Thurs 18th May: Sweet names for sweet dogs

Stanley Barracks dog Crunchie has a home

We had a tight schedule today with dogs going to Acorn from Tai Po, new breeder dogs coming to Ap Lei Chau and a ton of donated this-and-that needing to be picked up.

Crunchie was one of the dogs going for his desexing prior to heading off to start his new life, and he was collected by his adopter later in the day (minus his gentleman bits).  As it happens his brother is one of the inmates still languishing in the AFCD kennels, the Veterinary Office being away for the month of May and not being able to give her approval, but that's another story.

4 of the new breeder dogs settling down for the night

The new dogs from the breeder had to be taken to AFCD for scanning and rabies vaccination if necessary, and three out of the five had expired licenses with only the two shih tzus being up to date. All of these dogs are incredibly sweet and it's so sad to know that they have been used over and again to produce puppies for the pet trade.  Of course they have the standard ear infections, but thankfully not heartworm, and other than dry eye in both shih tzus they seem to be in reasonable health.  They're not old with ages ranging between five for the smallest poodle, to eight for the largest.  If you are interested in adoption or can offer a foster home, please complete the questionnaire on our website or contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com, thank you.

I gave these new dogs "sweet" names to match their personalities, so the shih tzus are Candy and Sugar, with the poodles being Treacle, Syrup and Toffee.

The largest poodle had her own bed

By the way, for allergy sufferers the shih tzu is one of the suitable breeds along with the obvious poodle and bichon frise, both of whom have wool rather than fur coats.  Also included in this "allergy" group are Yorkshire terriers (actually many terriers like the Westie) and schnauzers.  There is no such thing as a guaranteed non-allergenic dog but these types don't shed in the same way as most dogs.

I was sent a link to a Facebook post about a dog looking for a new home, a breed I hadn't even heard of but it was something fancy that had clearly cost a lot of money and had been sold by a breeder in Australia to someone, a businessman, in Hong Kong who no longer wanted it or seemed to have had any interest from the start.  It was the helper who took care of it and walked it (once a day), but now even that was too much trouble.  This case is exactly what I'm talking about when people say they would only buy from a reputable breeder abroad, usually Australia, thinking that that statement actually makes any sense.  What is reputable about sending a young puppy on a long haul flight to a complete stranger in another country?  I have only once been contacted by a breeder (of Afghan hounds) asking me for information about Hong Kong and the area in which a potential buyer lived, and I was able to say that this wasn't a suitable home for a breed like an Afghan.  That is what I call a reputable breeder.