Thurs 24th Nov: Please desex your dogs!

Shiloh is such a sweet girl

 Every day brings new arrivals to our Tai Po Homing Centre, all lovely dogs, many older puppies or young adults who should be in their own homes.  Yesterday it was six month-old Trudy, and today a beautiful young lady from AFCD who's now called Shiloh.  We know that she had given birth to a litter of puppies during her time at AFCD, and while the pups had found another place to go, the mother was still stuck at government kennels until we took her in.  She's a lovely dog, just as all of the newcomers and longer-term stayers are.  There's this sad misconception that all dogs who end up in shelters are there because they have a health or behaviour issue, and that's absolutely not the case.  

Trudy is still a young puppy

These dogs are just victims of circumstance and human failings, the simplest of all that would make the biggest impact being lack of desexing.  One single female puppy can come into season at five to six months, and produce a litter of puppies long before reaching the age of one year.  Some of those puppies will be female, and then they too will go on to have their own litters, so in just two years one un-desexed dog can result in many, many unwanted puppies being born.  

Zuma came as an adult, not desexed

Right now there are three litters of puppies that we've been asked to take in, two of which are newborns and the other slightly older.  The truth is, even if we find foster homes for these puppies while they're very young, in just a matter or weeks they'll be old enough for adoption and, as mentioned, within a few months the females would be ready to start their own cycle of reproduction.  It's not only frustrating that even owned dogs aren't desexed, it's tragic for the homeless female dogs that they are condemned to a life of misery, starvation and disease as they produce litter after litter until their eventual early death.

I do need to add that not neutering males adds to the problem, because on their own the females can't become pregnant.  DESEX YOUR DOGS!  If you have a mongrel ( mixed breed) you can apply to the SPCA for free desexing, and if the puppy (or adult dog) you adopt has come from AFCD then it also comes with a free desexing form (at designated vet clinics). Even if the puppy you adopt isn't entitled to free desexing, if you genuinely can't afford to pay for the surgery yourself, then you really can't afford to have a dog.  There are always going to be vet bills at some point during a dog's life, and nowhere is cheap.   All of the adult dogs at HKDR will already be desexed (females at six months, males by a year of age), so if you want to be sure that your dog isn't going to be responsible for adding to the over-population problem, adopt an older puppy or adult. 

Christmas is just a month away now, and while it's a time for celebration for many, as well as holidays out of Hong Kong, that inevitably means a tough time for the dogs and puppies that are waiting for homes.  It's always been this way, and quite honestly I dread holiday periods for just this reason.  Our own HKDR staff want to take their holidays too, so that means we're short of caretakers at both Kennedy Town and Tai Po, with the big Homing Centre always struggling to get the work done during any regular day as it is.  If you can volunteer, please do come to help, and if you're not already registered but are available on weekdays we can fast-track your application if you're not already a registered volunteer.  Please note that we're not able to accommodate volunteers who can only do a day or two, as it takes time to train all new volunteers and we really need experienced and longer-term help.

We also can't accept anyone under eighteen years of age for safety reasons, although we're asked all the time by students if they can come to help. 

Talking of Christmas, here's a great gift idea..... 

Art for charity! Our adopter and supporter Angela Poon-Higasi continues to do commissioned portraits to raise funds for HKDR until she reaches her $10,000 target. All proceeds will be donated to HKDR to help save lives!

See more of Angela’s work here: @portraits.byangela

The portraits are watercolour, painted on Arches hot pressed paper (13x18 cm)

Each portrait is $700 for two subjects (pet or human) for $700, and $950 for three subjects. Max 3 subjects per portrait.

To order a portrait, please WhatsApp Angela at 5588 8386

Huge thanks to Angela and all the donors!