| Photo courtesy of South China Morning Post |
Six months ago Hong Kong SPCA along with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the police rescued 140 dogs who were living in horrible conditions stuffed in crates outside with little care or other attention. The dogs were removed from a property in Lau Fau Shan, in the New Territories very close to the Shenzen China boarder.
| An older Map of Hong Kong |
While it is known these dogs were being used for breeding there were no puppies to be found at the time of the raid though some dogs were pregnant. With the help of the Hong Kong SPCA veterinarian Dr. Fiona Woodhouse it was determined that many of these dogs had not stepped foot outside of their wire floored crates in a very long time and could not walk on solid ground without help. Some are believed to have had their vocal cords cut without anesthesia or veterinary support.
The owner, Lam Wai-sze, appeared in Tuen Mun Court on Wednesday being prosecuted for cruelty – a serious crime in Hong Kong – because of the horrific conditions the animals were kept in. “With a cruelty charge you can get a fine of up to HK$200,000 ($25,743.40 US) and a maximum of three years in prison. the man plead guilty to charges of having a dog without a license and permitting unnecessary suffering of an animal. He was fined HK$5,000 ($643.59 US) and ordered to do 150 hours of community service. The court also ordered confiscation of the dogs and put them in the SPCA’s care, making their adoption possible by pleading he was able to get out of paying a large fine and jail time and was forced to turn over all the dogs.
140 dogs is an unbelievable number of dogs for the SPCA and AFCD to care for there are no large Shelters in Hong Kong to house animals and very few animal agencies with a permanent shelter location. It is a testament to the fact that people in Hong Kong really care about dogs that while the dogs were waiting to be placed in new homes as they were evidence in a court case they found a way to rehabilitate the dogs. They were taught to walk on a leash, learned what the outside world is all about, walked up stairs and on sidewalks for the first time and have become very special dogs who want nothing more then to find a family of their own to love them. Their former owner by pleading guilty has allowed them to be released and find their special homes.
Anyone interested in adopting one of these dogs aged from two to eight years and include poodles, chihuahuas, corgis, huskies, dachshunds, schnauzers and English bulldogs should contact the SPCA Homing Service at (+852)2232 5529
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=1c66387d62b3f210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News
I hope all these dogs find forever homes soon. It's wonderful to see the Hong Kong people are helping them learn about the outside world so they will be better prepared for their new lives:)
I wish we had huge fines in the United States and prison sentences to go along with them….it's the only way to put an end to the puppy mills…they're constantly in violation but never have any consequences.