Sun 30th Sept: End of another month

Beano is a very loving boy, and now he has his own forever home

I was so happy that it was finally sweet Beano's chance to have forever love from his new family, and I have to thank his foster parents for the change in Beano from a nervous and shy baby to the amazing and special boy he became.  I was also sad to see him so confused as I helped him to be fitted for his new collar and harness, and then to be led away by strangers, but I know this will pass. 

Beano and Sailor in June

Two other puppies also found their forever homes today, and as Boomer had been staying as a guest at Whiskers N Paws his adoption freed up space for others, in this case Boomer's brother Blake and new black girl Raven.

Misty found a family on her first ever try

Raven's sister, Magic, went to a foster home (with a view to adoption), and with third sister Misty  adopted, that meant all three of our newest puppies didn't make it back to the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre.

We had two photographers today offering their volunteer services, and here is Chris Lu's lovely set:  Puppy Adoption Day 30 September 2018.  The second set will be published soon.

My favourite to find a home this week didn't, which was very disappointing, so I'll keep talking and writing about her until someone recognises the gem that she is.  Nattie is a small girl, with a short coat, pretty colouring and a very sweet and easy temperament.  She is old enough to have got over the most difficult part of puppy behaviour but young enough at seven months to be lots of fun.

I won't stop until Nattie is adopted!

I need to say a big thank you to the fantastic volunteer team from Buyandship, and for the very generous donation of not only money but also food for the dogs. We are always happy to welcome corporate groups to help out at our Homing Centres, and you can contact eva@hongkongdogrescue.com for information and details.

A huge thanks to the team from Buyandship for a huge donation of both money and labour

We would like to express our gratitude to the passionate team at Buyandship 國際網購轉運（香港） for volunteering for HKDR, helping with the heavy labour tasks at Tai Po Homing Centre and running a very successful fundraising campaign for HKDR, raising a total of $80k and even some extra money for buying canned food for the dogs! Our centre had suffered real damage from Typhoon Mangkhut, plus the heavy vet bills from the influx of ex-breeder dogs, so this money raised will really become a much-needed financial aid!

Buyandship is a group of very kind-hearted and dog-loving people. Thank you so much!

Sat 29th Sept: Autumn at last

Moomin is the little white puppy

Some more good news, this time about our Ap Lei Chau dogs including tiny three-legged pom Moomin.  You may remember when he first came to us with a mangled and infected result of what looked like a home surgery attempt, and there was no option other than to amputate.  I thought he'd still be snapped up being so small, a puppy and a teacup breed, but I was wrong.  It's been a while since Moomin arrived, but today was finally his big homegoing, the first of our "imperfect" little ones.

Yoko is a very happy girl now

Poodle Yoko also had her adoption confirmed after a short trial period.  She settled in so well and so quickly that even though she wasn't the shih tzu that was first requested, it didn't matter.

"Yoko (now named Edith but don’t worry - we’re calling her “Edie”!) has settled in really well. She and Oscar are getting along great. They have started to shift from just co-existing to some tentative attempts at playing. She’s the absolute sweetest and loves all people (including the delivery men whether or not they love her back) and while she’s a little scared of new things - like playground equipment and open doors - it’s amazing how much bolder she is getting every day and how she is so much more confident walking with Oscar than alone. We love her already! 

As you may know - I emailed many times and visited the homing center a few times before I was ready to make the leap and I couldn’t be happier that I finally decided to go for it." 

And Pia makes four, 3 blacks from HKDR and one local rescue

More good news about another Typhoon Foster, this time Pia who will be staying with ex-HKDR brothers Ticket and Zeb.

This time of year tends to be a busy one because there's a break between the summer and Christmas holidays, allowing dogs and puppies to be adopted and have a few months settling in period before the next upheaval.  Puppies are adaptable and tend to make a quick and smooth transition to a new home and family, whereas some adults can take a while.  It's always disappointing, and I have to say annoying, when dogs are brought back after a few days - even just one day - because they haven't fitted in immediately, or have peed on a rug.  It's an exceptionally confident dog that walks into a new home and behaves as if nothing has happened.   All HKDR adopters can benefit from the free advice and support offered by our experienced trainer Cactus, and she is always happy to help when asked.

The 3 new recruits

The weather is finally turning autumnal, and it means a great afternoon of puppy play at Whiskers N Paws again.  Who will be the lucky ones this Sunday?  Will it be the three new recruits, or one of our slightly older puppies like Beano, Nattie or Frisbee?  We'll have to wait to find out.

Jack and Beano can't wait for their Sunday play session

Fri 28th Sept: More good news

Thanks to her loving foster parent Dorset is now enjoying walks

It's so good to be able to write yet another good news blog, with more dogs either being adopted or having homes lined up.

One of those is Dorset the Doberman, an incredibly soft and loving ex-breeder girl whose Typhoon Foster not only started teaching Dorset how to use the appropriate toilet area and how to begin to enjoy going outside for short walks, but also made a huge effort to find the right home - and successfully.  I know everyone at Tai Po will be thrilled because Dorset is loved by all, and I'm really so grateful to her foster parent.

Brownie will have a new name I'm sure

One more ex-breeder dog went home today, straight from Acorn where he had been for desexing.  I was there to visit one of my Lamma dogs who's quite sick in hospital so I was able to do the handover of Brownie the labrador, but as usual I completely forgot to take a photo.  I'm sure I can get one sent by his adopter, who also has another ex-HKDR to show Brownie around.

Anna is now 4 years old and still so sweet

It was quite funny at Acorn, that every dog in the waiting room was an HKDR graduate, whether poodle or mixed breed.  One was Anna, another Domino, and also Mister, a fairly recent addition at Tai Po and currently in a foster home.  Some dogs remember me well, others dimly and a few not at all, but I remember them all.

Mister is still a puppy at around ten months

Domino will be leaving for Australia soon

Another Tai Po dog that will be going home soon is Jason, one of our many lovely mixed breeds, so often overlooked.

I hope I can continue my good news posts through the weekend and beyond, so keep reading!

Jason in foster is promised a home very soon

Thurs 27th Sept: Finding the perfect match

Moomin and Toto are a bit older now, but both puppies are still waiting for homes

I'm happy that we're getting back to the busy season in terms of adoption enquiries, and I'm spending a lot of my time replying to emails and questionnaires many of which are asking about small breed puppies.  We do have some but they are the Special Needs type, and even an otherwise perfect and tiny, but three-legged, pom puppy (Moomin) is still waiting.   These are physical issues, like Poppet the bichon puppy who is deaf and blind, although she does have four legs and is very sweet, so I can understand that it's too much of a challenge for families with children.

However many potential adopters ask for puppies who are quiet, calm and independent, and not one of those three words can be used to desribe any puppy.  That's like expecting a human baby or even a two year-old toddler to be any of those things.  They're just not, because they're babies or young children, dependent on their parents or other adults, and they don't know how to behave or use the toilet by themselves.  Why would a baby dog understand how to be what their humans want them to be, how to be independent or calm? If you want any of those things in a dog, then you need to adopt an adult, or at the very least an older puppy.

Carlo is a shiba inu cross, small, quiet and independent

Carlo is smaller sized, independent, very calm and quiet too, but he's not a cuddly dog and most families want that. So it's often very difficult to try to match the dog or puppy with human expectations and wants, and it's frustrating. We have other older puppies like Beano who is really sweet and kind, or siblings Nattie and Frisbee who are also smaller in size and very easy, but they are mixed breeds and therefore not considered to be desirable by most.

Beano is an incredibly sweet natured older puppy

Since posting his information again, many people have been asking about Tracker the beagle. There's no doubt that he's a lovely dog, both in character and looks, but he's a year-old beagle, a breed that requires a huge amount of exercise and patience. Also, as an ex-breeder dog he's not toilet trained, even if he's learning very quickly from the other dogs at the office where he's staying.

Tracker with Turpin when they first arrived

A dog shouldn't be judged on a breed name, rather on character and suitability for the adopter's home. Why ask about a giant-sized dog if you live in a small apartment, or an active young breed if you plan to walk once a day for thirty minutes, or even less?  That's why we are here, to offer guidance and advice, and to help both adopters and the dogs to find their perfect match. 

Nattie is small at 7 months

Weds 26th Sept: Gala Volunteers needed please!

Meg won't be coming back to Tai Po!

Another happy Typhoon Foster dog won't be coming back, and this time the connection goes back a long way as Meg's now-adopter has known Nutmeg (as she was orginially called) since she was a baby puppy at our then Pokfulam Kennels.  At that time the adopter was a volunteer, and she has kept in touch with Meg over the years but has only now been able to commit to keeping her, so better late than never.

If you are followers of our HKDR Facebook page you may have seen a wonderful video of three of our current Ap Lei Chau dogs playing in the dog park (https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/565418483914156/), and apparently they continued for hours after getting back to the upstairs office/dog area. 

Cello (left) as a baby and still waiting

Tracker the beagle was adopted but returned for being too active, Jewel the chow chow is still waiting for her chance of a home, as is Cello the medium-sized mixed breed and the only one of her large litter who wasn't chosen as a young puppy.  I've watched this video many times myself, because there's nothing better than seeing dogs behaving and playing freely and naturally and without any human intervention. As much as dogs and humans have an undeniable bond, it's not the same as dogs have with each other.  After all, how many humans can play and wrestle for hours on end, never getting bored or tired?  These three dogs are around the same age of a year old so their energy levels match, and it underlines the fact that two dogs are better than one, and that having a pair that can play together takes a lot of the pressure off the humans having to provide enough exercise to keep a dog happy.

Volunteers needed please!

Preparations for the "Sarge'n'Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" Gala Fundraiser are pretty much complete now, and as I mentioned yesterday we have an amazing event lined up for our guests.   Now we are recruiting volunteers for the evening, which will include helping with the set up during the day as well as the actual event.  If you are over eighteen and would like to volunteer, either as an individual or as a group, please contact Nicole at nicole@hongkongdogrescue.com. 
The date is Saturday 13th October and the venue is the Aberdeen Marina Club.

Tues 25th Sept: Happy Holiday News

Today will only be a good news day, as we saw three dogs leave our Tai Po Homing Centre for the last time, and hopefully more to follow very soon.

Woody has no idea what a bed is.

Sweet Joel has his own forever family now

There was another "failed foster" adoption as sweet Joel made such a good impression that he was invited to join the family permanently.  So many of the Tai Po dogs that went to typhoon foster homes behaved impeccably, and it's helped us to be able to recommend them to future potential homes.

Honey had been used as a breeding machine and a milk factory

Two of the ex-breeder dogs were given their chance at a real home life too, as labrador Honey and malamute Woody said their goodbyes to Homing Centre friends and left with their new families.

We still have several ex-breeder dogs waiting for homes, including two year-old chocolate labrador boy Brownie.  Why hasn't he been snapped up yet?

Young and full of energy Brownie

Over at Ap Lei Chau recently-surrendered poodle Jasper only had that name for a day as he is now Coco in his new family.

Look at these 3 gorgeous puppies!

Lucky Jasper-now-Coco was with us for a very short time

Thanks to volunteer Harryn, whose lovely photos of the Ap Lei Chau residents I regularly use, I have a photo of the three new puppies, all happy waggy-tailed girls.  You can meet them any day at the Homing Centre, or at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday afternoon.

I just need to mention that the day of the annual Fundraising Gala is now very close, and tickets are selling fast so please don't wait until the last minute to buy.  We have a very special Beatles-themed evening planned with all sorts of opportunities to buy or participate, as well as enjoying the fun of the entertainment and great food and wine. Please email our volunteer event organiser Nicole at nicole@hongkongdogrescue.com for details and tickets for "Sarge'n'Peppers Lonely Hearts Club" Gala Fundraiser taking place on Saturday 13th October at the Aberdeen Marina Club Ballroom.


Just one of the guests will be Melissa Tan of Paintinks by Melt, whose beautiful personalised watercolour pet portraits sold out within a day when they were previously posted on our Facebook page.  You will be able to have your dog's portrait painted if you missed out before, but this opportunity will only be for gala guests.  Remember to bring a photo.

Paintinks by Melt asking for typhoon fosters

Mon 24th Sept: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

My day started very badly as I lost all electricity due to rainwater having got into the main fusebox during the typhoon, and finally the whole thing burned out.  There was nothing I could do until I had power back, not even make some coffee, so I took the dogs out for an early walk and to get rid of at least some of my frustration.  It's really been a very difficult time and there is still a long way to go before things can return to some sort of normality, and with another potential typhoon on the way I'm not sure I could cope.  As it is the electricity supply was temporarily restored but with the warning that the whole fusebox needed replacing.  These things might sound easy to arrange when you live in a place that has road or easy access, but my remote part of Lamma is like living on the moon when it comes to repairs.

Chippy is 10 years old now but still likes to be carried like a baby

At least I managed to get off the island and over to Ap Lei Chau for the first time in ages, and I took a couple of my Lamma dogs with me to see a vet.  Both Chippy and Hay have been losing weight steadily, and although Hay had previously been checked by a vet for the same reason and nothing sinister found, I wanted to make sure.

On the way to Acorn I stopped off at AFCD in Pokfulam as I had been told there were dogs waiting, and left with a litter of three lovely puppies (not babies but around three months old), and a pair of surrendered Shelties, also not young at eleven years.

The Shelties, now called Meg and Peggy,  are both girls and I assume sisters as they are the same age according to their licenses, and whoever was cruel enough to abandon them at AFCD had at least taken enough care of them that they are in good general condition except for their skin, another allergy case it seems.   They were so happy to get out of their kennel and into the van, and we (Ming the driver and I) had trouble keeping them still for the drive to Acorn.  They were bouncing around and wanting to help with the driving, so I needed to hold them tightly on my lap to prevent an accident.

Best friends Jack and Beano

Dogs are almost always happier in pairs, and now that I'm able to write about Sunday's puppy afternoon in more detail I wanted to mention little Jack and his best friend Beano.  They are both being fostered in the same area, and have become close after meeting up every day on the local beach where there is a dog playgroup arranged by the helpers.  Neither foster was aware of the other's presence in the village, and it was only when Jack and Beano spent the whole three hours happily playing that the connection became clear.  We know Beano misses his brother Sailor, now adopted, so he has obviously chosen Jack as a replacement.

Jack is just a little boy and will always be small in size

Jack is a very small puppy, now over five months of age and with all of his adult teeth through, and he's such a social little guy, and very easy according to his foster parents.  We would love to find him a forever home, and if it's with another dog that would be perfect.

Babette (left) is formally adopted

We're very happy to hear how well the Tai Po foster dogs have been doing in their temporary homes, and even happier when they get to stay.  Babette and Butter have had their adoptions formalised, and there are others in the pipeline which I hope will be confirmed very soon.

Butter's foster stay became permanent

Sun 23rd Sept: Two happy pups and more news to come

Raisin found herself a lovely family 

To add to all of the other recent dramas, I lost all electricity first thing this morning when the main fuse box blew as a result of water seeping in during the typhoon.  I couldn't do anything not even make coffee let alone post my blog, so I took the dogs for an early walk in the rain until someone could come round and fix the problem. That means I have no time for details, just the wonderful photos by Tatiana Yankovskaya from Whiskers N Paws

 Puppy Adoption Day 23 September 2018 

and the happy adoptions of Donna and Raisin.

It was Donna's first and last Whiskers N Paws experience

There was more good news from Tai Po about foster dogs that will be staying in their respective homes, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Sat 22nd Sept: One week later

Back again after missing last week

Whatever happens I'm going to be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday, even if I have to swim over.  I need some puppy time and to see how they're doing, not to mention a change of scenery, and I also hope I'll be reporting on adoptions tomorrow after a slow Saturday.

Replacing the cover on the roof

The volunteers coming to help out at Tai Po have been amazing, and now that most of the clean-up has been completed we have to bring in the professionals to handle the major repair work.  Thanks to everyone who turned up to lend a hand, also with donating water and food for both dogs and humans.  It's honestly incredibly heartwarming to see the community pulling together in times of need, and I'm not only talking about HKDR but over all of Hong Kong.  I hope it will be a long time before anything like this happens again, but if it does I know we can rely on everyone's support once again.

Fri 21st Sept: Dogs don't even know what disability is

I've had the strangest week, and not the best I must admit.  I'm still coming to terms with the devastation caused by last Sunday's typhoon, both mentally and physically, as every day has been spent moving blocks of concrete, shovelling sand and hauling twisted and broken wire fencing.  All of the floating pontoons in the bay have been destroyed so there's no access for boats other than at high tide, so I'll have to think of a way I can get to Sunday's Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon - and back.

Zorro and Donna, which is which?

While days are spent outside trying to make headway with clearing the destroyed outside dog area, I'm doing other work at the computer in the early morning and evenings, and that's how I came to be arranging the adoption of puppy Zorro, the remaining labrador puppy, just before I went to bed.  That means of course that he won't be at Whiskers N Paws with the other hopefuls, but Iris sent me this photo of him with another black puppy I took from AFCD as a singleton, and asked me to guess who was the labrador?  The truth is I couldn't tell who was Donna and who was Zorro, can you?

While Tai Po is slowly getting back to normal, and is of course open for adoptions any time, our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre was lucky to have avoided any damage and daily life is continuing with the usual vet visits and dogs being taken for walks by the volunteers.  I think we are very lucky to have found our new(ish) Homing Centre and office in such a perfect location, and Ap Lei Chau has always been a great area for dogs.  Now with the Lei Tung MTR Station just a few minutes away and the dog park about the same distance from us, I couldn't be happier.

One of the new poodles

Another of the new poodles

We added three more poodles to our Ap Lei Chau family today, seven to eight years old and all with heartworm.  We have also been asked to take a shiba inu puppy with some physical problems, although we don't know yet what they are.  The sad fact is that it seems nobody wants a puppy that's not perfect, so although Toto the poodle pup is as happy and playful as any other, not to mention very cute, there's been no interest.  Likewise Poppet the Maltese pup, also a happy little girl despite being deaf and blind.  Bitsy the bichon with the paralysed back legs is Toto's best friend and playmate, and watching the two of them is the best entertainment.  Only humans care about looks, breeds and disabilities, not the animals themselves.

Toto and Bitsy are just one of the happy Ap Lei Chau Crowd

Poppet the baby Maltese

Thurs 20th Sept: A prisoner on Lamma

It seems myself and the other (very few) residents of my Lamma bay have become temporary prisoners of the post-typhoon fall-out.  I thought I was going to be able to get over to Ap Lei Chau today but was told that there is sand build-up at the end of the pier which means boat access is possible only at high tide, and that was at five o'clock.  Even an attempt to send dog food and medicine over a bit earlier failed when the sampan couldn't reach the pier, so not only is there repair and clearing to be done on land, but also at sea.   I need to work out a plan before Sunday and the Whiskers N Paws Puppy afternoon!

Made by one of our adopters. Is the one on the left Butter?

I had been expecting to pick up two older puppies from AFCD who had been there for a while, so our driver Ming went instead and also took the pups to Acorn for their check-up and vaccinations, before dropping them at our Tai Po Centre where clearing and repair work is ongoing.  For those of you who are asking if volunteers are still needed over the weekend the answer is a definite yes, as there's still a huge amount of debris and fallen trees to be cleared.

More happy news came about another one of our typhoon foster dogs as Butter will also be adopted as a result of her temporary stay. 

Butter will be staying inher foster home

Other foster dogs are gradually coming back to the Homing Centre but we are still short of space until all repairs have been completed, so if any can have their holiday extended it would be very helpful.

Jerry was Mr Popular today

There had been a lot of interest in one of the two chow chows, Jewel and Jerry, but none of the potential adopters could take a dog home at the time of meeting.  As often happens, two families came today for Jerry, with obviously only one being able to adopt him.  It's very strange to me that everyone only seems to want a male even though Jewel, the female, is actually the easier and sweeter-natured of the two, but she is still waiting.  So too is Chow Mein, another female chow chow who is also a very small and even-tempered girl.  If you want to meet them they're staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre alone with all of the other smaller sized dogs, and puppies.

Chow Mein has recovered from eye surgery

Weds 19th Sept: Returning to work

I want to talk about good news today, starting with the re-appearance of one of the missing Lamma dogs I was convinced had died during the typhoon.  I was working again on trying to clear some of the wreckage and retrieve the buried igloos when he just turned up, and I was both surprised and very relieved.

Gelato is going to Germany!

Other good news is that Tai Po dog Gelato has had his adoption and flight to Germany confirmed , so he can now be removed from the available list.

Babette has found her forever family

So can Babette, who was one of the dogs who went to a typhoon foster home and fitted in so well that they asked to adopt her.  Babette has been with us since she was a baby puppy so this made us all very happy.

While other foster dogs are being returned to the Homing Centre, we are asking for any time extensions that are possible due to the loss of two enclosures at Tai Po after a tree fell and destroyed fencing.  As each enclosure houses quite a few dogs the loss of two makes a big difference, and we have also got no cover on the roof which was another one of our dog-keeping spaces.  We have at least had the water supply reconnected, but yes, we still need volunteers to help with the clean up, and repairs if you have any skills in that way.

I'm going to be back at work (in the normal sense) on Thursday as there are things to be done like taking dogs to the vet, but the work on Lamma is going to take a long time to finish.  I was really only just getting used to the new landscape after last year's Typhoon Hato and all the devastation that came with that, and now everything that is done is going to have to take into account the fact that climate change means the sea front is no longer as safe as it was.

Saturday 13th October

The "Sarge'n'Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" Gala Fundraiser is now only just over three weeks away, and volunteer organiser Nicole has been busy working away to make sure we have a fantastic evening planned.   Please don't leave it too late to buy tickets or tables as space is limited in the Aberdeen Marina Club Ballroom, and you won't want to miss out.  Even if you can't really remember The Beatles as a band I'm sure you know some of their music, the theme of this year's event, and we have a packed evening of fun ahead, and of course fundraising.   Please email nicole@hongkongdogrescue.com for ticket information and anything else event related.