Households in the Zhuhai special economic zone in Guangdong province will soon be banned from keeping more than one pet dog, if a draft city regulation takes effect.

The draft, which is undergoing its second review, would make Zhuhai the first city in the province to limit the number of dogs.

According to a recent survey of about 1,000 residents conducted for the law committee of the Zhuhai People's Congress, 70 percent of local residents are in favor of rules allowing no more than one dog per family.

Chen Hongwei, a local resident, said he favored the proposed restriction.

"One family, one dog. That's enough," Chen said, adding that the dog population has been growing.

Limiting the number of dogs in the city "would help Zhuhai create a better environment", he said.

A veterinarian from Zhuhai Alpha Animal Hospital, however, said the proposed rules were too strict for local residents who like dogs.

"For some families, raising two or more dogs at home is actually not too many," said the vet, who provided only his surname, Huang.

"The city will never see any harm from dogs as long as effective measures are in place to strengthen management," he said.

Max Yue, another veterinarian at the hospital, said limiting the number of pet dogs would help reduce disputes between neighbors and lower the risk of spreading disease.

"I hope more facilities for dogs, including toilet areas and special pet parks, will be built in the future when the government collects the management fees for raising dogs," he said.

Zhuhai is among a number of cities that have begun to craft regulations pertaining to pet dogs, the number of which has surged over the past decade.

There were around 10 million pet dogs and cats in the country at the end of 2012, six times more than a decade ago, according to Dog Fan magazine.

In 2010, to curb the increasing number of unwanted pregnancies in the city's canine population, the Beijing government gave a 200 yuan ($32) bonus for pet dog owners who got their dogs sterilized during the city's annual check.

Chen Jili contributed to this story.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn