Tues 7th Jan: An interesting combination

 I'm writing another blog today because we are expecting a large intake of dogs in the run-up to Chinese New Year, and I've already mentioned two that arrived at our Kennedy Town Centre on Monday, while today another two turned up.  Before anything else I'll correct my previous post saying that Bubble is a poodle, because he and Barney went to Acorn today and he's now officially a young bichon, two years old.  Barney is a terrier mix and he's also young at an estimated two years, with both being very friendly dogs.

I haven't got an age estimate yet for today's pair as both Iris (the Kennedy Town manager) and I were at a meeting when the dogs arrived, but I'd seen a photo of (now) Noah and couldn't decide if he was an Old English Sheepdog or a poodle.  I sent the photo to someone who had been waiting for an Old English Sheepdog to turn up, and he replied that the dog is in fact a Sheepdoodle.  I'm sure you all know about the crazy mixes that are being bred and sold as breeds, and most of them are a cross between a poodle and something else, and this is also true of Noah, half poodle and half Old English Sheepdog.  I expect we'll have a lot of interest in this boy, so please complete the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step, and we will choose the home that we feel is most suitable.  Please bear in mind that at this point we don't know anything about Noah, so that will have to wait until Iris and the vet can make an assessment.  The same applies to very cute Nando.

If you're looking for a dog or puppy to adopt please keep checking our social media pages for updates on new arrivals, as well as the many dogs that we already have waiting at our Homing Centres in Kennedy Town and Tai Po. 

Mon 6th Jan: Always new arrivals

 It's been a while since I posted my last blog, and no, I haven't been on holiday, I've just been pretty busy with this and that.  We're short-staffed right now with people taking holidays and Eva having left, so please be patient if we're a little slow in getting back to you. 

We've had several new arrivals this year, including a litter of four beautiful puppies plus an extra from another litter.  Lola is just as beautiful, however she has most of one front leg missing, something that occurred while she was still inside her mother and not post-birth trauma.  What remains of the front leg will need to be surgically removed but that can only be done when Lola is older, probably at the time of desexing. Having three legs doesn't mean a dog is handicapped in any way, and we know this from other "tripods" that have been adopted and can run around just as fast as any four-legged friends.  We need a foster home for Lola, if not a forever family, so please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can look after a gorgeous puppy for a while. 

Today we also took in two new smaller dogs, Barney (terrier type) and Bubble (a poodle), and we have been asked if we can accept still more.  Some things never change, and the endless line of dogs needing temporary care until they're adopted is one of those things.  It's not as serious with the smaller dogs as they're easier to home than the larger mixed breeds, but there's still all of the vet bills to pay for, as well as the food and medications.  

The question of where the dogs come from and why there are always so many needing homes is something we're constantly being asked, and one of the answers is the online sale of puppies (and other animals).  It's so upsetting to know that this goes on, as though these poor little animals were an item of clothing, and so many times they don't even exist (meaning it's a scam), or they're so weak and sick that they end up dying. AFCD have been warning about what they call "petfishing", and here's the link https://www.pets.gov.hk/petfishing/en/.   One of the sad things about this is that it's the people who are rejected for adoption who choose online buying, which means that the homes were never suitable anyway, so even if the puppies survive they're destined for a very sad life before being abandoned on the street after a short time.  

Many of the dogs that come to us have been found on the street, including French bulldog Pierre, who's currently in a foster home while he waits for his forever family.  As with all adoption enquiries, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

I said that some things never change, but other things do of course, and as I've mentioned previously we'll be packing up our Kennedy Town Centres after Chinese New Year and moving back to Ap Lei Chau.  I'm not sure of the exact timing as the new site needs to be completely renovated, although we will need to keep things as basic as possible due to financial constraints unless we're lucky enough to receive substantial donations.  If you're able to support us for this move, please go to https://hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/one-off-donations/ for donation options.

We also always need newspaper please!