Chinese New Year 2018 has just started and it’s now the Year of the Dog. International star and Chinese martial arts exponent Jackie Chan wished everyone on the arrival of the New Year and also took to his social media platform to share interesting information on his pet dogs — Golden Retrievers named JJ and Jones. He voiced concern over their health, and used it as an opportunity to appeal to everyone to adopt stray animals and support PETA.
“I’m sure my fans and friends already know that I have two golden retrievers, and they’ve been with me for many years. One is called JJ, the other is called Jones. They’re getting old and a lot of health problems are starting to come out” said the actor on his Facebook. Going a step further, he urged everyone to show their compassion towards other animals: “But I think compared to the lonely stray dogs on the street who have no one to look after them, JJ and Jones are very lucky. In support of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Organisation in Asia), I’d like to make an appeal to all pet lovers around the world, try adopting a pet instead of buying commercially bred animals. I hope everyone can be more compassionate towards stray dogs, stray cats, and other stray animals.”
India is no stranger to stray animals. On any given day, you’re bound to come across numerous dogs on the street across a number of cities including Chennai. Celebrities over here who have previously voiced their concerns on the treatment of animals include Trisha, Vishal and Sibiraj to name a few. Trisha has strongly advocated that Chennai Corporation take in stray dogs and sterilise them while also providing them with proper food and clean water. To quote her from an earlier interview, “Chennai has used dog pounds in the past, and this approach failed to control either the dog population or rabies. Removing dogs from the streets leaves their territories vacant, which results in an influx of other dogs from neighboring areas. Dogs also reproduce quickly, so as long as unsterilised dogs remain on the streets, the stray-animal crisis will persist. Locking up dogs like prisoners will never end Chennai’s animal overpopulation problem.”
Vishal too has advised the authorities to release the canines back to their habitation after birth control and vaccination procedures have been followed. “I am a dog lover. I wanted to raise my voice against the cruelty meted out to stray dogs. They also co-exist in this society and nobody has the right to kill them”, he had previously said. So next time you come across a stray animal (which probably is every time you step out of the house,) just pause to think of their predicament, not your discomfort.
