My outings from Lamma have been curtailed somewhat due to the fact that our driver is off for a month, so everything is down to what is essential for the dogs, and to a lesser extent for me. It also means having to hire vans to send dogs to the vet, so I was very happy to hear that a volunteer at Tai Po had offered to act as a stand-in driver for a couple of days a week. We also have another very helpful volunteer-with-car on Hong Kong Island so we're not entirely without transport, but it's a definitely a challenge.
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| These plus more are available now |
I have been getting quite a few enquiries about the dogs that might be/should be arriving soon, however I do need to mention that no matter how many end up coming, the same adoption requirements still apply. It will never be a matter of any home is better than none, because even if that was true in the short term, we have to consider the nature of dogs and their needs for the long term. Many, if not most of the applications coming in are for poodle puppies or young poodle adults, but it's unlikely that any of the dogs will be these types, and if there are such poodles then we will choose the best home for them. As I wrote yesterday, just because the dogs will be new to us, that doesn't mean that they're puppies or even young adults.
Other than the dogs shown here, all of which are currently staying at our North Street Centre in Kennedy Town, we also have poodle/bichon Nettie in foster, as well as bichon Lola helping out at the office in Elgin Street, and both of these lovely girls are also available for adoption.
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| This 7 month-old was abandoned at AFCD |
One of the reasons why we're careful about adoptions is because we know that many puppies are abandoned when they reach the teenage stage, not only because they've grown to be too big for the homes that took them in as tiny baby pups, but because dogs experience the same hormonal changes that humans do, and during adolescence their behaviour can also go through a rocky patch. Our trainer Cactus knows this only too well because she receives many emails from our adopters asking for help when the previously sweet and well-behaved puppy starts showing totally unexpected behaviour, including falling out with best dog friends. You can't do anything about stopping this natural growing-up stage of life, any more than you can change a human teenager's mood swings, but understanding why it's happening and knowing that it's a passing phase should at least help. Once the puppy has been through puberty and come through it as a fully grown adult dog, everything will calm down again, but too many people either think their dog has turned bad, or don't have the patience to deal with it. If you're thinking about adopting a puppy please be aware of this inevitable stage of development, and if you don't think you could handle the teenage tantrums, choose a young adult instead. We have plenty of one year-olds waiting for homes.
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| Farley goes home again |
Now for the good news, and that means adoption of course. Farley went home today, and if you think you've seen his adoption before, yes, it's true, however we made the decision to take him back after he got lost almost immediately. So this is a second chance for Farley, and of course hopefully his forever home.
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| Sweet Esther has her forever home |
We're always especially happy when seniors are chosen, and little Esther is a "foster fail" that is anything but a failure. Apart from being happy about Esther herself having found a really lovely family at fourteen years of age, it gives hope to all of the other seniors who are still on the waiting list. Please ask about our Golden Oldies if you would like to offer them a retirement home to see out their days in comfort.
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