Fri 31st May: Another dog and the weekend coming up

New schnauzer boy, 5 years old, now called Hopper

Yet another little dog joined us at Ap Lei Chau today, a five year-old schnauzer boy who seems to suffer from separation anxiety, something that's quite common in smaller breeds and especially poodles and schnauzers.  I suspect it has a lot to do with them having been taken too young from their mothers and then separated from siblings, subsequently relying on their human families for comfort, play and everything else.

Lack of early socialisation affects a dog's whole life, which is why it's always upsetting to see people apply to adopt when the puppy (or even adult) will be left alone all day.  Dogs are animals that naturally live in family groups and are never solitary, so to keep a single dog on its own for many hours is wrong, and even worse a puppy.  Although dogs aren't humans, using the baby analogy is a good way to explain the situation, as in would you leave a toddler alone all day, every day, and expect it to amuse and train itself?   Puppies learn from watching adult dogs and playing with siblings (or at least other puppies), as well as their human families, and we see the results of early isolation, and even caging, all the time.   I hope this new schnauzer boy will enjoy having the company of so many other young and happy dogs at the Homing Centre, just as we have seen so many others open up and change once they come to us.

Cat turned into a very sweet and happy girl

Little Cat, mother of the Kitten Litter, was just such a dog, shy and withdrawn when she first arrived but becoming a very sweet and happy girl after a while.  Cat left the Homing Centre today for a trial adoption, and it was the first time I realised that her tail curled up and over as I had previously only seen it down.

The weather at the moment could best be described as unstable, but it won't affect the puppy afternoons at Concordia Pet Care on Saturday, or Whiskers N Paws on Sunday, even if we can't use the outdoor terrace.  As a reminder once again we have a lot of puppies staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre so you don't even need to wait for the weekend to meet them, and the same applies to our puppies in foster homes.  Chelsea, for example, is a gorgeous four month-old girl who has been in foster for a few weeks so is really used to living as part of a family.  She's toilet trained, super-affectionate, playful and very pretty (like a whippet), so if you would like to meet her please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com to arrange, or come to Whiskers N Paws on Sunday.

Chelsea is in a loving foster home and can be seen any day

Even more than those puppies who get to be seen at the adoption afternoons, please remember that we also have lots of really lovely slightly older puppies staying at our Tai Po Homing Centre, and you can meet them any day of the week between 10am and 6pm.  I'm glad that I don't have to choose between them because they are all sweet-natured and will make fantastic family members.

Just some of the Tai Po puppies waiting for homes