Mon 24th Feb: Puppy update

 We've had quite a few new puppies coming in over the past week or so, with seven youngsters arriving today and heading straight for their foster homes.  It's impossible to say at this point what their eventual adult size will be, but I'm guessing medium.

The previous new arrivals are slightly older so they were able to join the regular Sunday Puppy Party at Whiskers N Paws Puppy Adoption Day 23rd Feb 2025, while one of the resident guests at the store was adopted just before the party started.   These puppies are Rufus, Roo, Raffle and Riley, so you can check them out in the photo album.  Rufus has been transformed in the few days he's been with us, and he's now a gorgeous ball of fluff, while Raffle has been lucky enough to be taken home for fostering. Thanks to Carol for being our volunteer photographer for the event, and if anyone with camera skills would like to join the team please email the photography coordinator elenamathew@gmail.com.

The adopted puppy Lulu came to us from AFCD, and the reason I want to mention this is because when we're asked if we can take in puppies from wherever and we're unable to do so at the time, I suggest the puppies are taken to AFCD.  This is usually rejected on the grounds that AFCD will just kill them, but as long as the puppies are friendly and adoptable, they will be offered to all of the rescue organisations for re-homing.  That means that even if HKDR don't have space, perhaps others will.  For Lulu and the second resident WNP puppy, Liza, the timing was lucky when AFCD asked if we could accept them. 

Sat 22nd Feb: More new arrivals plus adoptions

 I wanted to write a quick update with news of yet more arrivals at Kennedy Town, and a very sad story of a beautiful young labrador who is due to be brought to us on Monday.  He's only two years old but has been kept on a chain his whole life, so I'm happy that we can take him in and find him a real home that can provide proper love and care.  If you would like to adopt this boy, or any other of our many dogs and puppies, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

Today's new small dogs are also young, with Gibson not much more than a puppy and Georgia estimated to be two years old.  

Porridge left the Kennedy Town Homing Centre today to start his new life, while corgi Rosie had her adoption confirmed after a short trial and is now called Bella.

Another corgi, Celia, will be going to a foster home soon to continue her journey to full health, and I'm sure she won't have to wait too long for that.  Despite what happened to her and the terrible condition in which she was found, Celia is an incredibly sweet and loving one year-old girl, proving once again how forgiving dogs can be. 

The young puppies I wrote about yesterday have foster homes to go to, so as soon as they arrive they'll be heading out again.  Meanwhile we have other gorgeous puppies available, and of course our regular Sunday Puppy Party takes place at Whiskers N Paws from 2pm to 4pm every weekend.  It's the best place to meet the available puppies in a comfortable and spacious environment, with delicious food available at the in-store cafe and everything you could possibly want for your new family member filling the shelves. 

Fri 21st Feb: Dogs in and dogs out

 I'm sure a lot of you are on Instagram and follow our @hkdr_official post, as well as many other dog-related pages.  Social media is great in many ways, but it can also be a minefield when it comes to dog training advice.  I don't always agree with everything the trainers that I follow say, but I know enough to be able to take it or leave it, and being discerning applies across the board of course.  There is one particular Instagram account that I can wholeheartedly recommend and that's @trickwoofs, because it contains a lot of helpful (and true) advice and information about understanding your dogs, and in a lovely and easy-to-understand way. 

So many dogs are given up because their humans don't understand them, meaning they can't communicate in a way that dogs understand, and are unable to see what their dog's body language is telling them.  All animals have their own way of communicating, and it's up to us as dog owners to learn their language.  Shouting commands in a loud voice is such an old-fashioned and useless way of training a dog, as their hearing is so much better than ours and you can convey your meaning in a soft voice much more effectively.  Using hand signals is also well understood by a dog, as are much more subtle cues.  I'm sure everyone has experienced their dogs picking up on tiny movements if it means they're going to get food or go for a walk, and you can use the same for all training.  Dogs are simple in their needs and wants, but at the same time are intelligent animals that are capable of so much more than they're given credit for. 

You must have heard the saying that there's no such thing as a bad dog, only a bad owner, and that's absolutely true.  The only thing I will say is that puppies born to wild-living parents may have an inborn mistrust of humans, and all breeds have genetic behaviour, even if that's been diluted over generations.  It still upsets me to see working breeds like border collies and Belgian Shepherds being expected to behave like quiet house pets, and even small terriers have traces of their rat-catching ancestors in them.  Just because a dog is small doesn't mean they don't have the same needs as larger dogs, and even tiny chihuahuas love to go out for walks and to see the outside world. 

I also need to add that a walk doesn't mean going round the block on a leash, or thirty minutes in the dog park.  Even if that's all that you can manage on a regular day, dogs need to experience exciting things and new smells, so please make sure you add those outings into your dog's life as much as you can. 

Now for the in and out dog updates.  As I mentioned in my last post, "Red" poodle Carrot was taken for a trial adoption, and we were all thrilled to have his forever status confirmed after only a day.  If ever there was a lesson in what I've just written about it would be this, as well as the other poodle in the family who was also adopted from HKDR as a "Red" dog.  Carrot is loving being in a home, and since I mentioned Instagram before, you can see the dogs on my own @sallythedoglady account, and how they have also all changed from being very timid and scared to having a wonderful life. 

New Kennedy Town dog Tully was also adopted, while we have other new arrivals coming on an almost daily basis.  On Saturday there will be two lovely dogs, and as shared on our Facebook page, a lovely litter of puppies are in need of foster or forever homes.  From the photos I was sent they look as though they will grow to be small-medium sized adults, but as they're not with us yet it's hard to be sure. 

For fostering please complete the form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/, and for adoption the questionnaire is at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Tues 18th Feb: The end of a very long wait

 You may have seen us talk about being a "No Kill" organisation without understanding what it means.  Quite simply, it means that once a dog or puppy comes to HKDR we promise to care for him or her for life, with euthanasia only being an option when the dog is very sick, old or suffering and it's the humane thing to do.  It's one of the reasons why we can't operate on an open-door, all welcome policy, which would become completely unmanageable very quickly.  We're asked all the time to go out to pick up strays that people have seen, however not only is that an impossible task, but these dogs are often born wild and would never adapt to being in kennels, let alone homes.  

Even so, with few adopters willing to consider adult mixed breeds, we always have around four hundred dogs at our Tai Po Homing Centre at any one time (that number being the limit),  and both Kennedy Town Centres being constantly full, even if the turnover of smaller dogs is much higher.

We also have a group of what we call "Red Dogs" at Kennedy Town, these being mostly poodles who have defensive behaviour problems.  They're not bad dogs, they just need understanding and patient adopters who can see them through the initial period of not really trusting, but of course they're not suitable for homes with children or for inexperienced adopters.  Given the choice of a sweet and friendly dog and one that is challenging, of course almost everyone opts for the former, so the "Red" group stay with us until they get old.

From time to time, and really very rarely, a  "Red" dog is given the chance to start a new life, and today that happened to poodle Carrot.  He has been with us since he was a youngster twelve years ago, so you can imagine the joy and excitement of the staff and volunteers who have known Carrot all that time.  I don't know if I should even be writing about this as Carrot has a week's trial period, but his adopters have previously taken other "Red" poodles home with great success. 

As Carrot left Kennedy Town today, we took in another young poodle boy, now called Rowan, as well as another puppy, Riley. 

On Monday we received three other puppies, a French bulldog and a corgi, with Rosie the corgi leaving today after a very short stay. 

Almost all of the dogs are very sweet and not at all "Red", so I want to share the list again as we already have so many  Small Dogs available in KTHC (FEB2025)., 

As always, if you're interested in adopting, take the first step by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Sat 15th Feb: Finally the adoption slump turns around

 The last blog that I posted was talking about the endless stream of (mostly) small dogs that were arriving on a daily basis, and the past week has been about vet visits so everyone could be checked, vaccinated and licensed.   With all of that done it was time to start finding them homes, and thankfully today felt like the adoption-slump dam had finally burst and the Kennedy Town Homing Centre welcomed many potential adopters, resulting in quite a few lucky dogs.

Hopefully Sunday will be just as busy, but for now these are the dogs who are no longer available:  Teasel the terrier pup, Freddie, Charlie, Penny the poodle, and young corgi Saffy.  Japanese spitz Zippo also had his adoption confirmed after a very short foster period, and we're especially happy for this boy as he's not a youngster and also hasn't been in the best of health. 

There are still a lot of small dogs waiting, young, old and in-between, and you can take a look at them here  Small Dogs available in KTHC (FEB2025). If you're interested in meeting any of them please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step.  I know I repeat this every time I write a new post, but still many people ask if they can just drop by to take a look.  Our Homing Centre is small so we prefer not to operate on an "open house" basis, and by having the details in advance we know which dogs would be suitable. 

Sunday is Puppy Party day at Whiskers N Paws, so you can meet the puppies that are staying in foster homes as well as the lovely pair that are currently full time guests at the store.  

Also remember that there are many many lovely dogs at our Tai Po Homing Centre, many of whom have been with us since they were tiny babies.  Seeing them find their forever families is really special to us, especially when they're the only ones from their litter still waiting.  Life can seem so unfair sometimes.

Sat 8th Feb: Still more new arrivals

 Just another quick update on some new dogs that we took in at our Kennedy Town Centre today, two of which are mother and son (Tinker and Tonka) and another just a puppy (Teasel).  All three adults are young, so as always I hope they will find homes very soon. 

I also wanted to share a photo one of our volunteers took of recently-arrived Soda, because I think it shows how beautiful he is.  A photo often doesn't do justice to a dog, or show the personality, which is why when we receive enquiries about a specific dog it's often the case that it's another one entirely that ends up being chosen.  That happened today with the adoption of little poodle Lottie, as her now-family had actually come to meet Penny (also a very sweet poodle). 

Anyway, there's the right dog for almost every family if you don't insist on a particular breed or age.  Being realistic about your home and lifestyle is what matters, meaning if you want a quiet and laid-back companion then choosing a young and active dog means neither side is going to be happy. Dogs don't just come in all shapes, sizes and colours, but in character too, so please let us help you to choose the one that will be right for you and your family.

Start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ before coming to visit so we know who to recommend. 

Fri 7th Feb: Guy the Frenchie is ready for a home

 Four more new dogs arrived at our Kennedy Town Centre (North Street) today, with still more coming in over the next few days.  We haven't had a chance to assess the newcomers for age or anything else yet, but at least they look young from the photo and they all have "P" names allocated for identification. 

We don't know the back story for these dogs, or most of the others that come from different sources, but by the time they have been in who-knows-how-many places along the way, many are very scared by the time they come to us.  I want to use French bulldog Guy as an example, as we were told he had behaviour issues in advance of his arrival which is why he was moved to Lamma rather than staying at Kennedy Town.  He was provided with his own "compound" and a snug igloo for his "man cave", and for the first day he just slept.  It was clear he was completely traumatised by whatever he had experienced, but after that long sleep he came out to explore.  Fast forward just a few days and Guy has transformed into the sweetest and most affectionate little dog, desperate for attention and chin/belly scratches.  I know he's lonely in his own space, so now I really want to find him his own home where he can enjoy companionship and walks. At only a year old he's still just a youngster, but to be on the safe side we will be looking for a home with no young children or other dogs.  Actually he may be fine with both, but it's better to be careful. 

There are so many dogs at both Kennedy Town and our Tai Po Homing Centres waiting for homes, as well as two new puppies staying at Whiskers N Paws, but before coming to meet any of them please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.  Please give as much information as possible, as well as providing a full address so we don't have to go to Google maps to try to find out where a street or building are (I have to admit this drives me crazy).  Also giving vague answers like "it depends" aren't helpful or acceptable, because if you don't know then it's likely you shouldn't even be thinking about having a dog.  Most of all be honest, both with us and yourself, because having a dog can be time consuming and a burden if you're the sort of person who enjoys an active social life and likes going away for regular holidays. Becoming a volunteer can be just as rewarding as having your own dog, because you can enjoy being with dogs as much as you want but without having the worry or the cost.  

Weds 5th Feb: Will it ever end?

 I'm not sure how many of you wrote to the Ombudsman after his office invited the general public to submit their views, but I hope there will be enough to create some changes.  I won't hold my breath, but seriously the system seriously needs overhauling as so much has changed over the past couple of decades that the current laws are totally inadequate.   The supply of puppies (and other animals) flooding the market, for want of a better word, means that there are always huge numbers being abandoned.  I have spoken to other organisations and everyone is saying the same, the situation is out of control and nobody can cope with the requests for help in taking in unwanted puppies and adult dogs.  Whereas previously we would have a waiting list for small dogs, now we have so many young and lovely hopefuls.  Potential adopters come to take a look, but leave again if we don't have exactly what they have in mind.  I could understand if the dogs are old or sick, or if they have behaviour issues, but these are very cute, sweet and happy youngsters.  

Most of the dogs coming in are smaller sized and go to our Kennedy Town Centre, and every week there are more and more.  Today there were two new arrivals, one being a one year-old corgi girl, very sweet and playful, and the other a spaniel-cross type, only slightly older.  

We also accepted a Malamute boy at our Tai Po Homing Centre, with a husky girl also coming soon.

Every one of these dogs has a sad story, with the corgi having been left at a dog hotel and never picked up (same as the Malamute), while the husky's owner has serious dementia and can no longer care for his dogs.   In the latter case of course it's nobody's fault that the Malamute needs a new home, but in most cases of dogs becoming homeless it's due to the fickle nature of the people who bought puppies and then after even a short time decided they no longer wanted them. 

There's no guarantee that any adopter will stand by their promise of a home for life, but at least we can do our best to make sure that everyone understands that they need to consider the next fifteen years (or more), and a dog isn't just a toy for the children or for entertainment while it's convenient. 

I keep writing the same thing over and over, and that's because it's so upsetting to be asked to take in so many dogs while knowing the chances of them all finding forever homes is so low. Catherine's Puppies has asked if we can help with finding an adopter for a massive dog, and I mean really huge at around 90kg, but who on earth brought a puppy this size into Hong Kong, or allowed its mother to have puppies?  It's madness, complete selfish insanity. 

I need to take a deep breath and calm down, but something has to be done to stop the endless breeding and smuggling when there are already so many homeless dogs.

That said, if you want to offer a dog a forever home please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

Sun 2nd Feb: Pet Show and new Homing Centre

 Finally the seemingly endless holidays in January are over and we can look forward to some uninterrupted working days.  I know most people love all of the annual public holidays, but for us it means fewer adoptions and fewer staff, and we've already been without anyone to cover the admin work since Eva left.  The good news is that her replacement, Amy, starts work on Monday 3rd (meaning today), so once she learns how everything works the office will be back to normal.

There were two puppy adoptions at Whiskers N Paws today, and although we were without any of our usual volunteer photographers, regular adoption volunteers Catherine and Lexi were there to double up on their usual duties Puppy Adoption Day 2nd Feb 2025 . We really need some new photography recruits if you have the skills and can spare the time, so if you'd like to help for  couple of hours on Sunday from time to time please email our Photography Coordinator Elena at elenamathew@gmail.com. 

There was also another lucky puppy adopted from Tai Po earlier in the week, and her name was Macaroni. 

Quite a few people have been asking about the husky boy that's looking for a new home, but I should mention that although he's lovely with people he needs a home where he  can be the only dog.  It seems strange since he was apparently living with another dog in his previous home, but this is what has been recommended by the current foster. 

A volunteer is currently manning an HKDR booth at the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree Festival until 9th February, and we'll also be at the Pet Show 2025 from 6th-9th Feb (Thursday to Sunday)! Come find us at 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉 3F-E29 to see new products as well as our favourite HKDR merchandise.

Another important project that will get underway now the Chinese New Year holidays are over is the creation of our new Homing Centre at Ap Lei Chau.  Due to the lack of funding we will have to keep to the absolute basics, so please don't expect anything fancy unless we're lucky enough to receive major donations towards the project.  You can see from the photos that the site is just a shell so we need to do everything starting with laying down floor tiles and installing glass doors at the front, and of course air conditioning.  If you can donate towards this so we can afford to do more than the absolute minimum please go to https://hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/one-off-donations/.  Of course tax receipts will be issued for all donations over $100.