Tues 21st April: All things come to an end

Ovaltine in her foster home

All things come to an end, good and bad, and I'm talking now about the improved coronavirus situation in Hong Kong (good) and the fact that it means many foster dogs will have to be returned (bad).  Here's one Tai Po dog who now really needs a forever home:

"I am writing with some updates regarding Ovaltine". 

We’re into the third week of fostering Ovaltine and it has been a real pleasure!  She has a very gentle and patient nature, and it didn’t take long for her to adapt to a new environment and our routines.  We’d say Ovaltine is as much an indoor dog as an outdoor dog.  She likes to follow me and my husband around the flat, lounging at different parts of the living room, moving to the study to snooze while we work, and would check in on us even when we go to the bathroom!  She is rather quiet and may not be super cuddly but she definitely enjoys being petted and brushed, and would sometimes paw for more affection.  She is a pretty quick learner too – apart from responding to a few basic commands, she is now able to tolerate the muzzle while walking on the podium and is gradually starting to “play” (with rolled up paper bags with chicken inside) even though (understandably) playing doesn’t seem to come naturally to her.  Based on our observations, her biggest fears are passing trucks (of various sizes) and motorcycles which make her quite nervous, but other than that she walks pretty well, loves checking out every tree/pole and is increasingly confident along our usual walking route.  We’ve been taking her on longer walks and short hikes on the weekends and she seems to really enjoy nature!  

Please find attached some photos of Ovaltine, and below is a link to a video of her affectionate morning greetings: 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SjJ_-NhxBbLQmYzNQzFYeaQllvZ-awlT

As the Covid-19 situation seemingly improves and work-from-home arrangements may soon end, we will likely take Ovaltine back to the Tai Po centre this weekend (sadly)... really hope she will find her forever home soon!  And I'd be very happy to speak to anyone who is interested in adopting her and has questions about her habits at home."

This time it's for ever for Raffles

On the good side, Tai Po dog Raffles was adopted today.  It's not the first time he's been given this chance but it's probably the first time that his adopter understands Raffles' high energy level and need for good exercise.  Funnily enough I received a recent adoption application from someone who said she didn't want a mixed breed because she was a runner and these mixed-breed types didn't have enough energy.  There's really no answer to that.

Also good news, our senior poodle Bambi was adopted today from her foster home, so thank you to her new family for taking in an older dog.  Like so many poodles Bambi has food allergies and was in a bad way when she first arrived.  Chicken is probably the most common of all the meats most likely to cause these problems so we never feed chicken-based food to our HKDR dogs.

Poor Bambi has typical poodle allergies (much improved since this photo)

Talking of older dogs there's currently a ten year-old golden retriever at AFCD waiting for his release papers, and knowing how popular this breed is I was hoping we could have a home lined up for him to go to when his big day arrives.  He was found as a stray so there's no known history, but he seems to be a very friendly boy.  Please complete the adoption questionnaire if you're interested: www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ 

Melissa Tan is a great supporter of many animal charities and is always doing what she can to help out.  Now she's produced these lovely Whatsapp stickers for HKDR:

Paintinks by melt X HKDR WHATSAPP STICKERS!

We all need a little fun and happiness during difficult times like these. As a brilliant way to help HKDR dogs, Melissa of Paintinks by melt has designed a set of 16 WhatsApp stickers for you dog lovers!

You can request the full sticker set by completing this form and making a donation of any amount:https://hongkongdogrescue.com/paintinks-by-melt-x-hkdr-wha…/

HKDR will contact you shortly after your submission.

As always, all of the donations will go directly towards helping the dogs in need. Thanks for thinking of the dogs in the time of challenges!