‘Deed, not breed’: Owners and experts push back on stigma against ‘fighting dogs’

On an August afternoon, Rachel Law was out with her three dogs at her neighborhood Starbucks when Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) officers approached her. During this encounter, the officers scanned her dogs' microchips and took a photograph of Bao Bao, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier belonging to Law.

Later, it was revealed that the officers had to take Bao Bao, a ten-year-old dog, to an AFCD center for immediate veterinary examination. Law recounted that she waited for an hour at the center before being informed that the veterinarian had declared Bao Bao to be a "fighting dog" and described him as dangerous. This designation came in the aftermath of a series of fatal dog attacks; a Spanish Mastiff killed two smaller dogs in Yuen Long and a woman was mauled to death while working at a Ta Kwu Ling shelter.

Since the attacks, the AFCD has intensified its regulations on dogs, classifying seven more dogs as "fighting dogs." These dogs are subject to several restrictions, including neutering, muzzling, leash constraints, and prohibition from entering certain establishments. Bao Bao's case involved compliance with the neutering requirement, which he underwent two days after his detention.

Law, who frequently took her dog to restaurants and malls, now finds herself restricted to sitting with Bao Bao outside during the summer months. Despite her dog's good temperament, Law feels that Bao Bao has become a "victim" of the fallout from the fatal dog attacks. A "fighting dog" in Hong Kong refers to a category of dogs encompassing Pit Bull Terriers, Dogo Argentinos, Japanese Tosas, and Fila-Brasileiros, which are deemed to have "abnormal aggressiveness" and a propensity for attacking without provocation.