Sun 31st Jan: Closing the first month

Wallis, Winter and the ex foster parents

 We had a little rush for the last day of the month with three puppies going home either from or via the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and hopefully others on the way from their foster homes in the next day or so.  Siblings Wallis and Winter stopped off at the Ap Lei Chau Vet Clinic (ALCVC) with their foster parents to have a vaccination before being handed over to the respective new families, and the photo shows all three: now ex-foster in the middle with the adopters on either side.  

Fergie going home

Puppy Fergie was adopted from the Homing Centre directly, as was little Bix the pomeranian.  We do still have several small seniors waiting for homes, and you can see a lot of photos on Eagle's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES

Bix was one of the ltlle seniors

New puppy boy Bacon went home from Tai Po for a trial with the resident dog, and a quick update this morning that both dogs had started playing first thing makes me confident enough to mention Bacon's name.  Unless something goes drastically wrong I don't think we'll be seeing him again. 

Puppy Bacon

Another senior was also taken for a trial, and after being in a foster home we know that Ovaltine is an easy dog with no great demands.  That's the beauty of older dogs, they don't need the intensive exercise and training that youngsters do, and they're happy just to be part of a family. 

Nugget is a really sweet girl

Not all trial adoptions work out for various reasons, and for sweet Nugget it was separation anxiety that resulted in her quick return.  Sadly separation anxiety can become a self-fulfulling prophecy when the fear of being left alone or abandoned results in exactly that happening, and every time it reinforces the behaviour.  Most unwanted behaviours diminish with time as a dog settles and starts to feel secure, but we're looking for a new home for Nugget where she won't be left alone.  Often another pet can help, whether it's a dog or a friendly cat.  If you think Nugget will be happy in your home, please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Sat 30th Jan: Sad endings

 

The young doberman boy was surrendered to our Tai Po Homing Centre today, and he's a handsome dog even if he does have the sadly cropped ears.   He was apparently imported from Taiwan as a puppy, a country that ironically his now ex-owner is moving to, but without his dog. 

It was a busy day as expected at the Homing Centres, and two dogs should be leaving Tai Po as a result, both newcomers as it happens.  I'll share their names when they actually leave with their families.

Before I forget I need to mention a couple of cases of apparent poisoning cases resulting in the recent sad deaths of two dogs, one at Cyberport on the 24th of January and the other just today when the dog was at The Pulse in Repulse Bay with his owners after they'd been for a hike.  Both dogs died before anything could be done, and with the type of poison suspected there's little hope for survival anyway. Losing a dog is always hard, but under these circumstances even worse as it's so sudden and such a shock.  The Cyberport case wasn't the first in the area, so owners really need to be vigilant about letting dogs sniff in the bushes where the poisoned bait could be hidden, or to eat anything at all from the ground.  

Obviously the person or people who lay the poison are dog haters who don't care about the suffering of the animals, or their families who are left distraught and heartbroken.  It could be stray dogs that are the intended targets but of course it makes no difference as all animals are at risk.  I know from messages I have received over the years that there are a lot of people who see homeless dogs as worthless nuisances, and would happily see them dead.

We also said a sad goodbye to one of our lovely Tai Po seniors today when Otter was found to have died during the night, with bloat suspected to be the cause.  Otter was one of my Lamma puppies many years ago, and he had just recently been returned from his "Frostie Foster" home where he's enjoyed his stay very much.  As always the sadness isn't just that one of our sweet dogs has died, but also that he was never chosen to be a family member. 

Fri 29th Jan: Gearing up for the weekend again

 I was reminded that Chinese New Year is almost upon us when I wanted some home repairs doing and was told everyone's off until after the holidays.  I shouldn't have been so surpsied since we've been selling Red Packets for a while now, and if you haven't bought yours yet please don't wait as they sell out every year. :https://hongkongdogrescue.com/merchandise/cny/

Another senior foster dog was adopted today and Porto is already doing very well in his new home. The older dogs seem to take to home life and all the comforts very quickly, although of course Porto had already been enjoying all the benefits during his foster period.

We did have a bit of a scare in the evening when another just-adopted senior ran out of the front door when it was opened, but thankfully Saul was soon found and returned to his cat friend and family.  You really have to be careful with new dogs, and to make sure that they're not around and free when anyone comes or leaves and the door is opened.  

Rubble

It's going to be a busy weekend at both Homing Centres, although we still don't have any young and small sized dogs available unfortunately.  There are quite a few poodles and small mixes, but all middle-aged or seniors.  I keep wondering why Rubble hasn't been adopted yet as he's still young at heart and loves his walks even if he is nine years old.  Rubble has become friends with doglet Cider, a very sweet and medium-sized older puppy, and I keep thinking how lovely it would be if they could be adopted together.  It's a long shot but not impossible. Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES/videos/222933962749834

Yes, Cider only has one eye but he doesn't care

Thurs 28th Jan: A funny story

 

New girl Claudia is very sweet

Going to AFCD Pokfulam used to be a regular thing for me, but these days there are rarely new dogs coming in and subsequently no reason for me to visit.  However today the second of the two I wrote about yesterday was due to be taken out, as well as puppy Bacon needing to be licensed.  

The new dog confused me somewhat as I'd been told that it was a male and female pair, however Frisbee is female and so was the one from today.  It's a small matter, but I had to keep checking that I hadn't made a mistake and nor had the Tai Po team.  Sometimes, albeit rarely, mistakes are made as in the recent adoption of Amber, who was registered as a girl but turned out to be a boy whose penis had been surgically removed.  This happens when bladder stones become lodged, but I was surprised to see the operation carried out in such a young dog.  We only found out when the adopter told us, and she had been wondering why "Amber" cocked his/her leg to pee.  

Gorgeous Ernie

Another foster dog had his adoption interview today, and Ernie passed with distinction.  As always being in a foster home has allowed us to see a dog's true personality and has been incredibly helpful.  Even better, as Ernie had received quite a lot of interest thanks to the foster update on him, we hope it will mean homes for other dogs that are equally lovely. 

I know everyone loves to read the happy updates, and this one about Bonsai is lovely too: Adoption Updates of Bonsai:

"Bonsai has settled exceptionally well and fits in perfectly with our family. He particularly loves hiking and has been able to enjoy more adventures in the country parks. He is fantastic in every way and we are very pleased that he did so well with the heart worm treatment and the recovery period

"

As is clear from the photo Bonsai is a shiba inu, a breed we see more surrender requests for than any other due to their often difficult personality and behaviour. Bonsai is one of the "good" ones, but we still have others that are waiting for homes, the most urgent of which is King. He's currently being fostered by a neighbour so I've got to know him pretty well, and what I can say about him is that he's incredibly smart, independent and stupidly brave. He guards his home better than any other large-sized dog can, and will take on other big dogs that trespass on what he sees as his territory. The problem is the bigger ones win.

King

We don't usually like our dogs going to homes where they won't be house dogs and live as members of the family, but with shibas like King they need and want to live freely. What we are waiting for is a home with a very big outdoor space that King can roam freely in, and he can guard it as much as he wants to. If that's your home please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Weds 27th Jan: Hello Frisbee

Frisbee

 Another new dog came to Tai Po that I forgot to mention as there have been so many recently, and her "brother" (we assume) will be picked up from AFCD on Thursday.  Now-Frisbee is a very friendly girl, full of energy and quite desperate for some human attention after being locked up in "prison" for some time while the case was being cleared for re-homing.  It's a sad fact that due to the current two-day working week for all government employees there's not a lot happening at AFCD, and that includes licensing and rabies vaccinations etc for the general public, as well as the process of getting dogs out. Those dogs that are awaiting court hearings (like the smuggling cases) will have to wait a very long time, something I find completely unfair and wrong.  I have already suggested that these dogs be allowed to go to foster homes for the duration of the waiting period, but I'm sure you all know the inflexibility of the government rules, even if they make no sense.  

We'll also be taking in another large dog at Tai Po, this time a direct surrender (and assuming he actually turns up).  He's a young doberman, two years old  with sadly mutilated (cropped) ears, and the reason for him becoming homeless is that same old story of the owner leaving Hong Kong and not taking his dog.  As much as this makes so many people angry I like to look at it another way, and that is that a dog that doesn't mean enough to its family that they will choose to abandon it deserves a new and better home. 

The enquiries for young puppies continues and I'm redirecting these to Cindy, our Foster Coordinator, so she can arrange for meetings that will hopefully end in adoption.  Unfortunately this means that we don't get the usual photo for me to share, but what really matters is that the puppies can start their new lives with adoptive families.  If you're interested I'm sure you know Cindy's email address by now, it's foster@hongkongdogrescue.com, and the adoption questionnaire is at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ 

Tues 26th Jan: More ins and outs

 

Pecan is fine with cats too

There's lots of movement behind the scenes in terms of foster dogs upgrading to forever homes or staying where they are, and the latest lucky boy is Pecan.  He came to us from AFCD with the usual heartworm infection, and he won everyone over with his sweet nature. 

Bacon

As quickly as dogs are adopted there are others arriving to take their place, and I mentioned one of them yesterday.  He's a six month-old puppy now called Bacon, very happy and friendly as well as handsome, so anyone interested should be quick if you want to be the one to take him home.  

We also took in another dog, a very sweet two year-old female (Hannah) who has been in a home since she was picked up as a puppy. She's been living with cats, is fully toilet trained and fully ready to join a new family, with or without cats.

Hannah is ready to go to a new home

Another new addition came to us from AFCD, this one a poodle boy.  Boogie is nine years old, so not too old for a small dog as the little breeds tend to live much longer than the larger ones. 

Boogie is a poodle/bichon

Bacon and Boogie will have to have their vet checks before being available, but Hannah can go at any time. 

One of many happy updates and relocation stories is about Slipper.  She came to us as a tiny fluffy baby who went to a foster home and never came back. 

"I wanted to send you an update on Slipper as we originally fostered her a year ago now before she stole our hearts and we had to adopt her!

We relocated back to UK in December so of course she came with us. She bossed the flight and is now loving life with a garden! She’s stubborn and sassy but she is just the best little furry friend."

Mon 25th Jan: Celebrating the seniors

Elvis in his own home

 The best thing about the worst weather is that dogs who would normally never get noticed end up in foster homes, and from there - if lucky - move on to their forever retirement.  Some of these I've already mentioned, but there are more to come, including long-termer Elvis, who was sent to the Ap Lei Chau Vet Clinic (ALCVC) a while ago with a head tilt and circling.  We feared a brain tumour but it turned out not to be so and the vet, Dr Denise, not only treated Elvis but also found him a home! 

Porto is another long-termer who looks set to be lucky, but more about him later. 

While on the subject of older dogs waiting for homes, I wanted to share this sweet video of another foster dog, this time Jenny.  Just take a look at how lovely she is, and maybe if she's lucky she'll win someone's heart.  If you're interested in meeting Jenny, please start by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com, or if that's already been done you can email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

I also talked yesterday about a new dog that was possibly arriving, not wanting to share details in case he didn't turn up.  It wasn't a surprise then to be told that he was coming, and later that he wouldn't be after all, followed up by a message that he was on the way.  So this very handsome and friendly young boy turned up at the last minute and although he doesn't have a name yet I suspect he'll find a home pretty quickly. 

There was another dog who was supposed to be coming, an unusual staffie-type, and this was another of those yes, no, yes, maybe situations until it ended up being a no, for now anyway.

As a reminder we still have quite a collection of sweet and friendly smaller dogs at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, although not youngsters.  The corgi Bean is currently the most junior, but he can't be in a home with children or inexperienced adopters. 

Bean

 I think I do need to mention a very impostant point about these dogs, and that's that just because they're small it doesn't mean they don't want or need proper exercise.  I suppose a good example would be to ask if you think short people need less exercise than tall people, because of course that's not true.  Some small dogs are very energetic and fully capable of enjoying long hikes and everything that a larger dog would do.  What makes a difference in terms of exercise needs are more to do with build and shape, like the bulldog breeds who have short noses that impair breathing.  Giant breeds are also not built to be able to tolerate excessive exercise, so really size has nothing to do with it. 

Sun 24th Jan: Juniors and seniors adopted

Bernie and Fidget left together

 What do you do when you can't decide between a sweet and small-sized senior and a puppy?  Correct, you adopt both, and that's how Bernie the poodle and puppy Fidget left the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre together.  By the way, we have quite a few older poodles also waiting for homes if you're looking for a cuddle buddy.

Fidget's brother Fabian also left the Homing Centre after having been chosen yesterday, as did another puppy, Delta. 

Fabian also started his new life today

Delta and her new family

Two senior foster dogs had their adoption interviews today and both passed with flying colours. Saul needed to pass the cat test in his new home and he did so well, ignoring the very confident approach of the cat to investigate.  A lot of people ask for dogs that are cat-friendly, and of course we can't test the Homing Centre dogs in this way, but if there are any problems with introducing a dog it's invariably from the cat's side.  Even dogs that chase cats outside are usually indifferent to those inside the home, and this is my own experience too from the days when I also had a cat along with several dogs. 

Saul was very gentle with his foster poodle friend too

The other senior foster dog that did really well in his adoption interview was Felix, and he'll be going home in about a week's time.  He can stay with his foster, our own "Happy Woof" volunteer May So, until he leaves so we can pack up his things at Tai Po and give his place away to another dog.

Felix has been in foster with Happy Woof May

We do have new dogs arriving all the time and a very handsome boy expected to arrive on Tuesday, but as always I'll hold off on sharing his photo and details until he's actually with us. 

Sat 23rd Jan: Starting the weekend adoptions

Leo and Matrix are now brothers

 It wasn't a surprise exactly as this double adoption had been planned for a while, but it's still lovely to see two dogs leave our Tai Po Homing Centre to start their new lives.  The delay had been so the adopters could have trackers ready to attach to Matrix in particular, as he's a nervous kind of dog and the type who may possibly run off while he's settling in.   Chow Chow Leo is much more laid-back in character and will be happy to be in a home, but I think all of you know the awful stress when any dog gets lost so it's better not to take chances.

Ian is already attached to his family

Ian had already been in his new home for a while as a foster dog, so his transition to adopted was just a formality.  "Failed fosters" are easy for everyone concerned as there's no need to worry about any problems, and Ian is already very bonded with his new family.  

We had four puppies returned from their babyhood foster homes today, two full-time and another two who only came for the day (and will be back on Sunday) to be available for potential adopters to meet. For one of them it was a lucky move as Fabian was chosen and will be going home on Sunday. 

We still have many puppies dotted all over the place, and if you're interested in potential adoption our Foster Coordinator Cindy can let you know which are closest to where you live to make meetings easier.  Email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com or start by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Fri 22nd Jan: Yes we still have plenty of puppies!

 As of today we had twenty puppies in foster homes and waiting to meet their potential adopters, so I was somewhat relieved to hear that the arrival of yet more, due to come on Saturday, had been delayed.

These are the names of the available puppies already in foster homes, and Cindy is busy arranging interviews for those interested in adoption as I type, as well as asking for updated photos:

These photos were taken when the pups arrived

Bumper, Banka, Busby, Berry

Stella, Sophie,  Sadie (the boys have been adopted)

Fabian, Fidget (these 2 will return to Ap Lei Chau), Faith, Finn, Fergie

Dido, Delta

Wallis, Winter, Wendy, Willow, Willy, Walter  (the latest litter to arrive).

For anyone interested in adopting (and please bear in mind that these are not going to be small-sized adults and probably larger than medium) you can start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

We got a surrender request for a border collie today, but before you all rush to ask about him from the very blurred photo that was attached to the surrender request form this doesn't look like a real border collie to me, and he's sixteen years old.  Yes, after sixteen years and the arrival of a human child three years ago,  the owners of this poor dog have decided they don't want him any more.  I have a seventeen year-old dog on Lamma, Gigi, who is blind and deaf, as are many of the older old dogs that live with me (Stardust and Tufty being two others) and the fact that they can't see or hear makes life challenging for them and they get into arguments when they accidentally bump into other dogs or get in the way.  The owners of the border collie say his behaviour has changed and he's become grumpy, and I'm pretty sure that if they bothered to check they'd see it was because he can't see or hear either.  It's a hard decsision to make whether to accept this dog or not, knowing that he almost certainly has multiple age-related issues, but at the same time the thought of him being abandoned at AFCD is really upsetting.  I'll let you know what the outcome is. 

We had to sort and clear everything by end of day

My two Lamma dogs, Connie and Lorna, were back at Concordia Pet Care today to have their ears flushed, so I had to go across in the afternoon to pick them up and bring them home (they weren't very happy dogs at that point).  However before doing that I joined the team at Ap Lei Chau to help sort out the donations received from the Whiskers N Paws Operation Santa Paws.  There were so many boxes we had to get busy to make sure all were cleared away as quickly as possible, with items being allocated to Ap Lei Chau, Tai Po, Lamma and the warehouse.  Thank you to everyone who donated!

Although we haven't been to Whiskers N Paws for our Sunday puppy afternoons for some time we still have puppies staying there as full-time guests, and available for adoption of course, and the store is open every day for shopping, eating, drinking and just browsing.  

Thurs 21st Jan: Getting ready for a busy weekend

 My day starts early and I try to reply to emails that have come in during the night before I walk the dogs, and also try to finish work by the evening so I can switch my mind off and relax before bedtime.  For some reason today I was still checking messages at a time I would normally be in bed, and was able to agree to taking some more puppies due to be dropped off on Saturday.   They appear to be quite young but not needing to be bottle fed, and I'll see if there's any more information available in advance of them arriving.  

With so many dogs and puppies in foster care at the moment we've all been busy replying to enquiries, with Cindy arranging meetings for the puppies who are moving to their forever homes.  In fact there have been so many that I had to ask Cindy to let me know who the lucky ones are and which ones are still available, and the weekend looks as though it's going to be a busy and happy one for some of the adults as well that we've been posting details of on the HKDR Facebook page.  

I'm also receiving many enquiries about volunteering, and while the social distancing rules are still in place we can't hold the usual group orientation sessions at either of our Homing Centres.  However since we're so short of weekday help at Tai Po we can accept individual applications, but this is really for Monday to Friday only.  You can email info@hongkongdogrescue.com if this applies to you, but please be patient and wait a bit if you can only volunteer at weekends. 

Thor is starting to get used to home life

The second of the three ex-warehouse dogs had his adoption confirmed after a very short foster/trial, and Chuckle is now officially Thor.   He's been very lucky in finding himself an adopter who understands that it will take time for him to transition from the life he was living before to being a family member, but Thor is doing well and getting more confident every day. 

Weds 20th Jan: Thanks for the foster stories

 Starting with some very sad news today that the young standard poodle girl was euthanised when her condition deteriorated even further overnight and there was no hope that she would ever recover.  The true cause of her kidneys failing will never really be known, and sadly it's often the case that the question of why remains unanswered.   Certainly all breeds carry genetic predispositions to certain health problems, some more than others, although whether this applied in the poodle's case isn't known.

The Frostie Fosters are starting to be returned as the very cold weather is ending, for now anyway, and I have to say it's been lovely to read all of the updates from the foster parents.  The dogs seem to have settled in surprisingly quickly and we're hoping that at least of couple of them will be moving on to forever homes rather than coming back to the Homing Centre.  

Here's senior dog Molly's lovely story: 

"Frostie foster, Molly.  She started her staycation with us a little shy but soon opened up and affectionately comes to us for a "rub"/pet. She enjoys her walks and does not pull on her leash or sway. A neighbour walking his dog (adopted from HKDR) came up to me and praised how calm she is. 

Molly may be an older dog, she's well behaved with a calm demeanor. She was relaxed when we bathed her. We are now teaching the command ‘wait’ when crossing the street as she’s learning it nicely. She knows how to 'handshake', too. Did not chew anything in the house.  

Sweet nature personality and definitely fits well into a family as she makes a wonderful family addition. 

Molly stayed with us for three wonderful weeks, and she will be back to Tai Po this week. I hope she will get a chance into a forever home soon."

This is Saul, who also proved himself to be a lovely and easy boy in his soon-to-be-ending foster home

Saul has the “first sip” of a sweet home after spending 11 years in the shelter - thanks to his temporary Frostie foster! He’s been doing great with the foster, respecting the resident dog which is a small sized poodle, enjoying daily walks and weekend hikes. He bonded quickly with the family members and he’s always good with all the neighbors’ dogs. During the walks he often checks on his human sister and waits for her, (check the video on our HKDR Facebook page).

We can never really know how a dog is going to adapt away from the Homing Centre, the same as I'm never sure how my Lamma dogs are going to behave when they have to see a vet, bearing in mind their very sheltered life away from people and traffic.  I had to send two of my Lamma dogs for an ear check today and both Lorna and Connie behaved impeccably.  I know they're sweet girls at home but being handled by a stranger poking things down your ear must be scary, so I was feeling very proud of them when I heard how cooperative they'd been. 

 

Tues 19th Jan: A quick catch-up

 I wasn't able to post photos of the new arrivals from AFCD yesterday, but here they are and the puppies even have names now.  As mentioned they all went straight to foster homes while their mother, Ellie, and the husky, Jubilee, are at Tai Po.  Neither of the adults were licensed before leaving AFCD so their ages were estimated by the vet at the Animal Management Centre.  Ellie is around two years and Jubilee around six. 

Ellie is the mother of the 6 puppies

Jubilee is around 6 years and female

You may remember the three dogs we took in recently who had previously been living in a warehouse junkyard.  Google has now been adopted while Chuckle has gone to a foster home where he's currently learning how to live an indoor life (with regular walks of course). 

Google has been adopted

The standard poodle I'd written about before was brought to us today, but she's very seriously ill despite being a young dog.  I believe it's due to malnutrition in her previous home and we were warned by the vets at Concordia Pet Care where Peyton was immediately taken to that she may not survive as her kidneys are very badly damaged.  It's going to be expensive to treat her as she'll require intensive care, but we all want to give it our best shot.  It's hard not to feel anger at people who buy expensive puppies and then don't take proper care of them, and Peyton deserved better.  I'll keep you updated on her condition. 

Finally, I have been reinstated by Facebook after having been inexplicably banned so I can go back to posting my blog and replying to messages!

Mon 18th Jan: A new family arriving

 New dogs and puppies from AFCD will be arriving on Tuesday, with one of the adults being the young mother of the six puppies and the other being a husky.  Thanks to offers of fostering already on Cindy's list the puppies will go straight to their temporary homes in pairs, and if everything goes as we always hope they do we won't see them again because they'll be adopted directly.  Cindy is our volunteer Foster Coordinator who works incredibly hard without any pay or benefits, and as I've said so many times before I don't know how she does it.  We currently have many puppies in foster homes who are starting to move to forever homes as they reach the age for adoption, which is minimum eight weeks. 

The benefits of puppies being in foster homes are too many to detail and the only downside is that they're not instantly available to meet at our Homing Centre.  If you're looking for a puppy to adopt please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com or complete the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step. 

One of the currently few puppies staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre was adopted today, so lucky Minty is off the list.  He's always been a bit shy and hid under the dog beds when visitors came to have a look, which is the only reason he wasn't adopted sooner because he's such a gorgeous pup. 

I'm very restricted in what I can see and share right now after having been completed banned from Facebook and having no idea why.  Please remember that HKDR is now also on MeWe https://mewe.com/p/hongkongdogrescue as well as Instagram, as am I personally so please head over there to keep up with the news. 

Sun 17th Jan: Experiencing strange times

 

Riva (R) is having a try-out with ex-HKDR Clooney

Although most of the dog activity I write about seems to revolve around the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre that doesn't mean nothing's going on at Tai Po, and several dogs have left recently for trials.  Often people who take adults from Tai Po already have another dog who has to approve, or we need to see how the dog adapts to a new home and environment. The settling-in period for an adult is much long than for a puppy, and while initially puppies will cry at night they soon forget that they ever lived anywhere else. 

We anticipate seeing quite a lot of the "Frostie Fosters" coming back later in the week as the cold snap ends, and these dogs will have the benefit of having been in a home environment where they will have shown how easily they adapted.  The feedback has been very encouraging as well as helpful, as we can tell potential adopters about these particular dogs' behaviour and habits.  Older dogs are usually very easy and don't demand much in terms of attention and training, and they can be trusted not to chew or destroy stuff in the home.  

Lola, such a cutie

Going back to Ap Lei Chau, two dogs were adopted today.  One was Lola, the fake French bulldog, and the other Herbie, a kind of terrier cross.  I know a lot of potential adopters are really looking for younger dogs but as I keep saying, we usually have very little notice of any new arrivals so it's really a matter of wait and see.

Strange things are happening on social media and I have been blocked by Facebook for "violating Community Standards",  which is strange as I haven't shared a single post.  It does mean that I can't access any Facebook messages, which is normally something I do, or even post this blog meaning someone else will have to do it for me.  Strange times indeed. 

Sat 16th Jan: Small but brave

Patrick is losing weight in his new home

 While corgi Patrick had his adoption confirmed after a short trial period, we took in another corgi to take his place.  Both of these dogs had come from bad homes, and by bad I include cruelty through ignorance as well as physical abuse.   In Patrick's case he was surrendered to AFCD as a hugely obese dog even though still relatively young, and with long nails indicating that he was never walked.  I was told his ex-owners "trained" him by throwing food, and I don't think they thought there was anything odd about this, they just had no idea how a dog works, physically, mentally or emotionally.  Patrick was lucky to find a new home quite quickly and he's doing very well, but many - if not most - of such dogs stay with us for the whole of their lives.

Bean

The person who surrendered new corgi Bean to us was his second owner, and he told us that Bean had been hit and starved in his first home resulting in guarding behaviour (hardly surprising).  We know that pet shops recommend that puppies bought from them are fed the absolute minimum, to the point of actually counting out the individual pieces of kibble, which is why so many of these dogs are desperate to guard their food.  We've seen it time and again, and it seems to be worse in breeds that are genetically tough and brave anyway, like corgis and shiba inu.  Bean is handsome, and again still quite young, so we'll see what happens and whether his behaviour can be successfully modified.    As with all of these dogs who show guarding behaviour of any kind, they can't be in a home with children.

Wilfred

We don't know anything about handsome Wilfred's background and why he can also be temperamental except with those volunteers he knows and trusts. but we hold out hope that the right home will come along one day.  He's a fantastic little guy who loves hiking and adventures, and he has the energy to tackle anything. Again of course he can't be in a home with children.

Now for the best part of every day, the adoptions. As already scheduled puppy Mandy left with her new parents, and I hope she doesn't miss her best friends Freddie and Doddy too much.  

You can see how small Mandy is here

Also starting his new and well-deserved new life was poodle Barton, and I think he'll be getting all the love and attention he's missed in his previous years. 

Barton has a big family now