(CN - HKG) How should the pet trade be regulated?

May 12, 2009

South China Morning Post

Letters to the Editor

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May 12, 2009

In the past two weeks alone Hong Kong Dog Rescue has taken in a pair of

six-month-old chihuahua puppies, a teacup-poodle puppy, four beagle/shih-tzu

puppies, a mini Pomeranian puppy and a host of other young, or very young,

ex-pet-shop puppies.

When Hong Kong Dog Rescue was founded in 2003, the small breeds that came to

us via the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department kennels were

almost always older rejects and all of the young small breeds (or larger

pure breeds) that came our way were abandoned because of some health issue.

As the trend for having a pet dog increased, so did the number of pet shops

selling cute puppies, as well as the abandonment rate.

Now we are also seeing a large number of bigger dogs that have been caught

as strays but are clearly a mix of breeds rather than the standard Hong Kong

village dog. These obviously came from pet dogs that had been dumped and

then gone on to mix and breed with others.

I am sure that every animal-welfare organisation has minimum requirements

for anyone wanting to adopt a dog or a puppy, but pet shops sell freely to

anyone who walks through the door and has the money.

I can say that almost every dog that ends up at either the department or

Hong Kong Dog Rescue has previously been passed from home to home before

being finally abandoned, and ironically these are the lucky dogs, as they

will eventually be adopted by caring and responsible people.

Many pets are simply dumped in country parks or on the street. Few survive,

and those that do become one of the hated and hunted strays that plague the

countryside. Their lives are short and miserable, but long enough to produce

more unwanted litters of puppies.

How bad does this have to get before the government finally acknowledges

that allowing this dreadful trade in life to continue without any regulation

is simply not acceptable?

Why aren't there laws banning the sale of puppies in pet shops to any casual

shopper who buys on a whim and discards just as easily?

Other countries do not allow this, and while Hong Kong bans dogs from almost

every public place as dirty vermin, the trade in puppies continues to grow.

Sally Andersen, founder, Hong Kong Dog Rescue

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