Sat 31st Aug: Last call for August adoptions

Whitey-now-Gandalf looks at his new sister

It was Whitey's turn today as his solo sampan trip over to Ap Lei Chau turned out to be his last as he joined his new family.  Whitey is now Gandalf, and he has a new "sister" to help take care of in his new forever home.

Baby Noodle going home

Another one of the dogs that arrived as part of the same intake as Whitey was dachshund-cross Gretel, and as she was still full of milk it was clear there were puppies somewhere.  After asking about them we were sent one, supposedly Gretel's although not looking anything like her, but as Gretel had just been spayed and we had an adopter already lined up for baby Noodle we didn't reunite mother and daughter.   Noodle is now happily in a lovely new home so not available for adoption, but we are expecting more puppies that will be needing foster homes please.  Contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help, thanks.

Scuba is his foster home

There are more lucky foster dogs to write about as gorgeous little Scuba met his new family today, and puppy Astrid will be staying with her foster parents.  I'm waiting for confirmation but I think older puppy Julia will also be off the available list after having been in her temporary home for some time now.

We'll be kicking off September with Sunday afternoon at Whiskers N Paws with lots of beautiful puppies hoping to be the lucky ones chosen, remembering of course that every day is adoption day at HKDR as our Homing Centres are open every single day of the year - no exception.

Fri 30th Aug: You have one day left

Earlybird offer ends on 1st September

You have one day left to buy Earlybird tickets for this year's big fundraising party "Bohemian Pupsody" (an Evening with Teddie Mercury) as the special offer ends with the last day of August, although of course the event itself takes place on Saturday 21st September.  As I've mentioned a couple of times, this fundraiser is going to be especially important to us as Peak to Fong, at least in its traditional form, won't be happening this year so we need to make up for lost income by ensuring "BoPup" is a massive success.  Get your friends together to make up a table and come to support and have a great time.  Visit our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com/event/charityparty/sponsors for details and ticket enquiries.

Holly has a lookalike sister now

As arranged, two lucky Tai Po dogs went to their respective new homes today.  Holly now has a lookalike sister to play with, while Oscar will also have an ex-HKDR sister as part of his family.  We're always extra happy when adopters come back for a second dog as there's nothing better than two four-legged friends enjoying each other's company.  It also take the pressure off the humans to provide full-time entertainment for a single dog, and means there will always be someone else at home if the two-legs need to go out.

Dini is incredibly cute

I was back at Acorn today with two small dogs, one a little black poodle called Sparky who came to us covered with mange (scabies) and very thin.  He's recovering well so he should be ready to go to a home in a couple of weeks.

The other dog was Dini, full name Houdini after his initial disappearing act when he first arrived.  His is a strange case which was initially assumed to be tick fever but turned out not to be, so he had a scan today to rule out anything suspicious internally.  There was nothing seen, and I suspect the problem is just that Dini's appetite is poor and he may just be sad at having lost whatever he had in his previous life (we don't know what that was).  He's a young boy, a gorgeous terrier no more than a year old, so we can just wait and hope that his spirits perk up soon.

I'll be at Whiskers N Paws with loads of puppies on Sunday, so if that's what you're looking for please come along.  We don't post the younger pups on our website because they grow and change so quickly, but there's always plenty available.

Please remember to complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt) if you're interested in any size or age of dog so we can suggest those most suitable.

Thurs 29th Aug: Little dogs and leptospirosis

Looking good after their haircuts

Opting to keep my sneezing and runny nose to myself I stayed at home again, only sending some dogs from the Lamma Home for Small Delinquents over to Ap Lei Chau for haircuts.  Iris is an expert at handling little snappers and has been training assistant Suet to do the same, a skill that comes in very handy when dealing with difficult dogs.

Hailey at Ap Lei Chau today

I spent a large part of the day trying to sort out the situation with currently-incarcerated Otis, and finally got the answer I was waiting for and the story behind what happened, who was responsible and how the two dogs ended up being tied up outside SPCA.  I'm hoping Otis will be released soon, and with Hailey already safely with us at Ap Lei Chau my focus is going to be finding her a new home. Given her loving and very sweet nature and the fact that she's brilliant with young children, and cats too, I really hope a nice family will come along soon. 

Oscar at Acorn on the day I took him out of AFCD

I mentioned one lucky dog from Tai Po that was going to be going to a new home on Friday, but there's actually two of them leaving spearately.  Holly is the ex-Ap Lei Chau puppy while newish boy Oscar came from AFCD not too long ago.  He just happened to match what someone was looking for, so again it was the right timing.

You may have heard or read that there are a lot of cases of leptospirosis at the moment, thanks to the recent heavy rain.  I've chosen to share the VSH information about the disease because I think it's important to be aware that the lepto vaccinations being currently recommended DO NOT protect your dogs against all strains.  The best way to keep your pets safe is to stay away from water, other than the sea, as tempting as it is in hot weather to let them have a swim or paddle.  The disease is bacterial so treatable with antibiotics as long as it's caught in the early stages and before too much damage is done.  Please inform yourself about the symptoms if you take your dogs to places where there could be sources of infection, and act quickly if you suspect your dog is sick.

Weds 28th Aug: Facing death for being afraid

Otis and Hailey in happier days 

Wednesdays are usually my days off, but I needed to go to AFCD to get Hailey out as it had already been two days since she and her "brother" Otis has been left tied to the railings outside SPCA in Wanchai.  What makes the whole sad story even worse is that in his fear and confusion Otis bit one of the SPCA staff as they were untying the dogs, so he is now a "Biter Dog" on Death Row at AFCD.  I'm so angry about this, and just wish I could get the ex-owner to personally face what's happened to the dogs that were promised a home for life.

I spent a long time going through all of the correspondence from the time both Hailey and Otis were adopted, and found exactly those words: my wife and I would never give a dog up.  Well, not only did the dogs lose their home but the wife became an ex too, so I suppose it's true that "never" is a dangerous word.   Anyway my reason for going through past emails was to find information on Otis, who used to be Pingu, as I recalled he had been in another home and then one or two fosters, and that he was always a nervous type.  We had him marked as not being suitable for a home with young children, so it's not really surprising that he bit in panic at being tied up and left on the street.  Can you imagine how the dogs felt at seeing their owner walk away while they couldn't follow?  How cowardly and despicable to do something like that, and now as a result one of the dogs is facing death for being so afraid.

Hailey is free and safe, while Otis is not

This has always been my issue with AFCD, that dogs that are terrified are deemed to be dangerous, or biters, not suitable for re-homing, and then tragically the death they fear so much is what happens to them.  I can't count the number of times I've seen a dog's behaviour change completely the moment they leave their AFCD kennel, and it was even the same for Hailey when I took her out today.  At first she was growling  (in her kennel) but as soon as we walked out of the gate to the Centre she was happy, and jumped into the taxi with me without any problem.

I took Hailey to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre even though there's not really any space for her to stay, and she needs a new home now.  She's always been a lovely dog, very sweet and medium-sized, and of all the dogs I know she deserves a new start in life.  Please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt) if you think you can give Hailey that chance.

Always trying to balance bad news with some good, one of the young Tai Po dogs (an ex-Ap Lei Chau puppy) was chosen today, but as she won't be picked up until Friday I won't say her name just yet.   I hope the two older puppies who were sent to the big Homing Centre today, Tomlin and Phoenix, will also be as lucky soon.

Tues 27th Aug: Poor Hailey

Hailey in 2013

I'm still officially on sick leave but that only means working from home, which today included one case which made my blood boil.

Hailey was one of a litter that I took from AFCD in 2012, and she was first fostered by someone, and subsequently adopted.  The same person  later took another dog, one I called Pingu was who was renamed Otis. 

Pingu who became Otis

The next time I heard from this adopter it was to tell me (via Facebook) that he had left Hong Kong and had started a new life (with a new wife) in Macau, and therefore wanted to return the dogs.  I found out at that time that the dogs' licenses had never been updated because "nobody told me", and in the end the now ex-wife kept the dogs, even though she didn't really want to.  Fast foward to today and I got a message from AFCD telling me that two dogs had been found stray (actually they were tied up outside SPCA) and one of them was Hailey.  The other one I assume is Pingu but won't know for sure until I go to AFCD on Wednesday to take Hailey out. 

Josie has been adopted, for good this time

Still there was good news to balance the bad, as another dog that had been adopted and then returned with the usual "moving house" excuse found her new family and this time I'm sure Josie will be staying.

Spencer is staying where he is

One more dog was adopted, this time by his foster family who found they couldn't bear to part with him when he was due to meet a potential adopter.  Spencer is now officially staying put

Today's new boy puppy Radar

Ming the driver went to AFCD today to take out three puppies I'd seen there last week, so they are now at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, ready and waiting to meet any potential adopters.

Pretty girl Eliza 

Mon 26th Aug: Looking ahead to the autumn

Puppy Hazel

The second round of photos from Sunday's Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon can be seen here

 Puppy Adoption Day 25 August 2019 - Part Two , and thanks to Marco Lam for so many beautiful shots.  You can meet many of these pups at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre while others are in foster homes but also available to meet by arrangement.

Salad leaving to start her new life

We also have quite a few slightly older puppies who miss out on adoption events if the weather means they can't be outside, and one of them was chosen today from the Homing Centre today.  Salad has been with us for some time, during the awful outbreak of disease which meant all puppies needed to be quarantined.  Once things had settled we had those in Salad's group tested for any signs of the distemper virus, and happily all were negative so we could safely let them mix, and be put up for adoption

I can hardly believe it will be September on Sunday as the months have sped by and it's almost autumn.  It's been a good year for adoptions so far, although never high enough to make a dent in the number of dogs we have to look after, especially at our Tai Po Homing Centre.   There are so many that I'm convinced will be with us for just a short time before being adopted, but I'm wrong too often.  Timing and luck are everything in the game of life, as well as just being in the right place at the right time. 

As you'll know if you read my blog, September means the beginning of the fundraising season, and unfortunately due to the current upheavals in Hong Kong we won't be able to hold our traditional Peak to Fong event in November.  We're looking at alternative venues that aren't public areas, but for now we're concentrating on "Bohemian Pupsody" which is taking place at the Aberdeen Marina Club on Saturday 21st September, with guest hosts Vita Starkin and DJ Barry Gold. 

These fundraising events are hugely important to us and we're obviously extremely disappointed that the biggest one of all won't be happening, at least in the form of the walk from the Peak to Lan Kwai Fong.  That means we're relying more than ever on the one big evening event that will be taking place, and asking that you help by donating prizes for the auctions, or even better by buying tickets and being there on the night to show your support. 

The Earlybird discount runs until 1st September, so you have the rest of the week to get your friends together to make up a table.
Please visit our website https://hongkongdogrescue.com/event/charityparty/sponsors/ for all details, including ticket purchase.

Sun 25th Aug: Another puppy afternoon

I have to admit I wasn't feeling too well before leaving for Whiskers N Paws, and by the end of an afternoon of non-stop talking I was very grateful to get home, where I'll be staying on Monday.  The storms at night plus heavy rain don't help when it comes to getting much sleep, as I'm sure many dog owners can understand, especially if you have dogs on the bed that need reassuring every time there's a thunderclap.

Magic was a popular boy today

Older puppy Magic was a popular boy at Whiskers N Paws today and if possible we would have cloned him, but there was only one lucky family who got to take him home. 
Suzie, who is possibly Magic's mother, was also adopted, as well as puppy Apple.

Apple should get plenty of attention in her new home

Suzie going home

Two other small adults came along, Whitey and Scuba.  Both are very sweet dogs, with Whitey being very calm and quiet, while Scuba is lively and great with children (he's currently in a foster home with a toddler).

Sweet boy Whitey

Scuba's a great little dog, and great with children too

We had two volunteer photographers today, with Rodger So coming back for the second day in a row  Puppy Adoption Day 25 August 2019 and Marco Lam making a welcome return after a break.  I don't have Marco's album yet so that will be shared tomorrow, or later today on our HKDR Facebook page.

If you are interested in adopting any of the puppies please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt) as a first step.  Thank you.

Sat 24th Aug: Working at WeWork

Kerry, Spencer and Humbug played for as long as they could 

I knew that Humbug the Frenchie wouldn't be with us for long and I was right, he was adopted almost immediately but not before enjoying lots of play with puppy Kerry first, and later Spencer when he arrived with his foster parent.   It was non-stop wrestling until the dogs left the venue at WeWork in Wyndam Street, leaving Kerry to have all the attention from volunteers to herself (which she enjoyed tremendously).  Rodger So was the volunteer photographer at WeWork for the afternoon, and thanks to him for the lovely photos shown here   Puppy Adoption Day 24 August 2019 

Humbug's new daddy and friend 

Freddie has a forever home now

Freddie the puppy was also adopted very quickly, even though his new family had originally come to meet Magic.  As it turned out Magic's foster family had found him a potential home so asked to be excused from the adoption event, and I'm waiting to hear how that went.  In any case Freddie is a gorgeous puppy, and I'm only surprised that he was still with us after his two brothers had already been adopted on previous Sundays.

Winston's foster family found him a lovely forever home

Another foster puppy whose temporary family found him a loving new home is Winston, and he popped by to say hello and goodbye for the last time before starting his new life.

Whitey is a very sweet and easy boy

I'd brought Whitey over from Lamma with me, as well as little poodle boy Theo, thinking both would have fosters or be adopted directly from the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre. As it turned out neither were lucky, so I brought Whitey back with me at the end of the afternoon while Theo stayed at the Centre.  Both are sweet boys, and Whitey will be making the crossing back to Ap Lei Chau again on Sunday if you're interested in a very calm, easy and affectionate little dog.

Theo is a much happier boy than when he first arrived

We'll be back with the puppies at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday, including one lovely doglet who had been adopted previously, the first of her litter to be chosen as it happened.  Despite promises of loving her forever, Lottie's adopters lasted just a few months before giving her up and I'm sure you all know how I feel about that.  All four puppies in this litter were lovely characters, and while Ernie, Phoebe and Sadie will never be abandoned by their families, poor Lottie is hoping that she will get a second chance soon.

Gorgeous Lottie is back with us at Ap Lei Chau

Fri 23rd Aug: Preparing for the weekend

It's going to be a busy weekend for me as there are adoption afternoons on both Saturday and Sunday, and the WeWork event also means having to take all the equipment along as well as the dogs.  As Foster Coordinator Cindy's stand-in for now, I've been trying to work out how many dogs and puppies we'll have there, and wondering how many of the new arrivals from Thursday will be suitable.

Older puppy Magic has been in foster for the past week

I took them all to Acorn today for their check-ups and vaccinations, and only one of them is really well and calm enough to handle the travel and the crowds (hopefully), and that's the one I called Whitey (guess what colour he is?)  The female that looks like a dachshund cross had recently been feeding puppies and is still full of milk, and it's horrible to wonder where her babies are and why she was taken from them.  One of the black poodles has scabies, which is very obvious, while the other isn't bad in terms of health but thin and too scared to attend any kind of event.

Fuzzy's just a small girl 

We did get two more new dogs today, one a gorgeous fuzzy girl who was originally dropped off at Tai Po but is really quite small so moved to Ap Lei Chau.  The other was found as a stray and without any microchip, and he's what can only be described as a tong bulldog, that's like a French bulldog but of the local Hong Kong variety.  His coat is like a typical short-coated mongrel but his size and build is French bulldog.  He's young a lovely and I feel pretty sure he won't be with us for long.

Funny little Humbug 

Apart from planning the weekend and hoping that the possible typhoon will stay away, the "Bohemian Pupsody" fundraiser is another item on my "to do" list, and that includes soliciting for auction prizes.  We have some amazing things already offered, including original artwork and incredible holidays.  A full list of everything that will be available in both the live and silent auctions will be published as soon as it's finalised and outside bids will be accepted.  Remember to buy tickets before the 1st of September to take advantage of the Earlybird offer!

Thurs 22nd Aug: New arrivals

One mix of whatever

I was out all afternoon doing things related to the upcoming fundraiser "Bohemian Pupsody" but got back to Ap Lei Chau just as four new smaller dogs had been dropped off by Kaz of Freedom Rides (and thanks once again for this wonderful delivery service).  We had no idea what to expect even though I'd seen photos of a couple of poodle types, because often what turns up is completely different from what we've been told.  Once again one of the poodles wasn't included, and instead we got two black poodles, a brindle-coloured mix that resembles a long-haired dachshund and another short-legged mix of whatever.   One of the poodles had a bad case of scabies (mange) so we immediately separated him from the other three, and on Thursday they'll all go to Acorn for a proper health and age assessment, plus licensing and vaccinations.

A bit of dachshund perhaps?

It appears that these four new dogs haven't come from the same place as the many previous small dogs we've taken in over the past few months so I'm not sure that they're going to be ready or suitable for the weekend adoption events.  The previous intakes were all in good condition, young and friendly, so I really won't know until after Friday's vet visit what the situation will be.  Of course we still have plenty of puppies, young and a bit older, small-sized up to large, so there's not shortage of candidates for WeWork in Central on Saturday, 1pm to 4pm, or Whiskers N Paws on Sunday at the usual time of 2pm to 5pm. Remember to complete the Adoption Questionnaire in advance if you're planning on coming to any outside adoption events or our Homing Centres, and you can find the form on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt).

Weds 21st Aug: New small dogs need foster homes

Buddy is staying in hos foster home for ever

There'll be new small dogs arriving at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre on Thursday, and if they're healthy and suitable for immediate adoption we can take them to the WeWork adoption event this Saturday afternoon.  In the meantime we'd like to send them to foster homes, as this home-stay arrangement has been working well for the dogs so they can move directly from one home to another or even better, stay where they are.  Today it was the turn of Buddy and puppy Pebble (now Apple) to have their adoptions confirmed by their foster parents, while poodle Womble (now Milo) moved from foster to adopted in a new home. 

Pebble last month

I know that two of the anticipated new small dogs are of the poodly variety, meaning they may not be actual poodles but have the same coat.  At the moment I don't know who or what the others will be like other than small sized.
Please email foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you take take in a small four-legged guest, and don't worry, you won't be obligated to adopt unless you really want to.   You will, however, be provided with everything you need in terms of food, bed, bowls and so on, and any vet costs will be covered by HKDR during the fostering period.

Womble moved from a foster to a forever home

Some of the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre guests

Of course we also have lots of lovely puppies that are in need of homes, and you can meet some of them at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre while there are quite a few in foster homes too.  Here are some of the available puppies   Puppy Adoption Day 18 August 2019 



 I'm going to be out and about on Thursday doing things related to the upcoming "Bohemian Pupsody" fundraiser taking place on Saturday 21st September.  At this stage of the planning it's really starting to get busy and everyone involved is putting a tremendous amount of time and effort into helping, and anyone who has been to previous events will know what an amazing result is achieved.  Remember we don't have a professional events team, and what you see is the efforts of volunteers.

Check out this links for information and ticket purchase https://hongkongdogrescue.com/event/charityparty/

Tues 20th Aug: Please walk your dogs

I think it's Buffalo sitting on Pablo 

I meet a lot of Tai Po dogs at Acorn as they're leaving following surgery or treatment, and today it was Pablo and Buffalo who'd been having "the snip", poor boys.  They didn't seem too happy about it as they were sitting in the back seat of the van, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, at least for the boys whose desexed status is pretty obvious.  For the unlucky females who come to us as adults, it's not unusual for them to be opened up only to find they've already been spayed.

Not-Benji when he first arrived

There was good news today about gorgeous Benji who was having a trial adoption to see how he and the resident poodle got on.  Funnily the poodle is also called Benji so we had to refer to our fuzzy boy as not-Benji, but as the adoption has now been confirmed he can have a new name.  Not-Benji was also at Acorn today to have a split lip repaired some front teeth removed, both of which were the result of an old injury. His reward was being made a permanent member of the family, so he and poodle Benji can continue with their hours of playing forever.

I've mentioned many times how important play is for dogs, especially puppies, and although I think most dogs would prefer to have a four-legged friend at home, if that's not possible then they should at least be able to meet with other dogs on a daily basis to enjoy playtime with friends.  I don't think there are many humans who have the time, energy and patience to run around at top speed or roll and wrestle for hours in the way that dogs do.  It's very saddening to know that many dogs are never given the opportunity to play, and even barely leave their homes.  Going out for walks is about more than just exercise, it's for many more things too, and I found this illustration which I think is helpful when it comes to explaining.

Our fundraising "Bohemian Pupsody" event is just a month away now, and the team are very busy getting everything prepared for the big night.  Earlybird tickets are available until 1st September, so you won't want to miss out.

Due to these uncertain times, it seems likely that Peak to Fong won't be possible this year but don't worry, we will have something else to replace the traditional walk and venue, and it will still be P2F.  Watch out for news of where and when this will be happening.