Mon 30th May: What commitment means

Fabulous Fred, still going strong at 17!

 I received the most amazing update on one of our adopted dogs today.  Fred the beagle/basset hound mix came to us as a young adult - just a year old as I recall - when we were still based at the Pokfulam Kennels.  He was a very friendly boy but he hated joggers, and the walk from the kennels to the Cyberport waterfront park where we used to take the dogs was stressful when exercising Fred, because there were a lot of runners passing by.  In the end, and  after a couple of incidents, Fred moved to Lamma where he spent several years.  Despite his early misdemeanors, Fred was always a very happy and affectionate dog, and it seemed a shame that he couldn't be in a real home for what I thought were his last years, so when he was offered a foster opportunity I jumped at the chance.  Fred was also seriously overweight and needed to be on a strict diet, something that's hard to do in a multi-dog situation.  When his foster parents had to give Fred up, another fantastic home was offered by one of our previous adopters, and that turned into a confirmed adoption.  Fred is an old man now but he hasn't lost any of his character, and he is adored by his family.  Now read this:

"......He is now 17 and he's lost at least half of him and is now a "skinny" 23 kg! Perfect bill of health but his legs are bothering him and he does get tired easier. His newest shenanigan is what we called "boneless freddy". He will go for his walk and then go boneless in the lobby of our building so he can get a carry home.  He gets his carry every.single.time!

At the end of this summer, we'll all be relocating to Canada (Fred + his 2 doggo sisters and his 2 kitty sisters). Wasn't a small feat to organize transportation for 7 but we managed!"

So when we receive surrender requests for ten year-olds because they are apparently "too old" to manage a long-haul flight, I can tell you that's just not true. 

Simon the poodle is another lucky older dog as his foster parents joined the Failed Foster Club today and made Simon a permanent part of their family. 

There are so many people for whom having a dog is just a temporary thing, and I know this because of the many surrender requests we receive every single day.  Some of the dogs are still young, taken in as puppies and now too large and inconvenient to keep, while others are the seniors that are "too old", as mentioned above.  As upsetting and depressing as these stories are, they are balanced by the other side of the coin, like Fred's story, and Simon's (even if it's several years shorter) and so many others.  I never tire of hearing about dogs from the past that were adopted and who continue to be much-loved family members, often travelling to many countries during their lifetimes. 

I know that my own life with dogs is somewhat extreme, and actually not something that I'd recommend to anyone wanting to retain some sort of normalcy or any kind of social life, but at least I share something in common with all of those whose commitment to their dogs really means forever.  If that's you, thank you.