Thurs 30th March: Another sad move

Gobi's smile says it all

I'm going to start with the adoptions for the day before moving on to the less happy news, and the first dog to leave was Gobi from our Tai Po Homing Centre.   This has been a while in the making due to holidays and other things, so while not a surprise it's still wonderful to see one of our adult mixed breeds being chosen.  Thank you to the adopter, and to everyone who sees that these dogs are just as lovely and deserving as any other.

Otto quickly found a home

I knew poodle Otto wouldn't stay with us for more than a day or so, and he was also adopted today. I really hope our other poodle Nacho will be just as lucky soon, because this boy seems to have really bad luck and for no reason at all. 

I have to admit to feeling really sad about the forced move from our remaining Ap Lei Chau Centre on Friday, the last day of March.  The whole of Main Street has either already been taken over by developers, or will be very soon, and that means the "Red" dogs having to leave the only home they have known for years, to move to Elgin Street in Soho.  While we're grateful to even have this option, this space is also only temporary until the whole building is pulled down to be replaced by more high-end high-rises, but for now it's a safe haven for the dogs that would otherwise have nowhere to go.  

Can someone please take Ned home?

Soho is a great area for bars and restaurants, but it's not an environment that's made for dogs and dog walking, unlike Ap Lei Chau which was not only a block away from the dog park, but which has also opened up the whole waterfront promenade to dogs.  It's this aspect of the move that saddens me most of all, and not even so much for the older "Red" poodles, but more for dogs like Ned, the large boy with the eating (or rather swallowing) problem that I wrote about the other day.   Dogs like Ned need to be able to run freely, not only walk on the streets on a leash, so I have to ask again if anyone can offer a home to this sweet boy? His swallowing problem is not an illness as such, or even a handicap to him living a perfectly full and normal life, it just means him sitting nicely in his Bailey Chair when he has his meals.  And who can't be impressed by the way Ned gets into the chair and pulls the door closed behind him when he knows it's time for dinner? 

The biggest reason why we can't move to a new centre to replace the one in Ap Lei Chau is quite simply lack of funds.  The past few years have been devastating for HKDR in terms of income, with no big fundraising events possible, and both large private and corporate donors disappearing.  There have been many dogs surrendered which have added to the financial strain, not to mention the high cost of expert veterinary care for those who come to us needing complicated surgeries.  Even this week we have mini border collie Mindy having surgery on her leg, and poodle Marcus needing hip surgery.  Tiny ex-breeder teacup poodle Dusty will also need surgery for her shoulders, and that's not even taking into account the routine vet visits for everything from desexing to blood tests and vaccinations.  Our vet bills are massive every month, and that's not something we can avoid if we want our dogs and puppies to be properly looked after and cared for.  There's no easy way to say we're struggling, and if you're able to help with donations of any amount we'd be extremely grateful.  You can find details of how to donate by visiting our website at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/