The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said Hong Kong's restricted-breed law allows for dog confiscation based on visual traits, though owners are able to appeal classifications to a review panel.

Speaking on RTHK's Backchat programme on Thursday, Fiona Woodhouse, deputy director (welfare) at the SPCA, said the government's classification procedure relies on observable characteristics – rather than DNA testing – to identify restricted breeds.

This comes after the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Wednesday dismissed a claim that its officers would label a canine as a fighting dog based merely on a quick observation.

Addressing the methodology, Woodhouse acknowledged the limitations of genetic testing and pointed to the safeguards built into the current system.

"DNA is a little bit more problematic. Characteristics have been used globally in some jurisdictions. And obviously, there are still checks and balances there in that you can appeal against a classification by the government officer, and that will then go to a board that then assesses in a framework," she said.

On enforcement, Woodhouse confirmed that if officers spot characteristics raising concerns about a dog's breed, they do have the power to confiscate the dog and take it for an assessment.

"They also will allow the dog owner to take the dog to the animal management centre for assessment, but the dog may need to be detained for a short period of time while that assessment is being taken place, but there's some areas that still need to be clarified in terms of timeline by AFCD," she said.

Woodhouse also raised concerns about illegal imports, warning that smuggling creates a direct channel for restricted breeds to enter Hong Kong.

"You can go into mainland and you can see people advertising quite openly in pet shops and also on social media channels that they can ship dogs to Hong Kong, but they don't mention anything about quarantine," she said.

"There is always the opportunity for people to smuggle such animals in, and then that might cause a problem, and obviously, smuggling other breeds in and also bringing disease and rabies into Hong Kong is a problem."

On public education, Woodhouse said that while isolated incidents tend to attract media attention, the majority of dogs are well behaved and responsibly managed by their owners.

She said the goal is to reassure the public about the existing framework and prevent an overreaction to recent unfortunate events.


Edited by Aaron Tam