Weds 15th Jan: A quick update on new dogs

 It was another frantic day at our Kennedy Town Centre with the arrival of eight new dogs to add to the others that we'd taken in on an almost daily basis.  We had an appointment booked for three o'clock at Acorn so the dogs could be checked and vaccinated in readiness for potential adoption or fostering, and in the meantime I was trying to reply to the emails that were coming in, especially regarding one particular dog, the Frenchie.  I didn't know anything about her, even at that stage that she was a female, but it's one of the funny things that for whatever reason a photo will spark huge interest even though we already have an almost-identical Frenchie available called Pierre.  As it happens, the new girl and Pierre are both four years old, and I suspect that quite a few potential adopters assumed the new girl was a puppy. 

Now that I have the vet notes for all of the new dogs, I'll list them here so you can have a better idea.  The ages are an estimation by the vet and may not be exact, and names will be added very soon. Please remember that we also have many smaller dogs that have already been with us for a few days to several weeks, and we have a much better idea of their character.

Corgi, male, one year old.

Corgi, female, one year old.

Large black poodle, male, seven years old.

Black poodle, female, six years old.

Cream poodle, female, 2 years old.

Cream Frenchie, female, four years old.

Poodle, "phantom" colour, male, three years old.

Schnauzer cross, male, eight moths old.

If you're interested in adopting, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/, and I'll try to reply with a day, if not immediately.  

Regarding the female corgi, she was very badly injured before being found by some rubbish bins, and although I have a photo showing her awful condition at that time I won't share it here (it's really not nice).  She's almost fully healed but still has some wounds and potentially fractured toes, so it's probably best at this point that she's not in a home with other dogs that may want to play and so prevent complete healing. 

Sun 12th Jan: Puppy love

 One of the many things I love about puppies is that they immediately welcome everyone as their best friend.  There's no hesitation or checking to see the breed or colour, all that matters is a willingness to join in the games.  You can see exactly this in the always wonderful photos take by our regular volunteer photographer, Eric Tang, at today's Puppy Party at Whiskers N Paws, where various puppies came together for the first time Puppy Adoption Day 12th Jan 2025.  Anna was today's lucky puppy, while previously-resident Santa left on Saturday with her new family.

Talking of volunteer photographers, a lot of our regulars have now left Hong Kong and we're in need of replacements who can spare time on occasional Sunday afternoons from two o'clock until four.  We're particularly looking for those who can help on a longer term basis so our Volunteer Coordinator, Elena Mathew, can schedule someone in advance for every Sunday.  If you have some skills with a camera and especially taking photos of puppies, please email info@hongkongdogrescue.com. 

We've had so many new dogs arriving at our Kennedy Town Homing Centre, and I've posted their photos on Facebook as they came in.  You can always check our long-term volunteer Harryn's Instagram @ h_dogsister for lot of lovely photos and videos of the Kennedy Town dogs if interested, as well as those we regularly share on our own Facebook and Instagram page @ hkdr_official. Some lucky newbies left again almost immediately, including Barney the terrier and Noah the Sheepdoodle, while others have gone for a short trial with resident dogs.

As you know by now, not all adoptions last for ever, and the saddest case of all is that of Scribble, who through no fault of her own has come back to us three times. We really need to know that her next home will be her last and final one.

Also in need of a new family is 5 year-old miniature pinscher Enzo, who again through no fault of his will need to leave his current home. I'm looking for good photos to share as the ones we were sent are honestly useless, but mini pins look the same, and all I can add is that Enzo weighs 5 kilos. 

There have been a lot of social media posts about dog poisonings recently, and many photos of a variety of suspicious-looking baited food left out.  I can't be specific about places as there are too many to name individually, but please be on the lookout for anything that looks like food at the side of the road, especially if your dog is the type to eat something like that.  

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! 

Mon 30th Dec: Big moves coming up in 2025

 For obvious reasons it's been quite a slow period for adoptions, with so many people away or busy celebrating the holiday weeks.  Staff member Eva has been busy putting together the end-of-year compilation of adoption photos, as well as the total for the month and 2024, and I look forward to the happy reminder of those lucky dogs and puppies who found their forever families.  This will be Eva's last contribution as she's leaving HKDR to start the next phase of her life, so as well as wishing her all the best we'll be welcoming a new face very soon. 

Even if there have been fewer than usual adoption stories to share this week, we have had quite a few visitors to the Homing Centres in Kennedy Town and Tai Po, and with so many to choose from it's hard to pick just one.  As I always say, two dogs is half the work and double the enjoyment, so we're always especially happy knowing that a dog will have a friend to hang out with. 

Looking ahead at 2025, and as I have already mentioned, we will be relocating our Kennedy Town Homing Centres back to Ap Lei Chau after Chinese New Year.  This will mean the re-joining of everyone from Brilliant Court and North Street (in Kennedy Town) to being under the same roof, including the office, making it so much easier for staff, volunteers and potential adopters.  Not only that, but we will be very close to the dog park and the dog-friendly waterfront promenade, as well as the MTR (Lei Tung station), so the dogs will be happy too. 

From a financial point of view, it's obviously more cost-effective running one single space as opposed to two, and the monthly outgoings (especially rent) will be reduced.  However we still have to find the money for the refurbishment of what is now just a shell of a building, and this is why we have been back-and-forth about making the final decision to move.  We will have to ask for contributions from sponsors and supporters to help with what will be a big financial one-off outgoing, and hope that we will at least manage to reach the minimum one million dollars needed.  Any help with this will of course be very much appreciated, and if you would like to donate.  

Account name with HSBC - Hong Kong Dog Rescue Limited
Account no. - HSBC - 741-263776-838 

You can also do the transfer with other options in this link .
https://hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/one-off-donations/

I'm sure we'll be sharing photos of the new space as soon as we take it over, and it's always fun to watch it taking shape even though we'll be keeping things very basic unless we get enough coming in to build what we'd really like to have. 

Tues 24th Dec: Merry Christmas everyone!

 Yes, Christmas has finally arrived, and I hope everyone will be enjoying the day, even if for no other reason than it's a holiday. Of course, at HKDR we're open for business as usual, whether it's just cleaning and feeding, walking the dogs or handling adoptions, just like today when the surrendered golden retriever left Tai Po with her new family, and shiba inu Tomo was also chosen at Kennedy Town. 

The Homing Centres at Tai Po and Kennedy Town are also open to receive gifts for the dogs (and the hard-working staff)  if you're in the vicinity, and we're always more than happy to be able to share the treats that have been donated. 

Please head over to our Facebook Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) and Instagram @hkdr_official to check out all of the happy posts, as well as photos of our gorgeous dogs-in-waiting. 

I'm excited about the coming year and our move back to Ap Lei Chau, and I'll be keeping you updated about that as it happens.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Fri 20th Dec: You can make a world of difference to a dog in need

 With another busy and sometimes drama-filled week almost over, we have just a few days left until Christmas, and then the New Year.  Just as another reminder, we open every single day of every single year, so whether you're looking to adopt or come to walk the dogs as a volunteer, you're very welcome. 

Our Homing Centres are open from ten in the morning until five o'clock in the afternoon, and although staff are there earlier and later, we do ask that you stick to our designated hours visiting hours.  Dogs need to be fed, given medication as appropriate, and readied for the night before staff can leave, so if potential adopters turn up just as our official hours are ending it means everything has to be delayed and the staff can't get home until late in the evening. 

We took in some new dogs from AFCD today, one of which was the French bulldog Norton, whose very sad story was shared on our social media pages.  He's been previously adopted and everything seemed to be going well, until AFCD informed us that he had been surrendered to them.  I immediately contacted the now ex-owner to ask why, but he has steadfastly refused to answer the simple question.  Thankfully Norton was offered a foster home as soon as he arrived, so he'll be spending his Christmas in a loving family environment. 

Ruffle was another very sad story about a dog who was adopted from us as a puppy, and (as we later found out) led a very unhappy life before the then-owner asked a vet to put Ruffle to sleep.  The good part is that since coming to us at our Tai Po Homing Centre, Ruffle is having what is almost certainly the best time of her life, and she's made dog friends as well as humans.  It's bitter-sweet to see videos of Ruffle playing and enjoying attention from staff, because she has missed out on her early years and endured a horrible situation.  It's amazing how dogs can put such things in the past so quickly. 

The other new dogs from AFCD are mixed breeds, also now staying at Tai Po, and although we don't know how or why they ended up being abandoned I imagine they also have very sad stories to tell.  They were both found as strays and are very friendly. 

We also accepted a shiba inu boy (now Tomo) who had been a puppy when confiscated as a smuggling case, and subsequently kept at AFCD for three years!!  He's also a friendly boy, but obviously not toilet trained given his kennel life. 

You see, unless coming to HKDR as a puppy, every dog has their own story to tell, and they all deserve a better life moving forward.  I'm sure everyone who reads my blogs either has a dog, or has had at some time, and if you try to imagine how your dog would feel at suddenly being abandoned at AFCD, on the street, or even worse in the hills, then you can appreciate how the dogs that come to us are feeling when they first arrive.  Life at our Homing Centres can be overwhelming at first as there are so many other dogs, but for the majority they will quickly accept their new situation, and perhaps even enjoy the companionship, and love from our staff and volunteers. 

Please don't think that being a rescue dog means there's something wrong, or there are inevitable behaviour issues, because for the most part the dogs are simply victims of circumstance.  As you probably know, the dogs that came to stay with me on Lamma were those that were too shy or too scared to cope with life at the Homing Centre, with a few having some issues that meant they weren't suitable for adoption.  Being a part of their rehabilitation, and seeing them transform into the happy characters that they have become, is incredibly rewarding, but these are the exceptional cases and most only need a home and a family to blossom.  Please give them a chance, and be what makes the world of difference to a dog who deserves a second chance. .