The International Center for Veterinary Services is a fantastic resource for pet owners living in Beijing. As with many rules and regulations, the authorities are cracking down on people who are failing to follow the correct laws and procedures. Make sure you are up with the new regulations which have come into effect this year.

For people who prefer to eat dog or xiang-rou as it is known in Chinese, you may need to wait until after the Olympics. Dog meat has been taken off menus in Beijing restaurants. Dog meat was also banned during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Donkey meat which seems to be a popular cheaper alternative to beef in many restaurants, still seems to be ok. Searching in Google shows quite a few interesting stories about animal liberationists protesting against restaurants using live donkeys to promote their donkey meat dishes.