China upgrades dogs to pets

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has announced that dogs will no longer be regarded as livestock, a term designated for animals bred for the purposes of food, milk, fibre, fur and medicine production. Still, dog meat continues to be consumed in several Chinese regions.
In view of the advance of human civilisation and the public concern and love for animal protection, dogs have been 'specialised' to become companion animals, and are not considered internationally to be livestock. They will not now be regulated as livestock in China.
The novel coronavirus outbreak is believed to have originated in horseshoe bats that were for sale in China's Wuhan market. However, it is probable that the virus transmission to humans was via intermediary species, such as cats and dogs, who were also sold for consumption in the same markets.
The consumption of dog meat in China has grown increasingly unpopular, with Shenzhen being the first city to implement the ban last month.