Pet Smuggling
The Dali pet market operates from Monday to Friday providing both wholesale and retail sales of animals, pet accessories, pharmaceuticals and veterinary services. It is also a national collection point for puppies bred in inhumane puppy mills all over China and then shipped onwards to pet shops across Southern China, including Hong Kong.
Dali adds an extra layer of cruelty to the puppies which pass through it. There is a complete absence of disease prevention and control and, with no vaccinations, epidemics of distemper, parvovirus, kennel cough, para-influenza and cat rhinotracheitis are frequent, resulting in the death of large numbers of animals.
Healthy dogs are mixed with sick animals and some dealers administer veterinary drugs and medications themselves, even though they are unqualified to do so. Dogs that die are simply discarded in bins.
Dogs can be sold to pet shops or directly to the public. Once an animal is purchased, falsified health records are provided before departure and some shops will offer to provide a veterinary check to “guarantee” your puppy’s health.
For buyers in Hong Kong, the dogs are smuggled in. Puppies are packed in boxes, hidden in secret compartments in vehicles or transported, mislabelled as other goods. Puppies may be drugged to keep them quiet so that their barking does not alert customs officials.
Smuggling dogs into the city avoids the mandatory four-month rabies quarantine period at a government facility and greatly increases the risk of a rabies outbreak in Hong Kong.
About Puppy Trade
Pet Shops
According to the AFCD, nearly 600 pedigree puppies are sold in Hong Kong’s pet shops every month. If you are planning to buy a puppy from a pet shop, you are supporting a long chain of cruelty.
Puppy Mills
Simply put, they are large scale dog breeding operations that aim to produce the most number of puppies for the least cost ...
Puppy Farm Raid
The Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – as we were known in the early days – was formed by a group of volunteers in 1903 who wanted...
Pet Smuggling
The Dali pet market operates from Monday to Friday and provides wholesale and retail sales of animals, pet accessories, pharmaceuticals and veterinary services. It is also a national ...
Genetic Illness
Pedigree dogs are a result of selective, restrictive breeding for characteristics that are "aesthetically pleasing” of a particular breed. Unfortunately, these practices have resulted in breeds with ...
Legislative Changes
For many years, anyone claiming to be a private pet owner was free to sell dogs and puppies. Owners did not need to undergo any licensing or inspections; there were no limitations or ...
Ban the Breeder
We believe that adoption is the best option. A visit to any one of our Centres will reveal a wide range of dogs available. You may find the breed you are looking for, or fall in love with a wonderful ...
Rabies
Rabies is a zoonotic disease (i.e. one that can be transmitted to humans from animals) that is caused by a virus. It can infect both domestic and wild mammals and is fatal once symptoms ...