Breeds of love - Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Work-life balance
Animal-loving CPAs
Hong Ng
with Mau-Zai
38 February 2016
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BREEDS
OF LOVE
Families come in all shapes and sizes, especially when some
members have four legs and a pelt of fur. Tigger Chaturabul
talks to Institute members about their pets and how they
came to be a part of the family
Photography by Anthony Tung
O
ver the past 30 years, six
cats have found their way
to Hong Ng’s home and
lived long, happy lives as members of his family. The Managing
Director of Risk Management at
BDO and a member of the Hong
Kong Institute of CPAs grew up
with a variety of animals at home,
including cats, dogs, tortoises,
birds and even a monkey.
“It’s impossible for me to not
like pets,” says Ng. “Cats in particular because they have a double
character; on one hand, they’re
like playful soft toys but on the
other hand, they are very strongwilled. Trying to get a cat to like
me is a very interesting challenge
and a great accomplishment.”
Pets are a big part of many people, including CPAs. Whether it’s
a warm welcome home or a break
from the office, frequent interaction with their pets is crucial for
Institute members like Ng to really
bond with their furry companions.
Ng adopted his first cat in 1987
while he was living in London.
Mau-E, a white female British
tabby with silver spots, came to
him from a friend’s mother and
lived for 19 years. “We moved
back to Hong Kong in 1991 and
had to give her away, but when my
wife and I went back for a visit in
1995, Mau-E could still remember
me,” says Ng. His second, third,
fourth and fifth cats, Mau-Chee,
Mau-Chu, Tyson and Mau-Wong
respectively, came to him from
various sources over the years,
including litters of stray cats in
housing estates, former colleagues
and the busy Wanchai roads where
they were rescued. “They’re
all ordinary tabby cats with no
particular pedigree,” explains Ng.
While tabby cats tend to have lifespans ranging 15-20 years, some
of Ng’s cats have lived up to 21.5
years, with at most two cats living
together in his home at any time.
“Trying to get a cat
to like me is a very
interesting challenge and a great
accomplishment.”
Ng’s sixth cat was found as a kitten in an open-air car park in Yuen
Long. Tiny and thin, the cat first
went to live with Ng’s late father
as a companion, who called him
“Small Pig.” “My father was much
happier when the cat was around,”
says Ng. “They lived together for
just over a year and when my father
passed away, my wife and I chose
to take the cat in. He reminds me of
my late father.” Now, “Small Pig” is
called Mau-Zai and weighs nearly
six kilograms.
When it’s time to leave home
for work, the cats tend to sneak out
into the corridor while Ng puts on
his shoes and opens the door. “They
accompany me while I wait for
the lift and once it arrives, I have
to make them go back inside,” he
says. “At the end of the day, they
somehow know when I get into the
lift downstairs and when I step out,
they’re already waiting for me by
the door.”
“Every cat has a different background and a unique personality so
each one has a special bond with
us,” says Ng. “I can’t describe the
joy of being able to provide a good
February 2016 39
Work-life balance
Animal-loving CPAs
“Better relationships can be built
when we are direct with each other,
like between dogs and people.”
life for them and earning their
acceptance – it’s just beyond my
vocabulary.”
To Ng, having cats teaches him
how to be patient and persistent.
“If a cat wants something, it will
wait, pursue and battle it out
until they get their own way. This
philosophy does have a bearing on
my work approach at the office,”
he says.
Cats are the true masters of
the house, adds Ng. “They are
very demanding and they actually
help me realize that our bosses’
requests are not that unreasonable
when compared to the uncompromising character of cats.”
Growing companionship
Snowy joined the Lo family five
years ago as a birthday gift from
Roy Lo to his daughter Katie, then
aged nine. Lo, Managing Partner
of ShineWing (HK) CPA and an
Institute member, spent three
months searching and researching with Katie for the perfect pet.
After seeing photos and videos
of Snowy online, Lo brought his
daughter to Taiwan to visit the
Japanese spitz breeder and settled
on their newest family member.
Having a pet at a young age is a
good educational stimulus for Lo’s
daughter to learn responsibility.
“Caring for the dogs, playing with
them and showering them help
40 February 2016
Responsible pet care
Deciding on a pet is a lifelong commitment that requires careful preparation
and consistent care. Elaine Kwok, Owner
and Chief Executive Officer of Dog Dog
Day Pet Shop and a Hong Kong Institute
of CPAs member, sees great potential for
CPAs to be pet caretakers and hopes to
remind all pet owners to be alert to their
pets' health needs through her shop.
“We provide care services and products to help dogs lead long and healthy
lives, but we do not sell dogs,” says
Kwok, who is adamant that pets should
be adopted from shelters rather than
bought from stores or breeders. “CPAs
should adopt pets that are less timedemanding to care for, such as older,
short-haired pets because they are less
energetic and destructive and do not
require as much daily grooming.”
To set up a home for the arrival of
a pet, Kwok recommends the entire
household to meet beforehand and
discuss topics such as:
• Who will take the dog out for walks or
to relieve themselves?
• Who will be in charge of daily feeding?
• Who will make veterinary appointments for vaccinations or other
illnesses?
• Draft a shopping list for supplies
such as food and water bowls, chew
toys, identification tags, odor neutralizers, etc.
• How to pet-proof the home by taping loose electrical cords, moving
household chemicals to high shelves,
removing plants, rugs and breakables
and more.
“A responsible pet owner is one who
keeps their pet healthy,” says Kwok.
Whether it's taking their pet to the vet
for check-ups, keeping the home free
of fleas or parasites, providing chew
toys, preventing obesity and more, a pet
owner should be attune to all of these
issues. “You should become familiar
with your pets' patterns for eating,
drinking, sleeping and relieving themselves because any major variations can
indicate illness,” says Kwok. “Owners
should also be aware of common health
problems for their particular breed, how
to prevent and recognize them.”
“CPAs are responsible, meticulous,
dependable and trustworthy, which are
great attributes for pet ownership,” says
Kwok. She also has faith in a CPA's ability
to plan both finances and time to make
sure their pets are well taken care of.
Kwok encourages animal-loving CPAs
to be more vocal in the fight against
animal abuse and draw attention to the
needs of pet shelters, whether through
their networks or firms. “CPAs can also
get involved in volunteer work with pets
because this will bring satisfaction and
happiness that cannot be gained from
money alone,” she says.
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Roy Lo holding
Snowy and Katie Lo
holding Little Cream
her build positive relationships with
them,” says Lo. “It also helps her
feel independent and accomplished
which raises her self esteem.”
“Snowy and Katie are quite close
because they grew up together,”
says Lo. But he became worried
that Snowy might feel lonely as an
only dog. Two years after Snowy’s
arrival, Lo began searching for a
four-legged companion for her and
adopted Little Cream, a toy chihuahua, from a pet centre owned by a
friend. “She was very small, even
for a toy chihuahua, and nobody
wanted her. When she climbed up to
my wife’s legs, my wife said to me,
‘Look, she wants to come home with
us,’ and that’s when we made our
decision,” says Lo.
Unfortunately, despite Little
Cream’s sweet disposition and
eagerness to play, Snowy had no
interest in sharing her home with
another dog; she considered herself
human. “Snowy is completely committed to the family but she is only
happy to play with people,” says Lo.
“It took a few months for Snowy
to allow Little Cream into the pet
room but now she accepts her.”
“A small- or medium-sized dog
like a chihuahua or Japanese spitz
is a great pet for a CPA because
they are comfortable to stay at
home if you don’t take them outside
daily,” says Lo. “We take our dogs
to the beach or to The Peak on
weekends, often with other friends
who have dogs, and they love it.”
Lo also recommends CPAs who are
interested in getting a dog to make
sure they have the time to devote to
them. “It’s not fair for pets to be left
at home all day, where they will get
lonely. Even though I am busy, my
daughter can still come home from
school early and spend time with
the dogs,” says Lo.
Lo often takes business trips
overseas and knows his absence
can be clearly felt at home. “When
I come back after a few days of
being away, Snowy will greet me
with a very low voice that’s different from usual, as if she’s trying
to say something,” Lo explains.
“She’ll twist herself around in
tight circles to show that she’s
excited for me to be home.”
Having dogs helped Lo realize
the best kind of communication is
simple and direct. “Whether they
are happy, angry or jealous, a dog
will immediately let you know
their true feelings,” says Lo. “Better relationships can be built when
we are direct with each other, like
between dogs and people.”
February 2016 41
Work-life balance
Animal-loving CPAs
Anthony Chiang
with Smiley
42 February 2016
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Stable partnership
Anthony Chiang’s four-legged
family members are larger than
the average household pet. The
Institute member and founder of
CPA firm Anthony S. L. Chiang
& Co.’s two thoroughbreds Lok
Wah and Smiley, are high-spirited,
retired racehorses from England
and Ireland respectively. Lok Wah
is a gentle 15-year-old bay who has
been with Chiang for more than 11
years, while Smiley is a mischievous 12-year-old white horse
adopted by Chiang six years ago.
“Horses have been companions
to humans for around 6,000 years
so there’s a long history there,” says
Chiang. “When you ride, you can’t
separate the human from the horse;
we are partners in our movements.”
He has been riding since the 1980s
when he was a university student in
the United Kingdom.
Chiang’s wife, daughter and son
also enjoy riding and their pets help
them bond better, often as the topic
of common conversation. When his
children call home while studying
abroad, they ask about their pets
– both horses and dogs – before
asking about their parents. “When
my kids were younger, we took
overseas family trips for riding
where my children would get up
at seven o’clock in the morning by
themselves to clean the stables and
groom the horses,” says Chiang.
His daughter Fabienne, now 21,
is an excellent rider, as is his son
Lennard, aged 18, who represented
Hong Kong at the 2014 Youth
Olympic Games Equestrian Event
in Nanjing. “They grew up riding
with us since they were six years
old starting at the Tuen Mun Public
Riding School,” explains Chiang.
“During riding
sessions, I can
really feel the
power and strength
of the horse and
afterwards, I can
feel myself become
more energetic and
even walk faster.”
Caring for horses is no easy feat
in Hong Kong, especially as a busy
CPA. Taking his horses out for a
walk or to ride can take Chiang
two to four hours, including the
time it takes to saddle up, groom,
wash and care for them after
exercise. “If I could, I would love
to do this every day,” says Chiang.
However, regardless of how busy
Chiang’s schedule becomes, he
still makes time at least three days
a week to visit his horses and take
riding lessons.
“During riding sessions, I can
really feel the power and strength
of the horse and afterwards, I can
feel myself become more energetic
and even walk faster,” he says. “It
takes coordination from your brain
to your toes to ride and while you
communicate with your horse,
you also have to listen for when he
communicates with you too.”
The carrot-and-stick method was
previously often used to train both
horses and people but nowadays the
“aid method” has proved both effective and benevolent. Riding aids are
cues given by rider to the horse to
communicate what the rider wants
to do. With just the tap of a leg or tug
on the bit, Chiang can get his horse
to understand his directions. “An
aid simply lets the horse be aware
of what you want. It is not a reward
or punishment but another communication method,” he says. “This is
not something you learn about when
studying for an MBA.”
One of the biggest differences
between having horses and other
pets is that Chiang must be able
to clear his mind and relax before
he can interact with Lok Wah and
Smiley. “If my mind and body are
stressed and I try to ride, it is very
easy for me to fall because I can’t
focus,” he says.
Chiang likens horse riding to
the profession with the common
theme of balance. “When I’m at
work, I need to balance accounts,
numbers, etc. When I’m in the
saddle, I need to balance myself
and be fit and in harmony with the
horse,” he says. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that riding is more
comfortable than going to
the office, but it’s a different kind of satisfaction.”
February 2016 43