Chinese legal experts are drawing up proposals for the country's first animal welfare law, which could criminalise the brutal culling of dogs and other forms of pet maltreatment.

The recommendations, which will be submitted to the government by the end of the year, come after a public backlash against the authorities for slaughtering dogs to prevent the spread of rabies.

Law professors at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have been in discussions since last December with Britain's RSPCA and the US-based International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The draft proposals are said to borrow ideas from the UK on sterilisation programmes and computer chip implants, but the main focus is on preventing maltreatment of animals.

Currently, only endangered species are protected. There is no penalty for hurting or killing other animals sold for food or as pets. Local governments have organised mass killings, including burying dogs alive and beating them to death, to halt the spread of rabies, which is a major cause of human death in China.

In the past month alone, authorities in Hanzhong, Shaanxi province, rounded up and killed 22,000 dogs after eight people died of rabies. Pet lovers were also up in arms after authorities in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, announced a cull of every dog in the town after an outbreak.

Under the new proposal, the emphasis would be on owners registering and vaccinating their dogs. Anyone caught severely maltreating pets would be warned, fined, or – in the worst cases – sentenced to prison.

Chang Jiwen, the law professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who heads the drafting team, said there was growing support for animal rights among the public and the government.

"China has begun to be aware of the importance of animal welfare because it touches on the economy, trade, religion, and ethics," he said when asked about the prospects of the proposal becoming law. "The future is bright, but the path ahead will be tortuous."

The Hong Kong-based office of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the drafting of an animal rights document was a positive step, especially if it were enacted.

"We have yet to see the details, but any animal welfare law would be welcome," said Twiggy Cheung, deputy director of the group's China Outreach programme. "On the mainland, you see a lot of animal abuse and torture. We feel sorry for animals and also for the people, because there is no guideline for what is right and wrong. That is why a new law is needed."

She agreed that good regulations could prevent rabies without the mass killings of dogs. "The law ought to cover animal population control and responsible pet ownership, which means people should vaccinate their animals from rabies and other contagious disease."