A Mong Kok Pet Shop, with pups jammed in cages - a cruel front for more cruelty.
According to AFCD, an average 577 pedigree puppies are sold in pet shops every month!
Beaware that if you buy a pup from a Pet Shop you are supporting A CHAIN OF CRUELTY!
Puppy continuously teased by member of the public.
Pet shops in Hong Kong are notorious for selling sick puppies. (Please see our Sick Puppy Survey). Puppies have often been taken from their mothers too young, when they have not developed sufficient immunity; they are then placed in stark cages in the pet shop under strong lights with potential buyers knocking on the window, which only serves to increase their stress levels. Imagine the fear and the bewilderment that the puppy is experiencing. It's nightmare continues as it then poorly cared for.
Where is their water? Nowhere to be seen.Unscrupulous pet shop owners, are often known to both underfeed the pup and to not provide free access to water, in order to prevent the little dog from peeing and pooing, making a mess of the cage and of the other pups in the cage. This is cruel and depriving an animal of water is against the law.
The puppies are often cleared out of their display enclosures and stuffed into small cages, out of sight. In the hot HK summer are they placed in an air conditioned room with free access to water?
Another common trick is to keep the water dispenser just out of reach of the pup, and when questioned, to claim that the pup does have water.
If you spot cruelty in pet shops, please do not hesitate to report it to our
SPCA Hotline 2711-1000 or AFCD 1823, so that it can be investigated.
Pups "warehoused", awaiting pet shop space.With a high turnover in puppy sales, the pet shop needs to "warehouse" their stock elsewhere, in order to "restock the shelves" in a timely manner. SPCA Inspectorate has been involved in a number of pet shop warehousing investigations. Often with over 50 puppies in one small room, the puppies were found to be confined to tiny cages stacked one atop the other, never let out of their cages, with sick puppies being pumped full with antibiotics administered by unqualified staff in a bid to keep the pets healthy or mask symptoms until sold.
10 kibble? Enough food for a pup for a day?It is not uncommon for pet shop staff to tell their gullible buyers to simply feed a puppy 10 pieces of kibble a day, in order to stunt its growth and keep it cute and small and to stop the pup peeing and pooing in the new owners apartment - however, it is also bascially starving the animal - some puppies may die.
Puppy mill mother in a disgusting condition, rescued by SPCA.The pet shop's motivation is to sell as many pups as possible, so they do not care how badly bred their puppies are. The fact that the pup may suffer later on in life from permanent, sometimes very painful genetic conditions - such as hip and leg problems, breathing problems or neurological problems, which will break your heart and cost a fortune in vet bills - is going to be your problem, not theirs!
Some pet shops may make a feeble attempt at being responsible by showing the buyer a meaningless "picture of the mother", but the truth is that behind each adorable puppy in the window of Hong Kong’s pet shops, many have endured horrendous conditions on the journey to the buyer. The demand for cheap, pedigree puppies means unscrupulous traders need to churn out the trendiest breeds rapidly resulting in the dreadful cruelty of Puppy Mills.
It is known that because of cost, cheaper but equally badly bred, often diseased, puppies from China are laundered in with Hong Kong puppy stock. The cruel Dali Pet Market in China acts as "Puppy Central" for mills all over Southern China.
The internet is an increasingly popular way for people to obtain puppies. Both pet shops and breeders offer this cheaper alternative, which enables them often to circumvent any licensing requirement and avoid any government inspections. Arrangements are made entirely online and payment is usually cash on delivery, with sellers offering to bring the puppy to a location of mutual convenience. Of course, websites claim to have puppies from "reputable" breeders, but a good breeder would not sell their pups blindly to an unknown buyer that they have not vetted.
If you buy through a Pet Shop or Internet, you have NO idea where your puppy has come from!
DO NOT BUY FROM A PET SHOP OR THE INTERNET!
If you have set your heart on a pure breed puppy, first look in our Adoption Centres
If you cannot find a suitable dog then: VISIT THE BREEDER
Play your part by helping to end cruelty in the pet trade and BOYCOTTING THE BAD BREEDER!
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2711 1000
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The SPCA operates adoptions centres and veterinary facilities in many districts throughout Hong Kong.
Registered charity number: 91/62
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