Weds 31st Jan: Heading towards the Year of the Dog

Emu, Stan and Aden enjoying a temporary home life

As if the very cold weather wasn't enough the rain came as well, and I had to send another group of puppies over to Ap Lei Chau in the hope they would all find foster homes, which several did.  At least the thicker-coated dogs are enjoying the cold, which shows on the walks when they're racing around rather than walking sedately in single file,  and seeing them having fun is at least some compensation.

Tommy is the first of the newish poodle group to leave

The first of the five newish ex-breeder poodles was adopted today while there were two new arrivals, a Yorkie and and chihuahua, also from a breeder.  They escaped because they have a skin problem, which is so common in breeder dogs that we expect it, along with the ear mites. There is really no skin condition that can't be treated and most of these dogs have quite simple issues.

New arrivals today

With the Chinese New Year almost upon us, we will be collaborating with several businesses to help celebrate, such as fashion retailers Topshop who are displaying the HKDR sign in their store window and collecting donations on our behalf. We really appreciate such support, and the extra income for the dogs we hope it will generate, so please do take a moment to drop by if you are passing.

Of course every dog rescue organisation is worried that there will be many people rushing out to buy puppies for the Year of the Dog, only to throw them out when the next Lunar Year comes along, if not before.  I'm sure that none of my readers will be that stupid, but I'm not so sure about many others.  If you see or hear of this happening please make sure that any unwanted puppies are passed to HKDR or any of the other animal rescue groups rather than ending up on the street. 

In-store at Topshop

Thanks to Topshop for supporting HKDR

Tues 30th Jan: Cold weather puppy fosters needed!

The swollen face at Christmas was the first sign of Naomi's problem

I would have stayed at home if I hadn't needed to take Lamma dog Naomi to Acorn for an ultrasound on their new machine, and while the results were reassuring in that she doesn't have anything visibly nasty going on inside she is still not at all well.  It seems to be the dreaded autoimmune disease, and I call it that because it's so vague and difficult to treat.  I can't help but remember Biff and what happened to him after having had the same problem, although I also know other dogs who responded to the high-dose steroids.  At the moment Naomi is going through the motions of appearing to be normal, but she has no interest in anything and if she could speak I'm sure her response to everything would be "Whatever".

I thought the weather was bad enough before, but now we have the rain as well and I'm really quite desperate to get more puppies into foster homes if you can help.  Email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com for details, thanks.

I'm sending Inky to Ap Lei Chau to get her out of the cold

Long-termer Pip settled in very well 

There was good news about some foster/trials as Tai Po Pip's adoption was confirmed, along with Tinsel and Jenny from Ap Lei Chau.  Also after many enquiries corgi Dizzy was adopted from the Homing Centre today (photos to follow), just in time to welcome two ex-breeder dogs that are due to arrive on Wednesday.

New dogs arrive all the time so please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com if you are interested in any already with us or have a specific type, size of age in mind.  Please remember though that we are a rescue organisation so requests for goldendoodle or French bulldog puppies, or any purebreeds for that matter, are unlikely to be successful.  We do get such puppies in from time to time but really very rarely, but there are many equally lovely puppies available, and without the inbred problems of the breeds.

Jenny's on the right, and a very happy girl

Mon 29th Jan: Facing the cold

Inky has a very short coat

I had forgotten how cold it can get in Hong Kong and have been digging out all stored warm clothing that hasn't seen the light of day for a long time.  While adding layers to my layers, I couldn't stop thinking about the puppies living outside, especially the very short-coated ones like Inky, and really wishing they could be in foster homes. Even my little foster turtles have a heat lamp to bask under, and they seem to be happy enough.

If anyone can foster puppies for the cold weather period, preferably up to and including Chinese New Year, please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com. If you have already fostered for us just drop by the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre to pick up a puppy or two from there.  If those puppies are moved out, then the Lamma ones like Inky can take their place.

I hadn't made any plans to go anywhere other than the Ap Lei Chau office today, thinking that any new puppies at AFCD were probably better off there than on Lamma anyway, so I was there when long-term volunteer Catherine, who has been handling the search for a new site, called.  She said there was another place that was a possible, which was unexpected after we had all resigned ourselves to staying put.  It seems like it has potential so maybe there will be a new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre after all.  We'll see, and I'm saying no more until there is anything concrete to report.

We welcomed a new staff member to the office today, another Eva, so we now have Big Eva (tall rather than broad) and Little Eva.  With Big Eva already doing the equivalent of two jobs and having so many extra events and fundraising opportunities to handle in this coming Year of the Dog, it was too much for one person, even if Eva is pretty amazing at juggling all of her duties.

Our Education & Training Manager, Cactus, also has many jobs that come under her umbrella title, so Little Eva (Loo) will also be able to help relieve Cactus of some of the more routine tasks.  Even while at home there's things for our trainer to do, including this self-made cartoon, a newly-learned skill https://youtu.be/V8YufGTavU4

I love visiting the smaller dogs (and currently many puppies) at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and they are always happy to greet people.  I've recently been talking a lot about poodles and their sometimes-difficult personalities, but I have to say that the new ex-breeder poodles are incredibly sweet.  I was particularly taken with the charcoal grey one, Claudette, who is such a happy and playful girl, but they are all lovely.  Maybe as they aren't the popular tiny sized types these poodles have more of a balanced big-dog nature, but if you are looking for a poodley-coated dog and don't want a very small one, take a look at these five (three girls and two boys).

Sun 28th Jan: Three Happy Puppies

Seven born on 7th Dec 2017 and today was his next big day

I never know what to expect in terms of adoptions on Sundays, but we had three puppies chosen within thirty minutes of everyone arriving and it was a race to see whose name would be chalked up on the adoption board first (and thanks to volunteer/adopter Vicki Cheng for painting a new-look board, which was the reason it wasn't available last Sunday).  The next adoption didn't take place until right at the end of the afternoon when it was baby Stan who was chosen, but he will be picked up from the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre on Monday.

Like Seven, this was Ludo's first Whiskers N Paws afternoon

When I'm asked about the personality of very young puppies I really don't know for sure, as it's only when the pups are around four months that you can really have an idea of what their personality is.  This is the reason I recommend slightly older puppies when there are young children in the home, because it's obviously important.  Today there was a perfect example of what I'm saying when siblings Cello and Ollie, who are in separate foster homes, made themselves known as they confidently said hello to everyone on the terrace.  They also have two fluffier brothers, Ted and Paddington out of an original litter of eight which included Beatrice and Eugenie.

Cello and Ollie

Paddington has 3 siblings still waiting for adoption: Ted, Ollie and Cello

In lieu of an official photo, this is Elke in her foster home

Four-and-a-bit months-old Elke is a another good example, as she is a really wonderful puppy who has taken to being in a foster home like a duck to water. Cuddles in bed and playtimes with the other dogs have come naturally to her after spending her early months on Lamma, and you won't find an easier character.  Unfortunately she missed being photographed today, which happens when there are so many babies to divert attention.

Volunteer photographer for the afternoon was Helen Kwok, and here is her lovely set Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 117 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 28 January 2018 — at Whiskers N Paws

Thank you Izzy and mom for raising money for HKDR

Our Junior Donor today was Izzy, who had made good use of a broken arm and a cast that needed to be signed for the price of a donation to HKDR.  Good work Izzy, and to her mom who matched every donation made.  Thank you!

Sat 27th Jan: Tears and smiles

Betty is still a baby!

Betty was the first of the three very large-sized and beautiful ex-breeder puppies to be adopted from our Tai Po Homing Centre, and if you hurry you could be lucky enough to choose one of the two remaining, Syrup and Hank.  I really don't know what kind of breed mix these youngsters are but they are exceptionally large, especially the two girls.

Syrup, Hank and (now adopted) Betty

Chelsea-Chess is now called Moses

The newly-surrendered poodle boy (who arrived with the girl's name of Chelsea which was changed to Chess) was also adopted, so he was very lucky.

We had a tragic loss at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and one which upset me deeply because in retrospect it was avoidable.  It was very strange that out of eight puppies in one litter, the pair that went first to a short-lived foster home and then went to stay with one of our volunteers turned out to have tick fever.  They were treated in the usual way but one of them, Viola, didn't respond to the drugs as successfully as her sister Cello.  As a last resort I agreed to Viola having an injection of Berenil, which in the past was the first option for any tick fever case as it's quick and easy.  However after a few deaths following the injections I said no more, but for Viola it was the only thing left to try, and as Berenil had safely been used so many times over the years I thought it worth the tiny risk.  I was wrong, and when Viola started to display the symptoms of  Berenil reaction I immediately recognised what it was, and knew there would be no way of saving her.  From now on the drug will not be used again on any of our puppies.

I know that there's a growing group of dog owners who feel that tick prevention products are toxic and to be avoided, but in my experience it's the tick fever itself and the drugs used to treat it that are truly dangerous.  My own feeling about spot-on drops and good quality tick collars is that they are safe enough to use, and certainly the lesser of two evils when the alternative is risking infection.  Of course no tick products are guaranteed to kill every tick, and in the summer when there are so many ticks around it's important to check your dog manually every time it has been out in grass or any greenery.  However reducing the risk of tick fever is really important and I would personally recommend prevention every time.  It's also my opinion that the drugs used to treat tick fever have a long-term detrimental effect, based on the shortened life-span of my Lamma dogs who have at one time been infected and treated for the disease.  I have no scientific proof of that, but it's either true or a huge coincidence.

Back to the present, we have so many puppies now waiting for homes, from smaller sized to large, and while the two smallest of the new intake (Herbert and Lilo) were taken for fostering today and will skip this week's puppy Sunday, there are lots of other eager and lovely candidates.

Olive is almost 3 years old now

Corgi-cross Olive will also be back at Whiskers N Paws hoping to find her forever home after over two years of trying.  She's such a sweet girl, always eager for cuddles and back scratches if she knows you, but admittedly shy of people she doesn't know.  Surely it must be her turn soon?

Fri 26th Jan: More and more puppies!

New pups at Ap Lei Chau (the ginger one doesn't belong to the litter)

We're now back to puppy overload as I took the nine new recruits from AFCD, one group being a lookalike litter of five and the other a mixed bunch of four who don't seem to be related (but could be of course).   As the quintuplets are short-haired and much smaller than the puppies currently staying at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, I had to arrange a swap and take the now-bigger ones back to Lamma.  I'm not at all happy about that as they have to live outside, and even though they have lots of warm bedding in their dog houses and were dressed in snuggly coats, I'm sure the coats will be pulled off before too long.   We are urgently in need of foster homes if anyone is staying around for Chinese New Year and can take in small boarders, so please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help.

Chess is a 3 year-old boy

The new poodle surrender arrived, and while I had been told it was a two year-old girl he turned out to be a three year-old boy.  He seems to be friendly enough but my previous warnings about almost all poodles still apply, and proper handling and an appreciation of the poodle character is essential.  How easy and uncomplicated the sweet mixed-breeds are in comparison.

Adele, the three year-old girl who was originally adopted from us as a puppy, is also back at Ap Lei Chau.  She's not a bad girl, just very scared after her horrible first home, something which we all feel terrible about.  She needs a new start in a home who can give her her confidence back and where she can become a happy and active dog, just as she should be.

Adele is also 3 years old 

Molly's story was never known

Very sadly the story of corgi Molly came to a sudden and very fast end when she had to be rushed to Acorn after suffering seizures and becoming very weak.  She was surrendered to AFCD by someone who said she had cancer, but we were unable to trace the vet clinic who had all of her medical history.  The clinic name we had been given turned out not to be the one who had treated her and even though someone kindly contacted us saying her knew Molly's story, it was too late to be able to help her.

Thurs 25th Jan: Syrup, Betty and Hank

Syrup's entering her own details on our website

We have a new star in our midst, well two really, and they are sisters Syrup and Betty, two of the three large-sized puppies who came from the home breeder along with the latest batch of poodles.  I'm sure brother Hank will also become just as popular as soon as his photo is shared, but for now it's Syrup who has stolen and hearts of our Facebook and Instagram followers.  These three puppies are the sweetest and happiest of siblings, and whoever is lucky enough to take them home will have  fantastic family dogs.

Brother Hank

Sister Betty

I had to take the tick fever litter back to Acorn today for yet another blood test to see if the "liquid gold" was working, and to my relief it is and the red cell count is pretty much normal now.  The problem is that these pups were always a bit shy and under normal circumstances would have been going to Whiskers N Paws to get used to strangers touching them and picking them up, but as it is they have spent the last month in isolation.  A couple of them are warming up to humans, but another pair are really timid and it's going to be a challenge to bring them round. I can see that once their health is completely stable sending them to Tai Po might be the best option.

I also took three of my adult Lamma dogs to AFCD for their rabies shots, the first of the uncatchables from the other day when Dr Tony came over to carry out a mass vaccination. While there I was told there were new puppies, and indeed there were two litters of youngsters.  I couldn't take them as the van was already full but I will pick them up on Friday, even though I really don't have space for them and the cold weather is due to make a comeback.  I really, really need foster homes, and as the pups are very young and quite tiny they won't take up much space.  If you can help please get in touch with Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com as I will need homes by Friday afternoon.

Just 2 years old and has already been in many homes

We had two poodles arriving at Ap Lei Chau today, one being a return (for the second time) and another being a new surrender who had already been in many homes at the tender age of two years. I have written it so many times and readers of my blog must be sick of reading it, but there seems to be a mental block when it comes to poodles.  People just don't listen or don't want to hear what is said, and this is now such a problem that we are putting together a special list of questions for everyone who wants to adopt a poodle, as in:

Are you aware that poodles very often suffer from allergies which affect their skin and coat, and they need special food and care?

Are you aware that poodles are one of the most intelligent of all dog breeds and that they require special training and treatment?

Are you aware that poodles are highly strung and emotional and as such are often not suitable to be with children?

Are you aware that poodles are active and energetic dogs that require proper exercise and mental stimulation?

Are you aware that due to the above many poodles will bite if not properly treated or trained?

.

Weds 24th Jan: Yes we open every single day of the year

I'm already impatient for Chinese New Year to arrive and then be over as we face the same problem at this time of year as we do at Christmas and New Year, that is families heading off for a holiday away from Hong Kong so delaying adoption until later.  Apart from being somewhat envious,  it's the dogs and puppies that I worry about, especially as this is the one Sunday of the year when Whiskers N Paws will be closed.  At least we have puppies at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre at the moment as well as the new giant pups at Tai Po, and both Centres are open every single day of the year regardless of the weather or Public Holidays.

As I missed posting Ryan Kam's photos from last Sunday's puppy afternoon on Monday, I'm going to share them again so you can take a look at the many lovely babies that are waiting for homes even if I haven't been able to caption them all yet.

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 111 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 21 January 2018 — at Whiskers N Paws

Of the larger and fluffier pair I can't tell who is Ted and which one is Paddington, but I can say that they are both very beautiful as well as having great temperaments.  There are three more left in this litter of eight originally, and they have short hair.  There's boy Ollie and sisters Cello and Viola, and I strongly suspect there's some Rhodesian Ridgeback in this family as the short-coated sisters have a very clear and definite "ridge" as well as being that distinctive chestnut colour.  Come to Whiskers N Paws on Sunday and meet them all, we're there from 2pm to 5pm.

Volunteers Needed!

We are recruiting volunteers to help out at our HKDR booth in the coming February Pet Expo!

Event Date: 9-11 Feb (Friday to Sunday), move-in on 8 Feb (Thursday)

Everyone is welcome! Please sign up for your shift(s) here if you can help: https://goo.gl/forms/ReD4byxtHixtPuNr2

Tues 23rd Jan: It's corgi time

I didn't have any dog-related duties today and instead spent the afternoon in a meeting about this year's Gala Dinner event, which takes place on Saturday 13th October.  That seems like a long way off but with the way time flies by and the planning involved, especially with this year's double celebration of the Year of the Dog combined with our 15th Anniversary, it's going to be a particularly special evening.  We already have a lot of ideas in place, the theme and many other things, so if any companies would like to be involved as sponsors please let us know. 

I was just diverted from my blog by a message which prompted me to check my Spam inbox, and I found several emails that had ended up there somehow.  Luckily they hadn't been waiting too long but we are still having ongoing issues thanks to repeated hacking attempts, so if you are waiting for a reply please try again.  I think I've caught all of the stray mail but you never know.

We now have some background on Molly but still no vet history

One of the lost emails was regarding the corgi Molly that I took out of AFCD recently after having been told she had cancer of the leg.  Thank to you to person who knows Molly's background and gave me all the relevant information, although it's still quite incredible to me that a vet clinic can't recognise their own clients by the microchip numbers, and seem quite disinterested in even trying to help.  We know the clinic who have all the records but they might as well be on the moon.

The other female corgi was surrendered to us today, so we now have two and both are lovely dogs.  It seems strange but the female corgis do seem to have much nicer temperaments than the males, although I'm not sure why that would be.  We are expecting a very young male corgi, less than a year old, who apparently has the typical problem boy behaviour and I'm hoping that being so young it can be trained out of him using positive methods.   If you are interested in any of these three corgis please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt).

The 3 girl poodles will be desexed on Wednesday

The male ex-breeder poodles came back from Acorn following their desexing and dental treatment, and the females will be going on Wednesday for the same.  They are all sweet dogs so I hope they will soon find new homes.

Mon 22nd Jan: Big surprise

Nice change from a life in a cage for Spangle

Ryan Kam's beautiful set of photos from Sunday's puppy afternoon arrived just too late for me to include in yesterday's post so here they are.  You can meet many of these little ones at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre any day of the week, or next Sunday at Whiskers N Paws, 2pm to 5pm.

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 111 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 21 January 2018 — at Whiskers N Paws

I had no idea at the start of the day when I sat at my computer that we would end up taking in a whole bunch of new dogs and puppies, and it was only when reading my emails that I saw that the breeder who had passed on the shorgi and the springer spaniel (both doing really well in their new homes) was now giving up more.  I was told it was several poodles and some mixed breed puppies, who were apparently due to be sold for meat.  Of course I said yes to all even without knowing numbers, and then not much later got another message to say the dogs were on their way.  (It's not the breeder who is responsible for getting the dogs out, by the way, rather a concerned neighbour and another go- between).

Suddenly there were 12 new arrivals

The group of dogs arrived as I was on my way over to Ap Lei Chau and I was able to take them straight to AFCD, and then on to Acorn.  There were five poodles, two of which were mid-mating and locked together, three very large and beautiful puppies and four "meat" youngsters (with ringworm).  Only one of the poodles was already licensed (expired of course) so I had all of the others registered as mine and allocated them ages (two years up). The larger puppies still have tiny baby teeth so they are going to be really big adults, but they are so lovely both in looks and character.  They are now at Tai Po and will be available immediately for adoption.

These are huge puppies!

It was also finally time to take out the chubby baby pup who was born at AFCD on 7th December, the only survivor after the mother gave birth shortly after being caught by the dog catchers.  Of course he got all the milk so he's a very healthy boy, now called Seven, and I left him at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre with the sharpei-cross litter so he could learn about playing with other puppies.

Seven was born at AFCD on 7th Dec 2017

All but one of the poodles has heartworm and they all have ear mites, but they are otherwise externally healthy and will be desexed immediately.  At least they all seem to be friendly, although I very much doubt they are toilet trained or have any knowledge of what a family home is.

As always, for foster enquiries contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com and for adoption please complete the Adoption Questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt).

On Tuesday we will be welcoming a lovely corgi girl who is being surrendered due to Pulic Housing No Dogs policy.  We hope she will quickly find a new family who love her as much as her current one does.

We have full details from this corgi's current family, which is really very helpful

3 female poodles, the 2 males stayed at Acorn for desex

Sun 21st Jan: Operation Elke

Portman is now Rocket

The photos from today's Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon aren't published yet but there were four on-the-spot adoptions and two fosters-into-forever homes.  The latter were Portman, who is now officially Rocket (and a very suitable name) and Patchy, who was adopted as a baby with the still-unlucky Rafi.  Patchy is now Mimu and she will be moving to Italy soon along with her ex-HKDR "sister" Painty.

Patchy grew into a very beautiful girl

The other four lucky pups were Eugenie and Lilac, while Ivo and Rosie were adopted as a pair.  Coincidentally, these last three were all from the same litter, even though the sharpei-cross youngsters have mixed in together and are very difficult to distinguish.  I had thought the tiny Waldo would be one of the first to go, but I was wrong.

We were also lucky enough to have two sets of donations from children who wanted to help the dogs and puppies in place of having birthday presents.  I'll post the photos when they arrive but I want to say a big thank you now, as the importance of educating children can't be underestimated.

Elke would make a perfect all-round family dog

Rosie and her litter made their debut last Sunday

I was really hoping that today would be Elke's last Whiskers N Paws, but it wasn't to be and she came back to Lamma with her friend Peaky.  It's not that Elke is unhappy, but at four months she has yet to wear a collar or see a car, and the longer she stays in the quiet backwater which has been her home for the past three months the harder it will be for her to adapt.  If nothing else I would really appreciate being able to send her to a foster home where she can learn the ropes before finding her forever home.  Elke is an incredibly sweet girl, very laid-back and easy, and she didn't bat an eyelid while having baby fingers poking her in the face.  She's old enough to be able to fit straight in with no fuss while still being young enough to be very much a puppy.   As I also mentioned yesterday, while I first thought that she and her brother Henry would grow into large adults, she is more sturdy than tall and the younger litter who are now around ten weeks old are just about the same size.

We will be getting more dogs from the  "home" that the recently-arrived-and-adopted "shorgi" and springer spaniel came from, some poodles and a bull terrier, but before they arrive I need to know if anyone would be interested in the bull terrier.  This is a breed that has devoted fans but isn't everyone's cup of tea.  They share the same intense loyalty that sharpeis have for their families, and that can be a very good thing but also a problem in certain situations. These are dogs that bond closely and anyone who adopts must absolutely make a lifelong commitment.

I do also need to once again make a comment about poodles, because of all the breeds these are the dogs that are adopted and returned with depressing regularity.   Their bad luck is that they have a coat which is suitable for people who are sensitive to regular dog hair so they are adopted on that basis, and without any consideration being given to the fact that this is a very emotional and highly-strung breed.  In fact I think it would be true to say that of all the breeds the poodle is the one most likely to bite if their handlers don't understand the poodle personality and temperament.  Treated properly they are fantastic little dogs who are incredibly smart, but few people really know how to bring the good side out of them.   I can envisage a time when all of the small dogs at HKDR are poodles that nobody wants.

Sat 20th Jan: Being reasonable in expectations

The "shorgi" is the one on the left

As expected, the young corgi-shiba cross was adopted in the morning and is now part of a happy three-dog family.   Other smaller dogs were picked up for fostering and Cindy was kept busy throughout the day with making arrangements, and hopefully at least one or maybe even two of the temporary homes may become permanent.

There are also at least a couple of Tai Po dogs on trial adoptions, and again hopefully with a change to adopted before too long.

Of course not all trial adoptions work out, and sometimes it's just that the dog isn't a good fit in that particular home, or the potential adopters realise that any dog isn't the right choice at this particular time.  Dogs come back with reports of not being toilet trained for example, then go to another home where they are perfectly clean, so it's obvious that the first match wasn't a happy one.  As I keep repeating, animals aren't machines that react to commands and situations in a specific way, and dogs are as varied in looks and behaviour as any child is.  They feel fear and stress, and pick up human traits and neuroses from their environment and families. Bad behaviour often reflects their owners' unhappiness, or is related to being left alone for very long hours for example.

No puppy is intentionally naughty, they don't even understand that concept

Puppies can't be expected to arrived perfectly toilet trained, any more than babies of the human kind don't have accidents even after they are out of diapers.  Just be reasonable and accept it for the unintentional mistake it was, clean up and carry on.  Puppies quickly become adults and this phase is very short-lived.

I suggest that even though dogs aren't humans and shouldn't be treated as such, it helps to ask "how would I feel in this situation" when there are problems with a new dog or puppy in the home.  If you can for a moment switch places and imagine how frightening it is to suddenly find yourself in a strange place with people you don't know, all trying hard to be nice to you or issuing commands and expecting an instant response, then you may want to take a step back and give some space.  Taking the pressure off really helps, and giving time for a dog to adjust without expectations is the best thing you can do. 

Teddy is a very typical poodle 

This applies particularly to highly-strung breeds like poodles, whose intelligence can also be their downfall.  Many poodles respond to inappropriate treatment by biting, but in the right home and with adopters or fosters who understand that less is more when it comes to changing behaviour, they can all make positive changes.

Nobby was in the same understanding foster home as Teddy

Fri 19th Jan: Acorn by the Sea 2018

The mass rabies vaccinating operation on Lamma took place as planned, with almost all of the dogs on the list receiving their shots, and even some who I thought would prove to be too difficult.  One of the main problems was the gathering of curious onlookers - all dogs - crowding round the gate trying to see what was going on and whose turn it was next.  In the end some fifty or so dogs were done and that will be it for another three years, for them at least.

Elke loves the terrace at Whiskers N Paws

After Dr Tony and vet nurse Hei had left, I took puppy Elke over to AFCD in Pokfulam for her own rabies vaccination even if she's not quite five months old, the required age for licensing.  Since there was nobody else at the Animal Management Centre I let her run around while I was waiting for her license to be issued, and she had a great time.  She's a fantastic puppy who would make a great family dog, and although at first I thought she and her brother Henry would be large sized adults I'm now inclined to think she's more chunky than tall.  Either way she will be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday afternoon, along with the two litters of sharpei-cross puppies who have now blended in together to form one large group of best friends.   There are also five of the beautiful litter of eight still waiting for their forever homes, so no shortage of choice that's for sure.

Two litters have become one

Olive is a regular guest on Sunday afternoons

One other dog who is almost always at Whiskers N Paws and who has been coming for couple of years now is corgi-cross Olive.  She's a funny girl who really loves Sunday afternoons and running around on the terrace, and while she appears to be very timid she's actually not if she knows you.  Regular volunteers are always being asked for attention and back scratches, and Olive's more than happy to be cuddled too.  Even as a shy girl she's never aggressive, and she's fine with cats as we know from a previous short trial.   The home that Olive would really love would be one with no young children as they tend to be too loud and unpredictable for most nervous dogs, and even better a woman-only household.  We thought Olive had found that perfect situation and she seemed to be very happy in that home, but the family are unable to commit to adoption at this time so Olive is still waiting.  If you can offer sweet Olive the home of her dreams, please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt).

In and out 

The new springer spaniel left to start her new life today after having been to Acorn for all of the necessaries, and the "shorgi" (shiba-corgi cross) should be heading out first thing on Saturday.  If only all adoptions were so quick and easy.