Tues 9th July: Very happy news!

Tina's freedom days are over

I'm so glad to be able to share the news that runaway terrier Tina is now back with us at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre after a very carefully planned and executed "Trap and Return" exercise by a group of HKDR volunteers and Iris, the Homing Centre Manager.  We already knew that Tina was going to the same place on the Ap Lei Chau waterfront park every night,  so luring her into a cage with food wasn't too difficult and everything went as planned.  Other than saying thank you to the volunteers who have been out a few times to try to catch Tina, I should also say a big thank you to the members of the public who responded to the Lost Dog posters and let us know where Tina was hanging out.  Everyone has been so helpful and it's been a great community effort.  Now we have to get Tina to the vet without her escaping again, and get everything done that need to be done.  I hope and assume that she'll quickly settle down at the Homing Centre as she's always been in a home and was never a stray.

Coincidentally I saw a dog at AFCD that had been caught by the AFCD dog catching team at the same place that Tina had been living, so I asked the Homing Centre if they knew of any dog that had been reported missing from a boat and was sent a photo of a "Lost Dog" poster.  The dog looked exactly like the one at AFCD so I really hope there will be another happy ending to that case too.  Both of these stories show that posters really do work, as well as social media sharing, so if you lose your dog that's the first thing you should do after reporting to AFCD and SPCA.

A dog like this is so easily recognisable

I was right in thinking that someone would recognise the Great Dane that we took from AFCD, so we now know everything about him as well as having photos from the time he was a puppy right through to his fifth birthday.  However it doesn't change the fact that he is still in need of a new home, and while he may be enormous this breed can't walk for miles so exercise needs are actually minimal, and swimming is the best thing for them.   We know that Tiny loves swimming, so anyone living by the sea would be the ideal home for him.  He's great with people and extremely gentle, and he loves being with the puppies at the Homing Centre too, so a home with other dogs, cats and children would be fine.

A few dogs have been leaving for trial adoptions but I won't mention names until there's confirmed news.  Watch this space.