Sat 10th Oct: Puppy numbers keep growing

 There's quite a crowd building at Ap Lei Chau after four puppies came back from their foster homes, making a total of thirteen youngsters at the Homing Centre and many more still to come once they reach the age when they're suitable for adoption.  In fact I've lost count of how many there are and how old they are now, as they were found as tiny babies who went straight to their respective foster homes.  Thank goodness for Cindy, our volunteer foster coordinator, who is the one who has to keep us all updated. 

The most recent baby litter (shown) all are doing well, including little Sandboy who was the smallest and weakest.  More bad weather is expected next week so I hope there won't be more that are washed out of their nests like so many others have been. 

One of the things that acts as a constant reminder and warning when it comes to finding suitable homes for the dogs and puppies are the regular surrender requests that come in.  There are several reasons that we commonly see but "no time to take care" is probably the most used, and there are currrently several surrenders in the pipeline for this reason.  Whether or not these dogs will actually turn up is another matter, but the point is if you're at work all day and don't have anyone at home to look after a dog in your absence, then you don't have the time to have a dog at all.  Animals don't have an on-off switch that can be used when you leave or come back, and dogs are social animals that need companionship. 

We had a heartwarming response to our request for donations to buy a Bailey Chair for puppy Ned, so thank you to everyone who offered help.  More than anything, of course, Ned needs a family of his own. and even though he does have a condition that means he has to be upright when eating, he's such a fantastically happy boy that it's really a small consideration. 

Thanks too for the donation of a baby highchair for Ned to use while he's still growing.  It needs some modification as the table part is too low, but that should be easy enough I think.