Dogs seized and beaten in China amid harsh crackdown from officials on strays and banned breeds

Authorities in Hangzhou, China are seizing and killing dogs amid a crackdown
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Sophie Williams16 November 2018

Dogs are being seized and beaten by police in the city of Hangzhou, China, following a crackdown on strays and banned breeds.

Horrifying images and video shows animals being hit and drowned by the city's police who have issued a banned list of 34 dog breeds.

Owners are also banned from walking their pets between 7am and 7pm and face a fine of over £500 for violating the new rules.

Anyone found walking their dog at the permitted time but without a lead will face fines of around £100.

It comes a month after a mother was beaten for kicking a dog that was harassing her child, according to Shanghaiist.

Video footage posted to Chinese social media shows officers beating and drowning stray animals.

Horrifying video showed one officer holding a dog under water as it struggled for air.

Under the new rules, stray and unregistered dogs will be confiscated and killed.

There have also been reports of officers snatching pets from their owners arms as they walk down the street.

The video footage of dogs being beaten has caused outrage online with thousands of people calling for the Asian Games which are being held in the city in 2022 to be banned.

On Weibo, one user said: "A city that has cruelly slaughtered life is not qualified to host the games."

Breeds on the banned list

Tibetan Mastiff, Boxer, Chinese Rural Dog, Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Dobermann, Belgian Shepherd, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, Irish Setter, Greyhound, German Shepherd, Chinese Chongqing Dog, Borzoi, Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, English Mastiff, Cane Corso, Great Dane, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Bedlington Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Afghan Hound,  Pointer, Akita, Newfoundland, Weimaraner, Bloodhound, Basenji

While another wrote: "Please cancel the qualification for hosting the Asian Games in Hangzhou."

The social media site has since banned people from using terms such as "Hangzhou dog raising."

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