Mon 29th April: Not a quiet day after all

It was one of those crazy days today, totally unexpected as the van was tied up collecting a large amount of ex-hotel sheets (I assume from the now-closed Excelsior), and as far as I was aware there weren't any dogs or puppies to be taken out of AFCD.  I had to go to the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre office to do some admin work but other than that I was free - or so I thought.  I was on the MTR to Admiralty when I got a message from AFCD to say that they were packed with new dogs (around twenty) plus many puppies if I could come and take any out.  Without the van I knew that wouldn't be possible but I immediately turned around and went to Pokfulam to see what and who was there so I could at least plan ahead for Tuesday.

There are mini-me Tusks at AFCD now

A lot of the new intake at AFCD were older puppies from Stanley Barracks, gorgeous doglets, and couple instantly recognisable as being from the same family as Tusk and Ivory, with others having a very German shepherdish look.   They all have to do the obligatory four days, though I have not idea why as they are unwanted.  However with the government rules are rules and God forbid any common sense should filter through.

The others were younger puppies, all happy and friendly, but there were so many of them and we are already overflowing.  It's a terrible situation and very sad, as there seems to be no end to the breeders and pet shops, and people buying and importing puppies from overseas with the strange notion that breeders in Australia and elsewhere are somehow better or kinder than those in Hong Kong.  They're not.

One side of the kennel block was filled with very sad-looking dogs that were rescued from the horrific shelter that has been in the news the past day or so, and with so many to accommodate they have been shared between the four AFCD Animal Management Centres, and I assume those in the worst condition have gone to SPCA.  The dogs appeared shell-shocked, not moving or responding, and I wonder if they knew how close to death they had been.  The space and conditions at AFCD must seem like paradise compared to where they had come from, and I was told they were all eating like crazy.  No surprise there since they had been starved for so long.  The sad truth is that many of these dogs will probably be put to sleep anyway, as they have no owner and no place to go.  I'm sure some can be saved, and we will try to take as many as we can, but there are so many of them.  I asked if they had microchips, and some do but they are ISO chips implanted by TNR volunteers, not the AVID microchips used in Hong Kong.  The ISO chips would only be of use to identify which of the dogs has been desexed, and rather than being returned to where they came from they had been placed in the shelter.  At least for now the dogs have a place to stay and food to eat, and we will assess what can be done once all of the other dogs and puppies have been sorted.

Baby Panda

There was one lone baby pup in the back of the kennels, and I couldn't leave her there so I took her out and back to Ap Lei Chau in a tiny cardboard box I'd been given but one of the AFCD staff.  They called her Panda and it's clear why, so Panda she is.

It's on Tuesday and there will be tickets available at the door too

The funny thing is I had asked that if possible Tuesday would be clear of all dog-related work as I will be going to the evening Raise the Woof comedy evening and preferred not to smell of dogs as I normally do, especially after an AFCD/Acorn day.  Now the opposite will happen and Tuesday will be a full-on dog day and I'm sure I will smell.  That's the way life is on the wild side, so please don't mind me just come along and have a laugh.  If you haven't already booked there will be tickets available at the door, so I hope to see you there.