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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS

MONTH: November/December 2007

Puppy mills now an issue in China

 

HONG KONG, BEIJING, MELBOURNE -- Humane societies and mass media a world away from the U.S. joined U.S. counterparts in autumn 2007 denunciations of puppy mills.

Hong Kong SPCA spokeswoman Rebecca Ngan Yee-ling complained to Simon Parry of the South China Morning Post that "The public is encouraged to buy pedigree dogs by certain movies, as well as by the influence of celebrities bringing their pedigree dogs into the limelight." She described pet shops as "an area of vast concern in terms of animal welfare," and noted that at times more than 40% of the dogs arriving at the Hong Kong SPCA shelters are cast-off purebreds.

Ngan blamed the influx of purebreds for a slump in adoptions of mongrels, dropping total dog adoptions from 876 in 2003 to 751 in 2006, while the animal control shelter operated by the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department in fiscal 2007 killed an average of 941 dogs a month, up from 875 a month in 2006.

The Chinese Business Morning View attributed a drop in purebred dog prices and sales to stricter animal control law enforcement in Beijing and other cities, and asserted that "The business of pet-dog-related products, such as dog dress and dog food, is sluggish too. Many shops are closed due to the no-longer profitable market."

Bloggers suggested that the real issue is that the first-time pet acquisition market has stabilized, after years of rapid growth.

Hinting that the abuses long associated with commercial breeding in the west are of concern in China too, the Liaoning provincial dog trade association general secretary recommended that breeders and sellers should refocus on producing healthier dogs.