Mon 23rd April: A sad state of affairs

It seems sending Molly and Oscar overseas is the only solution

There are times when I feel enthusiastic and optimistic about the way things are going, and other times when nothing seems to be working.  I expect that's a general summary of most peoples' lives and overall I know I'm very lucky, especially when compared to, for example, Molly and Oscar's family who left Hong Kong today for an uncertain future back in the UK.  However, finding a new home for the two dogs has proved to be a real challenge, far harder than I had expected given that they are both young, healthy and are loving and sociable dogs.   Perhaps it's the fact that there are two of them, but even so the lack of any real interest has been puzzling and sad.

Pingu-Otis is 9 years old now, Hailey a few years younger

Given this situation on top of the many other dogs that are being surrendered or abandoned on a daily basis and end up at our already-crowded Tai Po Homing Centre, I was less than impressed to receive an email from someone who had adopted two dogs from HKDR some years ago, one as an older puppy (Hailey) and one as a young adult (then Pingu who was re-named Otis).  I knew that the adopter had moved to Macau and had assumed that the dogs had gone along with the family, but I was wong.   It turned out that the dogs (and a cat) had stayed in Hong Kong with the mother/wife while husband/father started afresh in Macau, and now the animals need a new home - by the end of April.  Given that May is just a few days away and the situation had been known for some time, to say I was furious would be an understatement. 

I would hate to separate Hailey and the cat

Leaving my personal feelings of anger aside, it's the dogs and cat that are the innocent victims of this sad state of affairs so I want to help them.  However, with having had no luck at all with a new home for Molly and Oscar I'm not feeling too optimistic about finding somewhere for these three, but I will try.  Hailey has always been an incredibly sweet girl, medium sized, and it seems she and the cat are very close friends.  Pingu-Otis is a funny looking dog with a long body and short legs, but he and Hailey are best friends who have enjoyed each others' company for many years.

Realistically finding a home for all three as a family is going to be very hard, but I would love to keep Hailey and the cat together if at all possible.  That means taking Pingu away from his long-term friends, but that's what happens when humans dump their responsibilities on rescue organisations, and with just a few days to find a solution.

The family of three

If you can help please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt), whether it's for Hailey and the cat, Pingu-Otis, or Molly and Oscar.