Sat 31st Oct: The quickly changing face of puppies

 It's amazing how much and how quickly puppies change, and we would never have guessed that in just four weeks these funny baby boys would have grown into such beautiful two month-olds, all of whom have now been adopted. 

The "S" Litter are now the up-and-coming ones to watch, and again what they looked liked as almost newborns (see photos) when rescued on the second of October is nothing like they already look like now.  They too might end up as beautiful as the five lucky boys above.  Watch this space!

Of the Little Litter of Nine, Zippy was adopted today and that leaves a few still available, but as there are meetings arranged for Sunday I think that number may already be incorrect.  These pups are small to medium, and you can already see the size difference with Zoom and Zoey shown here.  Preference will always be given to any adopters who can take a pair when you see how sweet this brother-and-sister are.

I'm always happy to receive the many adoption enquiries that come in every day but have to reply to too many that no, we don't have golden retriever puppies, or golden doodles, cockapoo pups or any of the designer mixes that are the rage these days.  We don't breed dogs so the likelihood of us having any of these types is so rare that it happens probably once a year.  All of the mixed breed puppies shown here are just as good, just as beautiful, just as loyal and loving.  A dog is a product of its upbringing and treatment, including positive training, so what you put into giving a puppy the best start possible is what makes the difference.  Yes there are varying personalities, but no dog is born a biter or bad, it's humans that do that. 

Fri 30th Oct: Choosing the right puppy isn't all about looks

 

With many adoptions taking place in foster homes I'm having trouble keeping up with who's gone and who's got meetings lined up, but I'm pretty sure that of his litter only Bowie is still waiting and the chances are good that he'll be gone by Saturday.  These puppies were admittedly exceptionally gorgeous, but as always I want to remind potental adopters that looks aren't the most important factor, especially when there's a child or children in the home.  Cider, for example, only has one eye and that might put people off, but he has the sweetest nature and loves everyone, dogs and people.  As a family dog he would be perfect. 

Ned is the other puppy that greets all visitors with joy and a wagging tail, and while he has both eyes and four legs intact, he has the eating problem that means he needs some help to get his food down at meal times and has to sit upright for a while. Otherwise he's healthy and just the happiest boy ever.

Of the "G" Litter, I have an adoption photo for Gail (left), and others have also found homes while meetings are taking place for the remaining few.  There were eight in this litter of week-old babies who came to us on the second of September and who have been in foster homes since that day. 

We had two new arrivals today, an older puppy now called Xylo, and a ten year-old pom-cross, Tufty. 

Thurs 29th Oct: All puppies bite

 

Yet two more dogs are due to arrive at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre on Friday, this time a ten year-old pom cross and a mixed breed.  Meanwhile behind the scenes there's been a lot of activity with foster puppies being adopted, and meetings arranged for the weekend for those still available.  In fact it's really difficult to keep up, especially as we don't really know until after the meetings which puppies have homes but for today at least Dylan was adopted, as was Gina (by her foster parent).

Of all the puppies available it's inevitably the smaller sized ones that are most popular, like Zia and Zack shown here and already adopted by their foster parents (lucky babies).  All of the remaining pups from this litter have interviews lined up so we'll know after the weekend if any are left. 

Most adoption enquiries are for puppies, but if there are young children in the home having an additional four-legged baby can be a challenge.  I can't say it enough times because it's the one thing that our trainer Cactus has to answer questions about so often, and that's that ALL puppies bite.  If they still have their baby teeth, which means five months and under, those teeth are needle-sharp and hurt, so please think about an older puppy that already has adult teeth and some sense of bite control.  You can't expect a young puppy to understand that human children aren't also puppies, and it's unfair and unrealistic to do so. 

Thanks to Tai Po dogs Pansy and Kellogg (both still waiting for homes) for being our models for Friday's Share My Song and to band Nowhere Boys members, Van & Ken, for picking Hong Kong Dog Rescue to be the beneficiary charity for the radio show Share My Song@ 881903! From today (10/30 6:00 am) to 10/31 6:00am, please support Hong Kong Dog Rescue by sending a SMS to 50 881 903! Each SMS means a donation of $5 to HKDR. Your telecom service provider will debit the money from your monthly statement. 

Weds 28th Oct: Back to October

 Only one person seemed to notice that I'd skipped a month in yesterday's blog and headed it 27th November (and that was my eagle-eyed sister).  However we are still in October, just, even if the days, weeks and months have all blurred into one long period of time I think most would rather forget.  November would normally be the month of the Peak to Fong fundraiser, but of course that can't take place this year, and even last year's event wasn't quite what and where it would normally be held. It was still a lot of fun though, and I'm sorry we won't be able to enjoy a big gathering of HKDR supporters and their dogs in 2020. 

The four new baby pups arrived from AFCD Sheung Shui along with a small black mongrel we were told was six months old, but from her fully-grown adult teeth we estimated she was older than that, maybe seven or eight months, so her size isn't going to change too much.  Now-Summer is a very sweet girl, so if you're looking for a medium-sized dog to adopt now's your chance. 

As the new four pups went straight to their foster homes, earlier litters are coming up to adoption age including Dylan and Rocco, siblings of Luca and Bowie.  They all have beautiful floppy ears, and while Luca was adopted the other day, of the other pair it was Dylan who was chosen to go home tomorrow. 

Please look out for photos and details of other puppies currently in foster homes who are available for adoption now.  

(Rocco & Dylan) https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/posts/3768225556523482

(Greta & George) https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/posts/3756894347656603

(Grover & Gabby) https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/posts/3751527404859964

(Gina) https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/posts/3741261622553209

If at all possible we do prefer that they go directly from one home to another rather than coming to our Homing Centre where they might be bullied by the older and bigger puppies staying there. 

As always please be sure to complete the questionnaire as a first step in the adoption process: www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Tues 27th Nov: All in a day's work

 I was just looking back over the messages and emails for the day and thinking to myself that there's never a dull moment in this line of work.  

The  adopter of an ex-breeder poodle from a while ago asked if I had any idea what the plastic tags found inside the dog might be, and was wondering how they even got there as it's apparently not the first time.  I have no idea either, do you?

Poor Mimi, ex-Zita, somehow has these inside her and they were obviously making her very sick. 

I was asked if we could take a (very lovely) dog that was found wandering, and after having said yes and let the Tai Po team know that it would be coming, another message came that the dog's owner had been found only to be followed up with the news that this person wasn't the owner at all!  I suspect there will be more on that story coming. 

An email arrived from AFCD Sheung Shui asking if we could take four baby pups who needed bottle feeding, and as it was too late to arrange pick up today that will be done on Wednesday instead.  Cindy will be busy again, as if she needed the extra workload.

Soemone else asked about the export/import requirements for taking ex-HKDR dogs to the UK while another question was about car sickness and what was recommended to help.  I'll help as much as I can but try to recommend professionals rather than give answers that may not be correct.

The adopter of Etta wanted to know about her siblings, adopted a few years ago as puppies, and although I can picture them in my head, especially as one had an eye problem, I can't remember their names.  Etta was the shy one who get left behind, but after four months she's doing really well in her home now. 

Back to the business of our current dogs and puppies, I've been choosing some photos from our volunteers' Facebook pages, like these lovely shots of Bowie by Harryn.  Brother Luca has already been adopted but I think Bowie is beautiful. 

While Harryn's page is private, you can see lots of Ap Lei Chau dogs and puppies here: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES

and Tai Po dogs here: https://www.facebook.com/HappyWoofHK

If you're interested in meeting any of our dogs or puppies, please start by completeing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoptio-questionnaire/

Adult dogs are posted on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com/dogs/ but puppies are only shown here or on the Facebook pages I'v mentioned. 

Mon 26th Oct: Missing puppy cuddles

 Baby Archie moved from his foster home to his forever family today, and unlike in the past when all puppies started off living with me on Lamma, these days they come and go without me even seeing them other than the photos.  It's especially true now that I'm working from home most of the time, and I miss the puppy cuddles and the happiness of watching them all play.   

Archie was one of seven puppies taken from AFCD two weeks ago, with three being from one litter and Archie and his three siblings from another, and all heading straight for their respective foster homes.  We haven't had black-and-white fluffy pups for a while and I've got a feeling these will be snapped up once they're old enough. 

Luca is another puppy who was adopted today and before I even got to meet him in person, even though he and his brother Bowie had recently returned to the Homing Centre from their foster home. 

Names have been added to the photos of the still-available small-sized puppies in case you want to arrange meetings, but I suspect these gorgeous little ones won't be around for long now that they're old enough to be adopted (again directly from their foster homes).

One of the two shiba inu boys that we took from AFCD not long ago was adopted today.  Bonsai was the lucky one, with Kenzo still being available.   These two were apparently from a large group surrendered by a pet shop, although given their ages I think it's more likely it was a breeder.  They're a bit different from many shibas in that they have very sweet temperaments and without the guarding and biting tendencies of too many.  

Today I received a surrender request for another young shiba inu girl for exactly these reasons, so once again I can only warn everyone who's thinking of buying that cute little "fox" puppy that you may end up with more than you can handle. 

Sun 25th Oct: Happy puppy news

 Yes, we're open as always every single day of the year from 10am to 6pm!

Now that I've answered the question we're asked all the time, there was happy news about more puppy adoptions today, and hopefully again after Monday's holiday.

For today smaller puppies Zia and Zack were adopted by their foster parents, the best outcome of all as there's none of the upheaval of  being moved to a new home.   Zia is the smallest of the nine and was the first to fall ill with tick fever, so although all pups are doing well now it does mean they won't be allowed into Australia or New Zealand in the future.   The photo on the left shows Zinnia (upper left), Zippy and Zara (right) so there's a bit of size variation from small Zinnia to medium Zara.   If you're interested in these or any other dogs or puppies please be sure to complete the questionnaire before arranging to meet them.  The form is at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ 

Crinkle and Anka were chosen from the large selection at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, while Fanta met her new family at Whiskers N Paws.  

Maddox, adopted yesterday, also had his going home photo taken when he was picked up this afternoon.

Many potential adopters ask about shiba inu (puppies), and while we don't have any of these available I do need, once again, to say that although very popular in Hong Kong at the moment this is not an easy breed that's suitable for apartment living.  Our two young adult shibas, King and Damson, were both returned from their homes for being difficult to handle, and while I don't blame either set of adopters it's made one thing very clear and that's that both of these dogs must have a large outdoor space to freely roam in.  While staying on Lamma where they've now returned to, both King and Damson exhibited no behaviour issues at all, and it was only when they went to their respective homes that they started misbehaving. 

Sat 24th Oct: Puppies everywhere

 Everyone loved puppy Maddox so it was a relief when he was adopted today, giving the many other Ap Lei Chau puppies a chance.  We're well aware that there are so many puppies at this time of year and all of the rescue groups are overflowing, and with so many in foster and about to be returned it's starting to be a worry.  Two came back today, Luca and Bowie, so they joined the growing gang at Ap Lei Chau while other lucky foster pups were chosen directly from their temporary homes.   The names of these lucky babies just came in from Cindy as Tanya, Tara, Gunner, Zeta and Zumba.  

We keep being asked if the Sunday puppy afternoons at Whiskers N Paws are happening, but with social distancing rules only allowing groups of four that's not possible.  However there are puppies available to meet and adopt every single day of the year at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, as well as three staying as full-time guests at Whiskers N Paws if you want to see them there.  Please just be sure to complete the adoption questionnaire in advance of any visit: www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Also open every single day of the year, our Tai Po Homing Centre has so many lovely dogs waiting to meet their potential families.  However one dog who isn't available to meet is Samuel, who left once again with a new family but this time it's for ever and I couldn't be happier. 

Fri 23rd Oct: The typhoon that never was

 I cancelled the vet appointment for Lamma dog Cotton due to the impending typhoon and the fact that the T3 signal was already up, which turned out to be a mistake as nothing happened except for a cool breeze.  I did, however, make an early dash across to take the new dogs to AFCD to get them microchipped and licensed, returning to Lamma immediately afterwards, where I sat and waited in vain for something to happen to the weather.  

After getting home I received a message from AFCD asking if I could go back to take two puppies that had just arrived, one of which had a broken jaw.  Of course I couldn't go myself but our driver, Ming, was called back just before he was about to go through the cross harbour tunnel, and both puppies were taken to Acorn for a check-up.  I'd messaged in advance that if the puppy with the broken jaw was too badly injured that he should be euthanised rather than suffering, but Dr Tony said the jaw could be wired together and should heal quickly enough.  The other puppy (left, now called Sherpa) was typically covered in ticks although seemingly in good health at the moment.

Going back to the new small-medium Ap Lei Chau dogs, they will all have to have their health checks before going to new homes so I'll leave sharing their information for now in case they have heartworm or any other issues.  They're all adults, not old but not youngsters either, and I'm sure the weekend visitors to the Homing Centre will be meeting them. 

Our Foster Coordinator Cindy has been incredibly busy arranging meetings for the puppies who are getting ready to go to new homes, and so far four out of the eight "G" litter babies have been chosen, with others meeting potential families over the weekend.  I wish them all luck, as well as the little litter of nine, also having adoption interviews lined up. This was how the eight looked as tiny almost-newborns when they first arrived and were taken immediately for fostering....

We have many puppies at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre waiting too, so please complete the adoption questionnaire if you're interested in meeting them.  www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Check out the photos and videos of both puppies and adults staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre here: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES

Thurs 22nd Oct: Puppies are ready for adoption

 Suddenly my internet connection returned and I can work normally, which is something of a relief after trying to reply to emails on my phone, and in case you didn't notice my blog from yesterday eventually appeared.

Also a nice surprise was that we got some new dogs in today, smaller sized but as yet not assessed, licensed or anything else.  If the weather, currently a mild T3, allows I'll be taking the dogs to AFCD on Friday for licensing, so that also means allocating them an age.  It appears that a couple of them have had distemper in the past as they have the tell-tale twitch, and one of the other results of this virus is that the tooth enamel is damaged, so trying to guess an age by the condition of the teeth is difficult. 

With the weekend approaching we have several meetings arranged for the puppies in foster homes, particularly the "G" litter of eight (Gunner and Gina shown below), and the "Z" litter of nine (smaller-sized puppies, with the photos showing them at five weeks of age).  Both litters are just about ready to be adopted and start their new lives as family members. 

Meanwhile it looks as though one of the very young babies, the most recent taken from AFCD Pokfulam, has been lucky enough to find a great new home where there are already resident dogs so Archie has built-in siblings. Lucky boy! 

We don't allow puppies to be adopted if they're below eight weeks of age unless there are already dogs, or a dog, in the home so they have a companion.  Younger puppies can be adopted on a 1+1 basis, which means fostering a sibling until they're two months old.

For all puppy adoption enquiries please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ and remember that all adopters have free access to our very experienced trainer, Cactus, as well as receiving an adoption booklet containing all of the information you will need. 

Weds 21st Oct: New dogs and a happy update

For some reason I had almost no internet connection today so emails were written sporadically and I ended up going to bed very early to read a book.  Still, thanks to the double-Ws of Wifi and Whatsapp I was able to read messages and see photos of the new dogs from AFCD, so here they are.... Dolly the pom, young brother-and-sister Cheerio and Cypress, and a labrador-cross girl, Meg, who is three years old. 

If you're interested in any of these dogs, or any of our many dogs and puppies, please start by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

There's been a lot of interest in sibling puppies Gunner and Gina since their photos and a video was shared on Facebook, but please remember that there are six more in the same litter, all with "G" names. 

Out of the blue I'd been thinking about our adopted French bulldog, Romeo, and how he was doing.  You may remember he was a challenging little dog who ultimately had the great fortune of being adopted by someone who saw in him what nobody else had, and there was never any question that this wasn't going to work out.  Things were progressing nicely so the regular updates were no longer necessary, but when Romeo popped into my head I felt I had to ask what the latest was and received this reply:

(Dear Sally) You have a "good nose"! 

This morning I was able to go to Sai Kung Waterfront, in the middle of the town, to stay for a while and observe people and activities with Romeo for the FIRST TIME. He was shaking of excitement.

Then we walked through a park in the middle of the town and went back home. What a day!

There is so much I have to tell you, but as I am preparing for meetings tomorrow and on Friday, I will give you a proper update on the week-end. 

Generally: Romeo has changed into „Rocky“ and is loved by so many people; incredible! 

Tues 21st Oct: More dogs coming in

 

Every time I type the date at the top of the page I can't believe how fast the time is passing and that it will very soon be November.  Where do the days go? I can see how quickly the puppies grow as a physical reminder, and even the Little Litter of Nine are seven weeks old now and running around.  In fact I was sent a video of Zia, the smallest of them all, showing her short legs which indicate for sure that she will be a smaller sized adult. 

For the other puppies staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre who aren't yet on the website you can see who and how they are by checking https://www.facebook.com/HappyWoofHK/ or Eagle's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES

Corgi Morgan was adopted today and started his new life in a lovely home where I'm sure he'll be very happy. 

To fill the vacancy left by his departure we have a new pomeranian coming from AFCD, along with a few larger dogs who'll be going to our Tai Po Homing Centre. 

Jumping ahead to Wednesday and with special thanks to Reggae singer-songwriter Mousefx  for picking Hong Kong Dog Rescue to be the beneficiary charity for the radio show Share My Song@ 881903! From today (10/21 6:00 am) to 10/22 6:00am, please support Hong Kong Dog Rescue by sending a blank SMS to 50 881 903! Each SMS means a donation of $5 to HKDR. Your telecom service provider will debit the money from your monthly statement.

Mon 19th Oct: Being emotionally involved

 If you remember the dreadful case of the "Wonderland" dogs and cats that were abandoned and left to starve to death, which sadly many did, we took in quite a lot of the surviving dogs once the court case was over.  They had already spent almost a year at AFCD after having been rescued so by then they no longer resembled living skeletons, and several have since been adopted and are now living a life they couldn't have dreamed of during that dark period.  Sadly we lost two of the dogs, Robin and most recently Jemma, although we can never know if their previous ordeal contributed to their subsequent ill health and death. 

Today we had confirmation of the adoption of another of the dogs after a foster period, and now Emma is formally a real family member.  Her rather battered appearance is likely a result of having had to fight for her food and life while at "Wonderland", but her spirit and sweet nature were never affected. I love this photo of Emma and her corgi "brother", also an ex-HKDR dog, and we're so happy and grateful for the opportunity of happiness finally. 

Sadly another one of the Wonderland survivors has had no such luck, having twice been taken for a trial adoption but without either working out.  The worst part of this is that neither time was related to Samuel's behaviour in any way, as both homes said he was very calm, gentle and a very easy dog.  I feel heartbroken for him as he really is a lovely boy, and next time will be the last, of that I'm determined. (Samuel's photo is below). 

We do get emotionally involved with the dogs and puppies, at least I know I do, and I couldn't let go of the thought of the puppy-now-adult who had been sent to AFCD by his owners.  In the end they were asked to get Obi out of AFCD and bring him to us, so he's now at Tai Po. 

Sun 18th Oct: Male or female, or does it matter?

 After feeling sick and miserable all day (see yesterday's post for the reason) I have some happy news today as two puppies, both guests at Whiskers N Paws, were adopted today and I'm hopeful that more will be going home soon.  The lucky dogs were Patti and Tickle, and their departure means two more can move from our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre to have fun at Whiskers N Paws.  I don't know which pair will be chosen, but I'll let you know.

Meanwhile one of the "foundling" litters are reaching the age when a move back to the Homing Centre is looming, but we'd much rather that they were adopted directly from their foster homes if at all possible.  This is the "G" Litter of Gussie, Gail, Gabby, Greta, Gina, Grover, George and Gunner, eight in total. They were only a week old when brought to us on the 2nd September, and now they're all happy and healthy and enjoying their lives.  Here's a video of Gina and Gunner: https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/pcb.3741261622553209/2780035708948303/

If you would like to meet any of these, or other, puppies in foster, please start by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step. 

I was just asked by a potential adopter if there is a difference between males and females, and my reply was as always that although it's a generalisation, yes there is.  Females tend to be more family orientated and naturally like to form tight-knit groups, while males don't have best friends in this way and prefer to have a group of mates they will play with when they feel like it.  I know this from my first-hand observation of the dogs that live with me on Lamma, where there are cliques of females who stick together closely but very few males who live like this.  There are exceptions to every rule of course, so Melba and Romeo are always together and lookalike brothers Beefy and Sammy are pretty much inseparable, but the rest of the boys hang out as individuals. 

The word "bitch" is highly appropriate when two females fall out though, and once the fights start they're serious and there's nothing you can do about it.  That's why, again as a general rule only, if adopting a pair we recommend a male-female combination as most likely to form a close relationship.

Having said all this, the Lamma dogs that are closest to me (by their own choice, and nothing to do with me) are Griffin (male) and Rag (also male), but although they don't have enemies they also don't have best dog friends either.