Thurs 30th June: Half a year gone

"Game of Bones" Gala Dinner, Sat 1st October

Can you believe we're halfway through the year?  Looking ahead to the remaining six months means seriously thinking about the "Game of Bones" gala dinner event on 1st October, for which planning is already well underway, and Peak to Fong in November.  The theme and design of the Disney-sponsored T-shirt has already been approved and production is about to start, so there's lots to look forward to.  However, before then there's the summer holidays and the inevitably slow months of July and August and that's not such an exciting prospect.

Delphi was the first of the Yorkie group to go

The new Yorkies didn't disappear as quickly as I had assumed, and that was partly because quite a few people have already left for their long holiday.  At least it gave Iris and the volunteers a chance to wash the dogs and to cut out the worst of their tangles in readiness for the long weekend at the anticipated rush of adopters, and I'm not at all worried about these little ladies not finding homes.

Goldie and sister Creamy are growing up

I was back at Acorn with my dog Ginny, who's thankfully making a fast recovery from tick fever even after just a few days on the magic medicine.  The change in her is very noticeable, to me at least, and she's starting to get her old energy and enthusiasm back.  After initially thinking she might have something incurable it's been a huge relief, especially coming so soon after Gershwin's drama.

It was also time for two of my younger pups to have their second vaccinations in readiness for Sunday at Whiskers N Paws.  Puppies grow up so fast and start to lose their baby looks, but I hope that doesn't mean they won't be chosen.

Della was another lucky Ap Lei Chau resident who had her adoption confirmed after a very short foster period, and she looks very happy with her new bed and situation.

We're short of staff at Tai Po at the moment, with cleaners either leaving or off sick, and even May, the Homing Centre Manager, is currently on sick leave.  If you are a registered volunteer and can spare some time over the long weekend to go and help out in any way, it would really be appreciated. Unfortunately we can't accept anyone who isn't already registered, but if you would like to join our volunteer team for dog walking or anything else, please go to our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com for details and an application.  Volunteers must be over eighteen for safety reasons, so I'm sorry we can't accept any students under the minimum age.

Della settled in very quickly

Weds 29th June: Preparing to leave at short notice

Maltipoo Target is a youngster

The new additions from AFCD Sheung Shui arrived today: five tiny Yorkshire terriers, a small pomeranian, a Maltese/poodle (a Maltipoo I suppose) and what I thought was a Sheltie but what turned out to be a full-sized Rough Collie.   Bruce was a bit of a surprise and is obviously too big to stay at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and although we have been offered a very short-term foster home this boy needs a place to stay and preferably permanently.  I suspect the Yorkies, and probably the pom Henna too, will be gone before I even get a chance to see them other than their photos.

Bruce is a senior, and a very sweet boy

Pom Henna is also from a breeder

While we struggle to find homes for the bigger dogs and particularly the mixed breeds, there is no shortage of surrender requests from people who want to rid themselves of their pets.  Can I make it clear that we have no space to take in all of these dogs, and nor do any of the other organisations as far as I'm aware.  Whether you adopt or buy you need to know that you can and will take care of that animal until the end of its life, or at the very least exhaust every avenue before expecting already over-burdened charities to relieve you of your problem.

Beautiful Susie was dumped by her expat owner

Also, as I have said before but need to keep saying, if you are an expatriate on a contract then you need to be prepared to ship your dog to another country at short notice.  That means having your dog health checked and vaccinated against rabies more frequently than is required by law or you may like from a health point of view, and keeping up to date with import requirements.  Countries like Australia won't accept dogs that test positive for tick fever and other antibodies, so make sure you know that your dog is free of any diseases that might prevent him or her from being allowed entry. Contact a pet export company in advance and get all of the information you need. so if the worst happens and you have to go back to your home country at least you will be able to take your pets with you.  It's your responsibility to find out what has to be done and not to leave it until the last minute when it's too late.  That delay could very well mean your dog has to die due to a lack of foresight and planning, and with no space at any of the rescue organisations don't expect a bail-out is guaranteed.

Tues 28th June: Tick season in full swing

The dreaded disease-carrying tick

The tick season is obviously in full swing as there are so many cases of Babesia Gibsoni (to give it its real name) around.  There are other types of tick fever but they all have one thing in common and that is that they are caused by dogs being bitten by infected ticks.   It seems that Ginny's problem is tick fever too, despite the fact that I have never seen a tick on her and they should be easy to spot.  Having started on "liquid gold" (Atovaquone, a human malaria medicine) on Monday, Ginny's red cell count had already started to show improvement when she was tested again today, and hopefully that is all that is wrong and we'll see a full recovery.  Regardless of her weakened state Ginny refused to be left behind for the morning walk, and thankfully it was relatively cool after the heavy night rain.   Only Gershwin is now refusing to go into the woods after the boar attack, although he's back to his normal self even if the neck wound will take some time to heal fully.

You almost need a microscope to see these tinies

Wellie is a very sweet and still-active boy

The Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre is being made ready for the arrival of the new tiny dogs on Wednesday, although it seems that the Yorkies might be gone before even reaching us judging by the interest in them.  Nevertheless we have to make sure that we can separate any new arrivals from the boisterous older puppies who delight in teasing the smaller dogs, and that means rearranging the areas where they sleep.  We have many very sweet smaller dogs who are still waiting for homes, but it seems everyone wants puppies or at least young adults. That's understandable in a way, but small dogs live for such a long time that even a ten year-old is still active and sprightly.   I know many fifteen or sixteen year-olds who are still in very good health and enjoying long daily walks, my own Murphy being a prime example.   Wellie, a miniature pinscher, is one such Ap Lei Chau dog who should be in a home.  He's a lovely boy with no health or behaviour problems and there is no good reason for him not to be chosen. 

Cinnamon was today's lucky pick

Continuing with our dog-a-day winning streak at Tai Po, today's lucky contestant was Cinnamon.  It's actually just a foster for now but we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that it will turn into a forever home.  

Mon 27th June: Martin and Ginny, and Yorkies on the way

Ginny looking healthy

I decided to take a day off today, or rather a day at home so I could do some overdue tasks like shaving Murphy, whose hair grows an inch a day I swear, and clipping the nails of a few dogs needing manicures.  I had noticed that one of my older dogs, Ginny, had been losing weight and having less energy than previously, but today it seemed to me that she was really quite sick and I needed to get her to a vet as soon as possible.  So having already told everyone I wouldn't be needing the van and driver I had to change that, and arranged to be picked up in the early afternoon.

Thankfully Martin's adventure was short lived

One year-old Martin, who has been staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre after coming back from his third foster home, had finally been offered a trial permanent home and was picked up in the morning.  We were all so happy and excited for him, and said goodbye in the hope that this would be the last time.  As easy and sweet as Martin is, we knew he would take a while to settle in his new home and had stressed the importance of keeping him securely leashed until he had bonded with his new family and dog "sister".  However he managed to run off almost the moment he got the chance, when the car door was opened and he jumped out.

I was on my way over to meet the van at that point, but told Cactus and Ka Yan to take the van and go to Clearwater Bay where Martin was.  We knew from past experience that he would immediately respond to familiar voices, and indeed that's exactly what happened when he heard the calls.  Of course we were all very relieved that the adventure was so short-lived and Martin was safely back, although it meant that I had to take a taxi with Ginny.

I was right that Ginny was very sick, and the immediate suspicion was that she may have a liver tumour.  Although nothing showed up on the scan she is jaundiced and has a low red cell count, so for now she has been started on "liquid gold" for possible tick fever and I will need to take her back on Tuesday for another blood test.

Looking back I should have seen the subtle signs that something wasn't right, such as the fact that she changed her sleeping place and started lying right up against the refrigerator door.  That meant having to push her out of the way every time I wanted to open the fridge, and I wondered why she was being so dumb as to lie in such an awkward place.  I had put her weight loss down to the fact that she had had infected gums and needed a lot of teeth removed a few months ago, but now I can see it was something else.  It was a good reminder to be aware of even very subtle changes in a dog's behaviour because it always means something.

Chelsea is another lucky Tai Po dog

There was another happy message from Tai Po confirming the adoption of Chelsea, and if we can keep this slow-but-steady adoption rate I'll be satisfied with that.

We have new dogs arriving from AFCD in Sheung Shui including a young Maltese/poodle,  five tiny Yorkshire terriers and a pom surrendered by a breeder,  an old Sheltie (or it may be a collie), a golden retriever and a mongrel.   As Yorkies are particularly popular please complete an adoption questionnaire if you are interested in any of these new dogs.  They will arrive with the next few days.

This young Maltese/poodle was found as a stray

Sun 26th June: Shadow's first and last appearance

Charlie arrived on Friday and is already in a home

I wasn't at all surprised to get the message from Iris at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre telling me that new poodle Charlie had been adopted as he's such a lovely and happy character.  Now I'm just hoping that someone suitable will take sweet Bomber home, because although there were lots of initial adoption applications he's still waiting for the right one.  Bomber is incredibly friendly with people but isn't great with other dogs, and he is also very active.   He needs lots of attention, playtime and exercise and then he'll be the happiest boy possible.  If you think you can offer a home like this and you are interested in Bomber, please complete the adoption questionnaire on the website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt).

Bomber is a gorgeous little guy

We have quite a few older puppies at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, many of whom have been with us since they were babies due to stubborn cases of tick fever which resulted in demodex, a type of mange which often appears when the immune system is weakened.  Sisters Lilac and Shadow are two of them, smaller-sized almost-adults now, and today was the very first time Shadow made it to Whiskers N Paws (Lilac's skin is still looking a bit patchy so she stayed behind).  After meeting all of the puppies available, one family decided that Shadow was the one for them and so she became the only lucky pup of the afternoon.

Shadow was chosen on her first ever visit to Whiskers N Paws

Mushy was taken home a week ago for a short trial

Although no new dogs were taken from Tai Po at least gorgeous Mushy had his trial adoption confirmed as being permanent, so another case can be closed.

Tony needs a foster home even if you can't adopt

I'm really surprised that little gremlin pup Tony hasn't been adopted yet as he's so cute and quite unique.  I don't think I've ever seen a puppy that looks like this or behaves in such a relaxed manner, and all I can say is whoever gets to take this little guy home will need to send regular updates so we can see how he grows.  I don't think he'll be a large dog as an adult, in fact quite the opposite, and maybe he should be at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre for small dogs.

Sat 25th June: Cool Pool Party at The Pulse

What a fantastic venue for a party!

It was a perfect day for a rooftop pool party, and as the photos show the dogs had as much fun as their humans did.  Thanks to The Pulse in Repulse Bay for offering the venue, Invisible Kitchen and other sponsors for supplying the food, drink and equipment.  Andrea Chung was the organising volunteer with Gina Pang acting as chef for the day, while I had to stay at home and miss the fun thanks to having a bad back. At least lying flat for the day seems to have helped a lot so that's some compensation, and at least I'll be up and mobile for Sunday's puppy afternoon at Whiskers N Paws.

Thanks to Invisible Kitchen 
Pyjama
the pulse
Vegelink 素之樂
Almo Nature 香港
The Dog's Garden
San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Ltd.

Volunteer Gina was our grill chef for the afternoon

The party was enjoyed by the dogs too

While most of the action was taking place at Repulse Bay at least one dog had her special day at Tai Po, and that was Celia.  It really doesn't matter which dog it is that is chosen as far as I'm concerned because they all need and deserve homes, and there are so many of them still waiting and hoping that one day it will be their name that is called.

Sweet and beautiful Celia

Fri 24th June: Big surprise for a little puppy

Suzie wasn't her usual lively self last Sunday

I had meant to take puppy Suzie to be tested for tick fever earlier in the week and had actually got as far as the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre with her, but that was the day that my air conditioner had died and I needed to buy a replacement urgently.  In the end with all the back-and-forth that ensued, Suzie never made it to Acorn, so today was another trip over for her.  It turned out that she did indeed have a very low red cell count and ended up staying in hospital. It's a real blow for both Suzie and me, because she is - or was - a puppy with a good chance of finding a home this Sunday and now that won't be happening.

Another Lamma puppy had been sent for desexing earlier in the day, one of a very lovely litter of three who had been taken out of AFCD a few months ago.  They had turned out to be very timid, and as I have to keep all smaller puppies out of the way of my blind dog Roley, I didn't see too much of these three because they would just hide.  I worked out that the female at least must be due for desexing even if she was still just shy of six months, because I didn't want to risk any chance of her becoming pregnant. When Dr Tony called me about her (Loopy) to tell me that she too was slightly anaemic and asking if I still wanted to go ahead with the desexing surgery, I asked how old he thought she was, as if she was still only five months I would wait.  I was very surprised to learn that as she had all of her adult molars she was more likely to be around eight months.  So when I went to pick her up later in the afternoon and saw this very small puppy who is actually closer to being a young adult, I sent a message to Andrea at Ap Lei Chau asking if there was space for Loopy in the Homing Centre.  I got the reply that yes, as long as she didn't mind mixing with the other puppies there was room for her, so that's where she now is.  I have no idea what mix these three puppies can be to be so small, but I really hope being at the Homing Centre will change Loopy's behaviour.  Then I can move her brothers over too.

Charlie is 4 years old

I had to go via AFCD on the way to Acorn, to drop off licenses that needed ownership information changing, and left with a very happy and friendly poodle boy who is now called Charlie. He's not a small poodle, more medium sized, but he wants to be everyone's friend and appears to be toilet trained.  That's a huge bonus as so many small dogs that come to us have never been taught even the basics.

It's really hard to understand how anyone can expect a baby puppy to teach itself, especially as so many are kept in cages where they are forced to pee and poo in the same small space as they are also made to live and sleep.  I hate cages with a vengeance, and it is really sad that so many dogs have to spend much of their lives locked up.

Thurs 23rd June: Fast forward to tomorrow please

Just as a reminder that sweet Susie is still looking for a new home

Today wasn't a great day for me personally and I would happily have skipped it had I known how things would unfold.  The fact that my back was so painful after having carried Gershwin and I had no pain killers made even getting out of bed difficult, and it just went downhill from there.

It's important that Gershwin has his medication, which includes antibiotics and pain relief, but he has turned out to be one of those dogs who can pick a tablet out of food no matter how well hidden it is.  So he ate what was in the bowl and left a melted pill cocktail at the bottom which I then had to try to give him separately.  As I was holding out a special "treat" in the hope he would fall for my trick, Bones-now-Jones saw his opportunity and took it, along with my little finger, which resulted in a large flap of flesh being ripped open.

Bali as a young dog, about 11 years ago

After dealing with the blood and the pain I had to give Bali his daily tablet too, and it was then that I realised he wasn't there, either in the house (where he always stays) or the garden, where he rarely ventures these days anyway.  That could only mean one thing, that he hadn't come back from the walk the day before and I had been too tied up dealing with Gershwin and my back to notice.

I broke down at that point, imagining Bali lying dead in a concrete drain having been unable to get out because of his very weak back legs, and the frustration of trying to get the pills into Gershwin and the pain of my bleeding finger (and my back) adding to the general feeling of helplessness.  I didn't want to go and look for Bali's body but knew that I had to, so after getting the other dogs ready I set off ready to face what needed to be faced.  I hadn't gone far into the woods when I saw Bali standing there, happy to see me of course but not as relieved as I was to find him alive.  I can only assume he fell far enough behind that he was afraid to pass my neighbour's house on his own, and the dogs that like to bark at anyone passing. At least he survived the night and seems to be perfectly fine.

Also on the bright side, Gershwin is recovering very well despite probably not getting all of his medication, and now it's only a matter of the wound fully healing before he's completely better.

Tim is back with me and will be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday

One of the recently-adopted puppies came back because he was fighting with the other one, and whether it was play or real didn't matter because he had to go.  Maybe the fact that he was reported as having diarrhoea didn't help the situation, but at least that's an easy enough problem to deal with. Puppies get upset stomachs at the drop of a hat just like human babies do, and even moving to a new home can set it off.

Weds 22nd June: Gershwin making progress

Gershwin's very swollen neck and mouth has reduced in size

I wanted to do some washing and grooming (of dogs) on my day off, but carrying Gershwin the previous afternoon had completely put my back out.  The tide was low when I arrived in the bay after picking him up from Acorn and that meant having to get off the boat at a neighbour's floating dock and then walking some way to get home.  Gershwin refused to leave the dock on his own four legs, so there was nothing for it but to pick him up and carry him to a point that he recognised.  I just about managed the morning walk today but had to spend the afternoon lying down, and suspect I might be hobbling around for a while.  The good news is that Gershwin has started to eat and that the swelling on his throat has reduced quite dramatically, although it will still take some time for the large wound to heal.  Typically for the dogs that are part of my regular  hiking group, Gershwin was all set to join us when we left the house and was quite upset at being made to stay behind.

Apollo and his new family

I forgot to mention that little miniature pinscher Apollo had been adopted and is doing very well with his big "brother and sister", and today it was the turn of Jack Russell Jerry.  He has been waiting a very long time for some reason, but finally he has a home of his own to enjoy.

Finally Jerry has a home

Donating to Christopher's Little Adoption Shop will directly help the dogs

After posting some more information about the Yulin dog-eating festival yesterday, I was asked to re-post the donation information for the Little Adoption Shop in Bejing, where long-term resident Chris Barden has six hundred dogs rescued from the trucks carrying dogs for slaughter.  As there are no charities in China all donations must be made to Christopher's personal account but I can vouch for the fact that the money will be used to help the dogs.  It's also important to point out that these dogs were not paid for and that no butcher made any money from them as they were taken directly from the trucks.  This what Chris himself says about the situation:

"Chinese rescue organizations are fighting dog meat industry nationwide, not just in Yulin, and it is critical that people don't buy these dogs (as a way to "rescue" them) from dog meat traders -- thus profiting the dog meat traders without penalizing them in anyway. They will still kill just as many dogs to meet their customer's needs, but happy to take an extra profit stream from "compassionate" purchasers from all over the world. Disturbingly, Buddhist "fangsheng" groups and foreign rescue organizations are contacting dog slaughterhouses ahead of the festival to arrange purchases of these dogs in bulk. This will severely undermine Chinese rescue organizations increasingly successful strategy to force the government to enforce existing food safety, health and transport laws. Hundreds of trucks, restaurants and slaughter operations have been stopped by legal means, without paying the dog thieves a penny, and penalizing them to boot. This process is now being undermined by the foreign obsession with Yulin and ironically now creating an international marketplace for compassionate buyers of dogs-to-rescue that will benefit the very same criminals that everyone is trying to stop."

The Pool Party and Barbeque at The Pulse in Repulse Bay takes place this Saturday, and is already sold out (so you won't find any information still up on our Hong Kong Dog Rescue Facebook page).  However if you really wanted to go and missed signing up in time you can email andrea.chung@hongkongdogrescue.com to see if there have been any last minute cancellations.  It looks as though it's going to be a sizzling event in more ways than one!

Tues 21st June: Gershwin and Yulin

Gershwin's mouth and throat are swollen and very painful

Bringing Gershwin home was my main task for today,  although he is really not well at all and has developed a high temperature in addition to the large swelling on his neck where he was gored by the wild boar.  He has been refusing all food since being hospitalised and I wanted to have him back with me to see if that would encourage him to eat, which it has although only very small amounts as it seems to be too painful for him to open his mouth and swallow.  I'm giving him very soft puppy food bit by bit, but I need to make sure that he includes his medication in the tiny portions he will take.  At least he seems to be happy to be in familiar surroundings and that will go a long way towards making him feel better.

Most people know the terrible and horrific Yulin dog eating festival is now underway and there has been a huge amount of publicity this year, as there is every year.  There is one individual who has done a great job of getting his name out internationally and I have to give him credit for that, but what he is doing is causing great concern in China among the many organisations who have been working so hard and for so many years to stop the dog eating altogether.  This message from Animals Asia, representing all of the groups, sums up the problem

https://www.animalsasia.org/hk-en/media/news/news-archive/chinese-animal-charities-urge-animal-lovers-to-stop-buying-dogs-in-yulin.html#.V2nZbpAIPWo.facebook

The sad fact is that although buying the dogs that are being sold for slaughter saves the animals' lives in that instant, it is also supporting the butchers who are charging high prices knowing they will get it. They don't care who buys the dogs, they are very happy with the huge profits they are making and you can be sure they will be back with even more dogs in the future.

We are all appalled by the savagery of Yulin, but it has to be remembered that this is only two weeks out of a whole year of dog eating, and not only in Yulin but all of China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Korea and the rest of Southeast Asia.  In fact the sad truth is that Yulin has become a tourist attraction, bringing in money for everyone who lives there and sees the opportunity to make a fast buck.  They know that the worse the torture the higher the price someone will pay to rescue the dog, so it become a vicious (literally) cycle of horrific abuse and "rescue".

Buying the dogs to rescue them and "end" the Yulin Festival is like buying all the pet shop puppies thinking that it will end the pet trade.  Instead it encourages more breeding and selling, and at higher prices and bigger profits.  I have to admit that I couldn't face watching any dog being tortured and I'm sure I would pay anything to stop it, which is why the fight against the dog meat trade must be left to those groups who are working within China to stop it. "Rescue Tourists" are doing more harm than good, and they leave behind all of the dogs who then have nowhere to go.  HKDR and other Hong Kong animal NGOs are receiving messages begging us to take in dogs from Yulin, without even acknowledging the fact that there is a long quarantines period required for animals coming into Hong Kong from China, and that there is a waiting list for kennel space anyway.

Ollie is back on Lamma while his foster parents are on holiday

Back to our own situation in Hong Kong, things are not exactly easy either.  Summer is a time when many people give up their dogs so they can go on holiday without the inconvenience or cost of boarding, while expats who are finding themselves suddenly jobless are also facing the problem of taking their pets to countries that require a lot of preparation.  We already have a waiting list of dogs needing homes, and I'm not talking about the six hundred already with us, and many foster dogs are coming back as the temporary carers also go away for their annual holidays. Ollie is back on Lamma with me right now, and not at all happy about it, while six month-old Treacle, who has been in her foster home since she was a newborn, will have her life turned upside down when she comes back to us this week.

Treacle is a very sweet medium-sized girl but still waiting for a home

Mon 20th June: Cooling down

Minty, whose adoption was confirmed yesterday

I made the discovery that a second air conditioner had died when I went downstairs in the morning, and the ground floor room where so many dogs sleep was stinking hot.  With the high temperatures inevitably around for some months to come, one of my "must do" tasks for today was to buy a new air conditioner and to get it installed as quickly as possible.  With that in mind, but with other things that also needed to be done such as dropping puppy Jonny off at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, I decided to shop locally rather than go to Aberdeen as I usually do. It turned out to be a very good choice, as not only did a shop round the corner have a unit in stock which I could take away on the spot, but it was a lot cheaper than I expected to have to pay.  Driver Michael came with me and together we got the air conditioner onto a sampan, and it was installed and blowing out nice cool air by the time I got home in the evening.

Lucky Tim moved from a foster to a forever home

Jonny was going to the foster home who had been taking care of his brother Tim, as Tim was off to his forever home and Jonny had been offered his place.  In fact Jonny could have - would have - been going home too if not for the fact that he has tick fever, as do the other two brothers in the litter of four.  Only Tim was lucky enough to have escaped it, and that won him a home.  It's very frustrating that so many puppies these days have to wait for months sometimes until they are well enough to be put up for adoption.

Cargo is a very sweet rottie boy

Once the air conditioner had been sent off to Lamma and Jonny was dropped off, I was free to go to Acorn to see Gershwin (who is recovering from his wild boar injury) but stopped off at AFCD in Pokfulam on the way to see if there were any urgent cases.  The vet was in the kennel block checking the new dogs, including a rottweiler who had been there on Friday when I last visited.  The dog's eyes were infected, probably from the quite common curled-in eyelid condition called entropian, and as the vet had assessed him as being suitable for re-homing I took him out straight away so he could get his eyes properly checked and treated.  There was no microchip or corresponding license to tell me how old the rottie was, but I could tell he was young and in good body condition so registered him as being two years.  He could well be younger but there is no real way of knowing. He is a very nice boy, calm, friendly and easy to handle, so I hope there are some fans of this breed who will offer (now-called) Cargo a home very soon.

First things first, I had to get him to see a vet to have everything checked out, as we do with all of our new dogs.  The eyes were an obvious problem and he does seem to have entropian , but a blood test showed that he also has heartworm.  It's a huge blow when the test comes back positive and we're facing the time and cost of treating the disease.  Still, it was hardly surprising that Cargo hadn't been on any heartworm prevention given that he didn't even have a microchip.

I went to the back room at Acorn to say hello to Gershwin and he was obviously very pleased to see me.  His neck is bandaged so he looks as though he's wearing a neck brace for whiplash injury, and although he's going to be fine he's unhappy and not eating.  Even when I tried to offer him something tasty from a little can of food I picked from the shelf he turned his head away.  I wanted to take him home there and then, but when I asked Dr Hazel about it she suggested I leave him there for a few days.

After I got home and was thinking about Gershwin and his situation, and knowing that my long-term Lamma dogs are very stressed being away from the only place they have ever known I decided that coming back was the best thing for him, at least so he would start eating again.   I remembered how much I absolutely hated being is hospital and how I couldn't wait to be back in my own bed and familiar surroundings, and I think it's the same with dogs only perhaps  even more so and my plan is to bring Gershwin back home on Tuesday and to nurse him myself.

A few people have mentioned helping out with the vet charges for Gershwin, as well as for poor dachshund Hans who is still in hospital following expensive surgery on his spine. Now there is the cost of heartworm treatment for rottie Cargo to add to the bill, so if you are able to donate to our high monthly invoices we are always very grateful.  Our bank account is HSBC 502-423825-001 Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR), and you can ask for a tax receipt if required.

I have to say a big thank you to donors of the gazebos I asked for last week to provide shade and shelter for my Lamma dogs, because whether it's pouring with rain or blazing hot sunshine they are invaluable.  I'll take some photos when I'm able to so you can see what happy dogs look like as they lie in the shade.  It's not quite air-conditioning but it's good enough.

Sun 19th June: Not a bad day one way or another

Tony the Gremlin pup

It was really hard choosing which photo of new puppy Tony to use as they were all adorable, but judging from the "Likes" on Facebook, this shot was the favourite.  If anyone is interested in taking Tony home please let me know.  I'm guessing he's a chow chow cross meaning he'll be chunky but not a large size as an adult.


You can take a look at all of Tony's photos as well as the other puppies here:








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Sandy and Bibi have fitted in perfectly 

It was quite a busy afternoon at Whiskers N Paws with lots of visitors on the terrace, no doubt due to the wonderful sunny and dry weather.  Although that didn't translate directly into adoptions, Sandy and Bibi came back to have their forever status confirmed, as did Trixie who is now Edith.

Trixie, now Edith, officially became the sister of Gladys (who was Crumple)

Foster pup Minty (sister of Cherry and Domino)  was also confirmed to be staying in her home as adopted, and baby Tim will be picked up on Monday.  So in the end it was a successful day one way or another.

Domino's (pictured) lookalike sister Minty had her foster-to-adoption confirmed

Tim will be picked up on Monday

Sat 18th June: A dramatic day

A young Gershwin (left) in his hopeful Whiskers N Paws days

It was a dramatic and stressful day for me after one of my dogs, Gershwin, was gored in the throat by a wild boar just minutes into our morning walk.  We had only just entered the woods when I heard yelping and screaming ahead, and the dogs were hurrying back towards me when I saw the blood on the path.  I guessed what had happened as it's not the first time a boar has attacked (or killed), but never so close to my usual route before, so I did an immediate about-turn and ran back home where Gershwin was already waiting.  My immediate concern was that an artery had been severed. because that would have been the end of Gershwin in a very short time, but I managed to slow the blood flow with dressings and towels.  With at least that major concern over, the next was the danger of shock, or damage to the trachea.  Gershwin was panting hard and hoarsely with occasional coughing,  and I was afraid he was bleeding into his lungs.

Gershwin is such a sweet dog and I'm very relieved he is OK

I was torn between trying to get him to a vet as quickly as possible and thinking that he needed to calm down before making the boat trip and car journey, and as Acorn only had one vet, Dr Hazel, on duty and she was fully booked I decided to wait. At least I was able to shower and change before noticing that Gershwin wasn't drinking any water even though he seemed to want to, and that made me think that maybe I really should get him over.  By then Dr Hazel had messaged to say she would squeeze us in somehow so at least I was seeing a familiar face and clinic, and I had been offered a lift which made everything a lot easier.

I had to leave Gershwin at Acorn and got a call from Dr Hazel in the evening telling me that there did seem to be some damage to the trachea, and that it had almost been the end of Gershwin when he was lightly anaeasthetised to have his wound cleaned and examined.  Thankfully he was able to be revived and will now wait until Saturday to have any further treatment.

In-and-out Grace

On a happier note, beagle Grace quickly found a home after Andrea (at Ap Lei Chau) had contacted someone on our waiting list, while little terrier Tempo moved from a foster home in with her forever family, and the original requested trial period was dispensed with.  Now Summer, Tempo was an instant hit so her adoption was confirmed without further ado.

Tempo is now officially Summer

Talking of summer, it looks as though we will have a hot and sunny day for the puppies at Whiskers N Paws, with hopefully lots of adoptions or at least foster homes offered. Please come early if you can as we have to pack up and leave by 5pm.