Mon 17th April: Itching to get back to work

Coco on Sunday

I was itching to get things done today including taking the three Stanley Barracks doglets out of AFCD, but as it's still officially a Public Holiday meaning only a skeleton staff at all government offices, I couldn't do anything that required someone in charge to authorise it. The most I could achieve was to take a whole bunch of puppies from Lamma to Pokfulam to get their rabies vaccinations and licenses issued, even though they are only four months old and it's not a legal requirement until five months.  One of the pups was Coco, a black fluffy girl who is so happy and friendly that I let her out of the crate while we were at the Animal Management Centre so she could run around and say hello to all of the staff.  This sweet and beautiful girl looks so much like my Lamma dog Diamond, who was once such a youngster but failed to be chosen.  I never understood why and don't understand why Coco is still with me either.   Sister Petra was chosen on Sunday and she is already charming her family, just the way I know Coco would.

Poor Baggy's eyes are so sore

In the morning I'd got a message asking if we'd be able to help a sharpei puppy who'd been dumped because of his eye problem.  The poor boy has entropian, a condition that is so common in sharpeis and chow chows because of the excessive facial skin which pushes the eyelids down, and it's all due to breeders trying to achieve more and more folds.  As with all breeds the modern versions in no way resemble the original, but so many now suffer from extremes.  There's nothing cute about a puppy being born with so much skin that it needs surgery to be able to see, or breathe (pugs, bulldogs etc). This sharpei puppy had been taken in a holdall to a vet clinic in Kennedy Town and just dropped there.  It has no microchip and is around three months old, possibly four. If you are interested in adopting this boy please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com, under Adopt.

Nutmeg is a tiny 6 year-old pom

Another very strange case involved the ex-breeder pomeranian who came to us the other day.  She had seemed a bit quiet and unwell, so rather than wait until the due vet appointment on Tuesday Nutmeg was sent straight away as an emergency.   We have seen too many breeder dogs with serious health issues and some of them need urgent treatment. What came back after she's been X-rayed was a surprise.  We have no way of knowing how long the coin (assumed) has been in her stomach but once she is feeling better it will be surgically removed.

Looks like a $2 coin inside

Another ex-breeder dog surprise was the adorable shih tzu girl Minky I took for licensing today.  The AFCD staff member was asking me about the shiba inu, and I couldn't understand what he was talking about.  Eventually I worked out that the shih tzu's license stated that she was a shiba inu, so I was able to show that she really wasn't and the license details were changed.  It does however make you wonder what goes on at these breeder "establishments" and seems to back up the stories that I've heard about microchips being taken out of one dog and put into another.

According to her license Minky is a 4 year-old shiba inu

The photos from Sunday's Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon arrived too late for me to post yesterday, but they are lovely and well worth the wait. There are so many great shots I had trouble choosing just one to post, bit in the end I picked Lucy as my model.  What a beautiful baby she is.

Lucy is just one of many charmers waiting for homes

Please take a look at the whole set here

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 87 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 16 April 2017 — at Whiskers N Paws All photos by Connor Bavis