Mon 13th May: Important reminders

Mochi is a gorgeous girl, and still waiting for a home

There were two important reminders today, one of which is the reason why we will never reserve dogs or hold them after they are adopted.  After fully expecting one of our Tai Po dogs to be leaving to go a home today following lengthy and detailed discussions with the would-be adopter, it all fell through when she didn't turn up and then emailed to say she was allergic to dog hair.   As always, initial disappointment quickly turned into relief that this happened before the dog was taken home, and also that we hadn't agreed to hold the one chosen.

The second reminder came when a friend lost her dog, and it's that all dogs should have a contact number attached to their collar, and collars should be comfortable enough to be left on all the time.  Harnesses are good for walking dogs but not for indoors, and there is always the danger of a dog going missing when the harness is off.   You only have to see the number of Lost Dog posts on Facebook to know that it's not uncommon, especially with dogs that are new, nervous or have just moved to an unfamiliar neighbourhood.  Even friendly dogs that have somehow slipped out or wandered off may be assumed to have been abandoned if they aren't wearing a collar, and even better with a telephone number attached so the owner can be contacted.  Microchips work, of course, but only if the contact details of the owner are kept up to date with AFCD, and that rarely happens. Do you inform AFCD of your new address or phone number when it changes?  There's a space on the back of the dog license which is specifically for that purpose, but I suspect most people haven't ever noticed it.

This malinois turned up today

Talking of lost dogs, not for the first time a dog has turned up in the Lamma bay where I live, this time swimming ashore and luckily being noticed by my neighbours.  It's a malinois (Belgian shepherd) doglet, and I'll be sending it to Tai Po after scanning for a microchip.   I'm assuming it either fell or was pushed off a boat, and while I hope an owner can be traced I'm not too optimistic.

Some dogs and puppies did leave both our Ap Lei Chau and Tai Po Homing Centres today, but not yet as adoptions so I'll hold back on names.  There was one foster-turned-adoption though, as little Panda officially became a family member.

Panda (right) officially joined the family

It's another short week again, so only a few days until the next Puppy Afternoon at Concordia Pet Care on Saturday, and then Whiskers N Paws on Sunday.  In case you missed it, here's the lovely album of puppy photos from last Sunday  Puppy Adoption Day 12 May 2019— at Whiskers N Paws, and you can also meet most of the available puppies any day of the week at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, 5 Wai Fung Street, open every single day from 10am to 6pm.