Tues 21st Feb: Back to Gmail again

 I don't know what has happened to our emails again, but it seems that many messages are once more being lost in cyberspace, never to be received.  We do have back-up Gmail addresses, and perhaps one that's most important at the moment is Cindy's foster email, foster.hkdr@gmail.com (instead of foster@hongkongdogrescue.com).  We really do need foster homes for the many puppies, especially the beautiful youngsters staying at our HKDR@Elgin Centre, so please do let Cindy know if you can take one, or even better a pair.  We will provide all food and equipment, including fences and toys, so all you need to offer is space in your home and the time to take care of the puppies.

For other enquiries you can always divert through me, using sallyandersen.hkdr@gmail.com, and I'll forward to the appropriate person or centre.  It's really incredibly frustrating, and especially coming at a time when we really need to be able to receive and send emails.

I was at HKDR@Elgin again today for two special reasons, the first being that I wanted to meet our new part-time staff member Richard Chan. Richard has some very interesting and useful experience in animal training, as well as having two tong gau himself, so I know he will be great with the dogs and puppies at the Centre, as well as being able to give helpful on-site advice to new or potential adopters.  Our long-term trainer, Cactus, is still with us of course, and she is always available to anyone who adopts from HKDR and needs professional and up-to-date support.

I also wanted to reinvent the shop side of the Centre, the front of house, and the first thing to greet all visitors.  We've had quite a few big donations of products from pet shops that have closed, but much of it seasonal like dog coats and so on, and a lot of fancy items that aren't essential.  We'll be taking in another top quality line of dog "stuff" on Thursday and we need to make space for it, so I pulled out as much as I could of the older stock and marked it down to $10, so if you like a bargain make your way over to 22 Elgin Street to stock up.

On the general dog side, it seems the only emails that are coming through successfully are the surrender requests, all of which are upsetting and many of which we just can't help with.  I do need to suggest to anyone who wants to give up their large mixed breed dogs to make a visit to our Tai Po Homing Centre to see the number of dogs we already have waiting for homes, and to see where they think their dogs can fit in.  This is no sunny paradise for dogs as much as we try to make their lives as happy as possible, and we can't take in sick or aggressive dogs to add to the already huge burden.  Adoption is for life, even with the challenges that may arise from time to time, so if you can't make that sort of commitment please just foster instead.