Tues 12th June: Old and young, they keep coming

5 babies, three boys and two girls

I had no idea the litter of puppies that were ready to be taken from AFCD were so tiny, but they weigh just a kilo each and even though they're very young I doubt they will be any larger than medium sized as adults.  They are probably four weeks old, old enough to eat the special puppy food they are being fed, but too young be be vaccinated at the moment.  I was told they had been found in the rubbish, just like the previous litter, but luckily this time all are healthy. They will hopefully all go to fosters homes (as a pair and three) and only be put up for adoption at two months of age.

Apart from the fact that these tiny babies are too young for individual adoption, we have an emergency situation after agreeing to take in ten breeder throwaways: five poodles, a schnauzer, a cocker spaniel and three bichon frise.  They aren't young, because no breeder throws away money makers, but other than that we won't know until they arrive, and assuming that they do.

We have a lot of small dogs at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre that are really ready for adoption, many very sweet and playful like little poodle Indigo who's like a puppy in her behaviour.  In fact when asking Iris if she had a photo I could share I was told she's too fast, like a running black ball, to be able to take a decent shot!  There's also Rocket, not a youngster but a really lovely poodle boy who is now ready for adoption after his desexing and hernia repair, plus plenty of others who may not be puppies but still have many active years left.  I have two smaller dogs on Lamma that are sixteen, or in Wanda's case maybe even older, and they still lead a full and happy life.

Wanda is at least 16 but probably even older

Rocket is a happy and lively 10 year-old poodle

Hobo is young but his life will almost certainly be a short one

Age is really not always the important factor when it comes to health, as has been clearly shown in the case of one year-old shiba inu Hobo.  We had so many people wanting to adopt when he first came to us, but now we know that he has a hole in his heart and his life expectancy is short.  We're still waiting for the full report from the specialist after his heart scan, but options for treatment are limited, at least in Hong Kong.

Now for some really great news........ Hugo's adoption has been confirmed after many years of waiting for a home.  Hugo was my poster boy for dispelling the myth that all labradors (and golden retrievers) are perfect family dogs.  It's frustrating to hear this time and time again, when I know it's not true and anyone doing any research on statistics will find the same.  Inbreeding and breeding from dogs with behaviour and health problems affects all breeds, and although Hugo was a very happy boy in general, he had a habit of lunging when out walking.  Being big and strong that made him unsuitable for most homes as they couldn't safely take him out, so he waited and waited until finally, at thirteen years of age, he found the right person.

Look at Hugo's happy face!