Fri 12th May: A tragedy in the hillsides

Small-sized Katie and Kai (3 legged)

 There was a time when we would be able to take in the many baby puppies that were in need of a safe place to stay, with proper nutrition, healthcare and training until they were adopted.  That all changed when the Covid restrictions started, meaning there was less - if indeed any - TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) taking place, and volunteers who were normally out on a daily basis catching the adults for desexing and taking the puppies for re-homing, had to stop their work.  The result is a huge increase in the number of unwanted litters being born to mother dogs who are themselves still puppies, and the hillsides are apparently full of such dogs and their offspring.  

At the same time the adoption rate slowed as many people were either leaving Hong Kong or thinking about it,  and many who did decide to leave didn't take their dogs with them. It's a tragedy which will only get worse as time goes by, and I feel both frustrated and deeply upset that we can't say yes to taking in the innocent puppies, not born by choice, and destined to die very young or live short and miserable lives.  We simply don't have the space or the funding to take on more staff and premises, so unless someone with a big heart and an even bigger bank account steps forward, we just can't accept all of those puppies in desperate need. 

Dory is adopted, but why was he homeless?

What's even worse is that the work-from-home period saw a boom in the pet shops and breeders, still doing a roaring trade in certain areas.  This adds to the problem, as we can see from the many small dogs that we are being asked to accept these days, because most of the puppies bought from pet shops are never desexed and go on to breed with other random dogs.  Other than the poodles, most of our small dogs are a mix of this and that, all lovely of course, but without the "brand name" that a lot of people look for. 

I'm thinking particularly of dogs like Kai and Katie, who both look like standard Hong Kong "tong gau", but who are actually really quite small.   They're both just a year old and very sweet, and they also happen to be very close friends if anyone would consider adopting them as a pair. Hetty, in the background of the photo, is another medium-sized mix, and all are staying at our Kennedy Town North Street Centre.

New girl Sharlene is clearly a sharpei type

The adults who are larger than small, or small-medium, are sent to our Tai Po Homing Centre, where again we can only take in newcomers as others are adopted.  It's Full House there too, despite the Centre's large size.  Today's new arrival had been waiting at AFCD for a while until we could fit her in, and once again we have to wonder why she became homeless.  

Adoption means a commitment for life, and that is 14-15 years or even longer.  If you can't commit, don't adopt.  It's as simple as that.