Legislator Tommy Cheung... sorry, Tse, stood up this week and said Hong Kong needs tougher rules for dog owners. He didn't pull that out of nowhere. We've written before about how the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department's microchip system logs whatever breed an owner tells them, no checking, no vet verification. A dog suspected of being a fighting breed was registered as a mongrel under that system. It later killed someone. Tse wants stricter requirements now, before the next one.

Here's the bit that should annoy you. A microchip is supposed to be proof. Proof of what the dog is, who owns it, whether it's had its shots. Right now it's just proof of what the owner felt like typing that day. You could register a Presa Canario as a "local mixed breed" and nobody checks your maths. Tse's push is basically asking the government to make the form mean something. That's not a big ask. It's the bare minimum.