Mon 11th March: Dogs are our family

Whatever the true story is, Lola is now at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre

Every day is unpredictable, which can be good or bad depending on what ends up happening.  Apart from a scheduled afternoon meeting I didn't have any other plans, but then I got an email asking for help with a dog that someone was taking care of temporarily, and over the course of the day the story developed into an urgent request for help.  In the end it was the actual owner who brought her bichon frise to our Homing Centre, but not until well after our normal closing time.  Thanks to Iris, who was also very concerned about the dog, we now have the bichon girl safely with us although the stories from the two women concerned are so different it's impossible to know what the truth is. 

This variation on the real story is often an issue, and it's very worrying.  I think it's a natural human tendency to believe what people say, which is why so many are taken in by con artists.  On Sunday a woman took some puppies to Acorn and told the staff I had agreed to accept them, which was simply a lie and I only knew about it when I was told I could pick the puppies up.   (In the end another group accepted them).

Cotton was so scared at her first puppy afternoon I sent her back

The situation can also be reversed, when we're the ones being accused of knowingly homing sick puppies when again this just isn't so.  We know from years of experience that young puppies can easily become sick if stressed, and this happens a lot after Sunday afternoons when puppies are constantly being picked up and carried around, often by children who handle them too roughly.   On Mondays many puppies have diarrhoea or are just under the weather. We tried keeping the younger pups in a pen and asked that they weren't taken outside, but when it was clear that didn't work we moved them inside the store.   If you come to Whiskers N Paws on Sundays you may have noticed that we now have the younger and smaller puppies indoors and inside the purpose-built puppy area,  while the older ones can play outside on the terrace.   This has helped a lot with the problem of puppies being carried off for hours of cuddling, but it's still stressful for the little ones to be crated and sent to Whiskers N Paws.  Just this past Sunday I had to send one new older puppy back to the Homing Centre as she was so scared away from the place she felt safe in, and I will always send any puppy I suspect of being stressed or sick back, or at the very least put it in a crate to have a break and calm down.

The welfare and wellbeing of the dogs and puppies is always a priority, because unlike the breeders and pet shop staff (who I often see at AFCD showing complete disregard for the poor puppies), everyone at HKDR cares deeply about them.  They aren't just dogs, they are individuals who for the time they are with us will get as much love and care as any dog or puppy that is part of a family.  In fact we are their family for as long as they need us.