Obviously I get to know the Ap Lei Chau dogs and puppies a lot better than those at Tai Po, and in truth the most I see of the bigger Homing Centre dogs are while they are at AFCD before I take them out, or when I meet up with them again at Acorn. That doesn't mean that I don't think about them, even if there are so many that it's easy to forget until their names are mentioned and I wonder how they're doing.
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| Ivory came from AFCD on 2nd October |
The most recent additions of ex-Stanley Barracks Ivory and latest rescue Portia quickly blend into the hundreds of others that are waiting to be chosen for adoption, many of whom have been there for all of their lives. The recent typhoon success stories have proved that far from being a lost cause these dogs make perfect and very easy companions, as they are just happy to have a quiet space, a soft bed and a family to call their own.
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| Latest recruit Portia is one of the gang now |
A lot of the dogs at Tai Po started off as puppies on Lamma many years ago, so they obviously still mean a lot to me. I see their names on the volunteer's Hiking Applications and feel a mix of happiness that they are enjoying outings, and sadness that they are still waiting for a home. I remember them as they were when they were babies, then older pups and finally the time when they were sent up to Tai Po as young adults. A few were even adopted when they were babies, then returned when the novelty had worn off.
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| Now 10 years old, Tai Po dog Felix saw his sisters Alison and Jersey adopted recently |
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| Jimbo as a baby, now a senior at Tai Po |
It's always worth remembering that the cute and wiggly-tailed baby pup will quickly become a doglet, and by a year old be a young adult. Children in particular will always make a beeline for the babies and insist that this is what they want, so it's the parents who must make the final choice based on their own knowledge of the family, home and expectations. Young puppies bite with sharp teeth, chew furniture and pee on rugs, and all of these things are a normal part of raising and training a puppy, yet many to many adopters this still comes as a shock.
Coming back to Ap Lei Chau and the older puppies that have yet to be chosen, the time is fast approaching when they too must make the trip to Tai Po to join the others that made exactly the same journey before them. Unfortunately a few of these pups have had a skin problem which has meant that they were held back from the Sunday puppy afternoons at Whiskers N Paws, but Addy, Jack and Frisbee are such lovely and easy characters that I hope potential adopters can overlook such a minor and temporary issue. With a whole life ahead of them, what matters most is a puppy's character and these three boys are the best.
Meet them any day of the week at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, 5 Wai Fung Street, 10am to 6pm.
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| Jack is a young man now, still small and with a great character |
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