Sat 31st Dec: Saying goodbye to 2016

Derek and Chess, two happy faces

Please don't go to Whiskers N Paws on Sunday as we won't be there and the store is closed for New Year's Day!

Piper on top last Saturday

We were there today instead, with normal service being resumed next Sunday, and although I wasn't expecting much in the way of adoptions the afternoon got off to a great start with two pups going home together, Piper and Tequila.  In fact most of the other pups-in-foster hadn't even arrived by the time the lucky twosome were chosen, making the decision a fairly easy one for the pups' new family.

I was so happy that Marla will stay with her foster family

Older puppy Marla came a bit later, and only to have her status upgraded from fostered to adopted, so obviously we were all thrilled for her.  She's a very sweet girl, perfect as a baby sister for the resident older dog.

I really thought that Chess would be going to a new home too, and he still might once the family have had time to think and talk about it, so instead he ended up going to a new foster home as his holiday foster had to go back to work.

Tiffin in foster

Tiny teacup Yorkie boy Tiffin also stopped by to have his adoption papers completed.  This is the ex-breeder dog who was thrown out because his back legs were paralysed, and it was the luckiest and best thing that could have happened.  While he's been in foster he has regained use of his legs almost completely, and I assume that he will continue to get stronger over time.

Alice and Raisin

Our photographer for the afternoon was Marco Lam, although I will have to leave home early and won't have any photos to post before I go.  So just for some colour and interest I've stolen a photo from trainer Alice Lau's Facebook page of herself and puppy Raisin as well as the words she used to describe her:  This little girl is a 極品, didn't want to stay on the puppy side, always escaped to the other side, fearlessly played with all dogs big and small, said hello to every stranger! Her foster said she learnt to pee poo on the right spot in a few days, settled in real quick, no whining, no chewing... What more can you ask for?!

Fri 30th Dec: Last 2016 chance for the puppies

Marla is the oldest of the pups-in-waiting

There wasn't much happening in the run-up to the New Year so it was a slow news day, although I'll hopefully have more to write about after Saturday's Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon. Some of the pups are reaching that age when I have to start worrying, and there are so many youngsters who haven't even made their first appearances on the terrace yet, not to mention another litter waiting at AFCD which I'll have to take after the weekend. It's upsetting to have to say no to the many requests I get to take in litters of pups that are desperately in need of help, but there are really limits to the numbers we can reasonably expect to find homes for, not to mention having no space to put them all.

If nothing else, the pups love playing on the terrace

The most I can suggest to anyone who knows of dogs that are constantly reproducing is to try and get the adults desexed, starting with the females but including the males of course. The Hong Kong government has failed miserably in getting to grips with this most effective and sensible solution to the stray dog problem, and even prosecute the volunteers who spend their own time and money trying to do what they can themselves.  It's a totally bizarre situation that nobody with an ounce of intelligence is able to understand, but Hong Kong is so far behind when it comes to animal welfare that nobody should be surprised.

Chess

The puppies you can meet this Saturday at Whiskers N Paws are as follows, and they have all been in foster homes over the Christmas holidays.

Grace and Piper  

Chess 

Sparky

Trisha, Carter and Derek

Marla

Raisin

Tequila

The great thing about this is that the puppies become used to loving in a home environment and we can get to know their personalities from the reports and feedback we get. Like this one about Chess:

"This pup is like no other.  He adores a good belly tickle, a nap, a meetup with other dogs and people, big or small, a game of fetch, to chew on a toy, knotted rope or good old sock, all of which will keep him entertained for hours.  Chess is an incredible companion to have by your side as he will give you lots of kisses/licks, maybe a few gently nibbles, make you laugh at his excitement when he first sees you in the morning, and tons of unconditional love".

As an update on last Saturday's lucky dogs, both Goofy and Olive are settling in and I hope to have further good news before too long.  It was a very long wait for Olive but in the end I think she found the perfect home so it was worth it, and once again we have a great foster to thank for taking care of her so well.

Olive and Barry (ex-HKDR Gunner)

Derek, Trisha and Carter

Thurs 29th Dec: Back to the routine

I'm not sure when this photo was taken as the poodle has hardly and hair now

It was back to work today, and that meant following the well-worn route to AFCD in Pokfulam and then on to Acorn.  I went to the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre first to pick up the surrendered teacup poodle, who turned out to be a pet shop purchase and not yet licensed.  His now ex-owner said he was a year old, as did the pet shop vaccination card, so he should have had his rabies shot and license some time ago.   Anyway, when I got to the Homing Centre and looked around I couldn't see any poodle, so I asked Kathy where it was.  She pointed to herself and then I noticed a tiny little head peeping out of Kathy's jacket, which when handed over to me I could see was attached to a even tinier and emaciated body with just a smattering of hair cover.  It was hard to believe that this miniscule creature was a dog, let alone an adult, and all I could do was tuck it into my own top and carry him just like Kathy had.

When it came time for the poodle to have his rabies vaccination it was hard to find any part of his body that wasn't just skin and bone, and even the AFCD staff were quite shocked at the condition of this poor little mite.  Iris told me that that he had been very hungry when he arrived at the Homing Centre and had eaten a big meal (which wouldn't have actually been that much relatively), and I was so upset I asked the ex-owner why the dog was so thin.  He said the pet shop had told him how much to feed the dog and denied that there was anything wrong with him, but I know what I and everyone else could see, an animal that had been starved.  I wasn't intending taking him to Acorn because he already had a home to go to and he was now fully vaccinated and licensed, but I had to ask a vet to take a look and confirm my feeling that the size and condition of the poodle wasn't right.  Dr Andy was the vet today and he not only confirmed that the dog was well underweight, but he also said that it was far younger than a year as it still had puppy teeth.  Pet shops and breeders are known to lie about a puppy's age so they can take them from their mothers as soon as possible, and this is obviously what had happened here. If you want to know the name of the pet shop it's called New Date in Ho Man Tin.  Avoid this place, and all other pet shops. They are all crooks who care nothing at all for the puppies or the mothers who were forced to have them.

Happy Nancy with the crooked teeth and long nails

Of course I had to check for any new arrivals at AFCD and sure enough there was a pair of small-sized dogs that needed taking out.  They weren't microchipped so once again I had to estimate an age, which is really quite difficult with small dogs who haven't been well looked after and whose teeth are already dirty.  I guessed they were around five years, Dr Andy added another year when he had a look, but quite honestly it's never anything more than a guess.   The dogs are a pomeranian cross and a terrier cross, both girls and very sweet.  Iris has already clipped their over-long nails and they are due for a grooming, and then they will look lovely.

The teacup poodle was picked up at Acorn and is already in a new home and isn't available, just in case you're wondering.

There's been a big change in my Lamma Murphy over the past few days following his stem cell treatment about a month ago.  He suddenly decided the other day that he wanted to come on the morning walk, and although I let him I ended up carrying him most of the way.  The next day he wanted to come as well, and the day after, so I asked Dr Andy if it was OK to let him exercise now after having been told that he needed strict rest after the treatment.  The answer was yes, it's fine, so I think I can say that the treatment was a success and now perhaps Murphy can get rid of the extra weight he's put on during his month of rest.  Hooray!  If you have a dog that's suffering from arthritis and want to know about stem cell options, please ask the vets at Acorn.  It's not cheap but it can change an old dog's life.

Weds 28th Dec: Ap Lei Chau has an MTR!

The new MTR line is open for business

It was the last day of my holidays, and I took advantage of my usual Wednesday off by trying out the newly-opened South Island Line MTR which has a station entrance right on Main Street.  Of course you still can't take dogs on the trains, but getting to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre has never been easier for visitors and volunteers, and it's only a couple of stops to or from Admiralty.    For Whiskers N Paws you can now take the MTR to South Horizons, one stop past Lei Tung (Ap Lei Chau Main Street), and walk the short distance to Horizon Plaza.

It's Saturday again this week

So if you want to give it a try please remember that we will be at Whiskers N Paws on Saturday again this week, as the store will be closed for New Year's Day.   After that it will be Sundays as usual, although Chinese New Year will either mean the puppies will have to stay at home or we'll need to find another venue for that one weekend.  I'm working on it.

We've been trying to get as many new dogs as possible to Acorn for desexing and check-ups after the clinic had also been closed over Christmas, or open for shorter hours, and of course I haven't been to AFCD since before the holidays.  I hope it's been a very slow time for the dog catching teams, and also that dog dumpers were too busy to make their way to one of the four centres to abandon their pets, but I'll find out when I got to the Pokfulam branch on Thursday.

Hopefully I'll have no news about any new dogs to report.

Tues 27th Dec: A good feeling in the air

Sweet Pixie girl

I know it's still 2016 and we have a few days of the old year left, but there seems to be a good feeling in the air already, like one of hope.  The reason I'm thinking along those lines is because it looks as though Pixie will be leaving our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre  to start her new life, and Coolio may also have his chance very soon.  I didn't even mention that Sarah left the other day for a trial with a family she met in the dog park, and the reason this is all so exciting is that they are all mongrels, mixed breeds or mutts, whichever term you want to use.

Soya, a breeder version of a shiba inu

Sarah was one of Cactus's favourites

Noelle at Acorn the day I got her from AFCD

Of course we still have other similar dogs staying at our small Homing Centre, like Soya, who came from a breeder as a shiba inu (hah!) and new "Milk Mother", the nickname of Noelle, who was at AFCD for some time with her five puppies.  Noelle will go for desexing on Wednesday, rather sooner than we would normally do given that she still has milk, but she is a great escape artist and the last thing we want is for her to run away, get lost and end up getting pregnant again (which can happen any time after giving birth).   She's a very sweet girl but being in a small and crowded environment doesn't suit her, at least not yet.  Hopefully she'll get used to it and settle.

These 3 came as a group of 5

There has been quite a bit of interest in the two King Charles spaniel girls, but not as a pair and right now we won't consider separating them.  It's honestly not any harder taking care of two small dogs than one, or even two large dogs if space isn't an issue, and they are easy enough to have at the Homing Centre until the right home comes along.  With so many people away for the holidays I'm sure there will be plenty of offers once everyone is back, and we can wait.

Tiny Tiffin in foster

If anyone is looking for a really small dog we have the teacup Yorkie Tiffin, who is getting better every day (he couldn't walk when he arrived) and will be taking in a teacup poodle on Thursday.  This one year-old is being surrendered because he has separation anxiety, meaning he screams when left alone for even a short time.  What I would recommend, as well as training help from Cactus, would be a friend for the poodle, maybe even Tiffin, because it's good for every dog to have another like-minded, four-legged companion.

This tiny tot could use a friend

Mon 26th Dec: Expected changes ahead

Arnie was due to move to his new home today

It's obviously quite quiet everywhere at the moment but puppy Arnie, who was adopted on Saturday, was due to move from foster to his forever home today.  He has two lookalike siblings who will be back again this coming Saturday for the final Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon of the year, and after that we will revert to our usual Sundays.  However as Whiskers N Paws will be closed over Chinese New Year, and that includes the whole weekend, we will either not have a puppy adoption gathering at all, or will arrange to meet at the Ap Lei Chau dog park if there are any specific requests.

Don't forget that our Homing Centres are open every day throughout the Christmas/New Year holiday, as well as the coming Chinese New Year break.  I still get emails every day asking me to confirm if we are open so it seems I haven't said it enough times: we open every single day of the year, no exceptions.

Porter is so sweet and happy

If you are looking for the sweetest young adult for your family, Porter is waiting at Tai Po and you won't be disappointed.  I mentioned him the other day as being one of the new group from Sheung Shui AFCD and that I believed he was probably originally adopted from a rescue organisation, but whether or not that's true he is such a lovely boy.  I hope he won't have to wait long to be chosen, even if he does need to have treatment for heartworm.

Every puppy in this litter was special

So far things are going as expected with Olive and Goofy in their respective trial homes, with Olive taking her time to settle and Goofy already enjoying the garden and showing interest in the family cat.  I really hope it will work out for both of them but especially Olive as she has waited a very long time for this opportunity, and it does seem like the perfect home for her.

I was explaining to Olive's potential "brother" how to approach her

The new South Island MTR line is due to open any moment (tomorrow I think), and that will mean a huge anticipated change to Ap Lei Chau.  Lei Tung MTR station has an entrance on Main Street where our Homing Centre is located, and the inevitable "gentrification" process has already started with the opening of a brand new upmarket residential building.  It looks out of place at the moment but I'm sure it will be followed by many others.  It will be sad to see one of the few remaining traditional areas of Hong Kong slowly disappear and I'm afraid that the rising rents will drive us out sooner or later, but for now at least we may benefit from the easy access offered by the MTR extension.

Sun 25th Dec: Christmas Day and I still hate breeders

There are lots of great action shots like this

When I posted my blog yesterday I hadn't seen the photos from the Christmas Eve puppy afternoon so wasn't able to comment on how lovely they were.  You can take a look here Puppy Adoption Day 24 December 2016 to see for yourself, and thanks to our new guest volunteer photographer Simon Li for capturing the fun of the puppies and their reunion.  They are all in separate foster homes now, for which I am very grateful, so they were happy to meet up again.

Iris's Christmas at Ap Lei Chau

Iris was the staff member on Christmas Day at Ap Lei Chau, and I think it's clear now that the five dogs that were surrendered together to AFCD were from a breeder.  The Yorkie that was adopted turned out to have dead puppies inside her, and the other dogs have been de-barked.  I don't even want to think about how that was done, but the result is that they have trouble breathing properly.

Does anyone need to ask why I hate breeders?

On a personal note I had the ideal Christmas Day, starting with the usual walk which Murphy joined for some unknown reason.  I would be happy about it normally as he needs the exercise, but he isn't supposed to be putting any strain on his joints following the stem cell treatment so I ended up having to carry him most of the way.  That made me late for the lunch I had been invited to with my neighbours, but that was maybe just as well as we didn't eat until much later in the day and by the time I got home and had fed the dogs I fell into a deep coma, which wrapped up a perfect day.

Murphy loved being carried

Sat 24th Dec: Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas everyone!

Finally and at long last it was Olive's turn

We had some lovely surprises at Whiskers N Paws today even though there was only one puppy adoption and even then Arnie won't actually be moving into his new home for a couple of days.  The really big news (and I really hope I'm not going to regret writing about this as it's only a trial so far) is that little Olive was chosen after a year of trying, and I have to thank her dedicated foster daddy for bringing her to Horizon Plaza so regularly.   Olive has a sweet ex-HKDR dog (previously Gunner, now Berry) to help her settle, and a very nice family so I think she'll be fine.  Olive must be this month's lucky name following last Sunday's adoption of Lamma Olive, now Skye, so if all goes well and the name becomes available again, I will be sure to use it.

I so want Goofy to be happy as I love him to bits

It was also a lucky day for Goofy, although again it was a trial not an adoption, but at least it meant that I had no puppies to take back to Lamma with all of them safely and happily in their respective foster homes.   It was just as well as the van was completely packed with goodies from the Whiskers N Paws Operation Santa appeal, and thank you to everyone who donated.  Some of the dog beds were put to immediate good use in the evening, as there's nothing my dogs love more than a soft and comfy place to sleep.  In fact Opal stayed in her new bed all night instead of coming onto mine as she usually does, although her brother Griffin kept me company as always.

A happy Christmas present for Pumkin

There was another trial with Tai Po dog Lily, a German shepherd, and an actual adoption from Ap Lei Chau as corgi Pumpkin went home.  She's been waiting too long so it was a very happy moment when she finally packed her bags and left.

I was reminded by Dr Andy when I said I hoped there would be no emergencies over the next few days that Christmas often means lots of cases of pancreatitis on Boxing Day, thanks to dogs being given lots of inappropriate and rich food that their systems can't cope with.  So if you want to give your dogs a special treat, make sure it's something that is OK for them to eat and keep the human-only goodies for yourself.

Have a wonderful Christmas, and don't forget that we are open throughout the holiday for adoptions and dog walking!

Fri 23rd Dec: Checking in the new arrivals

We were all on standby for the new arrivals, nine dogs in total all of whom were small sized except for one mongrel.  He is the sweetest and happiest boy, who has clearly been someone's pet and I would also guess a dog from a rescue organisation as he had already been desexed.  We don't often see that in dogs from the New Territories, especially mongrels that come to us with heartworm, meaning that they haven't been properly cared for. You would wonder why anyone would bother having a dog desexed if they were just going to (probably) leave it outside without any protection against disease. This dog is now called Porter and you can meet him at Tai Po where I'm sure he'll be happy to say hello, and if you are looking for a fantastic family dog you couldn't go wrong with this lovely boy.  Although he does have heartworm now, after treatment he will be 100% healthy again.

Coolio is only knee high

There are good and bad things about Christmas and the holidays, the bad being that many people go away until the New Year and the good being that even more people stay in Hong Kong and are off work and able to take in fosters.  Sadly for sweet Coolio, he is going to have to leave his long-term foster home and we have nowhere else for him to go other than one of the Homing Centres.  After a year with a family, including young children who love him and vice versa, it's going to be hard for him specially as he is quite a small dog for his type.   If you are reading this and can take in a sweet and well behaved guest, please email me at sally@hongkongdogrescue.com (Cindy is also taking a short Christmas break).

The Scottie girl was in and out

After I posted photos and very brief details about the new dogs on Facebook, and quickly took them down again due to the instant and overwhelming response, there were homes already lined up for some of them.  In fact in the end it became a matter of who could come the soonest to take away the dog of their choice as there were multiple offers of nice homes.  So by the end of the afternoon and after everyone had been checked at Acorn, it was the Yorkie and Scottie who were the two lucky ones with the mini beagle, the pair of King Charles and the shiba inu also almost certainly leaving over the weekend too.  Five of the dogs were surrendered from the same home, and although still relatively young and therefore reasonably healthy, I think it was probably better for them in the long run that they will be going to new families who can provide better health care.  At least the dogs have clearly been loved as they are all very sweet and friendly, and I suspect there is a sad reason for them having been given up.

I do hope nobody turns up on Christmas Day as Whiskers N Paws will be closed

I will be taking my mini "staycation" after Saturday's puppy afternoon at Whiskers N Paws, meaning three whole days off even though I will of course be replying to emails and writing my blog, hopefully with the good news about further adoptions.    Our Homing Centres will be open throughout the holidays so I'm sure the staff on duty will appreciate the help of any volunteers who are free, and thank you in advance to everyone who has set aside time to help with with walking or hiking the dogs, or delivering Christmas goodies to keep the workers going.

Thurs 22nd Dec: Preparing for a busy day

A big smile from Scone and his family

Starting with some very happy news from Tai Po, lovely Scone had his adoption confirmed after a short trial so he will be enjoying his first ever family Christmas.   Of course any day is the same as any other when it comes to adoptions, but I like to think there is something a bit special about this time of year.

Sweet Cookie will be home for Christmas

Older puppy Cookie will also be in her forever home for Christmas, and that ties up her particular story very nicely.  If you remember, I called her Cookie because she had apparently been destined for the cooking pot originally, and having been rescued from that horrifying situation she went to another pretty awful one where she was branded as being vicious.  From the moment Cookie came too us she has been nothing but sweet and loving so I can't imagine what was done to her to make her so afraid, but that's all in the past now and she is young enough to easily forget.

Schnauzer girl 11 years old

We're preparing for a big day on Friday with the arrival of so many new dogs from AFCD, and although I have already mentioned quite a few of them there are others that will be needing homes too.  One of these is a senior schnauzer girl, another a young adult mixed breed, and then there is also a singleton puppy. who will be needing a foster home.  Three more Lamma puppies went off to their holiday foster homes today, for which many thanks, but it does mean that this new arrival will be on her own unless someone can foster her.  Cindy, our Foster Coordinator, has done an incredible job handling all of the puppy fosters, and the only downside is that there will be an avalanche of returnees after the New Year.  I will worry about that when it happens, and hope for a miracle.

Weds 21st Dec: A summer Christmas

Peanut is really ready for a home now

We'll all be out in our summer clothes for Christmas it seems, all ready for the last-minute influx of small-sized dogs from AFCD before the actual holidays.   Sadly we have just heard too that little Banjo will be coming back from his failed trial and that's really upsetting for everyone, not to mention adding yet another body to the already-crowded Homing Centre.  For that reason when we have had multiple offers of a home for the new dogs and they are all as good as each other, the one that can take the dog(s) straight away will be chosen.  We just don't have the luxury of space to keep any dogs longer than is absolutely necessary.

Yogi at the dog park

In fact we are so crowded at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre right now that we are urgently in need of fosters for the holidays, particularly for those dogs that are not as easy to find homes for.  We had another dog back from long-term foster, a beautiful boy called Yogi when went out as pretty much untouchably shy and has done so well thanks to his patient and caring foster parent.  He has even been to the dog park for a play, something that we really never expected to see.  It just shows that with the right techniques (and thanks to Cactus for helping) and not trying to rush things, miracles can happen.

Just as a reminder we are open every single day of the year, and that means Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Chinese New Year and every day in between.  I'm still regularly being asked that question so I obviously need to clarify that every single day means exactly that.  If you are a registered volunteer please use any spare time you have to come and walk the dogs or take them out for hiking/Christmas dinner/whatever, and if you are able to please, please foster.

I'll be at Whiskers N Paws with the regular volunteers on Christmas Eve, so please drop by to say hello if you're around.

Tues 20th Dec: Not talking about breeds

Noelle the mother dog is so sweet

I'm not even going to mention the dogs that we are expecting this week because they are already accounted for in terms of homes.  What I am going to talk about are those dogs that aren't breeds, like the sweet mother I took out of AFCD today, the one whose puppies I stole from her earlier.  She is still full of milk and obviously must be pining for her babies, but at least she is safe and alive and that's as much as we can offer right now.  She's a young dog and this is quite possibly her first litter, so in that sense too she is also lucky but she is scared and has no idea what is happening.

In fact after I dropped her off at Ap Lei Chau having already put her through the trauma of microchipping, rabies shot, health and blood test and a further vaccination, not to mention the van ride, she made a run for it when she had the first opportunity.  Iris sprinted after her and eventually caught up with her just as she was about to dive off the Ap Lei Chau waterfront steps into the typhoon shelter.  I feel incredibly sorry for these poor dogs, as the sort of environment we can offer is so different from what they have previously known that it's a terrifying experience for them.  I know this girl is sweet and gentle, and she is only medium sized as well as being young, but will she ever find a real home?

Lucy is like a massive schnauzer

The Old English sheepdog that was recently surrendered to us went off to a foster home today, but not before I had taken her to AFCD and Acorn for the usual stuff.  Her license had expired so she needed a rabies vaccination, and then she had a blood test to check for heartworm (negative thankfully) before being picked up, and now we just have to find her a forever home. She's like a massive schnauzer but very placid and easy, so I think she'll be fine.

Mon 19th Dec: We are open for adoptions every single day

I was in another panic today after my trip to AFCD and realising that I had more puppies that needed foster homes. Thank goodness for Cindy, our amazing Volunteer Foster Coordinator, who handled the offers of holiday accommodation that came in, and for Iris at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre who found a temporary corner for the new "kids" until they could be picked up.  The last pair of pups-with-mother (already named Laura and Logan) also went off to their foster home today, and I will take the mother herself out of AFCD on Tuesday.   One more singleton puppy will be coming in from AFCD in Sheung Shui any day so he too will be needing a place to stay.

The Scottie girl may have mange

We'll also be getting a youngish (around four years) Scottie girl, a popular breed of terrier, so if you are interested please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website, or contact me know if you have already done so.

Of course there are always extras on top of the dogs and puppies that I know about at AFCD, and today's special surprise was an old poodle whose owner had recently passed away.  The poodle boy is still quite lively despite having cloudy eyes and a sore back, and we've started him on some pain relief to see how that works before checking him in for a much-needed dental and desexing.

We were told teacup Tiffin was a year old but his teeth are terrible.

Almost all of the small dogs that come to us have dreadful teeth, dirty and stinking, and you wonder how the ex-owners could have tolerated the smell for as long as they did.  Apart from being seriously unpleasant, having a mouth full of infection affects the health of the dog overall, and you can even see that in the blood test results that we routinely run for all older dogs.

We are open every day over the holidays (and every single day of the year), so please come and walk the dogs if you are a registered volunteer and have some free time.  You can also visit either of the Homing Centres if you are interested in adoption, as well as Whiskers N Paws on Christmas Eve, a Saturday, where we will be with the puppies instead of Sunday.  If you are staying in Hong Kong and can take in a boarder, please ask Cindy about puppy fostering by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

Maya needs a home!

Can I also add a Christmas plea for some of the longer-term Ap Lei Chau residents, those that may have some behaviour issues but are certainly not lost causes.  I'm thinking about poodle girl Maya as an example, as all she needs is some time and understanding.  She's so lovely at the Homing Centre and no trouble, so if there are any homes without children who have the patience and experience to help this lovely little dog through her problem period please give her a chance.

We also need a home for lovely Lucy, the Old English sheepdog cross who is not liking being at Tai Po and keeps breaking out of her pen.

Lucy wants a home please

Sun 18th Dec: Christmas crowds at Whiskers N Paws

Echo finally found her home

I can only use the word chaos to describe the Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon today, just because everything was happening and there were so many people there, including lots of visitors like Santa and his "elves" (Whiskers N Paws staff).

Echo and Goofy aka Toby had been returned before I arrived, and the less said about that the better other than that I was desperate to find them somewhere else to go before the end of the day.  Due to the number of dogs that were around and the fact that he really didn't know what was happening, Goofy became quite agitated and not at all like his usual mellow self, and it was very upsetting to see him like that.  Strangely it was the shyer Echo who joined in the festivities and play, and it was she who finally found her forever home.  I ended up having to bring Goofy back with me, but I really need somewhere for him, and preferably this time a permanent home.  If there is no other choice then at least a foster will be better than being on Lamma with so many other dogs, so please contact either myself at sally@hongkongdogrescue.com or Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can look after this lovely boy until he is adopted.

Olive is now officially Skye Nunn

Goofy urgently needs a place to stay

Olive officially became Skye when she joined Jamie, Andy and Kayto's family today, and I'm obviously thrilled to bits about it.  There's an addiotnal story about Jamie's jeans but I'll leave that to her to explain :-)

Salsa and her forever family

Baby Salsa moved from her temporary home to her forever family, leaving only sister Tequila still waiting but with a good chance of moving on very soon.

Apart from a Christmas hamper from Whiskers N Paws, I received a very touching gift from the &dear team of Aimee and Chee Yee along with the proceeds from their recent promotion on behalf of HKDR. If you missed the chance to have your own personalised products you can still order from their &dear Facebook page.

My beautiful gift featuring dogs past and present

The &dear promotion raised $13,300 for HKDR