Sun 31st Dec: Last Sunday of the 2017

Laura's face when she saw her foster mummy

I realised looking at the wonderful photos taken by Simon Li at Whiskers N Paws today, that there's something very special about sharpei eyes.  Rafi's foster daddy came over on the sampan with me to be with him for the afternoon, and even then I was thinking to myself what beautiful eyes Rafi has, and how expressive.  Then when I saw the photos of Laura when she spotted her sadly now ex-foster across the fence, and her expression of joy, I could see the same eyes, and again in the update of Waldo and Minty which I received today.  The inbred "pure" sharpeis suffer a lot of health and skin problems, while the mixes are the lucky ones who get the best of the breed without the downside.  They are such loyal and loving dogs, perfect for families and children.

Rafi

Waldo today

It wasn't Rafi or Laura who were the lucky sharpeis today, in fact it was quite heartbreaking to have to bring Laura back to Lamma when she was clearly so attached to her foster family after just two weeks, but Laura's brother Harvey.  "Big Brother" Harvey has grown into a handsome and gentle boy and today he got his chance of a real and forever home when he was taken for a trial adoption.  Good luck Harvey, I know it's going to be a big adjustment, but you will be fine.

Harvey is very gentle with children

You can see all of Simon Li's photos here:

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 101 new photos from 1 January 2017 to the album Puppy Adoption Day 31 December 2017 — at Whiskers N Paws

and thanks to all of our volunteer photographers who have been at Whiskers N Paws every Sunday to help, as well as the coordinator Semirah Darwin, who also post the albums on Facebook as soon as they are received.

Cooper has waited a very long time for this moment

It was a busy day at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and while only corgi Cooper was formally adopted, poodles Amber and Barry left for trial adoptions.  Barry has already become Barley and is getting on well with the children in the family, so we have our fingers crossed for a confirmation soon as well as homes for more of our poodles-in-waiting.

If you were wondering about the almost-bald poodle who was found as a terrified stray in the middle of the New Territories, his rescuer's friend is adopting him so he turned out to be a lucky boy in the end.  His complete lack of hair covering is probably due to a thyroid problem, something that's easy to remedy with supplements, so hopefully he will look completely different before too long.

I had hoped that we would already have news to share about a new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre by the end of the year, but we won't know until this coming week if we'll be moving to where we thought or another space.  Either way I think we will be safe and staying in Ap Lei Chau, a place that is perfect for us and which we really like.

Thank you to all of my readers, and supporters of HKDR, and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Sat 30th Dec: A sad day for golden retrievers

Before anything else I need to mention that we are again having problems with our emails, many of which aren't being received.  Some we know are being filtered out by the recipient's computer and marked as Spam, but Yahoo! has blocked all Hong Kong Dog Rescue emails and they are bouncing back.  There's not much we can do about that, but if you send an adoption or any other sort of enquiry, please do check your Spam inbox to see if the reply has ended up there.  I personally reply to most emails within a very short time, especially if they're about adopting.

Amber (with ball) had so much fun in her foster home

I received a message from Acorn first thing to let me know that the foster of golden retriever Amber had reported that she was very dull and not eating, and by the time she reached the vet clinic she was unable to stand.  It was very disappointing that the chemotherapy hadn't helped as it's usually quite effective in these types of cancers, and obviously it was time to let Amber go.  I know that the last months of her life were very happy and for that I'm grateful.

Gaby and her ex-HKDR friend

It ended up being a sad day for golden retrievers, as later on I got a message telling me that another one of our adopted golden girls had died very suddenly.  Gaby had been running around happily just a couple of days before so her family were completely shocked by her loss, as I can imagine.

Lucky old boy Mickey fell firmly on his feet

There is one happy golden retriever story though, as old boy Mickey had to move on from his long-term foster home, and while I thought the chances of him finding anywhere else to go were slim to zero, he was immediately adopted by a very kind family who have a soft spot for old retrievers.  However many months or years Mickey has left will also be very happy ones.

There was good news too about some of the poodles I've been talking about for what seems like ages, as Toffee and Amber were chosen from their respective foster homes.  Teddy was also picked up from his foster home for a trial with his new family, but we still have many poodles waiting.  Unfortunately, along with our email problem the website has also been affected and the Search function for dogs isn't working.  If you are looking for any kind of dog please complete the adoption questionnaire and we can give you details of dogs that match your request.

We have reached the end of another year with just Sunday to go before the final adoption count, and here's hoping a few more names will be added to the 2017 total.  I'll be at Whiskers N Paws of course, and the two Homing Centres will be open as they are every single day of the year from 10am to 6pm.

Beatrice and Eugenie

I have one final request before signing off, and that's for a new foster (or forever) home for my two princess pups, Beatrice and Eugenie.  They will come back from their Christmas foster on Sunday and I urgently need a new place for them to go until they are adopted.  Please contact Cindy of you can take two gorgeous little guests home for a while, by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.  Thank you!

Fri 29th Dec: Last chance for puppy adoptions in 2017

Good news for Teddy today

Following his sister Dolly's all-clear for any hip problems on Thursday, today it was English pointer Teddy's turn to see Dr Tony for an X-ray to determine the extent of his hip dysplasia.  We had been worried that both sides would need surgery, but it turned out that although one hip is slightly luxated the second isn't too bad at the moment so we'll be holding off doing anything until Teddy is fully grown.  To help with strong muscle growth desexing will be postponed for as long as possible, and as Teddy obviously can't have any puppies that's not a major problem.  This litter was accidental and several puppies died, so it's important that all females be spayed before there is any chance of that happening.

"Hip dysplasia in dogs is a disease of the hip in which the ball and socket joint is malformed. This malformation means that the ball portion and its socket don’t properly meet one another, resulting in a joint that rubs and grinds instead of sliding smoothly.

 

The hip joint is composed of the ball and the socket. The development of hip dysplasia is determined by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors, though there is a complicated pattern of inheritance for this disorder, with multiple genes involved. Hip dysplasia is the failure of the hip joints to develop normally (known as malformation), gradually deteriorating and leading to loss of function of the hip joints.

Hip dysplasia is one of the most common skeletal diseases seen in dogs. Gender does not seem to be a factor, but some breeds are more likely to have the genetic predisposition for hip dysplasia than other breeds. Large and giant breeds are most commonly affected, including the Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd. Rarely, small breed dogs can also be affected, but are less likely to show clinical signs.

Hip dysplasia often begins while a dog is still young and physically immature. Early onset usually develops after four months of age. There are also cases of later onset, where hip dysplasia develops later due to osteoarthritis, a form of joint inflammation (arthritis) that is characterized by chronic deterioration, or degeneration of the joint cartilage."

We need homes for these two lovely large-sized six-month puppies now, and if you are interested please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt). 

I really really want a home for sweet Laura

The same questionnaire applies to all potential adopters, and it's a great help if it can be completed online before meeting any of the many dogs and puppies waiting for homes at either or the two Homing Centres, or at Whiskers N Paws every Sunday afternoon.  Take another look at the puppies that will be there this New Year's Eve Sunday, and remember the litter of eight beautiful babies who will soon be ready to take their places out on the terrace:

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 82 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 24 December 2017 — at Whiskers N Paws

The Christmas season is almost over but there is still time to get over to Dogtown to take a look at the beautiful display at 15 Square Street (behind the Man Mo Temple in Hollywood Road).  The village is now fully populated but with time still to go before the end of this very special promotion there's something new taking place:

15squarestreet added 3 new photos.

Folks. We are all out of miniatures to place in Dogtown! However! The kind and gentle folk at neighbourhood pet shop Bobs Paradise (Ian and Winnie) have sponsored us with Goodie bags for your pooches!

Here exhibited with the generous help of our old girl Snowy. Isn't she photogenic!

Not sure if all the bags are the same, but this one's got doggie yogurt and a yak stick inside! Spread the word! Put a donation in the box for Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR)and bring home some tasty treats! (bag value at least HKD 100)

While stocks last!

Always remember and remind others, the most loving breed is called Rescue.

Please share and spread the love!

Thurs 28th Dec: Sad (and happy) news

Jolene enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with her family

There's sad news to bring this year to a close, as Jolene the bulldog finally succumbed to the years of forced breeding and the ravages on her body.  Her wonderful adoptive family had known about the cancer and that Jolene had limited time left, but they spent a very happy Christmas together before it was finally very clear that it was time to say goodbye.  As always, the knowledge that the dogs experience the happiest days of their lives, even if for too short a time, makes all of the heartache worthwhile.

Amber hasn't let her illness get in the way of having fun

Amber the golden retriever was surrendered to AFCD at only five years of age, along with a pack of lies about how they were moving to Public Housing, a very common excuse for dumping pets.  The truth was that Amber has lymphoma, and although we found a lovely foster home and sponsors to cover the cost of chemotherapy, sadly Amber hasn't responded to the treatment.  Her time is almost certainly coming to an end and it's really very sad.  At least we can know that she's been enjoying life to the full in her foster home, and when her time comes it will be with love and not the harsh coldness of an AFCD kennel.

I was back at Acorn today with the four tick fever puppies, two of which are now well enough to have their first vaccination while the other two will need to wait another week.  Still they're all improving and that's the main thing, as well as the fact that they all finally have names.  I don't know why I've struggled with this litter but they are now Melba, Toastie, Foxy and Whiskers (and maybe you can guess the reason for that last name).

Melba needed a blood transfusion when she first arrived but she's doing well

I also had Naomi with me, and she's doing a lot better after her Christmas Eve emergency and diagnosed erlichia.  I can't say Naomi likes going over to Hong Kong Island, but she's happy enough to jump into the van by herself and at least this time didn't take a dive off the end of the pier in a bid to avoid getting on the sampan, which she did on the previous occasion.  By the way, you can see from the photo of Naomi that the dogs on Lamma enjoy the donations of bedding and sofa cushions, especially during the winter months.

Naomi (red collar) happy to be home

Minty as a baby

I almost always meet ex-HKDR dogs when I'm at Acorn and it's always good to see them, but today's catch-up was an especially lovely surprise.  I would never have recognised the little dog that was there for desexing and was waking up after surgery, but Dr Seems told me it was Minty.  Do you remember her and her friend Waldo?  I can't pretend that Minty recognised me or was happy to have a strange face in front of her when she was already scared from the surgery, but I was thrilled to see her looking so well and took a photo.

Minty's expression is the same but look at her now!

It was also the first time for me to meet the pointer puppy Dolly, and she is a beautiful girl, very big and happily without the hip problems that her brother has.  He will be having his X-rays on Friday and then surgery soon afterwards.

Dolly at Tai Po

Weds 27th Dec: Counting the days until January

Baby Griffin at Whiskers N Paws

I got an extra day off today with my usual Wednesday tagged onto the Christmas break, although it was still a working-at-home day as the dogs don't take a holiday unfortunately.  One of the things that I had to do was to go through all of the files to check which dogs were due their rabies/license update in 2018 in preparation for the mass vaccination drive that takes place every January at my house when one of the Acorn vets comes over to Lamma.  It's always a shock to see how much time has passed without me noticing, and there are many dogs due a license update that I could swear were still only a year old, not three.  I also still have quite a few who have been with me since the official start of HKDR in 2003, although most of them have long since departed.  Even my special boy Griffin has all of a sudden become six years old, as has his sister Opal of course, while Murphy is now sixteen and still going strong despite being deaf and blind now.

A much younger Murphy

Teddy is the only poodle that seems to be on the website

In case you had been trying to take a look at our available dogs on the www.hongkongdogrescue.com website, we've been having some problems again with the listings so many dogs aren't showing.  I started to suspect something was up when all poodle enquiries were for Teddy, when in fact we have many poodles waiting for adoption.  Of course Teddy really does need a home, and quite urgently as his foster is leaving Hong Kong for her native Australia very soon, so the enquiries about him were welcome and he will be leaving for a trial on Thursday.

Toffee and Scrumpy love hiking.....

While Teddy needed a special kind of home (no children), we also have other poodles who are easy and without any specific needs or behaviour issues.  Two of them are staying in the same foster home and are doing really well there, living the dream as they enjoy real dog things like hiking and swimming, as well as cuddles in bed with the family.  If you would like to meet Scrumpy and/or Toffee please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com to arrange.  They aren't particularly young at nine years, but they are still very active and with many good years ahead of them.  Poodles as a breed tend to be long-lived, as are many of the small breeds like Murphy.

.........as well as snuggling in bed

I hope I'm not being over-optimistic when thinking ahead to January and the end of the holiday period, and imagining that adoptions will start up again.  At any other time of the year the two pointer puppies, Dolly and Teddy, would have been in homes within days, although Teddy needs to have his hips fixed and will be seeing Dr Tony on Friday while Dolly will have her turn a day earlier.  Hopefully she will have escaped the genetic hip dysplasia problem, but we will have to wait and see.  Whatever the outcome of the checks and X-rays, these are two absolutely gorgeous and very sweet puppies.

English pointer puppy Teddy

Tues 26th Dec: There's still time to adopt in 2017

Rudolph

Although both Homing Centres were open today, as they are every single day of the year, it was as quiet as expected for adoptions and only the arrival of the poodle found on Christmas Day made a difference to the numbers.  With the temperatures dropping again I'm so pleased this poor little almost-bald boy was picked up, as I can't imagine how he would have survived without any natural coat to keep him warm. I know how much my Lamma dogs love their soft and comfy beds, and that many dogs of all types and size are regularly abandoned in the middle of the countryside in all weathers with only the lucky few being rescued.  It's hard to believe that people can be so heartless, especially when there are so many organisations that would be able to help.  Anyway for Rudolph he is safe now.

With the year coming to an end and 2018 just round the corner, I think many of you will have received the Newsletter round-up but here it is again for those who aren't on our mailing list.  We still don't have any confirmation for a new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and I just hope I didn't jinx anything by speaking too soon.

Will Harvey find a home this year?

Christmas Greetings from HKDR

This year has flown by and we've had plenty of up and downs, as well being blown sideways by the multiple typhoons, including the big one that caused a lot of damage. On top of that, every typhoon seemed to arrive on a Sunday and we had a few Puppy Adoption afternoons cancelled because of the weather, but at the end of this year, the number of dogs and puppies adopted was pretty good. At the time of writing, the total for 2017 is 473, compared with 391 in 2016.

March saw the implementation of the new Cap139b Animal Trader Licensing laws, and with it a large number of dogs being got rid of by breeders, many of whom came to HKDR. They were all in poor condition with a range of skin and ear infections, eyes and legs missing and a whole range of surgery needs. This increased our monthly vet bills considerably, and so our need for raising more funds to cover the extra costs.

In September we held our annual Gala Dinner fundraiser, and in November our most successful Peak to Fong ever, with a variety of promotions and mini events in between such as Coin Dragon, Dogtown, Harmont & Blaine's dachshund toys, Freespace Happening. Eva Sit is our main PR & Marketing staff member and she is constantly on the go with the many business collaborations, as well as our own in-house fundraising efforts, all of which are vital to keep HKDR running.

One of the year's big events was the major renovation that took place at the Tai Po Homing Centre, and it was a massive task made possible through donations to pay for the contractors who carried out the major work, but also the teams of volunteers, individual and corporate, who helped with hands-on lifting and carrying. That was no easy task in the heat of the summer and with the many and steep flights of steps. This year more than ever I can't thank our volunteers enough for the invaluable help they give, and the difference they make.

Another major challenge we have had and are still facing as I write, is the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre situation, and the uncertainty of how and if we will find a new space that is as suitable as our current location. The opening of the MTR certainly has many benefits but it also brought with it huge rent increases and big changes already starting in Main Street. Many small shops and restaurants have been forced out business, and although we have our sights set on a new place it's never smooth sailing.

Whichever way it turns out, I'm sure it will all be fine in the end because too many lives depend on it. We do, however, need your continued support to make it all happen, so please keep reading my blog for daily updates, or check our Hong Kong Dog Rescue Facebook and Instagram pages for up-to-the-minute news.

Mon 25th Dec: Christmas and a new rescue

This poor poodle was found in the middle of nowhere

Christmas Day finally arrived, and thank you to everyone who sent lovely photos, greetings and updates on our ex-HKDR dogs enjoying their family holiday and cosy homes.  It does make me feel sad for all of those still without and living at the Homing Centres, but even they are lucky compared to some, like the little poodle that was found in the middle of nowhere today.  One of our adopters-of-many over the years picked up this terrified little dog way out in the New Territories, clearly a throwaway judging by the condition.  The poodle will come to us on Tuesday and then the long haul towards good health and a full coat will begin.  We have no details of age but it seems the poodle is still quite young.

No guessing why this poodle was thrown away

Another dog that I'm concerned about is Laura, still a puppy but heading towards doglet age and having been in several foster homes during her short life.  She is such a sweet girl and I love to see her on Sundays at Whiskers N Paws where she always greets me so happily, but I wonder when she will find her forever home finally?  Her current foster can only keep her for one more week and then Laura needs to move on again, so we will be needing another place for her to stay from this coming Sunday, New Year's Eve.  If you can help please let Cindy know (foster@hongkongdogrescue.com) or even better, give Laura a home for life.

Laura

It was a quiet day for adoptions, as anticipated, but one dog did leave Ap Lei Chau for a trial, new grey/white schnauzer Jenny.  She was surrendered to AFCD and was very scared there at the kennels, so I'm really happy she has a chance of a new life and home now.

Good lucky Jenny

Sun 24th Dec: Rollo's home for Christmas

Our only Christmas Even adoption was Rollo

I arrived late at today's Christmas Eve Puppy Afternoon, just as Rollo was having his adoption photos taken and about to leave with his new family, and the only lucky pup for the day as it turned out.

Dani Bartlett was our volunteer photographer for the day, and of course many thanks to her for turning up on Christmas Eve (and a wonderful set of photos), as well as all of the other volunteers:

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 82 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 24 December 2017 — at Whiskers N Paws

 

All photos by Dani Bartlett of Dani Bartlett Photography

I had made a visit to Acorn with one of my Lamma dogs, Naomi, whose swollen face and neck hadn't been the insect bite I'd first suspected as it hadn't gone down as these things usually do, and with the clinic being closed for Christmas I didn't want to leave it any longer.  I'm really glad I made that decision as it turned out, because Naomi had a high temperature and suspected erlichia, a type of tick fever.  If not that then it's an autoimmune problem, and of the two I'll choose the tick fever as being far easier to treat. 

Naomi with a swollen face and neck

Naomi has never been the healthiest of dogs, and she has had babesia (another type of tick fever) previously, and I think that as with everything and all diseases, a poor immune system is a big part of it.  When I have thought back over the dogs who died at a relatively young age, ten or eleven years old, they had all had some serious illness at one stage of their lives, most commonly tick fever.  Dogs like Hilton, Ginny and Ottilie all died from cancer, but they had a history of tick fever, as well as Ottilie's near-death experience after having been bitten by a cobra.  That's my theory anyway.

Melba enjoyed her afternoon regardless of not being 100% well

Of course the immune system of puppies is much weaker anyway, just like baby humans, so tick fever is far more common, especially in pups that are born living outside.  The last litter of four that I took from AFCD had come from the Chai Wan Cemetery and all are infected, but the smallest, now called Melba, was the one who needed a blood transfusion.   She also had to go for a pre-holiday blood test to check that her red cell count was stable, and although it's still lower than it should be I took her to Whiskers N Paws and let her play with the others (tick fever isn't infectious).

Other than Rollo's early adoption it was a quiet afternoon, but a wonderful sunny day, and I was happy to be able to wish everyone a personal Merry Christmas!

Babies Beatrice and Eugenie seem to be getting into the swing of things in their new foster home!

First Christmas for Beatrice and Eugenie!

Sat 23rd Dec: The sun returns for Christmas Eve

Honey asked Santa for a forever home

Yes, we are open!  We open every single day of the year, every holiday included, but I know I'm going to get asked that question over Christmas and New Year.  In fact we'll be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday too, bringing along all the hopefuls, except Honey who'll be staying forever in her foster home. Santa obviously granted her wish, and come to think of it the same happened to Betty, the other now-adopted puppy who had her photo taken with Father Christmas at Whiskers N Paws a couple of Sundays ago.  Maybe there's really something in this making-a-Christmas-wish thing after all.

Betty-now-Azula also had her photo taken with Santa

We've been receiving quite a lot of enquiries but not translating into actual adoptions, although we have so many lovely dogs of all sizes waiting including the two beautiful English pointer puppies Teddy and Dolly at Tai Po, and many small dogs at Ap Lei Chau (just not puppies).  I was sure the two Cavalier King Charles spaniels, William and Harry, would have been adopted by now as they are such sweet and affectionate boys, but their time will come I know.

William and Harry

Look at Jelly now!

I was very happy to see a new photo of Jelly the peke, the female half of the two surrendered to AFCD.  While the male, Mr Bean, sadly had to be euthanised, Jelly has bounced back after having had her bad teeth taken out and given a course of antibiotics for a skin infection.  It's very sad that any dog is allowed to just deteriorate while the owners do nothing about it, when it's really not that difficult to take proper care of any animal.

Jelly 2 weeks ago

Fri 22nd Dec: Last of the beagles

I have to admit that it's good to have my worktop back, and not to be squeezed into a corner with my keyboard trying to type while having two jumping and squealing puppies demanding attention.   As much as I loved Beatrice and Eugenie I loved sending them to their new foster home even better so I can resume some kind of normality in my life, whatever that is.

Mabel

It was also good to hear that beagle Mabel was taken home from the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre today and that Scout will also leave on Sunday, so we will finally be beagle-free.  The four beagles that we took in from a breeder at the same time were all lovely dogs, but the breed isn't really suitable to keep at our small Homing Centre.

Laura's foster can confirm that she's a very easy puppy

Two of our foster puppies were competing for a home during an interview at the Ap Lei Chau dog park in the morning, and it was Turner who was chosen leaving Laura to move to a new foster home.  She and her brother Harvey have both been unlucky, even though they have lovely natures and are very easygoing.  I suspect it's got something to do with the fact that they are often the older ones at Whiskers N Paws so tend to bully the babies, but that's just natural and nothing to do with them being dominant or "alpha" dogs, two words I keep hearing but which aren't true.  In nature the older family members get to tell the younger ones what to do, and nobody takes it personally.  Seen individually and away from the over-excitement of the Sunday playtimes on the Whiskers N Paws terrace, both Laura and Harvey are very calm, happy and friendly almost six month-olds.

Now-adopted Betty loved Harvey, even though he appeared to be beating her up

Scout leaves on Sunday

There's been a hiatus in dogs and puppies coming out of Pokfulam AFCD due to a new and inexperienced Veterinary Officer being in charge, so for the moment I'm concentrating on the last few lucky escapees, including a litter of four who all have tick fever.  One needed a blood transfusion as the red cell count was so low, but all four have to make regular back-and-forth trips to Acorn to check that the treatment is working.   It has something to do with the fact that I had to argue to get these pups released and that I was very unhappy that the tick fever wasn't  able to be treated as early as it should have been, but I have been completely stuck for names for them.  I don't want to end up with another "Puppy Girl" situation (one of my adult Lamma dogs who was never given a name), and as these four new puppies look very similar (very fox-like) there's no inspiration for something appropriate. Help is needed please, and there are three girls and one boy.

Rollo

In case you missed reading it, we will be at Whiskers N Paws on Christmas Eve (this Sunday) for last minute seasonal greetings and adoptions.   Other than Laura and Harvey who will be hoping for some luck this time, we will have other younger candidates like Rollo, Coco and siblings Elke and Henry.

Coco

Thurs 21st Dec: Last weekend before Christmas

I'll be happy to see my two remaining baby pups head off to their foster home on Friday because they really need to be running around freely now.  Puppies grow at an alarming rate, and you only have to compare a newborn with a four week-old to see what I mean.  One minute they are blind, deaf and completely helpless, and just one month later they're eating independently and full of energy, climbing, wrestling and learning new things daily.   I have called these two girls Beatrice and Eugenie, and they are the happiest, friendliest pups who I hope will have their own forever homes before too long.

This donation is earmarked for Mary's flight to France

This week has been quite quiet on the adoption side of things, but we're hoping that with the holidays due to start and many people taking the whole Christmas to New Year period off work there will be some movement over the weekend.  We will be at Whiskers N Paws on Christmas Eve as I mentioned before, and not only to see if any of the puppies will find homes but also to take away the donations from the Operation Santa Paws collection drive.  One of these is already earmarked for an important purpose, to fly ex-Stanley Barracks dog Mary to her new forever home in France, so to the person who donated the large blue travel crate, thank you!

We think we have the flight volunteers now

Cleo looks nothing like the starving and timid young dog she was

I've been receiving daily updates on Cleo, the little dog I thought at first was a puppy, and she's been doing incredibly well in her foster home.  Now she has another comment on her report card "Friendly with cats", so there's nothing negative to say about this lovely little dog.  If you are interested in meeting Cleo please let Cindy know at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

I would like to give a special thanks to Cindy, our hardworking Foster Coordinator, for her incredible help as a volunteer.  Cindy has her own "real" job on top of being a wife, and mother to a human daughter and two ex-HKDR dogs, so her days are full.  That's why we ask that anyone wanting to contact Cindy for any reason use email or Whatsapp, as taking calls isn't easy or even possible for most of the time. 

In fact we really don't use the phones for talking much at all, for the same reason: lack of time.  We don't employ anyone to answer calls and the staff are always busy with the dogs or adopters, and in many cases the noise of dogs barking in the background makes conversation impossible.  That's very true in my case as those who manage to get my number quickly find out.  We're always available to answer emails, Whatsapp or Facebook messages, so hope those who get frustrated by lack of phone response understand.