Mon 7th Dec: Thanks due for all the support

 You might have noticed that there was no blog post yesterday, due to the fact that I had no internet connection in the morning and had to go out in the afternoon so missed the chance to write anything.  As it happened it was a quiet Sunday for adoptions even if not visitors, and I do hope that at least a few potentials turn into forever homes.  It's not all one-sided as we are asking people to think about the long-term commitment of adopting a puppy, especially as we're getting so many surrender applications for dogs for various reasons, the most common being leaving Hong Kong.   

There's also the reality of typical Hong Kong living and the small size of many homes, and again we do ask that potential adopters understand that the tiny baby puppy they want may grow into a not-so-little adult.  While humans have the freedom to go out whenever they feel like it and aren't reliant on someone opening the door and accompanying them to go for a walk, many dogs are confined to a small space for most of the day.  Even if given the "freedom" to walk around at home, the truth is that in a small apartment that needs to have at least a bed, chair and table inside, as well as a kitchen area of sorts and definitely a tiny bathroom, that doesn't leave much room for a dog to move around.  Add a human couple, and maybe a child or even children, and that really adds to the pressure-cooker environment for a dog.

Unfortunately for our puppies, most of them will probably grow into large adults, and there's no way of us knowing just how large.  Little Eagle was a small baby when he was rescued and brought to us, and although adopted he was ultimately returned due to the husband's allergy.  The four month-old puppy that came back was definitely nothing like the Little Eagle that left, and all that remained the same was the outspread eagle wing pattern on his chest.  For lots of photos of the Homing Centre puppies check out (human) Eagle's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES

We're so grateful to the offers of help with fundraising during this year when events have been impossible to plan or hold, and the latest far exceeded expectations in terms of sales and the amount raised. 

"We finally closed off the HKDR x The Paws campaign a few weeks ago and have a final amount raised to share with you. 

In total, $34,395 was raised of which $10,348 went to The Paws for the cost of materials for bandanas and which also goes towards helping the Bali Rescue Shelters. The remaining $24,047 will be donated to HKDR.

Our original goal was to raise $10,000 but we received an overwhelming response! I still get enquiries all the time from people who want to order extras." 

I need to give a shout-out to all individuals and companies who have helped over the year in whichever way they could, because without this incredible support it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to keep going. A round-up of the year will be sent out soon, but in advance of that I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been part of such a challenging period.