ABSTRACT
A conversation with Dr. William Fan of the Hong Kong Animal Therapy Foundation, Dr. Paul Wong and Rose Yu of the University of Hong Kong, and Steven Lai and Fanny Leung of the Chinese Evangelical Zion Church. Dr. Fan is a psychiatrist and president of the Hong Kong Animal Therapy Foundation. He is one of the first in his country to consider human–animal interaction as a form of therapy for the elderly and the mentally or emotionally disabled. He is also a leading advocate for animal welfare in Hong Kong. Dr. Paul Wong is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Rose Yu completed her doctoral studies at the University of Hong Kong. Both Paul and Rose have performed the earliest research on the efficacy of animal-assisted interventions for emotional and mental health for Hong Kong populations. Steven Lai and Fanny Leung direct the animal-assisted interventions program at the Chinese Evangelical Zion Church. They serve populations of isolated youth and the elderly. Their animal assistants include mostly dogs and some cats.
