HONG KONG - At Hong Kong Dog Rescue, Ms Eva Sit kneels and calls over to her the shelter's most recent residents, "friendly and goofy" Cassius and "shy" Roxy, two mixed-breed dogs left behind by their emigrating owner.
Recent weeks have been hectic for Ms Sit and her colleagues, with government data showing that more than 100,000 people have left the global financial hub this year.
While most of the world is learning to live with Covid-19, Hong Kong residents have been increasingly frustrated with the city's zero-tolerance policy.
As airlines have cut the number of flights to and from Hong Kong because of its tough quarantine requirements, those who want to fly with their pets face fewer options, longer waiting lists and costs of up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Many choose to abandon their pets instead, overwhelming dog shelters, which are running at full capacity.
"We have seen an increase in the number of dog owners abandoning their dogs because they are moving out," Ms Sit said. "With Covid-19, it's harder than before to travel with your pet."
Cassius and Roxy were brought to the shelter on March 3 by a domestic helper whose employers flew home to Britain a while back and later decided not to return to Hong Kong.
"When the helper came to drop them off... she cried really hard because, obviously, she loved them a lot," Ms Sit said. "She had taken care of them since they were puppies. And it's not her responsibility, but her employer's responsibility."
There are no official figures on how many pets are being abandoned.
More at https://www.asiaone.com/china/many-people-abandoning-pets-they-leave-hong-kong-over-covid-19-rules
