I have to keep reminding myself that it's almost Christmas and the end of 2021, and that I need to write a newsletter to send out to everyone who doesn't read my blog. Those of you who have become regular readers will know that you get all of the updates here first-hand so there's not much that you don't know about what's been happening, not only the arrivals of new dogs and puppies but also the exhaustive search for a new location for our smaller Homing Centre. I can't even count the number of places we've looked at and considered, and it's been an additonal stress that I can't wait to put behind me. I hope by the end of the year I'll have something concrete to share with you but there's nothing absolutely definite just yet.
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| Taki seems to be older than ten months |
As I wrote yesterday, shiba inu Donny moved to Lamma while a new white version was delivered to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre. I was told he was a ten month-old puppy with a scar that made him impossible to sell, but the dog that turned up was definitely older than that, and his "scar" was open wounds on his body. We estimate that he's probably more like two years of age, and his name is now Taki.
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| Donny and his friends, soon to be reunited |
I met Donny at the pier when the sampan arrived, and he was obviously confused and stressed about what was happening to him. His new home has a large open area for the dogs to run freely in, and as soon as Donny's crate door was opened he set off exploring, but while I'm sure he was happy to be out of the travel crate I could see that he was still anxious. He eventually stopped running round but then sat by the gate waiting to be let out so he could go back to the place he had been living in since coming to us as a puppy.
The thing about dogs is that they like what they know, even if the new situation is much better than the last one. This is what we see with dogs that are adopted from the Homing Centres, that even when they have more space, lots of attention and a loving family to take care of them, it's still very unsettling and scary. That's why we always remind adopters of this fact and that it can take anything from days to weeks before a dog feels comfortable, and that things like them not wanting to eat, drink or even relieve themselves is quite normal.
We had already been discussing what would happen to dogs like the "Shy Squad" when we moved to a new location, and whether we should take the dogs along with us or try sending them to the Tai Po Homing Centre.
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| Piggy and Alex will move to Lamma |
The latter plan seemed to be the best option as long as the "squad" could stay together, but with so many surrenders recently there was little chance of finding the space for all of them as a group. So after seeing Donny today, I suggested to Iris that we also send the Shy Squad to Lamma so Donny would have his friends back, but also because it seemed to be the best solution to the problem of where they could all go. These are dogs that are happy to live as a group and enjoy their space and the quiet environment of Ap Lei Chau, with the dog park just a short walk away. That will all change wherever we end up moving to, so at least by sending them to Lamma they can enjoy space to play, sunbathe or just hang out together.
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| Phaedra will stay at the Homing Centre |
Tuesday is the day when this move will take place, and apart from anything else it means that the dogs that will stay behind at the Homing Centre will have more space and more attention from the volunteers. Included in this much smaller number will be Phaedra the cocker spaniel, Plum and Nola, all medium-sized dogs that will hopefully find homes before too long.
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| Plum, Nola and Piggy, with Gumbo at the front |
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