Who let the dogs out? Public housing estate crackdown forcing owners to abandon pets
Stricter enforcement of ownership ban sees sharp rise in abandoned animals at shelters
A rising number of public housing tenants are being forced to abandon pet dogs due to stiffer enforcement of estate rules disallowing their ownership, contributing to a larger share of animals being given up, Hong Kong's leading animal welfare organisation warns.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said dogs abandoned at public housing estates comprised up to 20 per cent of all its recent cases of stray and surrendered canines.
SPCA deputy director of welfare Dr Fiona Woodhouse said strict rules relating to dog keeping had to be examined.
"Public housing is the major reason still for pet and dog abandonment," the veteran animal welfare expert said.
"There are still people who will go out and get dogs because they've kept dogs before or moved from private to public housing and are [forced] into a choice of giving up the dog or smuggling it."
The Housing Authority said unauthorised dog keeping adversely affected environmental hygiene and was a nuisance for tenants in densely populated public rental housing estates.