Fri 13th Feb: Back after a long break

I hadn't realised it's been a month since my last post, but I've been away and time passes so quickly anyway.  Things have also slowed down quite a bit, as happens every year when Chinese New Year's approaching and so many people are leaving for vacations abroad, or just taking time off at home.   Remember to pick up our HKDR Red Packets while we still have stock!

Fisher, Giselle, Edison, puppy Holly and poodle Felix are some of the smaller dogs that found homes since my last blog, while we took in quite a crowd of new arrivals, both at Ap Lei Chau and Tai Po.  Please keep checking our Facebook and Instagram pages for photos and details of new dogs, or browse the full list at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/dogs/.  

Almost all of the Tai Po dogs are young adult mixed breeds that we've taken from AFCD, and every one is a reminder that while baby puppies are small, cute and adorable, they quickly grow.  While that might sound obvious to most sensible people, it's clear that still too many don't consider this fact when adopting.   Most of my Lamma dogs are now fifteen years old, and that's the length of time you have to consider when bringing a puppy into your life and home.  Smaller dogs generally live even longer, so if you're getting a puppy because your children want one, please think ahead and imagine how old they will be when the dog reaches the end of its natural life. 

Fundraising is an important part of running any charity, and especially when we have so many dogs to take care of on a daily basis, from puppies to seniors.  Whether it's basic feeding, monthly tick, flea and heartworm prevention, or expensive vet visits and surgeries, we can never sit back and relax.  Staff also need to be paid, as well as rents, and even though we keep everything to a bare minimum it all adds up.   If you would like to support our work, please visit our website at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/ for all donation information, as well as details on our monthly sponsorship options via the Life Saver Club.  Please also consider donating your Lai See back to the dogs and puppies that rely on your generosity while waiting to find their forever families. 

Tues 13th Jan: One very special adoption amongst quite a few

 We had a happily busy weekend for adoptions, with quite a few dogs finding their forever homes.  The delightful brother and sister pair of Hansel and Gretel (now Peanut) were two of them, each going their separate ways to lovely families.

Small adult Bonnie was adopted at Whiskers N Paws, while new puppy Pesto, who came to us only recently along with two assumed siblings, was taken home after the Sunday Puppy Party. 

There are lots of other happy adoption photos which you can see below, but I want to talk about the small dogs that are still waiting for homes and are currently staying on Lamma due to lack of space at the Homing Centre.  Two of these are assumed sisters Maisy and Lemon, and I strongly suspect that one of them may be the mother of Hansel and Gretel.  They're the same small size, and shape, and with the same very happy and friendly nature.  They're also young, although unfortunately Lemon tested positive for heartworm when she arrived (one of the large intake including the many French bulldogs).   

Willy is another from the same intake, and he's a gorgeous terrier type, probably a Jack Russell cross, small and very friendly.  He's shown on his way back from Acorn after being desexed. 

There was a very special adoption at Tai Po, and while of course all adoptions are special, this one has a story attached.  Some time back we were contacted by a vet who said that a man had brought in a healthy young dog to be put to sleep for no good reason, and finding out that Ruffle had been adopted from HKDR the vet contacted us.  Of course we took Ruffle back, grateful to the vet for having let us know.  By chance the ex-girlfriend of the man who so cruelly wanted to end Ruffle's life spotted her on our HKDR website, and immediately offered to take her back.  The reunion was a very happy one, as you can imagine, and Ruffle is now safely back home.

I'm going to be taking a couple of weeks off from today when I fly to India for a holiday, but I'll still be online and in contact as usual.  Please expect delays though, as hopefully I'll be relaxing by a beach somewhere! 

Please keep checking our Facebook page for news of new arrivals, but also remember that we already have plenty of lovely dogs of all sizes waiting for homes.   You can browse through the full gallery at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/dogs/ if you want to see them all. 

Weds 31st Dec 2025: End of the year

 I included the year in the date shown in the heading, because of course this is the last day of 2025 and looking back I'm sure there's a lot to talk about.  However, I'll leave that to the newsletter round-up, otherwise this blog will be a very long one. 

What we're currently dealing with is still the large number of small dogs we took in following the death of their previous owner, who although very wealthy did little (nothing) in terms of routine care for the puppies he constantly bought.  We've been taking the dogs, mostly French bulldogs, to Acorn as and when we can get appointments, bearing in mind it's the holiday season as well as a time of year when people regularly get flu, or similar.  Unfortunately several dogs have heartworm, and only a couple had already been desexed, which is why there are some mixes amongst the breeds.  

I have five such dogs staying on Lamma, and today I took the three girls to Acorn, two small-sized sisters and a little pug, all adorable and extremely sweet-natured. One of them (Lemon)  has heartworm, so she'll start pre-treatment medication before having the worm-killing injection.  Pauline the pug is very young and playful, but she has already lost one eye, presumably due to the fact that all of the forty dogs were together so fights were inevitable.  One thing I can say is that every single one of these dogs is very friendly to humans, so they were definitely well-treated in that sense.

Although we're open every single day of the year, even during severe typhoons, our Homing Centre staff have to take days off and holidays just like everyone else.  That's meant we've been short-staffed for the past week or so, and I've been trying to respond to all emails and enquiries myself.  That's not such a problem when it's for general questions and adoption questionnaires, but I can't answer specific questions about the dogs themselves.   So if you're waiting for a reply, please bear with us as it may take longer than usual to get back to you with the information.

For all adoption enquiries please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogsrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/, and to help us with the mounting costs of dealing with the dogs and their vet bills, please consider making a donation which is currently very much needed.  You can find all donation options at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/ .

I wish you all a very Happy New Year, and much happiness in 2026, especially for all the dogs in need of loving new families!

WEDS 24th DEC: A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

 We've had some lovely adoptions in the last few days leading up to Christmas, and by that I mean for special dogs who needed more than the usual luck to be chosen.

I include two shibas in that category, with Anki being very shy and Kira having post-distemper twitching in her legs, a condition that was very severe when she first arrived.  Now with medication, exercise and swimming, it's far less pronounced, but we're extremely happy that these two girls have their own homes now.

Long-term foster dog, Bibs, was one of our "Red" dogs while with us, so that's another very special adoption that was finally confirmed. 

Okra is only a medium size, but she was sent to Tai Po when she first arrived as we didn't have the space at Ap Lei Chau and she was just that little bit too big for the small Homing Centre.  She was also quite shy, but over time she became more confident, and she's now in a wonderful home with ex-HKDR golden retriever Toast.

Perhaps the best adoption of all was that of Gideon, who at almost sixteen years of age proves that a dog is never too old to find that special person or family.  Gideon has been fostered by his now-adopters, so it's probably a case of formalising his family membership while there's still time, but it's a wonderful and very happy occasion for everyone who knew him.

Younger girl Anya was also adopted from Tai Po, and while not as noteworthy as Gideon's adoption, we're always delighted to see the larger mixed breeds going home.

There was no waiting required for the German shepherd puppy we took from AFCD, as he had several good homes offered.  It was really a case of the first application being the successful one, so it was an easy in-and-out case.

I was at AFCD Pokfulam today with the five new dogs that are currently staying with me on Lamma, and going there was a reminder of days gone by when I used t visit a few times a week to choose the dogs and puppies that I would take out.  Things have changed a lot since then, but there are still too many dogs that end up at the four government Animal Management Centres, whether surrendered by their owners or picked up as strays.  The lucky ones will be accepted by HKDR or one of the other animal NGOs, but many will be destroyed.  There are smply too many dogs and not enough homes, and still nothing being done to try to deal with the situation. 

Going back to the five dogs I had with me today, they're all small, young and very sweet. Two of the girls are a mix of something, possibly terriers, and they are now Maisy and Lemon.  The little pug girl is adorable, and her new name is Pauline, while long-haired Jack Russell cross Willy is slightly older at four years, and pug/Frenchie Bear is five.  As soon as there's space at Ap Lei Chau they can move back, but for now they're very happy on Lamma.  I'll try to get photos over the Christmas holidays, but they're so desperate for cuddles that it's very difficult. 

I'll be at home with all of my dogs over the next three days, including three sick or incapacitated seniors who need special care, so I'll take this opportunity of wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Don't forget that our Homing Centres are open throughout the holidays and on every other day of the year, so if you're interested in adopting please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Dogs and puppies should never be given as gifts whatever the occasion is, but if you've already decided that you want to give a dog the gift of a home, then any time is fine. 

Sun 20th Dec: Dealing with mayhem

 I'm sure everyone following the HKDR story will know by now about the intake of around thirty small dogs who suddenly found themselves homeless when their owner died.  To be honest, this situation is probably the best thing that could have happened to the dogs in the long term because their previous home was far from ideal or idyllic, and in fact was pretty bad, even if it would be unfair to say that they had been badly treated.  It was more a case of total ignorance, so we're trying now to catch up on long-overdue basics such as licensing, vet checks and treatment as needed, as well as finding good homes as quickly as possible.

Some of the French bulldogs have already left to start their new lives, as well as the two beagles and a poodle cross.  Five dogs came to stay at my Lamma base, simply because there was no space at all at Ap Lei Chau, and they're very happy having space and freedom to run around as they wish.  They're very friendly too, especially the little one-eyed pug girl (in case anyone is a fan of this breed). 

I'm happy to say that other dogs are also finding their new homes, not only the recent intake, and that includes large-sized puppy Dooby, an absolute sweetheart.

Sidney and Kaspar are another two lucky dogs, as well as Kew and Dingle, a pair of senior poodles surrendered together, and who were adopted as a pair.

Husky Bella, who was about to become homeless, also found her new home before having to come to Tai Po, although adopted-and-abandoned husky boy Pilot wasn't as lucky and he's now at our Homing Centre. 

With so much happening, as well as having several sick seniors at home who need quite intensive care, Christmas has crept up without me noticing, and I can't believe it's only a few days away now.  As always, out two Homing Centres at Ap Lei Chau and Tai Po will be open throughout the holidays, so even if you're not looking for a dog to bring home please feel free to drop by with gifts for the dogs or our very hard-working staff and volunteers.  

If you're in a position to adopt, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Thurs 11th Dec: AN EXTRORDINARY SITUATION

 I've said it many times before, that life is never dull at HKDR, and once again we have a situation that will mean asking for your help and support.  The story is that someone who had a insatiable shopping habit, which included buying puppies as well as luxury designer goods, died unexpectedly, leaving behind around forty dogs.  The man lived alone other than having domestic helpers to care for the dogs, and he had no family to take over.  Without an employer the helpers had to leave Hong Kong, and the dogs have ended up in a (not very nice) shelter in the New Territories.  

After a meeting yesterday I agreed that we would help the dogs, all small I believe, taking them bit by bit as we try to find them new homes.  On Friday we'll start by taking the first group of ten, and hopefully we can go back before too long to rescue some more.  As soon as we have details and some photos we can start looking for new homes, so please look out for that information on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

It's not the best or easiest time for adoptions with Christmas and the New Year being so close, and that means a lot of potential adopters leaving Hong Kong for their holidays.  However we have had some lovely adoptions, with the Tai Po dogs being the happiest because they're almost all larger sized mixed breeds.  Odette was one of the lucky ones, with Cino being another, but there are so many more lovely dogs who are so deserving of a home.

We also have two huskies needing new homes, one a surrender while the other was adopted from HKDR some time ago and was picked up by AFCD as a stray.  These cases are always extremely upsetting, as you can imagine, and although AFCD said they were unable to contact the owner (who's no longer in Hong Kong), I had no trouble at all doing so.  It's quite extraordinary, but in the AFCD world there's no such thing as email, and only phones exist.  I have suggested many times over the years that dog licenses should include email addresses, but that has fallen on deaf ears.

Fri 28th Nov: A tragedy for Hong Kong

 Like everyone else here in Hong Kong, my thoughts are with the residents and families of those who have been affected by the terrible tragedy that occurred at Tai Po, and is still ongoing as I write.  Words are inadequate to express the sadness and disbelief that such a thing could happen here, and the huge loss of life is difficult to even comprehend.  Thousands of people have suddenly become homeless too, including our own van driver Ming, who also lived in that residential complex and was thankfully out when then fire took hold.

It will take a long time for the Tai Po community to recover from what has happened, but the spirit of all Hongkongers in their immediate offers of help and support has been the only highlight throughout the past two days.  We have also received offers of foster care for any dogs that needed a safe place to stay, but so far we haven't been asked to accept any pets.

While headlines about the Tai Po tragedy dominate all aspects of Hong Kong media, we have to continue to take care of the dogs under our care, which includes our re-homing efforts.  We had considered cancelling our Sunday puppy adoption event as a mark of respect to those who have lost their lives, but in the end agreed to go ahead and will be at Whiskers N Paws as usual, from 2pm to 4pm.  I hope some puppy love will help to lift the spirits of those needing it.

I wanted to write about the happy adoptions that have taken place since my last post, and also about our big Peak to Fong event last Sunday, but I will save those for another day.  

For today I just wanted to share the condolences of everyone at HKDR with the families and friends of those who have lost so much.  Our thoughts are with you.