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SCMP Reporter

The SPCA has stopped accepting dogs given up by their owners since early August. However there is still a long way to go to turn Hong Kong into Asia's first no-kill city. Education on neutering and being a responsible pet owner is, of course, crucial. Some pet shop owners have come up with something even more innovative - an animal rental service. But is this such a good idea?

(SCMP; August 29, 2002)

By Susan Schwartz and Reuters

A pet shop owner believes he has found a solution to the problem of dogs being dumped by their owners - renting out pups for the week.

Danny Tam said his strategy of 'rent first, buy later' could cut down on the increasing number of dogs being abandoned because their owners have grown tired of them.

'This allows consumers to decide if they really want to keep pets, and it also helps generate business,' he said.

Mr Tam, who owns Uncle Toby Professional Pet Grooming in To Kwa Wan, said his business had grown five-fold since he launched the new marketing strategy earlier in the summer.

Fewer than 10 per cent of his dogs have been returned, and none has been rented for more than a week.

'If you don't like the dog then you should make the decision in a week,' he said.

Charges range from $700 a week for a dog worth less than $3,000, to $1,400 a week for one costing more than $5,000. Customers have to pay a deposit equal to the full value of the animal and the rent is then deducted from the deposit.

But Dr Pauline Taylor, deputy executive of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said she was horrified by the idea.

'Animals are for life. The word 'rent' refers to something you use for a limited period of time,' Dr Taylor said. 'It could lead people to rent a puppy for a variety of wrong reasons and open up the pup to abuse.'

Dr Taylor said she doubted someone would dump a dog within a week of buying it.

'More than likely they would bring it back to the shop. Pups are not usually dumped within such a short period unless they are ill,' she said.

'I have never heard of a scheme like this before and it does not have the welfare of the pup in mind.'

Glossary

rent out (phrasal v) to allow someone to use something in return for regular payment. Remember the verb 'rent' alone has an opposite meaning that you pay a sum of money in order to use something for a definite period of time. In England, you may hear people using 'hire' instead of 'rent'.

Example: Housing Authority member Chan Kam-lam said they could devise a new scheme to rent out Home Ownership Scheme flats to those who can afford it, with a fixed tenancy like three years or five years. (SCMP; September 8, 2002)

Example: Property owners have called on the government to tighten laws protecting them against growing numbers of tenants who refuse to pay rent or who vandalise their flats before moving out. (SCMP; September 16, 2002)

strategy (n) a systematic plan of action one adopts in order to achieve something

abandon (v) to give up. Do not confuse it with the adjective'abundant', which means plentiful and rich

five-fold (n) five times; '-fold' is a suffix, indicating a multiplication by a specified number.

deduct (v) to subtract. Do not confuse it with the verb 'deduce' - to reach a conclusion by reasoning. For example, mind coach Scott Bornstein deduced that such involuntary associations in our brain could be used to our advantage in memorising new materials. (SCMP; October 20, 2001). Mr Bornstein worked out by a logical process that involuntary associations in our brain are helpful for learning.

open up (phrasal v) to expose to a new situation



Pet shop rents out puppies to tackle dumping