Thurs 14th Feb: Beauty's only skin deep

Pollen's dream come true

There was an adoption confirmed today that was extra special to me, and probably to all of us at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre and Whiskers N Paws.  Doglet Pollen had been taken for a trial, mainly to see how she could get along with the resident chihuahua, and just like her sister Rose she settled in immediately.  I have to admit when I see photos of lovely homes with expensive furnishings and decor I can only think of how long that would all last with my horde of Lamma hooligans, but Pollen has behaved like an angel.

Pollen and the chihuahua get along fine

The reason Pollen's adoption is that extra bit special is because, like sister Rose, she isn't beautiful in the classic sense.  She's a standard brown short-haired dog with nothing fancy going on, but what matters is her character and lovely personality, and I know she's going to be loved in return.   A dog is, or should be, a family member not a status symbol or something to show off, and it's often the very plain ones who have the most to offer.

Stinker's new lease of life

There was a second lovely surprise today when old beagle Stinker was also taken for a trial adoption.  As I'm sure I've written before, Stinker wasn't expected to live for long when I took him from AFCD in a really awful condition.  He had been caged for a long time, maybe all of his life, and his owner spent most of the time in China so it's possible that Stinker went days without care.  He was very thin and his coat was sparse and smelly, and we assumed he was very ill.  Days and weeks went by, then months, and Stinker's skin got better and he put on weight, and more importantly he was still very much alive.  Now he has the chance of a real home, and even if it's only for a short time it means a lot.

Stinky Stinker last July

Another trial adoption that was confirmed (and was needed because of the resident cat) was German shepherd Harper's, another lovely dog from our Tai Po Homing Centre.

Harper passed the cat test and is now a confirmed family member

As mentioned yesterday, I made the big decision to send some of the Lamma dogs to Tai Po today, six of them in fact.  It's time they also had the opportunity to be seen, and maybe - hopefully - adopted.  Even if not they will meet lots of volunteers and be taken out for walks, and learn about things like cars and traffic, everyday life that they have never experienced.  Sweep, Nancy, Casper and his sister Isobel, Spotty and Sybil are all six years old now, but they still have many years of active life ahead of them and I wish them all a long and happy life.

Our puppies will be at Concordia Pet Care in Happy Valley on Saturday afternoon, but please also remember that you can meet all except those in foster homes any day at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, 10am to 6pm.  The young puppies that survived parvovirus are well and healthy, but they will have to wait a bit longer before going to the puppy afternoons to ensure they're no longer contagious.  They are however available for adoption if you want to meet them at the Homing Centre.