The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has classified a dog found at a Stanley restaurant on August 26 as a pit bull terrier, a breed covered by Hong Kong’s rules on fighting dogs. The department said it had received a public complaint about a suspected fighting dog being taken into the restaurant before officers inspected the premises and took the animal to an animal management centre for further investigation.
The department said its veterinary officer identified the dog as a pit bull terrier. After observation and a temperament assessment, it determined that the dog could be returned to its owner after being neutered. The keeper must arrange the procedure under the department’s supervision and complete training on controlling and caring for dangerous dogs before the animal can be collected.
The owner told Star Headline that the dog, which she has kept for about 10 years, is a Staffordshire bull terrier rather than a pit bull terrier. She described the department’s classification as a dangerous dog and its demand for immediate neutering as “extremely absurd”. Her account has not been independently verified.
The owner also told the newspaper that officers had checked the dogs’ microchips after finding her and two dogs, named Bao Bao and Mui Mui, at a coffee shop in Stanley. She said a department veterinarian identified Bao Bao as a dangerous dog after an examination lasting about one minute and said the animal had to be detained. She also claimed that the department did not accept a breed certificate from her private veterinarian. The department’s account is that the dog was taken to the centre, where it underwent veterinary identification, observation and a temperament assessment.
The department said the case remained under investigation and that it would prosecute if there was sufficient evidence of an offence. It said fighting dogs must be neutered by a registered veterinary surgeon and that their keepers must hold a valid veterinary neutering certificate. The listed breeds include pit bull terriers, Japanese tosas, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brasileiros, as well as crosses of those breeds.
Illegal importation, breeding, sale and unlicensed keeping of fighting dogs are prohibited, the department said. A keeper who cannot produce a veterinary neutering certificate may face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon conviction.
The department has announced special inspections and enforcement operations at multiple locations across Hong Kong on August 30, September 5 and September 6. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department urged owners who are unsure of their dogs’ breeds not to take them into restaurants.