Frankie the "F" puppy arrived safely in Singapore after quite a long wait for all of the paperwork and import formalities to be completed, and he's already settling into his new life there. I told you that the "F" litter's time had come, and now it's going to be Finley's turn as he'll be heading off this week for his new home.
As you must know by now if you're a regular reader of my blog, the "F" puppies were very scared when they first came to us, and I was really quite nervous about whether or not they would ever come round. It took a while, but the help and encouragement of the volunteers to start with, and then the staff when they moved from Elgin Street to Kennedy Town, all eight of this large litter turned into very sweet and happy doglets.
There's a particular case that I'm currently semi-involved with which has brought up the question of whether or not feral puppies, meaning those born wild, can ever become properly domesticated pets. From my experience this depends on how many generations of a particular family have lived wild, and whether the fear of humans has become genetically embedded. I have several dogs living with me on Lamma who came as very scared puppies, and who still refuse to let me touch them even after fourteen or fifteen years. They're happy to be around me, but touch is out of the question. I have other dogs who were also very scared as puppies, but who have mellowed over the years and are now very relaxed and happy to be petted, even wanting it. In fact I find it hard to even remember that they were once so timid.
Many pet dogs are cruelly abandoned in the country parks, and most of these won't survive. However those that do, and go on to produce puppies, will pass on their domesticated DNA to their offspring, so these puppies will be fine if taken early enough, and the younger the better. I honestly don't know how many generations of being born wild it takes for the feral gene to become stronger than the domestic, but as all owners of dogs that have been lost will know only too well, the instinctive survival behaviour kicks in almost immediately.
With my own recent case of a dog getting lost after following me on my morning walk proved, even after she was found Kirsten acted as though I was a complete stranger, and a scary one at that. She'd been with me for eleven years, since she was a very young puppy, but in the end the natural need to survive was stronger than any bond we had. Happily as soon as I got her back home she reverted to her normal happy self, but it's clear that the wild dog instinct is still just below the surface.
I don't want to put anyone off adopting a puppy whose history is unknown, because it's clear from a very early age whether there are going to be problems. A happy and friendly puppy will grow into a happy and friendly adult, assuming the conditions and treatment in the home are as they should be. In fact any breed of dog can become dangerous if they're mistreated when young, and that includes labradors, golden retrievers and any others that are automatically considered to be "child friendly".
Although it was a long time ago now, and back in our Pokfulam days. the case of a beautiful young golden retriever that I took from AFCD as a one year-old, has always stuck with me. He was so mentally scarred from whatever had been done to him as a puppy that he didn't trust anyone except me, and anyone that looked him in the eye was in danger of being attacked. After someone didn't listen to my warning, and was badly bitten as a result, I had to take the dog to be put to sleep. He was like a typical golden retriever puppy with me so it was an extremely upsetting thing to have to do, but he was very damaged, and dangerous as a result.
That's why it's important to ask for our advice when adopting, and to pay heed to our recommendations rather than choosing a puppy based on looks and breed. Our staff (and volunteers) have spent a lot of time with the dogs and puppies, and have got to know their personalities, even helping to shape them as they grow, just as happened with the "F" litter.
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