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. .
