Weds 22 Aug: Time to plan ahead

Ozzie has a big garden to play in too

Although by now we should be seeing an increase in enquiries and adoptions, the recent rain and storms seem to have kept people away, at least from our Tai Po Homing Centre.  However there was one lucky dog today, fuzzy boy Ozzie, who is now experiencing a real family life after starting off as a born-stray TNR puppy.  He leaves behind his sister Oona, another one of the many dogs I wish I could adopt myself as she looks heartbreakingly like my previous girl Gala.

Oona and Ozzie at Tai Po

However after ending up with far too many dogs living with me on Lamma, which happened when we had nowhere else for puppies to go to that weren't adopted, I have implemented a self-imposed "No More" policy.  This is not only because there simply isn't any space for more dogs, but because at some point (now) I have to think about the future and the reality of getting older.  Currently I have quite a few dogs who are fourteen years, with a couple even older, as well as many who are nine years-plus, so in five years time the numbers will be reduced somewhat.  I have earmarked ten years as the time when I will be able to consider myself retired as the caretaker of so many dogs and perhaps even start travelling again, although I can't envisage giving up the operational side of HKDR until I topple off my chair.  Actually, now I think about it, once the dogs are also too old to steal my things and chew everything in sight, I won't have to perch on a high stool to work at my computer.

The Yorkiepoo puppy has a broken leg

As always, as dogs are adopted and leave the Homing Centres, others arrive, and today we took in the Yorkie-poodle I mentioned yesterday, an eight month-old girl with a broken leg.  She was surrendered because of the high cost of surgery to repair the leg, so that will now be covered by HKDR of course.

This chowchow girl also has entropian

On Thursday we'll get another chowchow, this time a three year-old girl, another surgery case as she has quite bad entropian.

If anyone is interested in adopting any of our dogs that require surgery or treatment of any kind, priority will be given to those who can take immediately, not those who want to wait until the puppy or dog has recovered.