Fri 17th May: If you want Marvel, meet Spartacus first

Spartacus is 1 year old and a grown-up version of Marvel 

There have been a lot of enquiries about Marvel the Malinois puppy, and I can't deny that he's very handsome and also a sweet boy, but anyone wanting to adopt him really needs to meet our other young Malinois, one year-old Spartacus, to appreciate what's probably in store.  Spartacus is also a lovely dog who's always desperate for attention, and the breed in general needs this as well as mental stimulation (as in games and training) and lots of exercise.  They have incredible strength and stamina, which is why they have replaced the German shepherd as police dogs.  If you think about Marvel's swim from (we assume) a boat to the safety of dry land at only six months of age, you can appreciate what that took in terms of physical and mental determination.

That's why we are asking potential adopters who have applied to take Marvel home to meet Spartacus too, and consider one of the many other sweet-natured beautiful puppies of the same age as Marvel as they are going to be much easier as adults.  For first-time owners a Malinois is really not a suitable breed, and many are abandoned once they are no longer puppies, just like Spartacus was.

Inca found her forever family today, yay!

One of the puppies we have been recommending as being lovely, even-tempered and perfect for families was Inca, and she was adopted today.  There are still others in her litter, Portman and Libby, who are also just as sweet, plus the many others who are waiting for that lucky day when they will be chosen.

As well as the puppies at Tai Po we have so many at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre too, and while the smaller/younger ones will be at Concordia Pet Care on Saturday afternoon, there are still going to be many left behind.  The bigger ones are just waiting until there's space at Tai Po before they too will make the trip up to the Big Place, and so the cycle continues.

Portman (l) and Libby, both super-sweet

Leo suddenly went blind at just 3 years of age

I was planning to send one of  my Lamma dogs to Acorn to see Dr Tony, as Leo had recently and suddenly gone blind, a condition known as SARDS (Sudden Aquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome).  It's bad enough for any dog owner to find their normally-sighted dog has lost all vision overnight, but for the dog it's very scary and confusing.  If an animal is born blind or loses sight gradually, then they cope with not being able to see quite well, but Leo has retreated to hiding under a bed and only comes out when he absolutely has to.  It doesn't help that he's a naturally timid dog who won't let me touch him, so the prospect of getting him into a crate and sending him on a boat and then in the van was really a concern.  The reason I wanted him to see Dr Tony was because one eye was watering and appeared to be enlarged, but as often happens when I checked in the morning before getting ready to try and catch Leo, the eye seemed less swollen and the weeping had stopped so I decided on the wait-and-see approach.