“After my parents’ accident, my grandparents were very protective of us. Play dates were a rarity and we never actually got to go out. At that time, my aunt Deborah had about 20 dogs in the house and I would basically sit around and play with them. My thinking was that if I can’t go out and have real friends then the dogs would be my friends.

Everyday after school, I would literally go inside the cages and chat with the dogs. Growing up in a family like mine, there had been problems, lots of things that you can’t really express yourself with and these dogs would really listen to me. That’s when my love affair with animals really started,” says Ho wistfully.

Nevertheless, Ho remembers fondly the time she and her sister spent with her grandfather: “I used to be really scared of my grandfather because he seemed so tall and imposing from a child’s viewpoint. But as I grew up, I came to realise how much my grandfather cared for us. Every Sunday, without fail, we would go out for lunch even though he was so busy.”

When Ho was 14, she went to boarding school and it was then that she realised she had lived a different life from most. “In a way, I was confined to my grandfather’s house in Macau and didn’t have many friends. I didn’t really know what the world was like. Things changed when I arrived in England. The first dinner that I had at boarding school made me understand that I was a little strange. I remember that the dinner was buffet style and for dessert, I took an orange. I brought it back to the table and just stared at it for two to three minutes not knowing what to do with it. The other girls found it unusual and I had to explain that, normally, other people peel it for me and I had no idea what to do with the orange.”

Things slowly changed for Ho as she adjusted to living in England and interacted more with other girls. As she was invited to experience how other families lived, she gained an appreciation of what she had and changed her attitude towards how she treated people. After London, she went to New York and tried out various different things, training as a make-up artist and enrolling in business courses. But she didn’t find her passion until she came across an advertisement for Anima, the Society for the Protection of Animals in Macau.

“Whenever I encountered strays in London and New York, I always felt a pang and hoped that someone was helping them and when I got the opportunity to make a difference in Macau, I leapt at it. I started out at as a member of Anima but eventually was nominated to become the president due to my passion for helping the animals.

“While at Anima, I embarked on a mission to get the dogs well and promote the organisation so people would come to us to adopt a dog before going to pet stores. There are still a lot of people who abandon their animals in Macau. We really need to educate the Macanese people so that they realise that pets are not disposable and are not a fashion statement.”

In addition to Anima, Ho was also instrumental in the creation of the Royal Veterinary Centre, the biggest and most well-equipped veterinary clinic in Macau. Her desire to establish this clinic was based again on her experiences growing up. She says, “When I was younger, I was given a small chihuahua. Unfortunately, that puppy got very sick and I handed her to a vet. He promised to heal her but the very next day, he called and said ‘I’m sorry, your pet died’ with no explanation. And from that day on, I vowed to bring a proper vet to Macau.”

The Royal Veterinary Centre was launched at the same time as Dog One Life, Ho’s other venture, a boarding and retail store for dogs that also provides grooming services. A passionate businesswoman with several strings to her bow, she is a Ho through and through. “My grandfather has always been my role model. His hope for me was to go into business and now I’ve found my calling in combining business with my love for animals. Everyday I strive to make him proud and I hope I’ve succeeded.”