Thurs 19th Dec: 3 important questions

One of today's new babies

I was anticipating us not having to accommodate any new puppies until after the holidays, that is until receiving a message from AFCD in Pokfulam that there were five little ones in need of help.  I didn't have any information about age or size so said I would drop by to take a look, and when I saw that they were real babies at only around a month old, of course I took them out.  That meant a big re-shuffling of the puppies currently staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre,  as well as a move for our older ones to the big Tai Po Homing Centre.   It's a shock for them at first of course, but being an older puppy at Tai Po means being the babies in comparison to the adult dogs, so they have a far better chance of being adopted there than at Ap Lei Chau.  They also start going for walks in the big world (that's on the roads with cars and people passing) rather than their outings to the nearby Ap Lei Chau dog park, and it's all part of the learning process.

These babies are suddenly no longer the youngest at Ap Lei Chau

All dogs and puppies moving to a new home and environment and losing the place and people they have become used to is hard and scary.   It doesn't matter if they're leaving the Homing Centre and going to a lovely new home and family, it's still something that they need to process and adjust to.  Puppies are usually much more flexible and adapt far more easily and quickly than adult dogs, but still the puppies that have been totally clean and toilet trained at the Homing Centre may revert to having many accidents when they find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

Puppies are almost more prone to things like stress-related diarrhoea and minor illnesses, and you have to remember that just like human babies the immune system of a baby dog is still not very strong.   It's also the first time that a puppy will have been away from siblings or other puppy friends, and usually that happens long before it would take place naturally.  In fact in the wild the puppies in a litter would stay together as a family group for their whole lives, so removing young puppies from their mothers is the first unnatural event, and then from their littermates or other puppies the second.  That's why it's so important that puppies have a lot of contact with their human family when they're adopted, and also have the opportunity to socialise with other puppies or dogs friends as they grow up.  A solitary life is totally unnatural and damaging for any puppy, which is why we see many adults with behaviour problems and dog aggression.

For almost all of the dogs that come to us as adults we have no prior history or any information about their background.   If they come from AFCD they will have been assessed by the vet and the staff in that particular Animal Management Centre, but that's a totally unnatural environment to truly see a dog's personality and character.  Many, if not most, dogs will shut down when they're afraid or unsure, and it's only later once they begin to relax that their true nature begins to emerge.

Dougal is now Henri and a very happy boy

Take Dougal, now Henri, as an example.  When he first came to us he was really very scared and untouchable, so he spent the first few weeks on Lamma in a quiet space where he could just relax and be himself.  We waited to move him to Ap Lei Chau, and when that happened he was already starting to open up and enjoy being around the other dogs, staff and volunteers.  By the time his now-adopters came to meet him he was ready to go to his new home, and this is the update I received today:

"Henri has had 2 weeks with us and has settled in well. He is a really good little dog, super smart and so wanting to please. We seriously can’t believe anyone would want to give him up but circumstances are never as easy as they seem from a far away view. So in closing here is a picture of a little dog who found a new home."

Settling in to a new home with strangers is rarely instant for any dog, and even those who put on a show of bravado and confidence are really only acting.  It still takes a while for any dog to feel secure and settled, and it's during this period that most adoptions fail if they're going to.   French bulldog Romeo came back to us today, and Jack Russell Russo will be coming back at the weekend, both for different reasons even if the result is the same.  I don't want to blame the adopters because some things can't be seen or predicted, but I can say that both dogs are lovely and sweet-natured and just need the right homes to be perfect family companions.

Romeo has funny feet which makes long walks difficult

Romeo is a very happy and friendly boy who loves affection, but we know how that he has a malformation of his feet which means he has no individual toes but one whole pad.  Dr Seems, who checked Romeo over today and especially his feet, suggested that wearing shoes might be helpful so we'll give that a try.  Typically of the breed, Romeo isn't great with other dogs so a family with older children (or with none at all) would be best.

Russo is also a very sweet Jack Russell girl

Russo is another very sweet girl but she and the resident dog didn't hit it off, so she might also be best as a single dog, but she was fine with the other residents at Ap Lei Chau so maybe it was just a clash of personalities.

We have some important questions on our adoption questionnaire which are there for a reason.  If you're thinking of adopting please read, understand, and remember these points before committing to a new life:

Do you understand that these dogs may have been abandoned and may need time to adjust to a new home?
Are you willing to be patient and give the dog at least ONE MONTH to adjust to your family and environment?
If you are adopting a puppy, do you understand that puppies may chew your shoes and furniture, and bite with sharp teeth?