Sat 31st July: Forty two lucky dogs in July, but how many newcomers?

Brandy and Ka Yan

Following staff member Yannie's double adoption of Tosca and Tango the other day, it was Ka Yan's turn today.  She adopted fellow office-worker Brandy, who has been with us since she was a puppy, adopted once as a youngster and later returned, and for the past several years has been living in the HKDR office as Ka Yan's constant daytime companion.  Now she's going home to spend her senior years in comfort, and without the annoyance of the other upstairs dogs at the Homing Centre.  I'm so happy for Brandy, who has waited a very long time for this moment. 

Tommy and his new daddy

Also leaving the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre today, the last day of the month, were puppy Raisin and young boy Tommy.  Both sets of adopters have been waiting patiently for this day to come and I'm grateful that they did.  

Raisin has found her forever family

Of course barely a day goes by when we don't have any new arrivals, and while Brandy, Tommy and Raisin were leaving the Homing Centre puppy Sylvie was being welcomed.  She went straight to the ALCVC vet for a check-up and vaccination, meaning she'll be ready for Whiskers N Paws on Sunday. 

Baby Sylvie arrived today

 

Forty two lucky dogs and puppies were adopted from HKDR during the month of July, and their names will be shared on tomorrow's post.  This time I've also asked for the number and names of dogs that have come in, as I think it's important to give this information too.  It's a question that's often asked, and it helps give an idea of the reality of the situation.  Perhaps we also need to mention the dogs that have died while still waiting for their homes, as they too deserve a mention as an acknowledgement of their lives.   HKDR is, and always will be, a No Kill Organisation, meaning that we pledge to care of all dogs that come to us until the end of their lives, however long or tragically short that might be. 

Finally, I saw this shared on Facebook, and I couldn't agree with it more.  While dogs should be considered to be part of the family, that doesn't mean that they are humans like us, that they think like us or have the same aspirations.  

BEFORE YOU GET A DOG - READ THIS! ... and then think long and hard about how you will adjust your life to include your new addition ...

“I am a Dobermann, cataloged one of the most intelligent and most feared dogs, I have served the US Navy and I will not narrate my dark past on the German side. They called me the devil's dog, today they ask me to behave like a Poodle, they have gone so far as to wear clothes ...

I am a Malinois:

Gifted among dogs, I shine in all disciplines and I am always ready to work. Today they ask me to relax on the couch all day.

I am an Akita Inu:

My ancestors have been selected to fight with other dogs. Today they ask me to be tolerant of my peers, and they blame me for my reactivity when one of them approaches me.

I am a Beagle:

When I followed my prey, I gave a voice so that the hunters could follow me. I was leading the dance.

Today they put an electric collar on me to silence me, and they want me to return to the call in a snap of fingers.

I am a Yorkshire Terrier:

I was a rat catcher, fearsome in the English mines. Today they think that I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

I am a Labrador Retriever:

My vision of happiness is a dip in a pond to bring my master the duck he just shot. Today we forget that I am a sports dog, I am fat and I have to babysit the children.

I am a Jack Russell Terrier:

I am capable of facing a fox larger than me in its own den. Today they blame me for my damn character and want to turn me into a parlor dog.

I am a Siberian husky:

I got to know the great spaces of northern Russia, where I could pull sledges at impressive speed. Today I only have the walls of the garden on my horizon, and my only occupation is the holes I dig in the ground.

I am a Border Collie:

I am cut out to work eight hours a day, and I am an incomparable artist of herd labor. Today they blame me because in the absence of sheep, I try to control bicycles, cars, children from home, and everything that is in motion.

I am...

I'm a 19th century dog

I am handsome, I am alert, I am obedient, I can put up with being in a purse ... but I am also an individual who needs to express his instincts, and I am not suitable for the sedentary life that you want me to carry.

Spending eight hours a day alone on the patio, seeing you a little at night when you come back, and being entitled to any activity just a short walk to the bathroom will make me deeply unhappy.

I'll express it by barking all day, turning your garden into a minefield, relieving myself on the inside, being unmanageable the few times I'll find myself on the outside, and sometimes spending my days on my cushion, then you'll think I'm happy to To be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work: in reality I will be in full depression, because it is not the preference of the human, but also that of the dog of the XXI century.

If you like me, if you dream of me forever, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athlete look make you want to possess me, but you can't give me a real life of a full dog, a life that is really worth living, and if not you can offer me the job my genes claim ... then quit me.

If you like my rhythm but are not ready to accept my character traits from rigorous genetic selection, and you think you can change them with your only good will ... then quit me.

I'm a 19th century dog, yes. But, deep there, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who led a herd still sleeps. And sooner or later, you will wake up. For better or worse.”

(Elsa Weiss Éducation Canine / Cynopolis)

I'd add another breed to this list, the shiba inu, currently the most popular breed Hong Kong, that is until they're abandoned for behaving like they were bred to be.  "I am a shiba inu, a fearless hunting dog with stamina, intelligence and courage.  Today they expect me to sit alone all day in a tiny home and behave like a cat."