Have you ever seen poor stray dogs walking helplessly on the streets looking for food? In Hong Kong, there is an estimated number of 25000 stray dogs roaming in the New Territories. This problem is caused because of many irresponsible pet owners. Are you one of them? About 280000 local families, which is about 12.6% of the population, own pets, and yet a large number of them had admitted that they wanted to give up their animals, just because the pets excreted everywhere, or simply because they were growing old.
Keeping a pet is a life-long commitment which should never be decided on the spur of the moment. You should really think carefully before getting a pet, or else another dog might becomes a stray animal after a couple of years. You should ask yourself whether you are willing to spend time with your pet, whether you have enough money to pay the costly veterinary bills when your pet is sick, whether anyone in your family may dislike the animal, and whether you are willing to make a life-long commitment. If you are not sure whether you can do all these things, then it is better for you not to keep a pet.
Stray dogs and cats exist because of many irresponsible owners. When they get fed up or bored with their pets, they will just leave them on the streets to wander around, where all of dangerous things may happen. Some owners just hand in their pets to the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department. In 2005, 11900 dogs were put down. These thousands of lives were lost, simply because of the selfish owners. We must really think before we leap.
Apart from the problem of stray animals, another important issue in Hong Kong is animal abuse. Many Hong Kongers seem to neglect the fact that animals have the rights to live and to be taken care of. Many mistreat their pets just because they are naughty and some ignorant ones abuse their pets without even realizing that they are doing it. A man was recently jailed for leaving his dogs to starve to death in a balcony in scorching summer heat. In another case, a puppy which had three legs chopped off was left dying in a creek. These horrible things expose the cold-bloodedness of the owners who think animals’ lives are worthless, sparking outrage in our city.
In fact, animal abusers face a maximum penalty of a $5000 fine and six months’ imprisonment, but the continuing cases of animal abuse prove that the law is not at all effective. Tougher laws should be passed to put a stop to animal abuse. Also, we must all take part in preventing animal abuse. If you know anyone keeping pets, please kindly ask them to love their animals. If you see anyone abusing animals, please report to the police immediately. Most importantly, please do not abuse animals yourself, and remember to think twice before getting a pet. We, SPCA, help abandoned animals by providing birth-control surgeries, temporary shelters and so on. Please kindly show your care through donations and joining volunteer work on animal protection.
If everyone in society can treasure the precious lives of their pets and love them, the number of strays and animal abuse cases will fall. Let’s join hands and support animal protection.