Weds 4th April: More on the local pet trade

Yam leaves to start his new life

Puppy Yam was picked up from our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre first thing in the morning and his new life starts today.  I’m sure he will be happy and with a built-in sister ready to show him the ropes it will help to settle him into a routine.

I was at home today, attempting to give Marnie her spring haircut apart from other things.  She has a long and incredibly thick coat, and the clippers had almost no effect.  It didn’t help that she hated the buzzing noise and was struggling to get free, so in the end it was a kitchen scissor job and I’ll try to tidy it up a bit another day.

Marnie was one of the early Monkey Pups, now a beautiful shaggy girl

I found this letter to the Hong Kong Kennel Club on Facebook today, and felt compelled to share it here.  Those of you who have watched the BBC documentary on pedigree dogs in the UK will already be aware that concern for the animals themselves comes a long way down on the list of priorities for show dog breeders, if it exists at all.  I don’t know much about the situation in Hong Kong but I think I can make a fairly accurate guess, and it’s not good.  If you are under any delusions that breeders care about their dogs, then read this.  It applies worldwide, so if you have bought, or are thinking of buying, a puppy from Australia or anywhere else, understand that you are contributing to this awful cruelty:

“Dear Honored members of the Hong Kong Kennel Club,

We are a group of Whippet and Sighthound owners from many countries around the world. We are writing to you about the conditions a breeder and HKKC member is keeping his Whippets. Conditions that put the animals at risk of injury.
Conditions where the animals are clearly not being properly fed and clearly are not receiving enough exercise and training as their conditioning and development as seen in pictures is quite poor.

The highest priority of any countries Kennel Club must always be first and foremost the protection and care of the animals. As Whippet and dog lovers from around the world we turn to you, the Hong Kong Kennel Club, to investigate Mr. Kent Ng, the possible proprietor of Pet Shop Royal, and take immediate action to protect the animals in his possession and educate Mr. Ng on the proper way to raise and care for Whippets and other breeds of dogs.

Mr. Ng has posted pictures on Facebook showing Bitches with pups being kept in Crates that have no bedding for them to lie on. In some pictures the mother is laying on a nursing pad with no other bedding in the crates. These pad provides no comfort or protection to the mother or the pups, its only purpose is to make Mr. Ng’s life easier in cleaning the crates.

These conditions expose the pups to the holes in the floor risking damage to their small legs and paws. Other pictures show a mother lying on bare bars with gaps between the bars so large even the mothers’ legs are at risk of injury.
All animals shown are lacking in body/muscle development and conditioning. Whippets need a regular amount of exercise out of doors in order to allow their bodies to develop. The pictures Mr. Ng has posted clearly show a lack of muscle development in his Whippets, they are not kept in environments that allow them to properly exercise and develop the muscle structure. Whippets who do not properly develop muscles run the risk of bone, joint and spine injuries.

Mr Kent Ng appears to be actively showing his whippets, which means he should be known to the HKKC and the condition of his dogs must have been seen by some of your members. The condition of those dogs being shown appears to be no better than those in the Crates. They are drastically under weight, without proper conditioning and development

We feel that this does not show the Hong Kong Kennel club in good light and request measure are taken with some urgency to help Kent NG to understand that animals should not be kept in this manner, educate him on how to properly and compassionately care for his animals. We also request that the conditions of Mr. Ng’s animals are continuously checked to ensure Mr. Ng maintains good living conditions for his animals

It is in the best interested of the HKKC and ALL of their members that this situation be investigated and resolved. The reputation of the HKKC and its members are all damaged by the actions of one breeder who mistreats and fails to properly care for his animals. The reputation of all breeders and exhibitors associated with the HKKC are at risk if breeders such as Mr. Ng are allowed to treat his animals in such a deplorable fashion and still be allowed to compete as a member of the HKKC.

We will continue to monitor the actions of Mr. Ng and the HKKC through the global Kennel Club network. Please take immediate action now to show the world how the Hong Kong Kennel Club will not stand by and allow it members to miss treat dogs of all breeds in such horrible and damaging ways.

Thank you in advance for your immediate actions to help Mr. Ng become a respectable and valued member of the Hong Kong Kennel Club and respected member of the global Whippet and Sighthound community.”