When we moved from Sydney to India we made the heart-breaking decision to re-home our beautiful dog, Finchley. It was a tough decision but given the conditions in India, and Finchley being half beagle, I was happy we didn't take him to 'explore' all the things that are around the streets of Bangalore. The water and garbage would have been a huge issue for him and I honestly believe he would not have made it through our stint without many visits to the vet.
The street dogs in India are not domesticated and tend to be very unhealthy. We had a family rule to not go anywhere near the street dogs to avoid being bitten and then the fun of treatment for rabies. We had lots of friends who had their dogs in India and also some who got dogs while living there but we knew it wasn't right for Finchley.
When we moved to Hong Kong I wasn't aware of the dog situation that would await us. There is a very big stray dog issue in Hong Kong which was surprising to me, and most of these dogs are dumped by owners and left to die. Many people use dogs as 'burglar alarms' and if they move house (which is very common) they don't take the dogs with them. In addition to this, the stray dog problem is getting out of control. I read daily of puppies being found dumped in our neighbourhood - and that is just our local area. There are a number of rescue homes that assist with adoption and fostering, but with the huge number of animals they are handling it is just impossible.
When you see this on a daily basis it is even more difficult to know that dogs are having even a worse time in nearby China. I read a story that was in the South China Morning Post about a Chinese festival in the southern city of Yulin where dog meat is used in a summer festival. The dogs are killed and eaten with lychees. I know dog meat is still common in China, but to have a festival that involves it, is just crazy !
Many of you may have read about this story, as Ricky Gervais has brought attention to the horrible situation in China. Luckily, with these horrible stories come some glimmer of hope. There was a Chinese lady who paid over $1000 (US) to buy/rescue 100 of the dogs that were on sale to be eaten during the festival. She will now re-home these dogs in her northern town where she knows they will be loved and cared for.
I hope that in the coming years, as more and more publicity is brought to the horrible treatment of animals, that things will change. And lets hope that dog meat is taken off the menu very very soon. People will feel strong enough to report cases of abuse and will stand up for our 'best friends'.
The street dogs in India are not domesticated and tend to be very unhealthy. We had a family rule to not go anywhere near the street dogs to avoid being bitten and then the fun of treatment for rabies. We had lots of friends who had their dogs in India and also some who got dogs while living there but we knew it wasn't right for Finchley.
When we moved to Hong Kong I wasn't aware of the dog situation that would await us. There is a very big stray dog issue in Hong Kong which was surprising to me, and most of these dogs are dumped by owners and left to die. Many people use dogs as 'burglar alarms' and if they move house (which is very common) they don't take the dogs with them. In addition to this, the stray dog problem is getting out of control. I read daily of puppies being found dumped in our neighbourhood - and that is just our local area. There are a number of rescue homes that assist with adoption and fostering, but with the huge number of animals they are handling it is just impossible.
When you see this on a daily basis it is even more difficult to know that dogs are having even a worse time in nearby China. I read a story that was in the South China Morning Post about a Chinese festival in the southern city of Yulin where dog meat is used in a summer festival. The dogs are killed and eaten with lychees. I know dog meat is still common in China, but to have a festival that involves it, is just crazy !
Many of you may have read about this story, as Ricky Gervais has brought attention to the horrible situation in China. Luckily, with these horrible stories come some glimmer of hope. There was a Chinese lady who paid over $1000 (US) to buy/rescue 100 of the dogs that were on sale to be eaten during the festival. She will now re-home these dogs in her northern town where she knows they will be loved and cared for.
I hope that in the coming years, as more and more publicity is brought to the horrible treatment of animals, that things will change. And lets hope that dog meat is taken off the menu very very soon. People will feel strong enough to report cases of abuse and will stand up for our 'best friends'.
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