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(CN) Puppy power wins two-month reprieve for Lucky Boy and friends

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South China Morning Post

http://hongkong.scmp.com/hknews/ZZZ4B687THD.html

Saturday, July 19, 2003

by ELAINE WU

 

Dogs got an outing when their owners joined the protest against

the enforcement of the ban on animals in public estates. Picture by Ricky

Chung.

 

Lucky Boy is a two-year-old schnauzer who had never been outside his

apartment for a walk - until yesterday.

 

In a show of " animal power " , he joined about 100 dogs, parrots, cats

and rabbits who stood their ground in front of the Central Government

Offices barking and sniffing in protest against stricter enforcement of the

no-pet policy at public housing estates. More than 2,000 human friends also

attended.

 

And like the mass rally on July 1, the government was forced to back

down, at least for now.

 

The Housing Authority has postponed the enforcement date by two months

to October 1, after which pet owners will have to dispose of their animals

or face eviction if they accrue too many demerit points for ignoring the

ban. Current rules only allow for a fish tank and one or two caged birds.

 

Some dogs wore a sign around their necks that read: " Please let me

live. Thank you. "

 

Lucky Boy's owner, Choi May-yuk, took a day off from her job at a pet

shop to attend the protest. Ms Choi, who is in her 40s, has lived in public

housing all her life. She adopted Lucky Boy when he was a pup and also has a

cat that she took in from the streets.

 

" Some people already have abandoned dogs in my estate. I've seen a

dalmatian and a shih-tzu wandering around, " she said.

 

" We know we are not supposed to keep pets. But officials should give

the dogs a chance to live and pet owners a chance to change. The least the

government can do is let me keep the dog until he dies. "

 

Twelve animal welfare groups organised the protest yesterday to demand

that the Housing Authority allow pet owners to keep their animals until they

die of natural causes. They also proposed a pet-registration system.

 

" We just think it's so wrong that just because a few people are

irresponsible pet owners, now everyone has to suffer, " said Pauline Taylor,

deputy executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals.

 

" We don't want the government to kill animals. Everybody is here

because they are concerned about animals. "

 

The protesters assembled at the entrance to the Citibank Tower before

marching to the government headquarters.

 

As they waited to begin the march, photographers and protesters

crowded around a Yorkshire terrier that barked on command. The crowd roared

and clapped following each bark. " Even the dog is protesting, " one observer

noted.

 

elaine.wu

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