I didn't forget my phone when I left home today but I did leave my glasses behind and didn't dare send any emails in case the result was unreadable, or translated into something completely different thanks to autocorrect. There are so many messages and emails to reply to on a daily basis that not being able to do so for a whole afternoon means having to play catch up later on or I would be totally swamped.
We have a new dog coming in on Wednesday, a victim of a closing warehouse. This is a rottweiler boy, apparently very friendly with people and other dogs, so I hope he'll settle quickly or even better find a new home.
You probably know that huge areas of the New Territories are being cleared for development and many dogs are finding themselves without a home when their owners are relocated to Public Housing. Of course it's a disgrace that familes aren't allowed to take their dogs with them, but that's the Hong Kong government's failing.
We're asked every day to accept new adult dogs, mostly mixed breeds and larger in size, and it's incredibly sad for the dogs who are always the innocent victims. It's a struggle to take care of the hundreds we already have at our Tai Po Homing Centre, and I don't even mean just financially but in terms of the logistics of feeding, medicating, cleaning and walking so many, and at a time when fewer volunteers are coming and we're not able to recruit new help thanks to the social distancing regulations. These days the staff and volunteers are also extra busy with putting warm coats on the dogs that need them, and adding snuggly bedding to the outside enclosures.
Ten years ago when we first took over the Tai Po Homing Centre site I was able to run up and down the steps quite easily, but I have to admit I'd find it more challenging now, and I'm amazed and thankful that we have strong and fit staff and volunteers who can even carry heavy items and bags of food up the steep hill. If you haven't been to Tai Po you won't appreciate what I mean, but trust me it's tough work.
Please do consider adopting one of our Tai Po dogs if you have room for a(nother) four-legged friend in your home. Many of our seniors have been with us since they were baby puppies, perhaps born at the wrong time of the year so they missed the peak adoption season, or like several of my Lamma dogs they had kennel cough as puppies so couldn't go to the Sunday puppy adoption afternoons. These dogs aren't bad or broken, they've just been unlucky. Please ask about dogs like Felix whose sisters Alison and Jersey were adopted from Tai Po as seniors leaving their brother as the only one of the litter still waiting. We'll be happy to throw in a Happy Woof bag for free if you give Felix that retirement home he's been waiting for for so long!
Complete the adoption questionnaire for all enquiries: www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/
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