LAMMA ISLAND, Hong Kong -- Dozens of leading local residents, the fleet-footed, furry, four-legged ones, and their two-legged assistants, held a special party at the Power Station Beach here on January 16.
After several hours of frolicking with old pals and sniffing out new ones, most guests of honor gave the event a supreme signal of approval – wagging tails -- as they trotted home.
Film-maker Alba Rayton, a Lamma Islander with two canine pets, organized the “dog beach party”, complete with food and drinks (albeit mostly for humans), as a cunning ploy to create joyful scenes to film and to attract pet guardians to interview for a new project. She’s working on a short documentary about Lamma’s people and lifestyle.
About 40 dogs attended – some brown, others black, golden or white, some tiny, some humongous, but most medium-sized -- together with a similar number of equally diverse people. Under pleasant sunshine, the dogs chased each other along the beach, churning sand with each stride. Some leaped in and out of the ocean. Their guardians sat nearby or mingled at the snacks table.
A few city dogs came to Lamma for the occasion. Their humans had read about plans for the party online or on posters. Some keen people borrowed dogs from neighbors to attend.
Sounds of barking dogs punctuated the murmur of human chatter. Some folks feared that their dogs might fight with rival guests, but no serious canine disputes erupted. This wasn’t a time for doggy bluster or snapping at snouts.
Clever dogs used the “eye-appeal technique” to convince their humans to share tiny sausages, bits of chicken or slices of bread. Some pursued another traditional activity – chasing and chewing on sticks.
Alba and her team aimed cameras at the dogs and asked the people every relevant question. Two crew members, including Alba’s husband John, climbed a steep hillside, while carrying a camera, to shoot down at the party. They returned looking weary and tattered. John’s jacket had multiple rips from brambles and bushes. “It wasn’t easy getting up there,” he said. “We didn’t find a path.”
Alba plans the documentary as a companion work for Masks, her short movie (about 55 minutes) set on Lamma and finished last year. She screened Masks at several overseas film festivals and hopes to do likewise with the documentary. Soon, Masks and the documentary may appear together on a DVD for sale on Lamma and beyond.
Canine buddies compare notes.
Who can hold back enthusiastic youngsters?
Chewing on a stick, this dog wonders
why humans eat most of the party food.
Dogs and people relax near the edge of the sand.
Alba's dog eavesdrops on an interview.
Two crew members film
the popular party
from the summit of a steep hillside.
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