Tues 16th Aug: Meetings at Tai Po

Skye joined myself, Eva and the Reuters journalist

I had made an appointment to meet with a Reuters journalist at Tai Po, and not wanting a repeat of the previous day's no-sampan nightmare I had to insist that we did the interview early enough that I could be back by mid-afternoon.  That meant shifting my morning routine ahead of the usual time, and it's quite funny how much that upsets the dogs.  They are all fitted with internal clocks and know exactly when they should be going out for their walks or when I leave for the day, and I swear Murphy starts his singing/shouting "feed me" routine at five o'clock on the dot (if I'm around at that time).   So when I set off for the walk today a couple of hours earlier than my normal schedule there were a couple of dogs that stayed behind, assuming that I'd be taking them out later no doubt.

Gaby's figure has been ruined by overbreeding but she is the sweetest girl

May and Eva were both on duty at the big Homing Centre so it was good to be able to catch up, as it rarely happens that the three of us are in the same place at the same time.  Rottweiler Cargo, golden retriever Gaby and unknown mix Skye (she's licensed as a golden retriever cross which is really quite amusing given her size, looks and colouring) joined us for our outdoors meeting, and if there was ever a dog that could be used to dispel the fearsome (and unfounded) reputation rottweilers have it would be Cargo.  He is such a sweet boy, friends with the world and everyone in it.  He will be going to a trial home very soon, but there is a resident cat who needs to approve and sadly we have seen many adoptions fail thanks to our fussy feline friends.

Rottie Cargo came to us with heartworm and entropian

True to their word, the Reuters team kept the interview short and sweet and I was able to get back home in good time, although there was still quite a wait for a boat to take me.  There's a lot to be said for island life, but getting to and from my no-ferry bay isn't always easy.

There were the usual surrender requests today, several of them in fact, with two being for fairly young popular breeds: a samoyed and a poodle (no surprise there).  According to the information received, both of these dogs were victims of dominance-type training that has resulted in them becoming fearful and suspicious of humans.  Once again I cannot stress the damage that is done to dogs that are "shown who's the boss", whose humans feel the need to dominate and punish, to choke on chain collars and force to the ground to submit to their "pack leader".  It sickens me every time I see it, and I see it all the time.   Dogs love and want to please, and training is so easy if you just use that simple fact to reward good behaviour.

If you want to learn about Positive Training and how effective it is, you can join our Positive Partners training courses which are held every month at Whiskers N Paws.  Email education@hongkongdogrescue.com for details and to enrol.