Sat 30th Sept: The breeder poodles arrive

Well it was quite a day at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and I have to say a big thanks to Andrea who was in charge as the breeder poodles, expected on Sunday, turned up today instead.

Diamond, Emerald, Opal, Topaz, Ruby, Sapphire, Amber, Coral, Garnet, Jade and Pearl

In fact all of these rescue operations involve a chain of people, starting with the person who has direct contact with the breeders as that's not me.  I'm the one who says yes, we'll take any of these dogs who need somewhere to stay, the vet treatment and desexing (vital) and new homes.  It was Andrea and the volunteers who took the poodles in and made sure they were settled for the night who deserve the praise, and it will be Iris on Sunday who will handle the fostering, and maybe hopefully some adoptions too.  Volunteer Foster Coordinator Cindy was also busy throughout the day handling emails and enquiries, and we'd be lost without her.

Although all of these poodles have licenses they are out of date, but at least we know how old they are although I'm not sure which names have been allocated to which dog, so I can't give details about the three I've posted here.

There were eleven poodles today but a far greater number taken from the breeder by the intermediary, the remainders being bichon frise and bulldogs.   Depending on how quickly these eleven can be moved on we may be able to take in more, but we also have four poms arriving on Sunday.  It was quite lucky that they didn't come today as expected, and as it is we already had a full house.

Baby Lena went to a foster home

At least three left the small Homing Centre to make a little but of space, but two were very small so really there wasn't much of a difference.  They were baby pup Lena and tiny Yorkie Hudson, and I was really happy to get the message that Jack Russell Hermione had been taken for a trial (with the resident cat).

Hermione left Ap Lei Chau for a trial

I know we're going to have a busy Sunday ahead, and I'll be at Whiskers N Paws of course with the puppies, from baby Budgie to doglets Rufus and Jerry, both of whom are at least in foster homes.  There are many in between, and I'm really hoping for some empty crates by the end of the afternoon.

Fri 29th Sept: Hello Snubby and goodbye Babs

I have to start by correcting an error about pricing I made yesterday when writing about the wine we now have for sale, as the correct price is $60 a bottle without a discount for a case (of twelve).  I had a very quick look through yesterday and there's an amazing assortment of red, white and rose, and all very good quality, so come along any time between 10am and 6pm to choose.

Snubby is a very sweet boy

Our driver Sing dropped me at AFCD to pick up the small dog that I'd been waiting to get out, and while he went on to collect the wine I took a taxi with now-Snubby to Acorn.  He's a very sweet dog, three years old and a mix of something like a chihuahua with I-don't-know-what, and we were already on kissing and cuddling terms by the time we left for the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre. He seems to have a very calm and loving temperament and would be fine with children I think.

New poodle Dylan is also very sweet

We have so many very sweet small dogs now and another one or two groups of new arrivals over the weekend. Four poms will come on Saturday afternoon, with ex-breeder bichons and poodles possibly on Sunday.  As usual I have no idea of age or anything else, so it's a question of wait and see.

As much as I love all adoptions, I'm extra happy when dogs leave Tai Po because there are more of them there but fewer chosen due to their size.  Today's lucky girl was Babs, and I know I speak for all staff and volunteers when I say she was sent on her way with much love and happiness.

We are all so happy for Babs

We seem to be overstocked with all sizes and ages right now, and while there are always literally hundreds of dogs at Tai Po we're often (very happily) down to just a few puppies and small dogs.  For Sunday's Whiskers N Paws however there will be a lot of new arrivals for potential adopters to meet, including the very small and young Budgie and Lena and adorable Grace, new in from Sheung Shui and also very small for five months.  She's a total sweetheart who is desperate for cuddles, and she'd make a perfect family member.

This and every Sunday!

Grace is very small and really exceptionally sweet

Budgie and Lena

Thurs 28th Sept: Always living in the moment

This new 5 month girl is super sweet

I'm lucky in a way that my days are so full that I don't have time to stop and reflect on what happened yesterday, and my focus has to be on the day ahead.  There was so much going on today, some planned and other events unexpected, and it started with three new arrivals from AFCD in Sheung Shui.  One was a young puppy, another an older pup and the third a poodle - surprise!

I had booked one of my Lamma dogs in for what I hoped would be minor surgery to remove a lump from between Halo's toes, but a traffic accident and resulting long back-up of cars and lorries meant that our driver took a long time to drive from Sheung Shui to Acorn, and I subsequently postponed Halo's appointment.  Instead I met up with Sing after lunch with pup Gemma from Lamma, and poodle Jiffy already in the van, to go to the vet via AFCD  to check if a small dog that I knew was there was ready for release (it wasn't).  While still in Pokfulam I got a message from Iris that a small pom had been surrendered at the Homing Centre and it seemed to be having trouble breathing, so I went back to Ap Lei Chau to pick the little dog up.

Jiffy was fine by Friday

Finally arriving at Acorn it was Dr Tony on duty, and Jiffy was first up on the table.  She had been straining to pee according to Iris, but Dr Tony suspected it was just soreness from the desexing wound although suggested keeping Jiffy in overnight on a drip just to make sure.

Gemma was there to check her red cell count after having had treatment for tick fever, and was fine to have her second vaccination thank goodness.

Behind the smile Bonnie is very sick

So it was really only the newly surrendered pom, now called Bonnie, who turned out to be seriously ill, and an X-ray showed the poor girl has severe bronchopneumonia and would certainly have died without treatment.   It was the neighbour of the owner who brought Bonnie to us, having seen her and noticing that she was half bald asked the owner about the dog. Being illiterate and uneducated the owner said she had no idea what to do and handed the pom over.   Talk about lucky hair loss, as it was this minor problem that literally saved (I hope) Bonnie's life.  She will have to stay in hospital on heavy duty antibiotics and in a oxygen box for at least a few days, but hopefully the drugs will do the trick.

The new poodle is still nameless at this point

As for the three Sheung Shui additions, the poodle appears to have tick fever, although I should be grateful there's no heartworm.   All dogs that live in the New Territories are at high risk for all insect-borne diseases and unless given the relevant prevention have a good chance of being infected.  (Puppy Gemma was also one of a Sheung Shui litter).

We have another big donation of wine arriving on Friday afternoon, and it was will be available from Saturday at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre (or rather the Education Centre across the road). These are high quality wines which we will be selling at $60 a bottle or $500 for a case of ten.  It's first come first served, so drop by any time between 10am and 6pm from Saturday onwards, until we sell out.

Good luck Blinky, and wishing you a speedy recovery

Adorable Blinky is all set to have his knee surgery on Friday, and Dr Tony will be doing both sides at the same time to speed up the process of having two fully working legs.  I love this little dog and his zest for life despite being completely blind, and I know for sure I would bring him home myself in a flash if it wasn't an impossibility.

This weekend will see yet another influx of breeder dogs to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, mostly poodles, and we need foster homes.  Please contact Cindy if you can help with small dogs or puppies, by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com, thank you.

Weds 27th Sept: The dangers in everyday life

Murphy may be small but he's solid and heavy

With the relentless heat I made a big mistake today when I let Murphy come along for the morning walk and ended up having to carry him all the way home, and soaking wet too as he had cooled off in some muddy water for about ten minutes.  (The buggy is out of action because of fallen trees across the path). My big dog Safari makes his own judgements about the temperature and whether or not he'll go out, and I should follow his lead when he stays inside, as he did today.  I heard of another case of a dog dying of heatstroke yesterday, and although by this time of year we can normally expect cooler weather it hasn't happened, and the danger of overheating remains critical so please be careful.

Terrence as a puppy

Another danger which kills very quickly and unexpectedly is bloat, gastric torsion or GDV, and I lost one of my Lamma dogs to this awful condition overnight.  Even had I found him in time I wouldn't have been able to get him to a vet for the emergency surgery which is critical if a dog is going to survive, but the thought of Terrence and his quiet suffering is hard to take.   Some types of dogs are prone to GDV but I hadn't considered Terrence to fall into any of those categories, and at only five years old he was too young to die.    He was always the first one to greet me when I came home at the end of the day and he would almost knock me down in his enthusiasm, and I will miss him.

What is bloat?

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is also known as "bloat," "stomach torsion," or "twisted stomach." Bloat is an extremely serious condition, and should be considered a life-threatening emergency when it occurs. There are no home remedies for bloat, therefore dog owners must contact their veterinarians immediately if they suspect that their dog has bloat. Dogs can die of bloat within several hours. Even with treatment, as many as 25-33% of dogs with GDV die.

The gastric dilatation is one part of the condition and the volvulus or torsionis the second part. In bloat (dilatation), due to a number of different and sometimes unknown reasons, the stomach fills up with air and puts pressure on the other organs and diaphragm. The pressure on the diaphragm makes it difficult for the dog to breathe. The air-filled stomach also compresses large veins in the abdomen, thus preventing blood from returning to the heart. Filled with air, the stomach can easily rotate on itself, thus pinching off its blood supply. Once this rotation (volvulus) occurs and the blood supply is cut off, the stomach begins to die and the entire blood supply is disrupted and the animal's condition begins to deteriorate very rapidly.

Not all dogs that have a gas buildup and resultant dilatation develop the more serious and life threatening volvulus. However, almost all dogs that have a volvulus develop it as a result of a dilatation.

Bloat is a very serious and life threatening condition. Understanding the signs, prevention, and need for prompt treatment will help reduce the risk of mortality if your dog develops this problem.

There are so many dogs, many thousands in fact, that have come into my life and then left, hopefully to go to new homes of course, and I do remember most of them.  A dog's life is always too short even if they live to a ripe old age, and it's one of the things that all dog owners have to accept.  Some people are so broken-hearted at losing their four-legged companion that they swear never to have another, but I believe that giving a home to a dog in need is the best way to deal with such grief.  It's not a replacement and you can never compare one to another, but the joy of a new life helps to ease the pain very quickly.  

Tues 26th Sept: More and more small dogs coming

Mindy 

I took the two ex-breeder shiba inu to AFCD for their rabies vaccinations, the licenses having expired years ago.  Breeders don't bother with things like that, nor with any health issues until they are so advanced that the dog is just thrown out.  Nona and Mindy are nine years old, although right now they look a lot older.  It appears to me that they haven't been able to walk around much, and maybe not at all, so I let them wander a bit while I was waiting their the licenses to be printed.  Of course they're enjoying their twice or three times daily outings to the dog park now that they are with us, but it will take some time for them to build up muscle and strength, and for their coats to become thick and healthy.  They are sweet dogs with people, but have the typical attitude of this breed with other dogs.  It would be extremely helpful for us to have foster homes for these two girls if possible.

Nona

After a short health scare Basil's adoption was confirmed, and he has now joined our multi-adopter Tommy's lovely family.  Lucky Basil seemed to be quite ill for a while, but he bounced back and is fine now thank goodness.

Young Basil is now Basil Chan

There are more and more small-sized breeder dogs flooding onto the rescue market, for want of a better word, and we are expecting to be taking in a good few of them.  However we do need to find homes or fosters, either for the new dogs or those already with us, and there are several who are so lovely I really don't know why they haven't already been chosen.  The dogs that have already been with us for a while have had all their health and desexing sorted, as well as their behaviour assessed and in many cases hugely improved.

Hermione

Take Jack Russell Hermione for example.  She was a terrified mouse when she first came to us, so much so that we had to keep her separated because she couldn't handle the stress of being downstairs at the Homing Centre.  Now she is a very sweet and happy girl, and really ready for a family of her own.   This is such a popular breed and I'm really hoping that someone will want to adopt Hermione very soon.

Adorable Esme

Esme is another favourite of mine, a very small shih tzu girl with an adorable face that makes me want to pick her up and cuddle her.  She is also incredibly sweet, and will wiggle her little tail for everyone.

We get so many adoption enquiries for small breed puppies, and I really would like to remind everyone that we are a rescue organisation, not a pet shop.  We do very occasionally have puppies surrendered or coming to us from AFCD, but it's uncommon.  Small dogs can live very long lives so a young adult has many years of health and activity left ahead of them, so please don't dismiss them as being too old.  Puppies are cute but they will soon grow into adults too, and all of these abandoned dogs need and deserve a second chance.  They're not damaged, they're only homeless.

Mon 25th Sept: A new week and a new start

Kate's proud smile says "I was chosen!"

Setting aside the disappointment of Sunday, today was a new week and there was a lovely adoption at Tai Po to kick start the day.  Kate had a strange story as when I took her from AFCD and to have her health check at Acorn, she was already registered there as a puppy called Thelma.  It seemed this puppy had been found wandering but was microchipped and the owner wanted her back.  He lived in Pokfulam Village and allowed Thelma and her sister, nicknamed Louise, to wander freely, as many dogs in that area do. When Thelma was picked up once again this time her owner gave her up and she officially became Kate.  Now she has a new home and a new life far away from her days of wandering.

Porter had no age or owner details attached to his microchip

I'd arranged to meet up at AFCD with the adopter of new breeder Yorkie Porter, and of course while there I was told there were three new puppies available.  They are gorgeous little things, and two of them will only be medium sized adults I'm sure.  For now they're at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre because I was worried about them being bullied by older pups, which is unfortunately how things work in the puppy world.  One of the pups, a girl, reminded me so much of our funny Benji so I was trying to think of a name that was similar, and came up with Budgie.

Budgie is actually very small and fluffy

After having had the puppies microchipped, which is always done regardless of a puppy's age, Porter still hadn't arrived and I was starting to worry so messaged our Foster Cordinator Cindy to ask if she know what had happened.   She said Porter was on his way in a taxi, so I passed the time playing with the puppies and taking a photo of Budgie (which doesn't really show how small and lovely she is).  Eventually I contacted Cindy again and said I really needed to get to Acorn and asked if there was any update on Porter's whereabouts.  The reply came back from Cindy that she was now unable to reach anyone, so in the end I had to leave without having had Porter licensed.  Later on Cindy heard that the taxi had been involved in an accident, although thankfully there were no injuries, so I suggested Porter go straight to Acorn and have everything done at the same time.

Benji is doing so much better and loves the dog park

Sun 24th Sept: A day best forgotten

Big thanks to Luke for sharing his birthday 

There are some days that are just best forgotten and today was one of them, brightened only by the lovely puppies and a Two Presents birthday donation from Luke.  His family adopted puppy Cherry some time ago and they love her to bits, which is always nice to know.

Cherry's adoption photo from last year

Dennis Cheng was today's volunteer photographer, and thanks for a great set and many wonderful shots:  Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 88 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 24 September 2017 — at Whiskers N Paws

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 89 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 24 September 2017 — at Whiskers N Paws

I also had a visit from the adopter of Waldo and Minty who showed me long-awaited photos and promised to send them so I can share.  The two best friends are also much loved and doing really well.

Minty has a full and healthy coat these days

Unfortunately there were no adoptions to write about, and the bag containing all the files and paperwork remained firmly zipped for the whole afternoon.

It was, however, a special day for the Positive Partners training class for September as they graduated and will hopefully take home not only their certificates, but also the tools to help both families and dogs continue to enjoy a mutual respect and understanding.    Thanks to our trainers Alice Lau and of course, Cactus Mok and all participants.

Sat 23rd Sept: Another windy Sunday coming?

Porter

A couple of the new small dogs left Ap Lei Chau, with one of them hopefully bound for England before too long.  Porter is the little Yorkie who may be joining ex-breeder Yorkie Wobbly, so we'll just have to hope that his health checks out OK.  The second dog to go was Rosie, one of the breeder poodles that came via AFCD, and she has gone for fostering with a potential adoption if all works out.

Rosie

Dachshund Stan was also finally given his chance as he was taken to see how he gets on with the other two dogs in the home, and hopefully we won't be seeing Stan back again.  He came to us from a breeder as well, and needed major surgery on a double hernia which would have inevitably killed him without treatment.


We have been taking in ex-breeder dogs for some years now, and nothing has really changed.  I hope that we will start to see the effects of the new Animal Trader Laws in the coming years, but here's a reminder of the day a whole load of breeder dogs came to us.  They were all crammed into a couple of crates, and it seemed like a never-ending stream when the door was opened: https://youtu.be/P4F4Hbxa7S8

Brandy is so happy to be going home

Although Saturday is her day off, Cactus (and husband) kindly offered to pick Brandy up from Acorn after we got a message saying she was very unhappy there and was fine to leave.  I'd guessed that she wouldn't be the easiest of patients because although she's still a fairly young dog at four years, she acts like the grumpy and bossy grandma in the office.  She likes her comfy bed and long snoozes, and the youngsters (Lara and Nancy) playing irritate her.  She'll recover from her acute gastroenteritis far better at "home" than stressed out in hospital.

Jinks leaves Tai Po

One of the remaining "J" litter was adopted at Tai Po, and Jinks has grown into a very handsome doglet.  There are still a number of ex-Lamma puppies that went to Tai Po in the hope of being adopted, and of course it makes me very sad to know that they're still waiting.

Harvey

Laura

I imagine I wasn't the only one to be woken in the small hours of Sunday morning by the "typhoon" that came out of nowhere, and with the T1 up and the wind still quite strong I'm in a bit of a panic about getting over to Whiskers N Paws for the puppy afternoon.  Whatever happens there will be foster puppies there, but I've got Laura and Harvey and the two new recruits that came from AFCD the other day.  It's also time for Paris to go at least to a foster home if not for ever, because although she loves island life, the beach and her best friend Jet, she's never worn a collar and has never even seen a leash.  At six months she really needs to start school and learn these important life skills.

Paris last Sunday

Fri 22nd Sept: Ten new Ap Lei Chau residents

It always happens like this, we get all the new dogs in at once and today was no exception.  The first group were picked up from AFCD in Sheung Shui and taken to Acorn for the usual checks and vaccinations before going to Ap Lei Chau.  The four poodles are definitely ex-breeder dogs and have various health problems between them, one having heartworm and another luxating patellas (kneecaps) which need surgery.  At least two of them seemed fairly OK if in urgent need of a dental and presumable multiple extractions.  There was an older puppy, Portman, who was lucky enough to be taken straight to a foster home, and three other pups, all of which will be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday.

Lucky Portman went straight to a foster home

All the poodles are 6 years old

Volunteer Harryn gave the poodles a much-needed bath before taking their photos and adding names that I'd prepared, and all of them are now available for adoption or fostering.  Desexing and other surgery/dental work will be covered by HKDR as needed.

We were expecting the second group of dogs coming directly from a breeder, which I was hoping to be able to take straight to Acorn after the first batch were dropped off at the Homing Centre, but in the end they didn't arrive until after I had already left.  I needed to move the puppies to Lamma anyway to make space for the new arrivals, but it was around five in the afternoon when they turned up, squashed into rusty old cages as is usually the case.  Some had licenses which had already long expired, others nothing, so we will have to get them all to AFCD for updates and registration.

Two poor worn out shiba inu girls

It infuriates me that these disgusting breeders are still getting away with keeping unlicensed dogs, and that nothing is done about safeguarding the health and welfare of these animals.   The fact that so many have preventable heartworm is unacceptable, not to mention the hernias and mammary tumours that are so common.  I don't know if the new Cap 139B Animal Trader Licensing rules include heartworm prevention, but nothing is worth the paper it's written on if not enforced.  Any breeder flouting the laws should be closed down without question and the license revoked.

All in all the new dogs that will be staying at Ap Lei Chau are six poodles (four via AFCD), two shiba inu (both nine years old), a Yorkie (age unknown) and a shih tzu, age also not known yet.

I also got the news that a breeder had died and there are sixty four dogs left behind.  I can't help but feel happy for these dogs that they may have an early and lucky escape from their life of hell.

Thurs 21st Sept: Is Cap 139B biting?

2 of the 4 AFCD poodles, all 6 years old

It's possible that the breeders who are surrendering groups of dogs to AFCD are doing so because if they want an Animal Trader License (ATL) they have to comply with the regulations which limit the number of dogs to the space available.  Most of the breeders, legal and illegal, are in the Yuen Long area of the New Territories, which is why these dogs end up at Sheung Shui AFCD, and although not confirmed yet I suspect the four poodles arriving on Friday are ex-breeder stock.

There's another breeder who has apparently applied for an ATL and has to clear one hundred dogs to get it, yes, one hundred.  If that doesn't tell you anything about the conditions in which these dogs are kept then nothing will.  I have agreed to take in as many throwaways as necessary and have been told that six will come on Saturday: two poodles, a Yorkie, a shih tzu and two shiba inu.  I have no details about age or anything else other than the poodles are male and female.

We will choose the best home for Dottie

We also have a young pug available, not a breeder dog but a pet who needs a better home.  One of the things that we ask on our adoption questionnaire is if it is the child or children who want a dog, have the parents considered that the child will grow up and quite possibly leave home or lose interest?  That is exactly what's happened with pug Dottie, only three years old but without his human friend who has left home.  At least the parents acknowledge that Dottie (a boy) deserves a better life than his current lonely one, so I have to give them credit for that.  If you are interested in adopting Dottie or any of the breeder dogs mentioned, please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt).

I had an important appointment in Central today, a meeting with a lawyer to sign the new two year Agreement for our Tai Po Homing Centre, which of course I was very happy about and eager to do.  I hadn't planned a trip to the vet but as it happened one of our office dogs, Brandy, wasn't feeling well and we were all worried, so I took her to Acorn on my way to the lawyer's office.

Brandy didn't want to move from her bed

I was told Brandy had refused to go out for her morning walk so I was careful not to walk her on the pavement when we got out of the van on Second Street, anticipating that she may have to pee or poo.  What I wasn't expecting was the torrent of blood that came rushing out when she squatted down in the gutter, and all I could do was watch helplessly while bystanders showed the horror in their faces.  The bottle of water I poured on the bright red/brown liquid hardly made a difference there was so much, so after I had taken Brandy inside I grabbed the bucket of water with disinfectant left out for mopping the floor and flushed the blood away.

Thankfully I had seen this Haemorrhagic Gastroenteritis before in my Lamma dogs so understood it didn't mean Brandy's insides had liquified and were falling out, but the amount of blood was still quite shocking and obviously required hospitalisation and fluids.  I'm hoping and assuming Brandy will bounce back and will soon return to take her place in the office, where she is top dog.

Haemorrhagic gastroenteritis or HGE is a very serious condition affecting dogs. HGE is characterized by a rapid onset of haemorrhagic (bloody) diarrhea in an otherwise normal, healthy dog. Haemorrhagic gastroenteritis can affect dogs of any breed, gender or age although younger (2-4 year old) toy and miniature breeds appear to be predisposed; stress and hyperactivity in these breeds may play a role in this syndrome.  The actual etiology of this syndrome is unproven and unknown.

What are the clinical signs of HGE in dogs? 
Dogs affected with HGE will often have:

• A sudden onset of profuse, bloody diarrhea with a foul odor
• Vomiting
• A loss of appetite
• Depression
• Acute abdominal pain
• Dehydration

HGE in dogs can occur very rapidly. HGE is not contagious and can occur without a change in the dog's diet, environment, or routine. A fever with HGE is uncommon.

Weds 20th Sept: Post adoption training

The start of last year's Peak to Fong

I've been starting to get a lot of enquiries about the date of this year's Peak to Fong event, so for those of you who haven't yet marked it in your diaries it's Sunday 19th November.   The organising team have been busy for a long time and much of the background work is already done, T-shirts made, stalls sold out and brand new HKDR merchandise in the production line.   Tickets will go on sale next month so look out for the announcements, especially with regard to the special prizes for those participants collecting money for the sponsored walk as we have a surprise in store.

Harvey will be back on Sunday

Inevitably we have a group of new dogs and puppies arriving from AFCD on Friday, including four poodles we assume are from the same breeder.  They are all six years old so not puppies, although for this particular breed six is still a fairly young age.   The puppies that are coming are all mixed breeds, so for the many potential adopters wanting small breed puppies we really don't see too many of them. The newcomers will be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday along with the rest of the young hopefuls.

These 4 sisters are also still waiting for homes

Many of the dogs and puppies need some training after they are adopted, and while our own HKDR trainer, Cactus, is available to offer help to all adopters, some like to hire their own "at home" dog trainers.  If you choose to do that, please be careful about the trainer you pick as not all are good, and many not very nice.  We're happy to make recommendations if needed.

The biggest mistake you can make is to send a dog away to one of those training kennels in the New Territories where threats and punishment are the methods used to terrify a dog into being obedient. We know only too well what happens later, when the fear factor turns the dog into a biter, because we get many surrender requests from those very dog owners.  Apart from anything else, it's the human side of the equation that's important too, because what's the point of sending a dog for training when you as the owner have no idea yourself?  The dog and family need to work as a team so everyone understands each other.

As is well known, at HKDR we insist on Positive Reinforcement methods only and always recommend the www.dogstrust.org.uk training videos for those dog owners who want to learn at home.   Following these videos and being consistent in their use will result in a happy and well behaved dog, allowing of course for occasional errors and general puppy playfulness, and you can find them all here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3B73E2767DC19590.

I really want to be able to post new photos of Matchstick

After yesterday's poodle post I'm happy to say that Matchstick's foster home has now been confirmed as permanent.  She has been through so much with first of all a leg amputation, then needing an eye conjunctival graft for a deep ulcer, followed by a knee repair on her remaining back leg.  She made it through it all with flying colours thanks to the care of her fosters and Dr Tony at Acorn, and now she can relax and enjoy the rest of what I hope is a very long life.