36 October 2012

After a stressful day at the office, many Institute members go home to spend time with their pets. Jemelyn Yadao examines the allure of animal companions

house that came with a complimentary Rottwei-ler was never Rob Morris’ idea of the perfect family abode.

“Next to the house we were renting was a paddock and inside it was the landlord’s Rottweiler,” says Morris, managing director of the Hong Kong office of global business consultancy AlixPartners and a member of

the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs. “We had two young children so we were a bit uneasy about this.”

After the Morris family moved into their new home in the United Kingdom the Rott-weiler – a breed of dog usually known for its aggressive behaviour – was soon welcomed into the household. The dog, who the family named Cleo, overcame the breed’s negative reputation. So much so that when Morris

Work-life balance

Photography by Assaf de Courcy Arbiser

Creature comforts

October 2012 37

was being posted to the United States, the idea of leaving Cleo with her original, ne-glectful owner was not an option.

“We approached the landlord and said, ‘We’d like to take the dog with us...’ We were quite surprised as he agreed. We took Cleo with us to the States and she came with us to Hong Kong,” explains Morris, who is also honorary treasurer at the So-ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani-

mals. “She died a very old and happy dog... She was so docile with our children. An ab-solutely perfect dog.”

The heavy workloads demanded of CPAs means that coping with stress is never an easy task. Many turn to their hobbies such as a sport or try to find time for a short vacation. But some CPAs, such as Morris, manage to find a bit of escapism – falling in love along the way – through furrier means: animals.

Puppy loveMorris goes beyond taking care of his two dogs – Piggy, adopted from the SPCA, and Coco, rescued from Lamma Island. For 10 years, he has been involved with the SPCA, where he not only helps keep a grip on the purse strings but also takes an interest in the charity’s on-the-ground work. “We’ve had a couple of very successful cases recently where we’ve shut down illegal dog breeding

Norman Tsui and (from left) Star, Little Pea, Kate Tsui, Ah Si, Cathy Chui and Fei Fei

Work-life balance

38 October 2012

operations in Hong Kong. In the earlier of the two cases we successfully brought prosecu-tions against the people who were involved,” he says.

Operations such as this put a huge strain on the SPCA’s resources, says Morris. In this case, 140 dogs from the breeding farm were not able to find new homes until after legal proceedings were completed. “These animals are evidence in the case against the person who was running the farm,” he says. “We essentially had to look after the dogs ourselves for about nine months.”

To stop noise reaching the ears of neigh-bours, the breeders cut the vocal cords of many dogs so they couldn’t bark. “It’s quite sad,” says Morris.

However, the sorry tale is reaching a happy ending. “Now by and large the dogs are adopted,” says Morris, who even adopt-ed one of the puppies himself. The dog now lives with his daughter in Vancouver.

The SPCA is known for its veterinary ser-vice, adoption centres, dog-training sessions and programmes such as Cat Colony Care, which aims to reduce the number of stray cats in communities by providing free neu-tering surgery. But a large part of what the society does, Morris says, focuses on educa-tion – particularly of children – to encourage responsible pet ownership and respect for animals.

With the SPCA relying almost fully on memberships and donations, Morris ensures the charity steers away from anything that would put their financial security at risk. “I’m a bit like a non-executive director in a corpo-rate sense,” he says. “We have fully capable accounting staff who actually work on a daily basis there, but my job is to oversee that and make sure that we are financially secure.”

The skills Morris developed as a CPA have better equipped him to be the charity’s trea-surer. But it is his sincere interest in some-thing other than numbers that really quali-fies him for the role. “I can ask what I hope are sensible questions, and we can do bud-gets,” Morris says. “But aside from that you also need to have an animal welfare interest,” he says. “It’s been a fantastic opportunity for me to do something which I enjoy and also provide some benefit to the greater society, including the rest of the animal kingdom.”

Six little pigsWhile his colleagues may own dogs, cats and the occasional rabbit, Norman Tsui’s pets set him apart. “They are gentle, they don’t

“ I can ask what I hope are sensible questions, and we can do budgets. But aside from that you also need to have an animal welfare interest.”

Rob Morris andCoco (left) and Piggy

October 2012 39

fight... Generally speaking they are quite nice and adorable,” says Tsui, a director at BDO and an Institute member, about his six long-haired guinea pigs.

Tsui owned guinea pigs as a primary schoolboy, and his love for them was rekin-dled when he stumbled upon a pet shop in Singapore selling guinea pigs “more beauti-ful” than the ones from his childhood. “In Singapore they are more varied. I bought one and my girlfriend – wife now – bought one too. After that we bought another one then another one,” he says.

Tsui’s current herd includes six-year-old Star (the only remaining guinea pig brought over from Singapore), four-year-old Fei Fei, two-year-old Little Pea, two-year-old Ah Si,

one-year-old Cathy Chui and one-year-old Kate Tsui.

When it comes to pet care, Tsui and his wife have a long to-do list. From clean-ing, feeding the guinea pigs and changing the bedding of three cages, to making sure breeding activity is kept to a minimum, they take it in turns to supervise.

Keeping a watchful eye on his pets is as gripping for him as it is beneficial to the crea-tures. “I like feeding them, I don’t see it as a chore or as time consuming,” says Tsui who feeds them every night after work. “When you feed them you’re actually playing with them too. It’s just amazing when you look at them. The way they yawn is quite cute because of their very small mouths. It’s so sweet.”

Tsui’s knowledge of guinea pigs parallels that of an expert’s, but balancing his guinea-pig hobby and work duties didn’t always come so easy. “After moving back to Hong Kong, my wife used to work for an audit firm and both of us had to work quite late. It was quite difficult. There were days when we can only feed them twice a day: early in the morning and late at night.”

That time commitment is now reaping

“ It’s just amazing when you look at them. The way they yawn is quite cute because of their very small mouths. It’s so sweet.”

priceless rewards. “They really make you feel happy especially, say, if there are problems at work,” he says. “You go back, play with them and it makes you feel more relaxed. They’re such calm animals.”

Feline friendsPenny Leung’s pets quite literally walked into her life. On one rainy day in 1995, a pregnant cat walked into Leung’s house in Montreal

“ They welcome me at the front door when I return home. I like the sound they make even when they complain.”

Penny Leung and Digui

40 October 2012

Work life balance

and gave birth to three kittens.“The cats relocated to Hong Kong with me

in 2001. [They have all] passed away apart from Digui, who became a family member from birth,” says Leung, assistant manager at a local trustee service provider and an Insti-tute member.

As well as Digui – the eldest cat at 17 years old – Leung lives with an eight-year-old tab-by called Tsui Tsui and a three-year-old black and white short-haired cat named Milton. Both were rescued from the street. Milton, who is female despite her male moniker, was found when she was two weeks old by a friend who provides animal home-staying services. She has been living with Leung since Christmas 2010. “I will probably adopt her soon,” Leung says.

Leung sees tending to her three cats as a way to escape stress and encourages other CPAs to consider having pets in their house-

hold. “They help me to not think about work-related things instant-ly... They wel-come me at the front door when I return home,” she says. “I like the sound they make even when they complain. I like their soft and warm fur and how they purr when I stay close to them, although Tsui Tsui gives me quite a few scratches once in a while.”

Leung says cats are ideal pets for busy ac-countants like her because of the animal’s self-sufficient nature. “Their independent character suits me a lot. For cats, you just need to give them a clean litter box and food. No need to walk them,” she says.

While Leung has al-

ways loved being around animals, her

previous job working as an accounting officer for an animal welfare charity increased her interest. “It was really fun. There was a vet clinic in the same build-ing so sometimes we would bring pets with us to work,” recalls Leung. “There were also cats and dogs staying in the building. So we could see them walk around everyday. Work-ing for them was meaningful.”

Alfred Chung and his crystal red shrimp

October 2012 41

“ They are very peaceful in the tank. I feel so relaxed when taking care of them after a whole busy day.”

Marine magicWhile Leung says cats are the perfect pet for a busy accountant, Alfred Chung, an auditor at Grant Thornton and an Institute member, thinks otherwise. “With some animals, they require you to take care of them all the time. And I’m very busy all the time especially peak season when I finish around 1:00 a.m.,” says Chung, who has kept crystal red shrimp as pets for about two years.

Of all the shrimp species, crystal red shrimp are known to be the most sensitive to water conditions – a trait that drew Chung into raising them in the first place. “I remem-ber searching information about them on the Internet beforehand. I was attracted to them as this kind of shrimp is very sensitive to the water, [but] they can easily breed,” he says.

Starting with just four, Chung now has 11 crystal shrimp crawling around his tank. He has a separate tank housing 10 cherry shrimp – a variety of freshwater shrimp origi-nating from Taiwan. “I’ve always been fasci-nated with the water, fish and other fresh-

water species. I plan to get more [shrimp], a bigger tank and some mini lobsters,” he says.

“What I like most about crystal shrimp is the fact that every shrimp is unique in that they have different patterns and colours. They will change throughout their life de-pending on how you look after them,” he ex-plains. “For example, the colour of the shell will be less strong if they don’t have enough food. Their colour is a reflection of how much you have cared for them.”

Despite the challenges of taking care of shrimp – including constantly having to monitor the water’s chemical composition – Chung’s aquarium gives him instant access to tranquility. “They are very peaceful in the tank,” he says. “I feel so relaxed when taking care of them after a whole busy day.”

How pets can reduce stress

I t has been long believed that the companionship of a pet can be good for everyone including, of course, Hong Kong Institute of CPAs members who have to cope with their

busy work life. This idea has been fuelled by studies conducted over the

years on the relationship between animals and the well-being of humans.

Last year, Deborah Wells, a psychologist at Queen’s University Belfast, examined the value of pets to human health for The Psychologist, the official monthly publication of the British Psychological Society, as part of her research on the therapeutic benefits of animals.

Wells says that animals have the potential to contribute significantly to our quality of lives and should not be overlooked

as an alternative, or complementary, form of therapy in modern day healthcare practices.

“No one knows the exact mechanism underlying the ability of pets to de-stress their owners, but quite a few studies point to the action of stroking a pet having a calming effect, helping to lower both blood pressure and heart rate,” Wells tells A Plus.

Psychologists say pets make ideal companions for those with demanding jobs who need to wind down. But Wells adds that having an animal in the house can do much more than alleviate stress. “Psychologically, pet ownership can also help to boost self-esteem, feelings of self-worth and decrease loneliness.”

A helping pawResearch has found that in comparison to other pets, dogs can substantially ease the psychological pressures of their owners.

In a study by Colorado State University in the United States, researchers monitored the levels of oxytocin – a hormone with stress-relieving properties that women typically produce in much larger amounts than men – of 20 dog owners after they had spent time with their dogs after work compared with them reading.

Results found that for women, oxytocin increased 58 percent with the dog and only 26 percent with quiet reading. For men, oxytocin dropped 56 percent when reading and only 22 percent after playing with the dog.

Wells agrees that owning a four-legged friend can be just as beneficial as doing a spot of meditation or yoga. “Dogs are probably more capable of boosting their owners well-being than cats, and, in turn, both of these pets are more capable of boosting human well-being than other types of companion animal,” she explains.

With their infectious thirst for going on walks, dogs also help to improve physical fitness, she adds. “[This] indirectly... helps to increase social contacts.”