There was a very welcome adoption at our big Tai Po Homing Centre today, with the lucky dog being Jeremy (now Spock). He seems to be doing very well in hs new home, where he has a lot of space and a dog brother to play with.
I had a dream on Friday night that puppy Dusty would be adopted, and sure enough she went home with her new family after the meeting today (admittedly I had known this introduction was happening). It seems to be a slow-but-sure process of foster puppies being adopted as Cindy arranges the interviews, at least I hope it will be sure and we won't have any left that have to move to Tai Po. The Kennedy Town Homing Centre still has a way to go before we can move any dogs or puppies in, and it will be interesting to see who come back from their various temporary homes to be the first residents. As a reminder of the puppies still available, here's the updated list with links:
Hong Kong Island:
- Lorna (F) & Lucy (F) - DOB 13 Oct 2021 @Whiskers N Paws
- Bliss (F) - DOB 11 Nov 2021 @Ap Lei Chau
- Reece (F) & Roland (M) - DOB 26 Dec 2021 @Pok Fu lam
- Charlie (M) & Cressie (F) - DOB 21 Nov 2021 @Chung Hom Kok
- Nero (M) - DOB 15 Apr 2021 @Sai Ying Pun
- Rula (F) & Rafferty (M) - DOB 26 Dec 2021 @Sai Ying Pun
- Nina (F) - DOB 16 Dec 2021 @Sheung Wan (Instagram Account @emmie_puppie )
- Krissy (F) - DOB 9 Dec 2021 @Shueng Wan
- Rachel (F) - DOB 26 Dec 2021 @Kennedy Town
- Beth (F) - DOB 24 Nove 2021 @Quarry Bay
- Zara (F) & Zane - DOB 28 Nov 2021 @Central
- Dudley (M) - DOB 1 Nov 2021 @Central
- Chummy (M) - DOB 3 Nov 2021 @Central
- Lola (F) - DOB 13 Oct 2021 @Causeway Bay
- Nettle & Nona (F) - DOB 16 Dec 2021 @Wan Chai (Instagram Account @nettle_and_nona )
- Zak & Zippy (M) - DOB 28 Nov 2021 @North Point
Kowloon and New Territories:
- Bear and Bean (M) - DOB 20 Dec 2021 @Nam Cheong
- Cameron (M) - DOB 21 Nov 2021 @Tai Kok Tsui
- Betty (F) - DOB 24 Nov 2021 @Kowloon Tong (Instagram Account @hkdrbetty )
- Kong, Kooper & Kip (M) - DOB 10 Oct 2021 @Sai Kung (Instagram Account @typhoon_k_puppies )
- Jack (M) & Keira (F) - DOB 20 Dec 2021 @Sai Kung (Instagram Account @why_i_foster )
I'd written the other day about how dogs with certain difficult behaviours displayed no such issues when moved to Lamma, where freedom of choice combined with a large outside area gave the dogs an opportunity to relax and let go of their anxiety-based problems. It may seem to mean that without such space there's no hope for any of these more challenging cases, but that's not true, as proved by the move to staff member Yannie's home of shiba inu Goji. Goji had been staying upstairs at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre where he had displayed dog-aggressive behaviour, the reason why he couldn't join the other dogs on Lamma. We were left with a real dilemma of what to do with Goji, when Yannie offered to try him at her home, even though she already has two dogs (adopted from Tai Po). After just a couple of days, the following was Yannie's report and observations about Goji. It really does go to show that it's extremely rare for a dog to be a "no hoper", and that with the right treatment and an understanding of dog behaviour and their communication signals. even the worst cases can do well. A huge thank you to Yannie for giving Goji this chance to prove himself, even though as always we would only consider an experienced adopter and a home with no children:
Goji is doing quite well here with my two girls Tango and Tosca. Today is Day 2 and he has shown big improvement in different aspects already. I have gathered some info with pics and videos, in the hope of helping to find him a suitable home, and for (trainer) Cactus to assess and give advice for future adopter.
Food guarding issue -
Not a problem here, I feed him in a room with the door open (leaving a gap), he will come out to the living room once finished, then I will go into the room and collect the food bowl.
Dog to dog reaction -
Big improvement! He met my T&T downstairs and had a long walk together. At first he tried to fight T&T by humping on top and growling, but we just kept walking and eventually he was fine. At home he is the same, tested out at the beginning but soon he knows to respect T&T and now they coexist peacefully. At walks, he would ignore the other dogs passing him, even when they are barking at him.
Other guarding issue (space/resources) -
Not a problem for now, I gave him a thin mat and he's not guarding it from humans and dogs. I can pass him when he's asleep too. One time he found a rubber doorstop and started chewing it, I just used the leash to direct him to another spot and took away his temporary "toy".
Routine stuff -
Not scared of hairdryer, paws wiping, TV sound, my sudden move etc. But he doesn't like to be separated from others. He would scratch the door and whine and bark a lot. He's not active, he takes naps most of the time, same as when I saw him in the Ap Lei Chau office.
Mix with Tai Po dogs -
As I don't want to leave Goji I tried to blend him in an enclosure when I went to work (at the Tai Po Homing Centre) yesterday. It was a big surprise he didn't fight any dog but just sat in a corner and looked at the nice view (the enclosure is at mid-level) for the whole day. But due to size difference and safety concerns, I brought him home after work and it was a peaceful night. Maybe it was overwhelming for him so he didn't cause fights at Tai Po, I will continue to try with this pattern.
I can leash him without problem but intentionally keep the leash on him in the house as he's not too food-motivated, so I use the leash to direct him to other spots to avoid dog fights or guarding issues when needed. But as I said, so far he's doing well, I will try to remove the leash and take some nice pics. My previous bonding with him (at the Ap Lei Chau office) and T&T's calm personality definitely helped Goji to settle, but I believe if any potential adopter with a spacious house and patience to bond with Goji, it won't be too difficult to deal with him.
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