Royal Canin Working to Make Shanghai China’s Pet-Friendliest City

Royal Canin has partnered with the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau to undertake efforts to help the city’s homeless pets and to make the city one of China’s pet-friendliest.

As part of the effort, Royal Canin will provide the city with assistance to provide shelter and medical services for its homeless animals as well as help in finding them new homes. The company will also assist in the deployment of a public education campaign on homeless pets and options for rescue and adoption.

While dog ownership in China has surged in recent years, residual stigmas still exist — especially among older generations. Pet dog ownership was banned between 1966 and 1976; even after the restrictions were relaxed, a rabies outbreak in the 1980s led to another ban from 1983 to 1993. Some who lived through the era are still skeptical of the idea of dogs as pets. Kai Ling, Brand Marketing Director for adoption organization Ta Shanghai, sees a public education campaign as essential for overcoming some of these attitudes.

“We always educate the parents, explaining that animals are not as scary as they might think. I draw from my own experience to tell other mothers how much my son has benefited from growing up with three disabled cats in the family.”

— Kai Ling, Director, Brand Marketing, Ta Shanghai

Despite lingering biases, it’s clear that younger generations have openly embraced pet dogs as part of their lifestyle. With the Chinese pet industry growing 20% year after year, the demand for pet dogs continues to surge.

Source: Royal Canin Wants Shanghai To Be China’s Most Pet-Friendly City