DOGS
282
These are the dog days, both as regards weather and restrictions. There has been a howl, by dogs and owners alike, and much has been said on either side about the rigid control of canine population of the Colony. There is no doubt that muzzling and leashing is justified at a time when the risk of infection by that dread disease, hydrophobia, exists. The detection of the germ of rabies and the Pasteur treatment which was developed, are matters of comparatively recent history and many local residents may think that in the old days of Hongkong the life of the dog was absolutely free and unhindered. This is far from being the case, for within a few years of the Colony being founded there were needed restrictions on canines.
The question of dog control was raised as early as 1844, when it was stated that a large number of these animals could be found straying along Queen's Road, with no ostensible owners. It appears that the dog population grew too, and one can imagine how ships' pets would come ashore and how the Chinese villagers, who came after British occupation, would have brought their inevitable chow dogs. And so the strays increased in a few years to an extent to call for official notice.
The authorities therefore issued a notification that as from October 1844, all dogs found straying without collars or other marks of ownership would be destroyed by the Police. It is at least possible that dogs were shot then as they are now. Apparently the measures taken by the authorities were not found sufficient, for the following year, 1845, notification was issued that all dogs, of any kind, found running loose after ten o'clock at night would be destroyed. So present-day dog-owners in the Colony cannot sigh for the good old days.
Local dog lovers will be interested in the following account of a rather strange discovery made about two years ago at the Botanical Gardens at the time the corner near the end of Macdonnell Road, above the plant house, was being cleared, in connection with the widening of the Garden Road-Robinson Road junction.
While the earth was being turned up, a large block of granite about four and a half feet by three feet by two, was disclosed buried in the ground. It was carefully chiselled and had an inscription on one side. The block was unearthed and carried to the rear of the plant house, where examination disclosed that it consisted of a sarcophagus, in which was enclosed a small coffin. In this was found the remains of a dog, and the inscription explained the identity of the animal.
It proved to be a pet dog belonging to a former Governor of the Colony, Sir R. G. Macdonnell, which had been killed, and was honoured with this specially-constructed tomb. I am obliged to Mr. H. Green for having the inscription cleaned and made legible, so that I could copy it. The legend runs as follows:-
"In memory of Chow, buried here, a faithful brave and affectionate friend cruelly killed on the Hongkong race course 10th of November 1869, this monument has been erected by Sir Richard Graves Macdonnell, C.B. & K.C.M.G."
Seemingly the pet was a chow dog. There is no reference that I can discover to the circumstances mentioned in the inscription, so we cannot know the details about the little dog's end. The discovery, however, casts an interesting sidelight on the character of Governor Macdonnell, and shows him to have been a man of considerable feeling, and devotion to his dumb friend. The rather pathetic find will no doubt strike a chord of sympathy in the hearts of all dog-owners who are attached to their pets.