Text 1
Learn more about the AFCD Rehome Scheme by reading the information extracted from the website of The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) below.
Before buying a pet, why not consider adoption to save a life?
Your wise decision can alter the destiny of abandoned animals!
Many animals deserve a second chance of being a pet again after they were abandoned or given up by their owners.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) encourages the public to adopt abandoned or surrendered animals through our partnering Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs). These animals include dogs, cats, rabbits, chinchillas, reptiles, etc.
Abandoned and unclaimed animals which have a friendly temperament and are healthy will be selected for re-homing.
Source of animals for adoption
1. AFCD receives abandoned or unclaimed animals.
2. AFCD’s veterinarians will perform health checks and temperament assessment of the animals.
3. Animals with a good temperament and health condition will be transferred to our partnering AWOs for neutering (mainly dogs and cats) and adoption.
4. Public who are interested in adopting animals could apply to the AWOs and follow the adoption procedure accordingly.
Source: https://www.pets.gov.hk/english/animal_health_and_welfare/adoption.html#adopt
Worksheet A
Text 2
Below is an extract from Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66, issued by the Census and Statistics Department Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2019.
Keeping of dogs and cats: Major findings
Characteristics of households keeping dogs /cats
It was estimated from the survey that 241 900 households were keeping dogs /cats at the time of enumeration, representing 9.4% of all households in Hong Kong. 5.7% of all households were keeping dogs, while 4.0% were keeping cats. (Table 6.1)
Table 6.1 Households keeping dogs/ cats
Dogs/ cats# No. of households (‘000) Rate*
Dogs 147.5 5.7
Cats 103.0 4.0
Overall 241.9 9.4
Characteristics of dogs /cats being kept by households
For those 221 100 dogs and 184 100 cats kept by households at the time of enumeration, the average ages were respectively 6.9 and 6.0 years. Most of them were either bought from pet shops or being gifts from relatives /friends of households.
Views on giving away pets
Of those 241 900 households keeping dogs /cats at the time of enumeration, 222 400 households were keeping only dogs / cats where 10 300 households (4.6%) had considered not keeping their dogs /cats. Including households with keeping dogs /cats and other pets, 11 200 households in total had considered not keeping their pets.
For those 11 200 households which had considered not keeping their pets, the most commonly cited reasons for not keeping them were related to the pets (86.4%), including that the pets had grown up and thus the households did not have enough space to keep them, etc. Some cited that they had “financial problem” (52.6%) or “reasons related to household members” (43.0%)#.
For those 11 200 households which had considered not keeping their pets, the most commonly cited method of giving away their pets was “sell to pet shops” (63.4%), followed by “sell through pet shops” (43.4%), “sell to friends/ relatives” (33.2%) and others (27.0%)#
Notes: # multiple answers were allowed
*as a percentage of all households at the time of enumeration
Source:
https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/data/stat_report/product/C0000034/att/B11302662019XXXXB0 100.pdf
Text 3
Below is an article taken from Pawprint, an animal welfare magazine published by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Love makes all the difference
Back in 2019, a heartbreaking animal cruelty case hit the headline when nearly 100 malnourished animals were discovered in Ta Kwu Ling at Stray Wonderland the animal shelter, along with 10 carcasses of dogs and cats. February the white cat was a fortunate survivor and is now leading a happy and healthy life with her “pawrents” – Carmen and Vincent.
When Carmen and Vincent first arrived at the adoption centre, there were many excited and energetic kittens that drew their attention – but they soon discovered a quiet, white kitten resting in her bed and looking rather indifferent to everything happening around her. The SPCA staff told them that the kitten had been both weak and aggressive when she was rescued. After receiving medical treatment and care by the SPCA team, she recovered and allowed people to pet her. It saddened Carmen and Vincent when they learned her story and they decided to give February a forever home.
February was, naturally, scared after arriving at her new home. She would spend most of the time under the sofa or the desk during the day. Carmen and Vincent would crawl under the desk or lie down next to her to talk and feed her on the floor. Initially, she was not responsive, even during play time. Whenever there were guests in the house, she would run and hide until the guests left. However, February has changed completely after a year of living under this loving home. She now loves to sit with Carmen and Vincent and demands petting. She has also fallen in love with cat toys and turned into a frisky cat instead of hiding in corners. She acts as the morning alarm call, meowing loudly every morning until she is fed. “Over the year, she has transformed from a shy princess into a gangster who would probably rob you for food,” jokes Carmen.
Love makes all the difference, especially for traumatized animals. Without the love and care from Carmen and Vincent, February would not be able to live her new life as an affectionate (and chubby) cat.
Source: https://main.spca.org.hk/pawprint_download/PP115_en_spread.pdf
