Let dogs have their day in more Hong Kong parks
- City’s unfriendly policy towards animals is punishing the responsible owners of pets denied access to open public spaces
Imagine the frustration when you go for a stroll in a public park with your son or friends but see a sign saying “No children or friends allowed”. This is the feeling of many dog owners who see their pets as children or friends, but are denied access to open space and other public facilities because of the city’s animal-unfriendly policy.
The recent online debate over how much space should be opened to pets is not new. But it underlines a long-standing issue that has not been given the attention it deserves.
The discussion was sparked by a Twitter post lamenting the narrow passage allocated to pets inside the 4.5-hectare Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui East. It attracted more than 110,000 views, with most of the comments negative.
While some animal lovers said it was already an improvement, referring to the 200-metre corridor that was created in 2021 for the benefit of residents of nearby Hilton Towers. But others branded the arrangement as “ridiculous”.
The park, which comes under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is in stark contrast to the West Kowloon Cultural District, where pet owners are almost encouraged to bring their animals along.
The city currently has 52 pet gardens and 116 inclusive pet parks, up from six when they were introduced in 2019. While dogs may run freely inside pet gardens, the latter are usually located inside larger green spaces where owners must keep their animals on a leash.
The growing number of facilities is to be welcomed, but still falls short of the expectations of animal-lovers.
Despite a growing awareness among some people to treat animals as equals, there are those who do not like pets and animals. But the rise of pet ownership is something to be reckoned with. A survey by the Census and Statistics Department in 2019 estimated that some 241,900 households, or 9.4 per cent of all Hong Kong households, were keeping dogs or cats.
Hong Kong prides itself as an inclusive society. The spirit should be extended to animal-lovers and pets, whose rights and needs are still held back by the city’s unfriendly policies towards them.
As long as owners take good care of their pets, there is no reason why parks and other facilities cannot be more accommodating.
