This week: ignorance and cruelty
Great strides have been made in animal welfare in the past 10 years in Hong Kong. There is greater awareness among the public and an associated greater respect for animals as living companions. There is also the recent increase in penalties for animal cruelty passed by the Legislative Council and there are ever more commercials to inform people about the needless suffering of animals in our society. Even this column has been a step forward as there wasn't as much public interest in the past to warrant it.
As a veterinarian I have noted an increase in interest in my professional field, with many more summer holiday high school job applicants and many more veterinary students returning to Hong Kong. I have always acknowledged that to increase public awareness and empathy for animal welfare, we need to start young. The young today are generally more educated and have much more malleable minds than adults with habitual behaviour.
I have noticed a fuzzy grey line between what is considered animal cruelty and owner ignorance. As a veterinarian I am on the frontline of animal problems. It is to me owners bring animal problems and you would be surprised at the level of ignorance that leads to untold animal disease and suffering.
I was told that in the United Kingdom, even the worst case of animal neglect will be seen in a sympathetic light by the courts if the animal was taken to a vet for help. The law is general and all encompassing and does not define specific animal cruelty situations beyond what is considered common sense.
Hitting a dog with a metal pipe is certainly cruelty, but what about smacking a dog with the palm of the hands for training purposes? Do you see the grey line? For the record, I don't condone any training regime that uses physical abuse as a form of punishment. There simply isn't any need and I have had more than 20 pet dogs that are well trained to prove it. That doesn't mean that negative feedback training with a physical element doesn't have a place. Many dog trainers use a tap on the underside of the chin as a form of negative punishment. I don't even do that.
In the eyes of the law, not knowing the law is not a valid excuse for committing a crime. It is the citizen's duty to find out what is legal and what is not before performing any action. So, is negligence due to ignorance that leads to animal suffering a form of animal welfare infraction?