Weds 9th Sept: Who wants to become an HKDR volunteer?

 Yes, I know, there's already a waiting list for those who would like to become a dog-walking volunteer and that's frustrating for everyone.  The problem is that there's only a few experienced and willing volunteers to give the orientation talk, and everyone has to undergo this short but very important training session. We've been working on this issue for some time and thinking how we can resolve it, because there's a real shortage of weekday volunteers meaning the few staff are running around trying to do everything themselves, so we really do need to recruit more help. 

The good news is that we will very shortly be releasing a training video which will be sent to all volunteer applicants in advance of the actual physical orientation session.  This means that everyone will already have all of the necessary information about both Homing Centres and all of the safety measures, how things work and so on, so on the day of the orientation it will only mean a quick run-through of everything that's covered in the video.  Our trainer Cactus is the one in front of the camera, with Eagle doing an excellent job of filming.   (The video is in Cantonese with English sub-titles).

As explained in the video, all new volunteers will start with dog-walking only, but those who are keen and willing can quickly get involved with other aspects of helping out, such as grooming and washing the dogs, giving medications and so on.  There's a high drop-out rate as there always is with volunteers when they realise that it's not all about cuddling the dogs and taking selfies, so we hope that the video will also discourage these short-termers and help the real volunteers get started much faster. 

The video is in the final stages of tweaking and will be ready very soon, so please be patient for a while longer if you are one of those who would like to volunteer or have already applied.  As a reminder, all volunteers must be over eighteen years of age, and while we're aware that there are many very capable sixteen and seventeen year-olds, we have to set a strict age requirement. 

Shy dog Charlie is still missing after escaping from his new home in Sai Kung, and while the rain and thunder is of course worrying, it does mean there's water for Charlie to drink if nothing else.  Everyone is very concerned of course, so please can I ask all Sai Kung residents to keep looking for Charlie.  He's very distinctive with his chocolate-brown coat, but he's very nervous and will now be terrified too.  If spotted we will send our own team to try to catch him, those he has known since he came to us as a puppy.  Just let us know.