Although there seems to be a gradual return to offices, for many working from home remains an option so we're still getting offers of temporary foster homes for our dogs and puppies. There are situations when a foster home is essential, such as when we take in very young puppies, especially those that need bottle feeding or when the pups are still too little to be able to cope with being at the Homing Centre. When the puppies are of an age when it's important that they start socialising and being seen by potential adopters, it's better for them to come back to "puppy kindergarten" at Ap Lei Chau, and you will have seen the videos showing what fun they have playing with the others and their toys. There's really no need or benefit to the puppies at that point to be in foster homes, and they also miss out on adoption opportunities by not being physically present.
Foster homes are also important if a dog or puppy is sick and needs full-time care, like Ned (left), or a dog is recovering from surgery so shouldn't be around others that might lick a wound or chew a cone off.
Sending a healthy dog to a foster home is tempting, but unless there's a chance that the dog will be adopted if things work out it's very hard on a dog to enjoy the comforts of a real home, of having a family and regular walks, and then to be sent back to the Homing Centre at the end of the foster period. As with the puppies it also means that the dog isn't there to be seen by potential adopters, and might miss the perfect opportunity of a forever home.
If a dog is struggling with life at the Homing Centre, perhaps being bullied or is otherwise unhappy, then we would ask for a foster home. Toffee (pictured) was one such dog, a very sweet girl who came with her mate, husky Floyd, and her two daughters, Willa and Wonton (also half in the photo and now adopted as a pair). Toffee had mammary tumours that needed surgery so she went to a very nice foster home, but by herself. She was so miserable that we took her back, and she subsequently went to a new foster home with Floyd where she was - and still is - very happy. Floyd had his foster status upgraded to adopted the other day, which is obviously very good news, but while Toffee is still with him for the moment we will have to wait to see if she can also stay. Dogs that have always lived together form a very strong bond and they suffer emotionally if separated, so although we know Toffee could find a new home on her own it would be painful for her to be parted from Floyd. At the very least she would need to have another dog as company.
We took in three new puppies today, not that we needed or wanted more but there's a back story to this which I won't go into here. The puppies were dropped off at our Tai Po Homing Centre with the plan they would stay there overnight and then move to Ap Lei Chau, so it was the Tai Po team who discovered the ticks. In the very early days of HKDR the sight of huge colonies of ticks in the ears wasn't that uncommon, but I haven't seen anything like it for many years. I think it's safe to assume that these puppies will have tick fever, but had they not come to us and the ticks hadn't been removed, this level of infestation leads to almost certain death from anaemia.
We also picked up a seven year-old bichon frise from AFCD Pokfulam, and as is usually the case with small-sized adult dogs that end up being abandoned, Baguette (his new name) does have some issues that would make him unsuitable to be in a home with children. He has a fear of being leashed, so we can assume he's been hit with one previously. Hopefully that will leave him as he learns that it will never happen again.
Puppies Google and Poppy moved to Whiskers N Paws today as full time guests, so if you're shopping at the store please stop and say hello. They're available for adoption of course, so if you'd like to offer them a home remember to complete the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/
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