Weds 14th Nov: Trainers to avoid like the plague

 

New babies arriving on Thursday

We certainly won't be short of puppies for this coming Sunday's Whiskers N Paws afternoon, and while on the subject  I should mention that we'll be there again on Sunday 25th even though that's also the date of Peak to Fong 2018.  After a short period of not having many new puppies coming in there's going to be plenty to choose from, especially with the arrival of three new babies on Thursday.  They will be part of the small group coming from AFCD Sheung Shui, which will also include a six year-old King Charles spaniel (male) and a six year-old shiba inu, also male. 

Who ate all the pies? 

We also took in another pair of dogs today, five years old, and bought as puppies.  The now ex-owner of these two had actually contacted us a while ago after finally realising that a pug and a husky weren't exactly a good match, despite them being friends, but it took some months before he brought the dogs to us and only then because the roof they had been living on is about to be demolished.  I think the photo will give you a good idea of who was eating all the food for the past five years, and I can only say that I'm very happy these two are now with us. 

The dogs that are surrendered to us, as well as those abandoned at AFCD, are a constant reminder of how little most people understand about these animals.  The way dogs are treated varies from ridiculous pampering to cruel neglect, much of it due to complete ignorance.  Even those who think they are doing the right thing by employing a trainer don't understand that there are still too many using old-fashioned and out-dated methods, such trainers even boasting that they know what they're doing because they've been working with dogs for forty years (or whatever). The truth is that times have changed and we now understand a lot more about dog behaviour, intelligence and how their mind works, so the old dominance theories need to be confined to the history books.  There's one particular trainer on Hong Kong Island that seems to be a favourite with dog owners who have more money than sense, and he's known to all of us as someone to avoid like the plague.  The following is from one of our adopters who's currently working with a proper trainer who uses only Positive methods:

"I have come across another kind of trainer when out walking my dogs one day. H was barking and lunging at his client’s dogs and then he told me he was a trainer and that my dogs should NOT be on a harness and they needed to be “corrected” by a harsh correction with a choke chain and if they still don’t listen pull them up by their cheeks or hang them up in the air with the choke chain! He also used the “flooding” method to de-sensitize dogs. He lectured me for 10 minutes and gave me his number which I promptly erased after he left because I NEVER want to use any of these methods on my dogs - I have read a lot about how these methods are outdated and often result in aggression. I am sure he has had a lot of satisfied customers but for my dogs I want them to obey me out of respect and NOT FEAR".

That's why we ask that any of our adopters who would like to benefit from one-on-one private training ask us to recommend qualified Positive trainers rather than listen to friends who may have no real understanding of who's doing what.  Would you really like to have your dog hanging in the air being throttled by a chain round its neck? 

Last year's Peak to Fong Volunteer Team

With Peak to Fong coming up in just over a week, we are still recruiting volunteers if you would like to lend a hand. 

📣Peak to Fong Volunteers Wanted📣

We need you!! 💪🏻 We need many volunteers to help with different tasks on the event day on 25/11 (Sun). If you have spare time that day and want to help out, please contact Yannie ASAP: yannie@hongkongdogrescue.com

✔Volunteers needed -
•Route & Signage team: 10 (8:45-14:00)
•Peak team: 6 (9:15-12:30)
•Entertainment team: 2 (11:00-16:00)
•Logistic team: 6 (15:45-17:00)
•Booth team: 6 (8:45-13:00/13:00-17:00)

We also need some strong men to help with the logistics team, please spread the news if you and your friends want to help out! Big thanks from the dogs!