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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Helena Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (April 15):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the current number of government departments which have set up teams comprising working dogs, and a breakdown of the number of working dogs by department and breed;
(2) whether there are guidelines on the hours of work, hours of rest and meal arrangements for working dogs as well as the area of and the facilities in their rest stations; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether working dogs are provided with medical services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether the various government departments have guidelines on the retirement ages of working dogs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5) of the respective numbers of working dogs in the past five years which were adopted and euthanised after retirement, and the reasons for euthanising some of the dogs; and
(6) as it has been reported that a number of incidents of suspected suicides of Malinois police dogs have occurred, of the number of in-service Malinois police dogs which died of unnatural causes in the past five years; and whether the Police have examined the causes of their deaths; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government deploys working dogs to assist officers of the relevant departments in performing various duties pertaining to the maintenance of law and order and the protection of public safety. These include quarantine inspection, narcotics interdiction, investigation, patrol, and tasks related to publicity and education etc. Currently, working dog units are set up in the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), Correctional Services Department (CSD), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). With the experience gathered over the years, these departments provide training for the dogs according to the characteristics of their breeds so that the dogs will be able to give of their best in performing their duties whilst at the same time helping to enhance the operational efficiency of the departments concerned.
My reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) Six Government departments have set up working dog units. The breed and number of working dogs in these departments are tabulated in Table 1.
(2) Having regard to the duties of its working dogs and the actual circumstances of each department, AFCD, C&ED, CSD, FEHD, FSD and HKPF have formulated their own work and rest schedules, meal arrangements, as well as the size of the rest stations for their working dogs and the standards of the facilities.
Work and rest schedule of working dogs
In general, working dogs of AFCD, C&ED, CSD, FEHD and HKPF work three to eight hours a day, with at least one or two days off per week. Working dogs of FSD are responsible for providing support in fire investigation and rescue operations pertaining to collapsed structures, assisting rescue officers in searching for victims trapped at the scene. Given the special nature of their duties, FSD's working dogs and their respective dog handlers work on a "24 hours on, 24/48 hours off" shift system on a team basis. Having regard to the actual situation on the ground, each department would duly ensure that the working dogs have sufficient rest time.
Meal arrangements for working dogs
The above-mentioned Government departments have their own meal arrangements for working dogs, with the prescription of dry dog food as their main diet. Where necessary, the departments may consult AFCD's veterinary surgeons and, on the basis of their professional advice, make special meal arrangements for individual working dogs including adjustment to food portion and food type.
Area and facilities of rest stations for working dogs
The working dogs of these government departments have their own individual partitioned rest space. Each rest station has a covered area of at least three square meters, fitted with facility that provides clean drinking water, sufficient lighting, ventilation or thermostat control, and drainage system.
(3) Medical services are provided for these working dogs by departmental medical teams, AFCD or practising veterinary surgeons in the private sector. The services include periodic medical examination, immunisation, surgical treatment and emergency medical support.
(4) Retirement plans have been drawn up for working dogs in the above-mentioned Government departments. A working dog usually retires at the age of eight to ten. Given the different conditions of individual working dogs, the actual retirement age may vary depending on their health conditions and the views of veterinary surgeons. Taking into account the need to maintain the high quality of services provided by the Government departments concerned, working dogs that are no longer suitable for work may be retired early to safeguard their health.
(5) Generally speaking, handlers of working dogs will have priority over others when applying to adopt the retired working dogs. However, not every handler is able to adopt a retired dog due to personal reasons or constraints in living environment. As such, C&ED, CSD, FSD and HKPF will allow interested members of the public to adopt retired dogs subject to relevant assessment. For working dogs waiting for adoption or those that are not adopted, they will be arranged to spend their remaining days in comfort in the relevant departments. Only retired dogs in very poor health conditions will be arranged for humane euthanasia by registered veterinary surgeons.
The number of working dogs that are retired, adopted after retirement and euthanised after retirement over the past five years is given in Table 2.
(6) According to HKPF, three incidents of police dogs dying of unnatural causes were recorded in the past five years. Upon investigation, all three cases were classified as accidents. HKPF has reviewed these cases and taken proactive precautions to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Ends/Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:04
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