Thurs 12th Sept: Wines and staycations

Teddy and Tommy have a loving home for life

Two especially noteworthy things happened today, not counting the signing of the Tai Po lease extension,  the first of which was the surrender and subsequent adoption a few hours later of the two shih tzu boys.  They're young and gorgeous, and I knew I had a shih tzu fan waiting for a new dog to fill the hole left after the loss of a previous one.  Everything worked out and both dogs now have a wonderful new home and life.

Buy a case of 12 for only $500

The second thing was the donation of another large batch of high-end wines which are now stacked in the entrance of our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre ready to be sorted by me on Friday.  We're selling these at $50 a bottle or $500 for a case of twelve, so if you want to come and buy or even just to help me go through them all to sort the red from the white and rose,  come any time.  I'll be there in the afternoon after two o'clock, and any help would be very welcome.


When I write my blog every morning there's obviously a lot of things I don't mention, the day-to-day goings on that are too mundane to be of interest,  too personal or perhaps just not helpful.  I've just shared a post on our HKDR Facebook page about a little dog that was adopted two years ago and who now lives in New Zealand, and it reminded me of how that dog - Betty - was when she first came to us from a breeder.  She was young, only a year old or even less perhaps, but she was very scared and totally untrained.  Her adopter struggled with Betty's behaviour but persisted, and when you see the video you would find it hard to believe that there could ever have been such problems.

Dini is young and very cute

Currently Dini is also showing the effects of trauma, and again he's only young, very cute and not aggressive, just withdrawn and really unresponsive to anything or anyone. The thing about Dini is that I have seen the other side of him during the time he was living free after his escape, and he was coming back every day to see his friends and eat the food that was left out for him.  His tail was up and he was happy, but now he refuses to eat and it's as though he has given up.  We need a understanding home for him where he can open up again, just like Betty did, and enjoy the many years of life he has left. It may take time, and probably will, but in the end it will be worth it.

Dini (front) during his freedom days, happy and tail up

Another dog came to us today who is at the extreme end of fear-based behaviour.  She was picked up by the AFCD dog catchers in Stanley (not Stanley Barracks) and I've seen her every time I've been to the Pokfulam Animal Management Centre.  The AFCD staff member I've mentioned before, the one who has a real affinity for the dogs, showed me that although scared (more terrified in truth), this dog was harmless.  He asks me to look while he strokes the dogs, even picking them up and holding them in his arms, so he can show me that they're fine to handle and won't bite. So when I was asked the "Are you going to take this dog?" question, which has an unspoken "or else" I said yes, and our driver Ming picked her up today as I was busy elsewhere.   I'd actually love to share the video of what happened later when the dog arrived at Tai Po and managed to escape and get stuck between the two layers of roofing and the efforts of the Tai Po team (and Ming) to get her out, but it's enough to say that they succeeded and the dog was eventually put in a secure kennel for the night.  I suppose you can say we're just a crazy bunch of dog lovers, but I'm proud to be part of that.

Complimentary 1-night stay in our Grand Harbour View Room with Manor Club Access and Dining Value up to HK$1,500 inclusive of service charge.  The total value of this sponsorship is HK$ 10,520, valid for one year from 21st September 2019 .

All dog-owning families in Hong Kong know that dogs aren't welcome in most places, but we have two great opportunities for a very special staycation which includes everyone including your dog!  These are just two of the many fantastic Silent Auction prizes at our fundraising Bohemian Pupsody fundraiser taking place on Saturday 21st September, and these particular items have been very kindly donated by Rosewood Residences and  Ovolo Southside.

Enjoy a VIPooch night at Ovolo Southside valued at $2300