Dog owners admit to dumping more than one
(SCMP) 08月 15日 星期二 00:03AMMore than half of dog owners who admitted to abandoning pets said they had dumped more than one, with some leaving the animals at vets' practices or even beauty parlours, a
poll has found.
Of the 303 people who admitted to abandoning dogs in the My Pet magazine survey, 63.4 per cent said they dumped the animals because they were not allowed to have them where they lived.
The Housing Authority passed a regulation in 2003 banning dogs from flats in public housing estates, leading many to abandon their pets. Many private landlords also banned animals.
Almost a third of respondents said they abandoned a dog because they "didn't like it anymore". Dogs were also dumped because they fell sick, misbehaved or were too much trouble to care for.
A fifth said they decided to get a second pet because "after abandoning my first dog, I wanted to get another one", and 12 per cent because "it doesn't matter, if I get tired of it I can abandon this one as well".
"This is most frightening to me," said Tang Kwai-sin, chief editor of My Pet. "Some people buy dogs out of impulsiveness and dump them when they get tired of them. These people treat dogs like playthings."
A spokeswoman for the magazine added: "A dog is abandoned every half hour in Hong Kong. That's only counting the ones that are picked up by the AFCD ."
The department impounded or received 13,100 dogs last year, 11,900 of which were put down because they were not adopted within the department's four-day grace period. The department kills an average of 32 dogs a day.
"It's a lifetime commitment," the spokeswoman said, urging owners to think carefully before deciding to buy a pet.
Ms Tang said those with newborn children, too busy or financially unable to care for a pet, or with serious asthma should not bring dogs home. She recommended neutering pets.
The law stipulates a HK$10,000 fine and up to six months in prison for abandoning a dog, but as many animals are not registered, abandonment is often hard to prove and therefore makes the law virtually impossible to enforce.
A Housing Authority spokeswoman said tenants who kept pets were given five demerit points on the tenancy marking scheme. Tenants who accrue 16 points can be evicted.
Ms Tang urged the government to reconsider its policy on pets in government-owned housing, and encouraged a "one home, one dog" policy.
How can the responsibilities of pet ownership be impressed on potential owners?
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