The Laizhou Hong and the law in China

In brief#

• No known national law. No national Chinese text targeting the Laizhou Hong has been found. Bans are decided city by city.
• Eleven cities documented. Between 2019 and 2026, at least eleven cities in four provinces (Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi) list the breed among banned dogs: nine through a final list, one through a draft (Yantai) and one through a police inspection (Tai'an).
• Always a "fierce dog". Wherever it appears, the Laizhou Hong is classed among "fierce" dogs (烈性犬). Its crosses are covered in the same way.
• Mostly in town. The ban almost always applies to urban areas. Only Xingtai extends it to its whole territory.
• In good company. These lists contain 39 to 73 breeds. They also include the German Shepherd, the Rottweiler, the Dobermann and the St Bernard.
• Outside China, no ban on the breed has been reported, but sources are scarce: see "Elsewhere?".

The cities that ban the breed#

Many Chinese cities set a list of breeds that private individuals may not keep in certain districts. "Banned" (禁养, jìnyǎng) covers keeping, selling and breeding, depending on the city. Table in chronological order:

Tai'an, a contradictory case. According to the local press, in July 2020 the police found a Laizhou Hong and four German Shepherds in a priority area, and ordered them to be taken out of that area or to a shelter within three days. But the list of 48 fierce breeds printed in the same article does not mention the Laizhou Hong. Without the official text, it is unclear whether that list is incomplete or whether the dog was treated as a cross.

Limits. Qingdao is known only through a local guide. For Yantai, the prefecture Laizhou belongs to, only the draft has been read: it is unknown whether the breed stayed on the final list, and nothing indicates that the city of Laizhou itself lies in the area covered. It is also unknown whether the breed appeared on the earlier lists of Baoding (2014) and Qinhuangdao (2017). Finally, other cities may list the breed too.

What these texts say about the breed's names#

The name 中国红犬 is an exact match for the English "Chinese Red Dog": it is not a name invented abroad. "Soviet Red" was once used in the trade for dogs of various types (see Similar breeds). No list gives the breed an English name. Qinhuangdao even writes "English name: none for now" (英文名：暂无).

No national law#

Every text found is municipal. Each city adopts a regulation on dog keeping, then its police and agriculture department usually set the list of breeds and the areas covered. In Ankang, the list is then approved by the city government. In Lianyungang, the regulation leaves that choice to the city and its districts.

Cities copy each other. Qingdao says it drew on Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Jinan. Cangzhou (2021) repeats the Zhangjiakou list (2020) word for word. The Yantai draft takes the 48 breeds of Tai'an and adds 19, including the Laizhou Hong. These are therefore not independent assessments of the breed.

A national law only comes in for penalties, in Ankang: the police there apply the national law on public security administration penalties. A page from the Chinese Ministry of Justice could not be consulted, which leaves a small uncertainty. The idea, read on a Chinese forum, that the breed is "banned in towns" in general is therefore too broad: it is banned in some cities, not in all of China.

The context#

The Laizhou Hong appears on these lists among very common breeds. A few extracts, in the order of the texts:

• Qingdao: 藏獒 (Tibetan Mastiff), 德国牧羊犬 (German Shepherd), 牛头梗 (Bull Terrier), 杜宾犬 (Dobermann), 莱州红, 狼青 (Langqing), 圣伯纳犬 (St Bernard), 大丹犬 (Great Dane)…, and further on 罗威纳 (Rottweiler) and 拳师犬 (Boxer).
• Langfang: 德国杜宾犬 (Dobermann), 伯恩山犬 (Bernese Mountain Dog), 罗威纳犬 (Rottweiler), 苏联红犬（莱州红）, 法国斗牛犬 (French Bulldog)…
• Lianyungang: 松狮犬 (Chow Chow), 德国牧羊犬 (German Shepherd), 莱州红犬, 拳师犬 (Boxer), 纽芬兰犬 (Newfoundland), 罗威纳犬 (Rottweiler), 中华田园犬 (the ordinary Chinese village dog)…
• Ankang: 比利时马里努阿犬 (Malinois), 大麦町犬 (Dalmatian), 昆明犬 (Kunming Dog), 莱州红犬, 阿拉斯加雪橇犬 (Alaskan Malamute)…

The German Shepherd appears in all eleven documents. The Rottweiler, the Dobermann and the Great Dane appear in almost all of them. The Laizhou Hong is often listed next to other Chinese guard or working dogs: the Kunming Dog, the Langqing and the Chuandong Hound.

Several cities also ban any large dog above a given height at the withers, from 40 cm (Xingtai) to 60 cm (Yantai draft). If a dog's breed is uncertain, Baoding, Cangzhou and Zhangjiakou have it examined by experts, and in Baoding and Zhangjiakou any remaining doubt counts against the dog. Zhangjiakou exempts working dogs, guide dogs and assistance dogs.

Being on these lists therefore places the breed among the large guard and working dogs that these cities keep out of their urban areas. It is not a measure aimed at the Laizhou Hong alone.

Two purchase disputes#

Henan, 2022-2023. In November 2022, a dog is bought for 2,600 yuan as a Dobermann from a pet shop in Shangcheng district. After various health problems, the buyer suspects a "Laizhou Hong", worth only a few dozen yuan in the buyer's view, and asks for a refund. The district court, which published the case in February 2023, notes that no evidence about the breed was produced. The claim is withdrawn, and the breed question is never settled. The court advises buyers to ask for health certificates and to keep proof of purchase.

Jining, 2020. According to a short item in the Shandong press, a buyer pays 1,500 yuan online for a Dobermann puppy under three months old from a kennel in Jining, then suspects a Laizhou Hong. The seller maintains it is a Dobermann and blames the camera's beauty filter. The buyer keeps the dog.

In neither case was the breed established, and the "low value" attributed to the Laizhou Hong is only a buyer's claim (for observed prices, see Breeders worldwide).

What this means for an owner#

These rules only apply in the cities and areas they designate. They do not concern a dog living outside China.

• Buying or importing a dog from China. The identity of a puppy sold in China is not always certain. The Shangcheng court's advice applies everywhere: ask for health and vaccination certificates, and keep invoices, documents and messages. Entry formalities for France, the UK or the European Union are not covered here: ask a vet.
• Travelling in China with your dog. Our sources say nothing about dogs passing through. The texts address people who keep a dog in the city (Qingdao speaks of its "residents"). Before a stay, it is best to check the rules of the city concerned, bearing in mind that a cross is treated like a purebred. Other rules apply to all dogs, such as a lead of 2 m at most in Xingtai and Zhangjiakou (where a muzzle and set walking hours are also required), or 150 cm in Ankang.
• Checking local rules. These lists change: Baoding replaced its 2014 list, Qinhuangdao its 2017 one, and Ankang adopted its own in 2026. The current text is usually on the website of the city's police (公安局) or agriculture department, under a title containing 禁养犬 ("banned dogs") and 名录 ("list").

This page summarises published texts. It does not replace the advice of the authorities of the city concerned.

Elsewhere?#

United Kingdom. According to Advanced Animal Care, a British commercial website, the Laizhou Hong is not named among the dog types banned in England and Wales (Pit Bull Terrier, Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, XL Bully). The same site points out that the law looks at the dog's physical appearance, not the name on its papers. This has not been checked on the UK government website. In addition, the British insurer Only Paws excludes the Laizhou Hong and its crosses from cover: that is a commercial choice, not a legal rule.

France. As far as we know, the Laizhou Hong is not named in the French dangerous-dog categories. But none of the sources studied addresses the question. If in doubt, ask a vet or the préfecture (local state office). See also Recognition and legal status.

Germany, Brazil and other countries. No source deals with the breed's status under the breed lists of the German Länder, or in Brazil. This remains an open question.

Sources#

Official texts and official relays, by city:

• Lianyungang: city government notice no. 56 of 2019 and illustrated breed catalogue (PDF)
• Qinhuangdao: notice from the police and agriculture bureau, relayed by the city information office (The Paper)
• Zhangjiakou: list of banned dogs, Zhangbei district website
• Tai'an: article on the police inspection of 3 July 2020 (鲁网)
• Xingtai: regulation and list, Nangong government website and letter from the Weixian police (The Paper)
• Cangzhou: notice from the police and agriculture bureau, relayed by Renqiu (The Paper)
• Langfang: notice on civilised dog keeping, city government website
• Qingdao: list of banned fierce breeds, local guide Qingdao Bendibao
• Yantai: draft list open for consultation, city government website (read through a web archive)
• Baoding: list of banned breeds, city website, relay by Wangdu district (The Paper) and local guide Baoding Bendibao
• Ankang: regulation on civilised dog keeping, city website and Ankang police guide (The Paper)

Purchase disputes:

• People's Court of Shangcheng district (Henan), February 2023
• Shandong Shangbao news item relayed by The Paper, June 2020

Other countries:

• Advanced Animal Care, Chinese Red Dog / Laizhou Hong profile (UK)
• Only Paws Pet Insurance, FAQs (excluded breeds)