It's been a crazy kind of week and I'm looking forward to at least a Saturday with no dramas, new dogs or vet visits. Sunday will be Whiskers N Paws of course, but hopefully that will only bring good news.
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| The pups were back at Acorn today for another blood test |
For today there were two litters of puppies to go to Acorn to have their blood taken again to check their red cell count, and happily the new youngsters are slightly improved though not by very much. At least the numbers are moving up instead of dropping, but they will have to go back on Monday for another blood test and I always feel so sorry for these puppies and their poor needle-punctured necks.
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| We have a whole collection of "Figgy Pups" now |
The second litter finally had their first vaccinations after a few weeks of waiting and testing, and I think at least a couple of them are ready for Whiskers N Paws. They're from the same extended family as the other Chai Wan Cemetery puppies, most of whom are staying at our Tai Po Homing Centre with a couple lucky enough to have been adopted. They all look so alike, being either tan with cream facial markings or the white-and-bits colouring of (adopted) Figgy.
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| Jammy is one of the alternative style of Chai Wan puppies |
Also at Acorn today was the new intake from AFCD Sheung Shui: two Yorkies, two Shelties and a lovely mixed breed girl who looks a bit like a small rottweiler. I suspect all of the small ones are ex-breeder dogs, and one of the Yorkies tested positive for heartworm. How I despise these digusting breeders and their complete lack of concern for the dogs' health and wellbeing. To them the dogs are nothing but money machines, and I just wish people would stop buying and giving them a reason to stay in business.
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| 2 Yorkie girls |
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| The two Sheltie girls |
Pebble and Anna, the two puppies staying at Whiskers N Paws full time, were also at Acorn having their third and final vaccinations, so they are now ready to start going out for walks.
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| Ozzie and Oona |
Also in the van, which was totally packed as you can imagine, were the two fuzzy dogs from Tai Po, Ozzie and Oona. We'd been waiting for their licenses to be sent from the person or group who had originally rescued the dogs and had them microchipped and rabies vaccinated, but with nothing having arrived after a couple of months we took matters into our own hands by getting Temporary Keeper status at AFCD. That means AFCD will contact the registered owner for an official surrender agreement and new licenses can be issued in my name.
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| Shelter eviction underway |
I've written before about the number of private rescue groups and shelters that operate under the radar, and often illegally in the sense that the shelters are on Government Land. These are all well-meaning volunteers who are trying to help the homeless animals but they underestimate the cost and manpower needed to provide food and care for the dogs and cats. Even an organisation like HKDR can't find any space that can legally be used for kennels as all land is zoned as agricultural, meaning nothing can be built on it. Applying for change of usage takes years, even decades, and it's an out-of-date system that goes back to the times when the New Territories was indeed all farmland. We are always incredibly grateful for our Tai Po site, a private property which was offered to us back in 2010 when we had to leave our Pokfulam kennels. Without Tai Po HKDR would have had to close down and the thousands of saved lives would never have happened.
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| Shelter dog coming on Tuesday |
The latest victim of Government Land ruling is a small shelter that has been illegally occupying a small village site, and we will be taking in the dogs that have now been made homeless (not that the shelters was much of a home to be frank). There are also thirty-odd cats that are being rescued, but our concern is for the dogs. The first few will come on Tuesday, with some more a few days later.
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| Another shelter victim |
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