Weds 23rd June: Jilly is back!!

Three beautiful lives saved

 There's a lot to talk about today, but let me start with three babies who were washed down a hill by the very heavy rain today.  This happens every time there are storms, and unfortunately the mother dogs never seem to understand that fact.  I'd put out an urgent call for a foster home but have just heard from Cindy that one of our regular and amazing foster parents will take the triplets, and you'll be able to follow their progress on Instagram @ why_i_foster

I also need to give a shoutout to the rescuers of such puppies, as they are the unsung heroes as far as I'm concerned.  The videos I've seen of these people going out in the dead of night and in all weathers, such as this current heavy rain, make me want to give them all medals.  

I'm also going to jump ahead a day with the amazing news that runaway dog Jilly has been found, or rather she went back home!  Can you believe it, after all this time.  There's a wonderful video of the foster parent out with corgi Bonnie (also being fostered) and meeting Jilly in the street, and at first I thought this was the moment she had been caught but apparently not.  We're eager to hear all the details but for now it's just a huge relief for everyone. 

The shiba puppy is 7 months old

The shiba inu puppy turned up today, and as suspected the poor dog had been seriously underfed since he was a baby pupppy, resulting in his food guarding behaviour. How can anyone think that sending a starving dog away for training is going to change his obsession with food when it has been so scarce all his life?  Pet shops are known to recommend counting out every piece of kibble for puppies, meaning food becomes so precious they will fight for it to survive.  At HKDR we feed our puppies as much as they want so they never worry about food, or know what hunger feels like, and hopefully it's not to late to teach this new shiba puppy that he can happily share with everyone else.  We were told he's friendly with people and other dogs as long as there's no food around, so at least he can have fun playing while he's at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre. 

As you all know, anyone interested in adoption should start the process by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Not all applications to adopt are approved and there are different reasons for rejecting someone, but although we've often been accused of favouring the rich who live in big homes, in fact that's not true. There's a case that was shared on one of the Facebook groups about a labrador owned by a very wealthy family with a huge house in Repulse Bay, but while the family enjoyed the luxury of such a home the poor dog was kept outside at the back in a small walled area, open to all weathers, hot, cold and pouring rain, chained to a kennel.  The SPCA Inspectors were called because of the heavy rain but there was either no one at home or they didn't come to the door, but you have to wonder why such people have a dog at all.  Is it status, or what? I seriously hope the dog is taken away from them and they're prosecuted for cruelty, but with the laws as they stand I very much doubt it.  However these are the kind of homes we would never send a dog to, and since this case has been widely shared maybe the owners will be shamed into letting the labrador go to a new home where it will have the love and care every dog deserves.