Q Should public tenants be allowed to keep pets?
Residents of government housing have always known that by the letter of the law they should not keep pets.
In the past, the government turned a blind eye to the situation. Periodically, the government enforces the law. This happened about six years ago. During that time, pets in large numbers were destroyed, rehoused or abandoned. This had a horrendous impact on many families.
In a place like Hong Kong, where apartment living is the norm, pets become very much an integral part of family life.
The benefits of pet ownership are enormous. For example, research has shown it reduces the government's health-care spending.
Government money budgeted for this clampdown on pets in public housing could be diverted to introduce strategies to enable responsible pet ownership. For example, the government can limit the size and number of pets per household.