In November 2021, after residents of a household in Jinfeng Garden Community, Tiesan Community, Xishi Street, Xinzhou District, Shangrao, Jiangxi Province were transferred to centralized quarantine, the corgi Chaofen who stayed at home was beaten to death by staff who entered the household. Surveillance footage showed that the owner had repeatedly begged for mercy through the camera microphone, but was still unable to prevent the injury from occurring. The local government later reported that the staff had "harmless treatment" of the pet dog without fully communicating with the parties concerned. The relevant personnel were criticized and educated, transferred from their posts and ordered to apologize. This incident became one of the iconic cases of companion animals being brutally treated during the epidemic.

After the owner was quarantined, the door to the home was opened

This incident occurred in November 2021 in Jinfeng Garden Community, Tiesan Community, Xishi Street, Xinzhou District, Shangrao, Jiangxi. Public reports show that Jinfeng Garden was closed for management due to epidemic prevention and control, residents were transferred to centralized quarantine, and Chaofen, the family's corgi, was left in the house. The owner was originally unable to go home and could only see the subsequent footage through home surveillance.

ABC Chinese, Sixth Tone and other media reported that after staff entered the resident's home, they beat the corgi. Surveillance footage showed that the owner had begged for mercy through the camera microphone, hoping that the other party would not harm the dog. The kind of cry for help through the screen is particularly painful: the owner can see and shout, but can't reach out to take it away; the dog also doesn't understand why when the familiar door is opened, what is waiting for him is not care, but a stick.

Chaofen is not a risky item

Under the pressure of the epidemic, public epidemic prevention has indeed faced complex and tense scenes. But stress cannot reduce companion animals to disposable objects. Public health agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long warned that based on available information, the risk of animals transmitting the new coronavirus to humans is low; the public can reduce the risk by means of isolation, cleaning, reducing contact, and being cared for by others. For a companion dog that stays indoors, entering the home and beating it to death is not the only option, nor is it a more scientific and reliable option.

This is why this site records this case. We are not denying the difficulties of public management during the epidemic after the fact, but we must keep one key fact: there is no sufficient evidence to support treating pets as the main source of transmission, and there is no reason to package rough injuries as necessary measures. Chaofen could have been temporarily fostered, fed, isolated for observation, or picked up by professionals after the owner communicated with the community; it should not have been dismissed as a nuisance quickly when the owner could not protect it.

Official apology and job reassignment cannot erase death

After the incident was exposed, relevant parties in Xinzhou District, Shangrao City issued a notice. The Paper, China News Network and other media quoted the report as saying that the staff "harmlessly disposed" the pet dog without fully communicating with the netizens involved; the West City Subdistrict Office has criticized and educated the relevant personnel, transferred them to the corresponding positions, and ordered them to sincerely apologize to the parties involved. The report also mentioned that relevant units stated that they would properly handle the issue of pet care for residents during the centralized isolation period.

Apologies and reassignments showed that the injury was not taken for granted, but they could not bring Chaofen back. For the owner, what is lost is not a piece of property, but a family member who lived together. In terms of public memory, this incident has been mentioned for a long time because it exposed a system gap very clearly: when people are concentrated and isolated, the animals in the home are in a completely powerless position; without a clear, humane, and enforceable care plan, they may be abandoned when they need protection most.

More humane methods once existed

During and after the same period, milder approaches emerged in many places. Shenzhen News Network has compiled multiple cases of "what to do with pets when their owners are quarantined"; the People's Daily client reported that Chengdu epidemic prevention personnel delivered cat food, cleaned cat litter, and tested nucleic acids for pet cats in quarantined residents' homes; China News Network also reported on Shenzhen's "Pet Fangcang", which provides centralized pet custody services for quarantined pet owners. They all show that pet care is not an unsolvable problem in epidemic prevention scenarios.

These methods may not be perfect, but they prove that brutal killing is not an inevitable option. Truly responsible public management should not only pursue the quick elimination of risks, but should also take into account families, animals, care responsibilities and human emotions. Companion animals can't write applications or understand quarantine notices; they can only wait to see if humans are still willing to treat them as living beings.

timeline

• November 2021：A resident of Jinfeng Garden Community, Tiesean Community, Xishi Street, Xinzhou District, Shangrao, Jiangxi, was transferred to centralized quarantine due to epidemic prevention and control, and his corgi Chaofen was left in the house.
• during quarantine：Crews enter residents' homes. Surveillance footage showed that the pet dog was beaten, and the owner tried to plead for mercy through the camera microphone but failed.
• After the incident was exposed：Related videos and owner posts circulated online, sparking intense public concern about the care and rough handling of pets during quarantine.
• official response：A relevant report from Shangrao Xinzhou District stated that the staff "harmlessly disposed" the pet dogs without sufficient communication; the relevant personnel were criticized and educated, transferred from their posts and ordered to apologize.
• subsequent impact：This incident has become a representative case in the discussion of companion animal protection during the epidemic, and attempts to improve pet care, custody, and isolation management have also appeared in many places.

source

• The Paper: "Pet dogs were culled at home in Shangrao" attracted attention, and the local government criticized, transferred and ordered those involved to apologize.。https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_15376212
• Ifeng.com reposted The Paper News: "Netizens claimed that "quarantine pet dogs are suspected of being culled." Shangrao Xinzhou District Epidemic Prevention Headquarters responded"。https://news.ifeng.com/c/8B8MRXNpFAV
• China News Service: "Pet dogs quarantined are suspected of being culled. Shangrao, Jiangxi Province reports: Staff have been reassigned"。https://www.chinanews.com/sh/2021/11-14/9608762.shtml
• ABC Chinese: "Pets were culled during the epidemic in China, and calls for the enactment of protection laws are rising"。https://www.abc.net.au/chinese/2021-11-19/pandemic-workers-kill-pet-dog-in-china/100634162
• Sixth Tone: Chinese Netizens Angry After Quarantine Staff Kills Pet Dog。https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008964/chinese-netizens-angry-after-quarantine-staff-kills-pet-dog-
• Shenzhen News Network: "What should happen to pets if their owners are quarantined?" There are precedents in many places"。https://www.sznews.com/content/mb/2021-11/14/content_24737967.htm
• People's Daily client: "The owner's pet cat was kept in quarantine for 3 days, and Chengdu epidemic prevention personnel came to deliver cat food for nucleic acid testing"。https://www.peopleapp.com/column/30038455131-500003469516
• China News Service: "Behind Shenzhen's "Pet Shelter": Tolerating Life and Giving Quarantined Pet Owners Peace of Mind"。https://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2022/04-12/9726337.shtml
• CDC: COVID-19 and Animals。https://www.cdc.gov/covid/about/animals.html