BEIJING –  A Chinese district government is giving dog owners a stark choice: Get rid of your pets or we'll come to your home and kill them on the spot.

Even in a country where dog ownership is tightly regulated, the order issued this week by the Dayang New District in the eastern city of Jinan is extreme. Chinese often appear divided sharply between animal lovers and those who see dogs as a threat to the public.

Regional governments have culled stray animals before, but Dayang's order also covers registered dogs. Culls often follow outbreaks of rabies, but the order cites only the maintenance of environmental hygiene and "everyone's normal lives" as reasons.

People who answered calls Friday at the district government office said no one was available to discuss the matter.