang Branch, stated that in such cases, they will first issue a legal notice, and if the situation is not corrected within a specified period, a fine will be imposed. If the situation is still not corrected after the fine, the individual will be forcibly detained.
However, knowing he was in the wrong, Mr. Chen promised to relocate the dogs as soon as possible, but he couldn't find a satisfactory place to put them, and the conflict with his neighbors escalated repeatedly. In order to solve the root of the problem and prevent more serious situations such as dog attacks, the police station activated the "three-in-one" mechanism. Under its leadership, lawyers, judicial mediators, and village committee members intervened in the early stages.
Lawyer Sun Minhui stated that if a neighbor's actions are deemed to be an infringement due to smells or noise, the neighbor can file a lawsuit in court based on their neighborly rights, but the litigation process will be relatively lengthy.
Therefore, the police decided to try to persuade Mr. Chen. After more than four hours of negotiation, Mr. Chen, having been fully informed of the consequences, finally wrote a letter of commitment, guaranteeing that all the dogs would be transferred within two days. On July 20, with the cooperation of various parties, all 78 dogs were transferred to a reliable temporary shelter, where Mr. Chen personally cared for them daily until their final placement was completed.
