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| Amanda has her family now |
As always I want to start with the good news, and that's the adoption of sweet girl Amanda from our Tai Po Homing Centre. I wish I could convince more people how truly lovely the mixed breeds or mongrels are, and that it's not only the golden retrievers that make perfect family dogs. As the saying goes, you can never judge a book by its cover, and you should also never judge a dog by the name allocated to its particular breed.
Cocker spaniels used to be a very popular breed in Hong Kong, but these days we rarely see one and it was a surprise when now-Phaedra turned up after being abandoned so cruelly. She's on the mend now and her injured paw is healing well, so she's looking for a home. However, unlike sweet-natured Amanda we wouldn't let Phaedra go to a home with young children because she does have some food-guarding behaviour, possibly and even probably due to under-feeding as a puppy, but also part of the typical cocker spaniel temperament. If you're interested in adopting this young girl please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/
You're probably all aware that the situation with people leaving Hong Kong and not wanting or being able to take their dogs with them is reaching crisis point, and every day we're receiving emails asking us to take dogs in. It's not only a matter of space and money as far as the charity is concerned, it's also the trauma that the dogs will face that's just as much a concern. While we feel that HKDR's Homing Centres provide a far better environment than most other rescue organisations, there's no escaping the fact that a dog coming from a home where it's lived as a family member, and with all the comforts and security that provides, will be in complete shock when suddenly thrust into life at Tai Po. Admittedly, those dogs that have come from really bad homes and situations are very happy with their new friends and freedom but I'm not talking about those cases, I'm talking about the much-loved pets.
So what's the answer, apart from asking potential adopters who might be leaving Hong Kong to think really carefully about the cost and difficulties of flying a dog to another country. That doesn't really help those who adopted when things were much easier, although it's still not impossible to overcome the problem if you're prepared to pay for a charter flight, or wait the few months it might take to secure a regular commercial slot. (Please do your own research for charter companies as there are many available).
As far as HKDR is concerned, we have a surrender application form on our website which needs to be completed as a first step, although submitting the form doesn't automatically mean we can or will accept the dog, even if small-sized dogs are almost always accepted because they are much easier to re-home. If we agree to take the dog then there will be a surrender fee to pay, which varies according to circumstances but which takes into account the fact that HKDR will have to take care of the dog for what could be the rest of its life.
However asking any rescue organisation to take your dog should be the last thing you do, not the first. Before doing that you should make every effort to find a new home yourself, and that means asking friends, work colleagues and anyone else you can think of, especially if you plan to fly your dog over once the current situation has eased. Of course you need to be careful about handing any animal over to strangers, and I would strongly suggest that you use our HKDR adoption questionnaire, or that of any other organisation, as a guide to the questions you need to ask. We get lots of totally unsuitable homes offered which we have to reject, so please don't allow your dog to end up in one of these situations.
There are honestly no easy answers or solutions, and we will try out best to help whenever possible but there are also those who are taking advantage of the situation to get rid of their unwanted dogs.
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