In 2015, Ivy Tse Yuen-yee founded a shelter for Hong Kong’s stray animals, called House of Joy and Mercy. Since then, she has helped many abandoned dogs and cats find their homes.

Tse still remembers taking in two dogs, Wong Wong and Pearl. In 2021, their owners had to give them up after the government’s development plans forced them to leave their village in the New Territories. They had to move to a building where they could not bring their beloved pets.

At first, the owners visited Wong Wong and Pearl at the shelter, but they eventually stopped because it was too sad to keep saying goodbye.

Tse said these dogs weren’t the only ones affected by Hong Kong’s development plans.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said they “received 90 dogs from residents in the New Development Areas” between January 2020 and July 2023.

A new home

When Tse heard of these plans, House of Joy and Mercy already had a shelter in Yuen Long, but she wanted more space to help animals in need. In 2019, she successfully applied for funding to build a new dog shelter in Pat Heung.

She also worked with an architect, Arthur Sze Fu-tung, to design a safe, interactive space for dogs and humans to spend time together.

Besides a lounge and office for humans, the shelter has six rooms for 50 dogs, a care room for injured or sick animals, and a courtyard with an almond tree. Sze’s design has an open floor plan and glass walls to “maximise comfort” for the dogs.

‘Roof over their heads’

Although Tse believes the city’s development plans are needed to create more housing for people, she hopes to “minimise the impact on these pets”. She thinks that people should be allowed to bring their dogs to public housing to see if they really cause any problems.

Tse’s new shelter in Pat Heung is now full, but there are still dogs that need homes. She hopes people will adopt the dogs in the shelter to make space for more. Even temporary foster homes are helpful. “Even if one dog gets fostered, it would be a great help,” Tse said.

She added that she wouldn’t ever give up on the furry friends in her shelters: “Even though it’s not perfect, I want to give them a roof over their heads.”

Find the words in the puzzle below to test your understanding of the vocabulary in this story.

Sample answers

Quick question: Some animals end up in the streets because they have been abandoned by their owners for different reasons. Sometimes, their owners cannot take care of them anymore, so they are left on their own.

Think about it: The government should help animals in need by making sure they have safe places to stay, food and water. They should also make more rules to protect animals from being mistreated or harmed by people.