Thurs 19th Jan: The grim reality of the current situation

 I'm not going to lie, the fact that we haven't been able to hold any big fundraising events for the past few years, in addition to even large businesses and corporations suffering under the Covid restrictions and so many people leaving Hong Kong, has seriously affected HKDR's finances.  As much as we try to budget and control outgoings, we're now teetering on the edge of disaster unless something amazing happens, and I don't even want to imagine the consequences.  

Sugar is a really sweet dog

Also, the HKSAR Government, more specifically AFCD, continues to rely on the Animal NGOs to take dogs and puppies from their Animal Management Centres, and then to cover the costs of veterinary treatment.  Almost all of the adult dogs that come to us from AFCD have heartworm, the puppies have tick fever, and the ex-breeder dogs have all sorts of issues that need expensive surgery.  As an example, Sugar's puppies were born while she was at AFCD, and we took mother and her litter of four when the pups were a month old.  Sugar tested positive for heartworm, as did the most recent pair that came to us from AFCD, Elsie and Elvin. Heartworm treatment is expensive, yet it has to be done.

Elvin and Elsie also have heartworm

Even the free desexing that offered by AFCD is useless to us because the nominated vet clinics can't provide the service we need, so we end up paying for this necessary surgery ourselves. 

Isn't it time that the government offered more support to the NGOs, rather than asking charities to support the government?  Almost everyone has suffered during the years of Covid restrictions, and everything filters down the line to those who rely on donations to survive.  

It's easy to say stop taking in dogs and puppies, but then what?  What happens to these innocent animals, who are either born or made homeless because of circumstances which have nothing to do with them?   Why hasn't the government still not approved TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) as a means of stopping the thousands of unwanted puppies born to homeless mother dogs?  

Why are the breeders, illegal or otherwise, still churning out puppies to parents who are unhealthy and with genetic problems, to be sold to anyone who will pay the money regardless of whether or not they can take care of the poor dogs? 

The overall situation doesn't seem to be getting better, if anything it's worse now than ever before and I really don't know what's going to happen. 

To make a donation, please go to https://hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/one-off-donations/