Tues 31st Dec 2019: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone, and the start of a whole new decade too!

Billy hasn't stopped smiling

But I want to end 2019 with news I've been bursting to write about and which you may already have seen on our HKDR Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/photos/pcb.2971557872856925/2971548789524500/?type=3&theater  Yes, Billy is adopted, the first of our "cruelty case dogs" as we call them, but maybe it's time to drop the label and put that terrible episode in the past, just like Billy has.   This beautiful and loving boy doesn't waste time dwelling on what happened, as he only knows that he has a wonderful home and loving family now.

Robin

Robin and Jemma are two other dogs from that same place and case, and they are also very much ready for a new start and home.  Both are happy, friendly and loving dogs who show no sign of any trauma.

Jemma

Tawny is halfway to letting go of her fear, while Lily is a work in progress and still needs time.  I hope that they will all have their chance in this new year.

Angelo had a big send-off 

Another special adoption took place at Ap Lei Chau when Angelo went home with staff member Zing.  Angelo came to us as a troubled puppy, a very lovely boy who had lots of offers of a home, but he had some issues for whatever reason so we felt it best to let him work those out before leaving.  In the meantime Zing and Angelo became best friends, and today it became official and permanent, and there was a big send-off from the Ap Lei Chau team.

Recent arrival Ferris the poodle seemed to be a little bit better today so we decided not to send him for hospitalisation.  No dog likes to have to stay in a cage on a drip, and the stress of that works against the obvious benefits of professional care.  In cases like Ferris we weigh up the pros and cons, bearing in mind that our staff are pretty experienced in handling sick dogs, and as Ferris ate a little bit in the morning he stayed at the Centre.

Lindy (l) and Mia

We also took in two new small-sized dogs from the same source as Ferris (that is, not AFCD), and both are young mothers, no more than a year old.  In fact they could well be sisters even though they don't look alike, and I called them Mia and Lindy.

I strongly suspect these are Mia's babies

Female dogs can come into season (become fertile) as young as five months, although usually it's six to seven months, which means they give birth while still puppies themselves.  If you don't desex your female puppy then this is an inevitable outcome if there is any possibility that male dogs can mate with her, and believe me your sweet little girl dog will be just as eager when the time is right.  Thousands and thousands of unwanted puppies are born this way, and looking at Mia I think it's very possible that she is the mother of the Seasons Litter, who also came via the same source.  (They have all been adopted now).  Please PLEASE be a responsible dog owner and desex your dog before this happens, otherwise you're contributing to the huge problem of homeless and unwanted puppies.

Two of the lucky ones:  Willow and Santa at Ap Lei Chau

Some of these puppies get lucky and end up in homes via HKDR or other rescue groups, but that's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to numbers.  Going back to Billy's story, there are many dead-end shelters out in the New Territories where dogs live the most miserable of lives, many in cages and without any freedom or release from mental torture.  This is the result of not desexing and then abandoning a dog, so let's all work together to stop this cycle of misery.