Pet owners have deliberately broken the law

I refer to the full-page advertisement from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), which appeared in the South China Morning Post, on September 16.

I am neither a resident of a public housing estate, nor a pet owner, but I fully understand the importance of rules and laws.

In the complicated and modern world we live in, rules are necessary to guide people's behaviour and ultimately to ensure a safe and orderly society for us to live in.

All residents in public housing estates know very clearly that no pets of any kind are allowed on the premises. They are the ones who chose to break this rule, yet the Housing Authority is being called 'irresponsible'. So who is being irresponsible? The answer is the pet owners who deliberately broke the law and trust of the authority, because they are the ones who brought pets into a place where pets are prohibited and then abandoned them when they were discovered.

If these pet owners were genuine pet lovers, they should not have brought the pets into their homes in the first place, knowing they would eventually have to dump them on to the streets and subject them to a miserable end.

The advert said that because cats do not generate pollution they should be permitted. Does that mean that lizards, large sea turtles and snakes can be kept because they don't create pollution or noise? Where will this thinking end? The RSPCA's arguments appear to be devoid of logic.

Before the RSPCA places an ad like this, it should first find out why public housing estate pet owners keep pets. As far as I know, in most cases they see it as a sign of wealth or think it is trendy to do so. If they really loved pets, why would they still take the chance, knowing they may have to give up the pet one day? I am sure the RSPCA does a good job in protecting animals' lives. However, I believe its urgent task is to educate the people of Hong Kong about the proper attitude that must be adopted towards the keeping of pets.

My advice to the RSPCA is, think through the issue thoroughly and find a stronger argument before committing yourself to a full-page ad in the high-priced Post.

FLORA CHOW North Point