Demand for dog genetic testing surges after Hong Kong clampdown over attacks

A clampdown in response to a series of dog attacks in Hong Kong has triggered greater demand for genetic testing services for canines, while animal welfare groups have warned the enforcement push could also lead to a wave of pet abandonments.While authorities have received public backlash for seizing and detaining suspected fighting dogs from their owners, an advocacy group has proposed a one-year buffer period allowing owners to declare suspected dangerous dogs to appease the community.One of the cases involved the 33-year-old owner of a pet training facility, who was mauled by a mixed-breed fighting dog registered as a mongrel. She was found dead nearby shortly after the attack.Questions also emerged about the effectiveness of the dog registration system, which relies on self-declaration by owners, after a dog sharing genetic traits with the pit bull terrier, a banned fighting breed in the city, was listed as a mongrel on its microchip.Mark Mak Chi-ho, the founder of the Non-Profit Making Veterinary Services Society, said that more owners were taking their pets for genetic testing after authorities’ intensified enforcement actions, boosting the business of some centres.He noted that government actions had sparked uncertainty among dog owners and the industry.