Tens of thousands of dogs in the city spend their lives cooped up in small flats because of a lack of public open space where owners can exercise them, a survey has found.
With dogs banned from all but a handful of city parks, more than half of owners do not take their dogs out even though most recognise this is bad for their pets' health, according to the poll by My Pet magazine.
It is estimated that there are about 200,000 dogs in the city and the number is increasing. 'There is one dog for every 30 people ... This is quite a big population. If they have a problem, it will be quite big,' said Chan Chung-mau, a psychiatrist who has urged the government to provide more parks designated for dogs.
The survey found that 55 per cent of owners did not walk their dogs because of a lack of public space, even though 79 per cent of owners agreed that this could affect pet health.
My Pet chief editor Tang Kwai-sim said the city had created an undesirable environment for dogs.
The survey of 553 owners and 254 people who have no pets, found that both groups supported calls for more space to be given to dogs and that more fines should be imposed on people who do not follow the rules.
