How a pet dog inspired a course at the Chinese University of Hong Kong: author Chan Ka-ming is out to educate on animal welfare
- Lecturer took home a new friend in 1998 – little did he know it would spark a new direction in his career towards animal welfare advocacy
“I wouldn’t have been able to talk to you about her a year ago,” author Chan Ka-ming says of his dog Bungy that died two years ago.
Eyes fixed on a page in one of his books bearing the animal’s picture, he adds: “I was deeply lost in her death.”
The cultural studies scholar first took home the miniature pinscher from a pet shop in Sai Wan Ho in 1998. Little did he know his love for the dog would spur a deep commitment to animal rights that has seen him explore ecology, human-pet relationships, the media’s representation of animals, and even philosophical debates about their place in the world.
Chan says he treated Bungy like a daughter. “I was heartbroken when she got sick,” he says.
In 2010 he started noticing the dog groaning day and night. He turned to the internet to find out what was wrong, but became distracted by stories and images of cruelty and abuse towards animals.
Brutal killings of cats and the mass slaughter of dogs for food were among a number of gruesome issues he confronted online. Feeling angry and concerned, he vowed to take his love of animals beyond simply caring for his own pet.