Thurs 5th July: Always something happening

Siblings Frisbee, Nattie and Oyster

I really enjoy going to the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre and watching the dogs and puppies playing.  There are all ages, ranging from tiny-but-bold baby pups Rum and Raisin tottering around on their little legs and completely fearless, and even blind poodle Stevie joins in the games. He was (gently) dragging one of the small pups round like a floormop, but not hurting, while all of the others were similarly engaged in their own entertainment.  It's so lovely to see these dogs and puppies that really have little or no connection to each other yet getting on so well, and it underlines the need dogs have for companionship and play.  Of course we want them all to find their own homes, but they are happy at the Homing Centre and that means a lot to us.

Frisbee, Nattie and Oyster were weak and sick when they first arrived

Two puppies  that really found the Homing Centre noise and chaos too much moved back to Lamma today, while four new puppies from AFCD moved in.  Tinker and Taylor had been in hiding since Sunday when I thought that they needed socialisation, but they were overwhelmed by the crowds and that wasn't helping.  They were so happy to be back in the place that they were familiar with, but I have to keep trying.

Fuzzy Taylor moved back to Lamma today

The new puppies are the two beautiful black fluffies, Diamond (surprise!) and Jet, and a pair of little tan pixies, Jack and Jill.  We have so many puppies at the Homing Centre now and they are available to meet every day of the week except Sunday afternoons when they will be at Whiskers N Paws of course.

The weather has been very strange, with heavy rain reported at Tai Po while on Hong Kong and Lamma it was dry all day.  Still, despite the downpours at the big Homing Centre another one of the dogs was chosen, and Cheryl will go home on Saturday.

My blog really skims over what happens on a daily basis at HKDR as there is really too much to write about in detail, and you can imagine that with six hundred-plus dogs in our care there are always vet visits and emergencies to deal with (and thank you to Acorn for being so accommodating!).  The staff at both Homing Centres always have a lot to deal with, and there is never an end to the work. 

Bunty is old and has to be fed through a feeding tube

Iris is even taking her work home with her as little Bunty, one of the small dogs from the closed-down shelter, needs to be fed every couple of hours via a feeding tube in her neck, a task that Iris has taken on herself.  Bunty is gaining some weight but she needs to start eating by herself, so it's important that she is strong enough to do that.

Bunty came from this closed-down shelter