The Wow Wow Dog Circus is back at Whampoa. During the Lunar New Year, the Japanese performing dog troupe thrilled crowds in Hung Hom with tricks like rope jumping, tightrope walking and a canine that can do maths. This time, director and trainer Uchida Hiroaki offers some new feats, like dogs jumping through a ring of fire and playing piano.
'My father told me there would be no more piano-playing dogs in the world as it took too long to teach this trick,' he said. 'I decided to take up this challenge to prove that all you need is patience and determination to turn a dog's life around. There are no bad dogs, only bad owners.'
All the four-legged performers in his circus started out as abandoned dogs, so while in town Hiroaki decided he would lend his star mutt, Megu, as ambassador for the Society of Abandoned Animals' sponsorship scheme. HK$99 a month gets you a Megu greeting card and pays for an animal's food and shelter for the month. 'We now have about 280 abandoned animals at the shelter,' said El Chan, of SAA.