Dogs Unleashed
Dogs have been viewed as pets in the general population of Hong Kong for a relatively short time. Despite a greater awareness of animal rights and an increasing love of dogs, there remains a very high incidence of “man’s best friend” being neglected here. This neglect not only comes at a cost to the dog but also to humans and other animals in its territory.
Dogs are frightening to many young Hong Kong children and adults brought up in housing estates with access to nothing but concrete. Westerners cannot understand this fear, and yet – given the many cases of stalking and attacking dogs – it is understandable and perhaps wise to be (at least at first) wary.
“Jasminearif” on the Explore discussion board says “there are many instances when on walks with my toddler; we’re surrounded literally, by a pack of dogs. In such a situation there’s no way of knowing whether these dogs are harmless or not. But I’m not taking any chances with dogs that are trained as guard dogs…I feel like a prisoner because of these dogs…how can I let these dog owners know that they need to be more responsible?”
Residents of villages across the Sai Kung District have reported dogs showing unpredictable and/or dangerous behaviour, stalking both young and old as they walk to and from their homes. Many who walk their own dogs find it necessary to shun certain routes to avoid possible fights between their own leashed dogs and uncontrolled dogs.
The majority of these are not stray or feral dogs – they belong to villagers.
In January a family pet was savaged by a Ko Tong villager's dog, requiring $4,000 of veterinary treatments. Repeated requests by neighbours to keep the dog inside or on a leash went unheeded and the villager allows it to wander and stalk both other dogs and people.
One public path between To Kwa Peng and Ko Tong within Sai Kung East Country Park leads to remote houses surrounded by a fierce pack of dogs which snarl and scare all innocent hikers that come by. This same pack of dogs, which appear to have been trained to hunt, was observed killing a young wild boar right next to a nearby village.
John Wright, a resident of Ko Tong, who has personally lost one pet dog to a mauling and was later attacked (with his 8 year old son) by a pack of dogs is enraged by the number of incidents in his area alone and the inadequacy of the response by authorities. His letter to the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) received a response from an Animal Management Field Officer explaining that 5 stray dogs had been caught in the vicinity during October and November. Mr. Wright states that the “dog catching policy is largely indiscriminate and does not target specific dogs which are dangerous or a serious nuisance. The problem of irresponsible owners remains unaddressed.”
Given current laws and resources, can AFCD really do much better? Explore sources have expressed similar views to those of “Cathy” on the Explore discussion board: “the AFCD will catch…and kill if no one claims ownership within four days. Some dogs are killed in the catching process. Those who survive the trip to the kennels have a miserable four-day wait until death.” And her impression of the kennels are also echoed by others: “I’ve been inside some of the kennels and they are quite deplorable”.
Many Sai Kung residents have called for all stray dogs to be rounded up and shot but – despite the reaction of animal rights activists – will this really get to the root of the problem?
Sandy Gaell, Mike Muir, and Melanie Andersen feel that there is a better way. Collectively known as Sai Kung Stray Friends, they have found a means for private citizens to promote a culture of caring for animals within the community and they are slowly making a difference.
Since last fall, Sandy has been visiting businesses on Hong Tseun Road near the Sai Kung Fire Station, briefing them on responsible pet ownership and encouraging them to have their dogs neutered (she’ll even take them in for the busy owners). Local SPCA veterinarian, Mike Muir, provides incentive rates to the owners based upon their ability to pay and the dogs are vaccinated against rabies and micro chipped at the same time. Sandy says that most owners are amenable to the plan – they just haven’t had time to get it done. She feels that the time that she spends with every business owner is worth its weight in gold; it builds a new understanding of their responsibility as dog owners.
While Sandy is talking to people at the garages and construction sites, Melanie is making multiple trips over to the AFCD’s Kowloon Animal Management Centre to pick up puppies that have been brought in. She sits in front of Wellcome and Steamers with the bathed and fed puppies on weekends with Sandy, scouting out prospective ‘parents’ for them.
Each potential owner is carefully screened to ensure their long-term dog parenthood and Melanie makes follow-up calls to make sure that they have gotten their appropriate shots, etc. and that everything is going well. They’ve found homes for 65 puppies since they started 6 weeks ago and SK Stray Friends has made sure that none will take the responsibility lightly. Not only that but as people mill around the puppies on the street – Sandy and Melanie (and a handful of new volunteers) are also using this opportunity to show both kids and adults the value of loving pets and taking care of them.
The combination of owner education, strong encouragement of neutering and homing of captured puppies may be a long process to make a measurable difference in Sai Kung but – with the aid of more volunteers (residents and businesses) it is a sustainable process.
Now it's your turn..... give us your dog stories by sending an email to animals@exploresaikung.com and/or posting to the Explore Discussion Forum.