Pet Shops

Pet shops in Hong Kong have a history of selling puppies who have been taken from their mothers too young and not had time to develop sufficient immunity resulting in preventable diseases. The pet shops further increase stress levels by putting puppies in bare cages under strong lights with potential buyers knocking on the window.

Unscrupulous pet shop owners are known to underfeed puppies and not provide easy access to water. This prevents them from peeing and pooing, and making a mess of the cage and of the other pups. Not only is depriving an animal of food and water cruel, but also against the law.

If you spot cruelty in pet shops, please do not hesitate to report it to the SPCA Hotline on 2711 1000 or to the on AFCD 1823.

With a high turnover of puppies, pet shops need to “warehouse” their stock so they can resupply quickly. Sometimes, these warehouses contain more than 50 puppies, all confined to tiny cages stacked on top of each other. They are never allowed out and sick puppies are pumped full of antibiotics, administered by unqualified staff, in a bid to keep the pets healthy or mask symptoms until sold.

Some pet shop staff have been known to tell customers to feed their new puppy ten pieces of kibble a day in order to stunt its growth, keeping it cute and small, and to stop the pup from peeing and pooing in the new owner’s apartment. However, this is a starvation diet and can result in the puppy dying.

A pet shop’s motivation is to sell as many pups as possible, caring little for the breeding process. However, poor breeding can result in very painful genetic conditions – such as hip and leg problems, breathing problems or neurological problems – which is not only heart-breaking but also going to cost you a fortune in vet bills.

Behind every adorable puppy in the window of Hong Kong’s pet shops, is the reality that 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.

These are particularly prevalent in Southern China with the puppies making their way to Hong Kong via the Dali Pet Market in Fo Shan.

The internet is an increasingly popular way for people to buy puppies. Both pet shops and breeders can offer cheaper dogs because they can circumvent any licensing requirements and avoid government inspections. Websites claim to have puppies from “reputable” breeders but it’s worth remembering that a good breeder would not sell their pups to an unknown buyer that they have not vetted.