Pet dogs are dirty animals that poop "land mines" and are a menace to "social peace and harmony," according to a recent op-ed in People's Daily, the Communist Party of China's official news outlet. The op-ed blasts Chinese urbanites for imitating the "ludicrous" Western custom of owning dogs as pets, something that was condemned as elitist during Mao's Cultural Revolution. The op-ed, and others like it, are part of a new campaign by China's government to purify Chinese citizens, who have grown more prosperous and globally connected. Rules targeting pet ownership give police the right to confiscate dogs at will, just a decade after the government relaxed pet laws.
