The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation,
For far too many years, hundreds and thousands of dogs have been born and bred in the most appalling conditions in puppy factories hidden from public eye across Hong Kong, to feed the city’s ever-growing demand for pets. While the Government’s current proposed legislation finally mean that all dog breeders will have to be licensed, we believe that only by demanding the buyer’s right to visit the breeder can we boycott the bad breeder. Only then can we end this trade in cruelty!
The current proposal goes a long way to license and regulate the dog trade, but it still falls short in its goal of protecting the wellbeing of animals in four vital respects.
NO Rights to Visit the BreederIt should be a fundamental buyer’s right to see where and how a puppy has been raised. Only then can you be assured of the good breeding conditions, the health and welfare of the mother and puppies. A good breeder will welcome this buyer’s inspection and indeed will want to know if YOU are a suitable owner for the pup’s ‘life-time’!
NO Cap on Numbers of DogsEach and every mum and pup requires individual care and attention, in a comfortable and spacious environment that, on the one hand fosters vital socialization skills in the puppy, and on the other constitutes, let’s not forget, the lifelong home of the breeding mother. No cap on numbers encourages the continued existence of puppy factories for profit!
NO Rest for Mother between littersPregnancy for a dog lasts for 2 months during which she can be carrying a litter of a many as 12 puppies. She then succours her puppies for a further 2 months until they are weaned and taken away from her. This is a tough 4 months to endure and like any mother anywhere, she will need rest and recuperation. Without this essential requirement protected in law, the bad breeder will mate her every 4 months – until she dies of exhaustion!
NO Freedom of Movement Domesticated and bred for thousands of years to be ‘Man’s Best Friend’, the dog is a loyal and sociable animal that craves interaction and exercise. They all deserve to be cherished, loved and cared for – and walked regularly. In the name of profit, to deprive them of exercise, to lock them in a cage for life, bereft of the company for up to 23 hours a day or more, is to trade in cruelty!