Fri 16th July: The downside of foster homes

 It's a difficult decision to make when foster homes are offered for adult dogs, because removing a dog from our Homing Centres means it's not available for potential adopters to meet, and may therefore lose the opportunity to find a forever family.  We do ask for short-term homes when there is bad weather such as typhoons and very hot or very cold spells, but in general we feel it's better for the dogs to stay with us until adopted.  We don't confine or separate our dogs unless there's a very good reason such as illness or dog-aggression, believing that being able to socialise, play, sleep and even eat in a group setting is beneficial in every way.   The only time we ask for and really need foster homes are when puppies are very young, or dogs have had surgery and need a quiet environment to recover in. 

The Tai Po dogs enjoy each other's company

The other reason for not really feeling it's always in a dog's best interests to go to a temporary home is that it takes every dog some time to settle after being moved, and if that dog is then returned to the Homing Centre it means another adjustment.  The dogs at Tai Po are kept in enclosures with others that they get along with, so there's a family-type group formed, which is how dogs naturally live.  On Lamma, where I have no physical separations such as fences, the dogs still gather into self-created groups, especially the females.  In fact this is one of the differences between males and females, and not only in the dog world.  While females stick very closely to their small group of friends, the males are more gregarious and independent.   That's not to say that males dogs aren't as loyal to human companions, and again using my Lamma dogs as examples (because they have taught me everything I know about dogs), my steadfast walking group are males.  They will follow me no matter what, even when I go out in the rain, or when there's thunder around and they would naturally choose to stay home.  As always I need to state that this is a generalisation of behaviour, not set in stone as there are always exceptions to every rule. 

This all brings me round to two cases of dogs that went to foster homes as "Bad Weather" fosters, and stayed after everything returned to normal.   They are Finn and Winfrey, but now that time has come when they really do need to move out and we don't want them to have to return to Tai Po.

Finn

Finn is looking for a home!

Finn has been staying in foster care for the last half a year so he is very used to living in a home. Sadly his foster family will soon need to hand him back, and we are really hoping to see him adopted instead of having to come back to the centre.

Finn is 6 years old and he has always been one of our “Top Dogs”. This is what his foster says about him:

“Finn is a super easy going and surprisingly low maintenance dog. At 6 years old, he is curious, cheerful and energetic by nature, but he is very well behaved and also responds well to commands even though we are new to him. He blended right into our family with young kids and dogs on day one, and is very friendly to our guests too (big, small and furry guests). Finn enjoys running around outdoor as much as a quiet day spent at home with his loving human.”

A dog who’s good with children, playful with dogs, sweet with humans and low maintenance! What more could you ask for?

If you are interested in adopting Finn, please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website: https://hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Winfrey

Winfrey needs a home! She has been with her foster family for over half a year, so she's already very experienced with living in the city. She's very affectionate and loves following you around the house! Although Winfrey is 8 years old, she's still a very active girl and would love a family who can bring her on many adventures Her foster family will be leaving Hong Kong soon and they really hope Winfrey can find her forever family before then. Again please start by completing the adoption questionnaire if you think Winfrey is the dog for you.