Thurs 1st June: Commitment, commitment, commitment

These two poodle boys are now at our Homing Centre

Although we didn't have a van today I checked with AFCD to see if there were any small dogs that could be taken out, thinking I would just take a taxi, and I was told that the two small poodles that had been surrendered last week were free to go.  I would have taken them sooner but the now ex-owner couldn't make up her mind as to whether or not she would take them back, and then obviously decided against it.

For everyone who surrenders their dog to AFCD let me be very clear that it is a terrifying experience for the animal unless it is a young puppy still oblivious to what's happening, and being very small these poodles were no exception.  I can't blame any dog for wanting to protect itself under these circumstances and I did get a bite on my finger as a result of not being careful enough.  Still, by the time we were in the taxi heading for the Homing Centre we were best friends and all was forgotten.

Far from being aggressive, Rufus was just very scared

The way fear affects dogs and their behaviour varies, as demonstrated by the two poodles, one of whom was fine while the other defensive.  Even with the most recent Stanley Barracks puppies the reason why Rufus spent so long behind bars was because two locum AFCD vets assessed him as being aggressive and not suitable for re-homing, whereas in fact he's just as sweet and loving as all of the others and as soon as he was out of AFCD he was completely happy. Sadly the least confident dogs are the ones who are most likely to show fear aggression and lose their lives because of it, which is a tragic irony.

Many of the surrender requests we receive are just heartbreaking, the dog being seen as a disposable item rather than a family member.   If you can't be sure of committing to the dog's whole lifetime, then foster, or adopt an older dog.  Don't buy or adopt a puppy that you will throw away sometime later when you move, leave Hong Kong or have a baby.  Please think before taking on a dog because the dog has no choice, but you do.