Macau (MNA) – A detailed greyhound resettlement guide posted in the Chinese language on the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co. Ltd. website on Friday states that parties who are interested in adopting the dogs will not have to pay the Canidrome any adoption fees but will have to shell out to register the dogs with the Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) and for a health checkup.
Fátima Galvão, the head of the Macau Association For Stray Dogs and Animal Welfare (MASDAW), told Macau News Agency (MNA) that the fact that the Canidrome was not subsidising healthcare for the dogs was “ridiculous.”
“It is a bit ridiculous for a company owned by a billionaire to expect people interested in adopting a dog to pay for a health certificate on top of having to register [the dog] with IACM,” she fumed.
The Canidrome is owned by Angela Leong On Kei, who is also a Macau legislator and Executive Director of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM), a local gaming operator.
Galvão pointed out that the way the adoption programme is structured does not assure potential owners they are adopting a healthy animal and does not protect the greyhounds from potentially abusive practices.
She added that she would prefer the Canidrome charge an adoption fee, which could be then given to animal associations like MASDAW and the Society for Animal Protection (Anima) to conduct routine checks on the dogs after adoption to ensure their welfare.
The entire adoption process takes around 60 working days and is open to people over 18 years old who can provide a copy of their identity card as well as proof of address, according to the Canidrome website.
The greyhound resettlement programme ensues from an order issued by the Macau SAR Government to close down the facilities on July 21, 2018.
