They look cute - let's breed them!
The Breeding of “Pedigree” dogs and cats
The breeding of purebred animals ( ‘Pedigree’ dogs and cats ) to sell as pets, is a fast growing industry in Hong Kong, and the ethical issues behind it is somewhat complicated and controversial. More importantly, every person likely has their own perspective on the issue and it can be hard for us to come to an agreement on what is right and wrong.
For example, Animal rights purists may feel that all animals are not ours to use and any attempt at treating them as commodities cannot be accepted. Others may believe that if the breeding involves profit making then it should not be allowed. And the rest feel that it is acceptable to breed and sell pet animals for profit, as long as their welfare is properly taken care of.
Unfortunately, there is currently no correct or universally agreed answer. And what we can do, as animal lovers, is to start having these relevant ethical discussions, and allow it to be our first steps at truly understanding and bringing better quality of living to our furry friends.
Risks of breeding purebred animals
First of all, there is the dilemma of whether pure-bred animals should exist at all?
As vets, many of the diseases we treat daily are related to genetic problems caused by selective breeding. For example, we see plenty of heart diseases in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, breathing problems in bulldogs, joint problems in Labrador retrievers, or spinal problems in dachshunds. These are the things that we as vets have gotten used to treating and accepted to be ‘breed defects’.
Of course, we try our best to address the genetic problems medically and surgically. But often, there is only so much we can do to help, and the patients likely will continue to live with some degree of discomfort through their lives.
Therefore, it is really questionable whether we should continue breeding purebred animals. But to say the least, we should not encourage the breeding of pets from family lines with proven genetic defects.
Home breeding / puppy mills. Ethical dilemma
In Hong Kong, there has always been a high number of puppy mills and private home breeding units, where regular residential homes are converted into breeding facilities to produce ‘pedigree’ puppies and kittens to supply local pet market.
And before 2017, there were no regulations on these breeding facilities. As they were not regulated, they often had poor hygiene, with malnutrition animals living in terrible conditions. Infectious diseases spread readily as well due to the crowded environment with poor ventilation. And often the breeding animals would be confined in small cages for years with no access to the outside world. These puppy mills also caused a surplus of pet animals in Hong Kong. And therefore led to a reduced opportunity for homeless animals to be adopted and be able to find a home.
This is why we should always encourage adopting pets instead of buying them.
Despite supporting adoption only, we should also consider some of the deeper moral issues.
For example, the idea of ‘zero breeding’ is often based on the assumption that animals are not commodities / properties of humans, and therefore they have their given rights and should not be traded. But then if animals are not commodities of humans, should they have the freedom to choose their owners, or even have the freedom to be free thinking individuals and be able to decide on their whereabouts / to not be confined?
The trouble is, we do not, and likely will not, be able to completely understand what our furry friends think. We can only base our decisions on our limited knowledge of their behaviours and try our best to provide for them the best we can.
We should also be aware of fake adoption scams. Where people post ‘adoption adverts’ on the internet and charge high ‘adoption fee’, which in turn means that new owners are purchasing an animal disguised under the name of adoption.
Taking compromise - New law, Zero BAD breeder, ensuring good animal welfare
To better regulate the pet breeding industry, the Hong Kong government introduced a new regulation in March 2017, requiring all animal breeding facilities to obtain dog breeder licenses, and animal trader licenses for anyone selling dogs (including pet shops and owners selling their own dogs). Violators will pay up to 100k.
The new regulation has specific requirements for breeding facilities to meet, such as the amount of space and food provided. In brief, the welfare of the breeding animals has to be protected in order for the breeding facilities to maintain their licenses.
(But of course, it is mainly the physical and biological needs of the animals which are monitored. The psychological state of the animal is harder to be assessed and protected. )
The new regulation allows better monitoring of home breeding, and may deter those who has no intention to provide good quality welfare to animals.
However, the new regulation also encountered opposition by certain groups and charities, as it subtly showed the approval for using animals as breeding commodities. Also, there is the concern for the practicality of implicating the regulation. All and all, I think at current stage, there is no definite right or wrong to the issue of animal breeding. But as pet lovers, we should always try our best to adopt instead of buying pets. And if we really need to buy a pet, we should only support good breeders. To identify good breeders, we can go directly to the breeding kennels, meet the parents of the puppies / kittens we are buying, and ensure that all the animals in the facilities are well cared for and in good welfare conditions.
Finally, I think it is important for us to not just love our pets, but to start thinking more about the deeper issues of animal ethics, develop our views and start the relevant discussions. Hopefully, in time, we can find an answer to the issue and to best care for and provide for our furry friends.
