Weds 24th Oct: Everyone needs a friend

Tracker (r) and his family

There was good news, and really not unexpected, about beagle Tracker as his adoption was confirmed.  He has a lovely family and ready-made dog friends to play with, so it's all good for this lovely boy.

Kobe's big smile

I was also very happy to get photos of poodle Kobe after his haircut, and to see how this little dog had changed into such a happy and affectionate boy.  As always there was no magic trick, certainly no drugs and really nothing in terms of training other than to allow time and patience to do their work.   Having the pressure of expectations is hard for any animal, so if you remove that and give the dog space to work things out by itself then change will happen.  Kobe will be staying at our Ap Lei Chau Centre now, and I really hope he finds his new forever family before too long.

Our three happy sisters

One of the reasons that dogs grow into adults with behaviour problems is that they were taken from their mothers and siblings at too young an age and then never given the opportunity to play or socialise with other dogs and puppies.  For any animal, humans included, the early stages of life are vital to healthy mental development, so buying or adopting a young puppy and leaving it alone for long hours isn't right or fair.  You wouldn't do that to a human child without serious consequences and the same applies to puppies, and young adult dogs too.

After play, having a sleep buddy is important too

We took in a shiba inu puppy recently, and although he does have some neurological problems I suspect he is also suffering from Lonely Puppy Syndrome (I made that up) meaning that he has never played with other puppies.   At first we had to keep Monty separated from the older pups because he wasn't big or strong enough to be safe, but now we have put him in with the three little sisters and he seems to be much happier.  He is starting to play and interact, albeit rather clumsily, so we look forward to seeing ongoing improvement.

Kobe loves a tummy rub now

A new member of the Ap Lei Chau Club

We also took in another new dog at the Homing Centre, an 11 year-old pom boy, and I suspect this one will also need a bit of time to settle.  Although eleven seems quite old, small dogs live for much longer than larger ones, so while fourteen would be an average lifespan for a big dog, it can be much longer for the little ones.  I realised when checking licenses that my Murphy is seventeen now and still King of the House.