Rachel Law was making her usual stop at her neighbourhood Starbucks with her three dogs on an August afternoon when officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) approached her.
Rachel Law’s dog, Bao Bao, at the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on August 26, 2026. Photo: Rachel Law.
Law said the officers scanned the microchips of all of her dogs and took photos of one of them – Bao Bao, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. An hour later, the officers told Law that they had to take her 10-year-old dog to an AFCD centre to see a veterinarian immediately.
“We waited around an hour at the centre. Then, the officers told us the veterinarian said [Bao Bao] is a fighting dog, that he’s dangerous,” Law told HKFP in Cantonese.
Since a string of rare, fatal dog attacks last month, the department has stepped up its regulations on dogs.
On August 17, a large dog – reportedly a Spanish Mastiff – killed two smaller dogs in Yuen Long. Three days later, a dog mauled to death a woman while she was working at a Ta Kwu Ling shelter.
Rachel Law’s dog Bao Bao. Photo: Rachel Law.
Bao Bao is not alone in receiving the new designation. The AFCD said that, since August 20, it has classified seven more dogs as “fighting dogs” – a previously little-known legal categorisation that is now in the spotlight. One of the seven is the dog involved in the shelter incident.
These dogs are not barred from Hong Kong, but they must be neutered. When in public, they must be muzzled and kept on a leash no longer than 1.5 metres.
They also cannot enter restaurants under the government’s scheme introduced in July, which allows dogs in licensed eateries . Many malls that are pet-friendly also do not permit fighting dogs.
In order to reclaim Bao Bao, Law was told by AFCD that she had to comply with the neutering requirement for fighting dogs. She arranged for Bao Bao’s neutering the night of his detention, and the procedure took place two days later. Bao Bao was then allowed to return home.
Rachel Law’s dog Bao Bao resting after the neutering surgery on August 27, 2026. Photo: Rachel Law.
Law said she frequently goes to restaurants and malls with her dog. Now, she can only sit with her dog outside in the summer heat.
She said Bao Bao had become a “victim” of the fallout from the fatal dog attacks: “Bao Bao is very obedient and has very good temperament,” she said.
“Everyone in Stanley loves her. In the 10 years I’ve had her, she’s never attacked anybody.”
What is a ‘fighting dog’?
Hong Kong enacted the Dangerous Dogs Regulations in 2000 after two fatal dog attacks prompted a review of animal-related legislation.
The regulations wrote into law a category called “fighting dogs,” which encompasses Pit Bull Terriers, Dogo Argentinos, Japanese Tosas, and Fila-Brasileiro. According to a Legislative Council paper written in 2000, they are dogs bred for fighting, and have “abnormal aggressiveness” and the “common characteristic of attacking without being provoked.”
The four types of dogs considered “fighting dogs” under Hong Kong law, as displayed on the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s website. Screenshot: AFCD.
Although Bao Bao is registered as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier on his dog licence, what allowed the AFCD to classify her as a fighting dog is the department’s recent clarification of its definition of Pit Bull Terriers.
Earlier this month, after taking in Bao Bao, the AFCD said in a statement that Pit Bull Terrier is not a breed, but is internationally seen as a “type” that encompasses breeds with close genetic associations. These breeds include American Pit Bull Terrier, American Bully, and American Staffordshire Terrier, the department said.
The AFCD’s declaration is contentious among Law and other dog owners because there is no universal understanding of what a Pit Bull Terrier is.
Vanessa Barrs, BOCHK Chair Professor of Veterinary Medicine and dean of the City University of Hong Kong’s veterinary school, said every country and dog breed organisations have their own list of recognised breeds: “There is no universal list,” she told HKFP.
A dog at an animal shelter. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Law told HKFP that her dog was recovering well after the neutering, but not all dog owners are so lucky.
Local media reported last week that an American Bully named Monchiu died after her owners took her for a neutering procedure. She passed away under anaesthesia.
In response to HKFP, the AFCD said that it had not received any reports about a dog named Monchiu, and had not classified her as a fighting dog.
The department suggested there was some leeway in its neutering requirement.
“If, on medical grounds, the veterinarian considers the dog unfit for surgery, a direction will be issued to the dog keeper allowing the surgery to be postponed until the dog’s health has been restored,” it said.
‘Deed, not breed’
Dog owners and professionals who work with canines told HKFP they feared that the AFCD’s response to the unusual incidents stood to stigmatise certain dog breeds and incite public fear of them.
Dogs at The Peak on September 2, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Asked if there was a fair basis to determine that breeds highlighted by the AFCD as fighting dogs posed a bigger threat than others, Barrs said aggressive behaviour can occur in any breed.
“While genetic factors including genes and breed are one determinant, the tendency of a dog to bite is dependent on other interacting factors including its early experience, socialisation and training, physical and psychological health, and victim behaviour,” she said.
Barrs referred to the Australian Veterinary Association and British Veterinary Association’s principle of “deed, not breed” – the view that blanket, breed-specific legislation is unhelpful, and that the focus should be on the specific behaviour of aggressive animals instead.
Isabella Luk, a veterinarian with an expertise in treating behavioural issues, said the fixation on breed risked punishing harmless dogs while overlooking ones that could potentially cause injury.
Isabella Luk, the founder and director of veterinary clinic Paws for Thought, on September 2, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
“The AFCD is trying to tell the public that because of a dog’s physical size, jaw shape, and the muscles in their face, they’re more likely to do severe physical damage than other dogs,” she said.
Luk said aggression is not a diagnosis, but a symptom – often of a dog’s underlying medical issues, the way they’ve been socialised, and previous negative experiences.
“By just looking at the breed… we’re not actually potentially preventing bite incidents. We’re not looking at the dogs that are high risk,” she added.
James Leung, a dog trainer at Hong Kong Canines, also said very few dogs inherently want to do harm. Rather, aggression is often fear-based, a result of the environment they were born into or what the dog has learned or been taught.
“Miscommunication and misunderstanding are also major reasons for aggression,” he told HKFP. “Proper and adequate socialisation helps prevent this.”
Hong Kong Canines’ training director James Leung training a golden retriever at The Peak on September 2, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
He noted that while a puppy from a responsible breeder often arrives as a “blank canvas,” dogs from unethical operations or rescue backgrounds can carry behavioural baggage.
“If they were born into a fight or flight situation, they tend to be more guarded,” said Leung, who has around 12 years’ experience training dogs in Hong Kong, the Netherlands and the US.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re inherently more aggressive. Sometimes they’re nervous, anxious and scared,” Leung said.
“When these dogs are in the wrong place, wrong time, it can trigger a response from them.”
Responsible ownership
Both Barrs and Luk emphasised public education and the promotion of responsible ownership, rather than relying on breed-specific regulations, to reduce the chances of future attacks.
Luk said that most bite incidents happen simply because owners misread their dog’s stress signals.
“Just like taking a written test to get a driver’s licence, we could require owners to pass a simple online course on canine stress signals and basic safety or handling when licensing their pet,” she said.
A chart showing signs of anxiety in dogs displayed at Paws for Thought, a veterinary clinic in Fortress Hill. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Under the existing framework regarding fighting dogs, Luk said the government could also consider a scheme allowing canines categorised as fighting dogs to be exempted from certain restrictions.
For example, if they pass a behaviour assessment, they could be allowed to enter restaurants under the government’s dog-friendly eateries scheme , she suggested.
Barrs suggested that a centralised database for dog biting incidents would be helpful.
In the meantime, some dog owners think they will be dealing with the fallout from news of the dog attacks for a while. Public anxiety around larger dogs is palpable, some say.
Kathy said her foster dog Boba – with his small eyes, flattened nose and large build – bears some resemblance to a Pit Bull Terrier. Boba is classified as a mongrel on his dog licence.
Dogs in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
She asked to use a nickname for both herself and her dog.
Kathy said she was worried that somebody would lodge a complaint to the AFCD about her dog, and that the department could come after her.
“When people lift up their phones, I get nervous,” she said in Cantonese, adding that she feared they could be taking a photo to send to the department.
“Some parents drag their kids away when they see my dog, as if he’s getting ready to attack them,” she told HKFP in Cantonese.
“But actually, my dog is minding his own business and couldn’t care less,” Kathy said.
‘Deed, not breed’: Owners and experts push back on stigma against ‘fighting dogs’
Aggregated summary from an independent source. Read the original at HKFP.