Weds 30th Nov: Last day of the month, and Christmas is coming

Igloo is loving her new home

I missed mentioning that little pomeranian Igloo was adopted on Monday, and following her happy day it was the turn of poodle India.  Both of these dogs are ex-breeder survivors, and the rest of their lives will be very different from their puppy factory days.  

India's life as a breeder dog is history now

With November now over and Christmas on its way, there's an event coming up which I'm sure will be quickly sold out.  

𝐁𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐓 𝐁𝐘 𝐘𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐇𝐲𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜

Brought back by popular demand, our second round of Charity Lunch Buffet is now available for bookings! All profits will go to HKDR to help support our rescue work.

DATE: 10 Dec 2022 (Sat)

TIME: 12:00pm - 2:30pm (reception starts at 11:30am)

$2088/ table (4 guests + 4 dogs)

(+

$100 for each additional dog)

Seats are limited, and they were always sold out right after we started selling. To book a table now, please WhatsApp 6285 8395.

Special thanks to Hyatt Centric @hyattcentrichongkong and The Farmhouse for sponsoring the venue, and thanks to Meal Rical @mealrical for sponsoring delicious Goat Cheese sets for our dog guests!

Richard Ward presenting the Gino's Gelato cheque at P2F 2014

I know a lot of HKDR supporters have memories of Peak to Fong popping up on their Facebook pages, and it's an event that's been sorely missed.  I really hope 2023 will see the return of this amazing gathering of dog lovers, but as an ongoing part of the P2F tradition we were very happy to receive a cheque for $42,000 from Gino's Gelato.  For those that don't know, at every Peak to Fong event we held Doggie Gelato eating competitions which were a lot of fun, and we would then be presented with a Giant Cheque which represented a percentage of the sales of Doggie Gelato at all of their outlets throughout the year.  Peak to Fong or not, the donation has continued, and it seems that the dogs really love their gelato!  

As I mentioned yesterday, the four new AFCD puppies have joined the fluffy "F" litter at HKDR@Elgin, and everyone is getting along very well.  The shy "F" puppies are improving all the time in terms of their socialisation, thanks to Manager Cam and the volunteers who sit with the pups so patiently.  If you want to be part of this please email Cam at elgin@hongkongdogrescue.com so you can join our small team while the puppies are still there.

November's adoption number of 33 was lower than in previous months, which is normal for the run-up to the Christmas and New Year holiday period, but disappointing all the same.  I'm especially sad to see only two dogs being adopted from our Tai Po Homing Centre, the place where the dogs need homes more than any other.  Please do take the time to meet the many wonderful dogs and puppies that are staying there at any given time, and give them the second chance that they deserve.

Tai Po Homing Centre:

Darwin (Multibreed doglet)

Kasey (Multibreed)

Kennedy Town Homing Centre:

Sparky (Schnauzer cross)

Gertie (Dachshund)

Callie (Multibreed puppy)

Maddie (Maltese)

Caro (Multibreed puppy)

Scout (Terrier cross)

Imogen (Poodle)

Cassius (Multibreed puppy)

Carter (Multibreed puppy)

Cooper (Multibreed puppy)

Igloo (Pomeranian)

India (Poodle)

Ap Lei Chau Red Dog Centre:

Bailey (Poodle)

HKDR@Elgin:

Freya (Multibreed puppy)

Whiskers N Paws:

Quince (Multibreed puppy)

Foster Homes:

Emma (Multibreed)

Kuki (Golden Retriever)

Celeste (Multibreed puppy)

Clara (Rottweiler)

Roland (Multibreed doglet)

Hendrix (Poodle)

Penny (Multibreed puppy)

Paula (Multibreed puppy)

Brenda (Spaniel cross)

Gabriel (Multibreed)

Gordon (Multibreed)

Camille (Multibreed puppy)

Collette (Multibreed)

Okra (Multibreed puppy)

Cici (Multibreed)

Lamma:

Sprite (Border Collie cross)

Our Forever Dogs:

Chip (Lamma)

Oliver (Lamma)

Colby (Foster)

Pinto (Lamma)

Toddy (Foster)

Sprite (Lamma) - Sprite was posthumously adopted 

Tues 29th Nov: I should have stayed in bed

 If ever I wake in the morning thinking that I don't have anything particularly urgent that needs to be done, I should really pull the covers back over my head and stay there.  At least I did know that four puppies would be arriving from AFCD Shatin, one of which had very strangely been licensed (at a very young age) as a Newfoundland cross, while the others in the same litter were simply called mongrels. Tessa is indeed fluffy and gorgeous, but I'm not sure how she can qualify as a half-breed with siblings who are not.  Anyway, that's not important as all of the puppies are lovely and friendly girls.

The puppies started off at our North Street Centre in Kennedy Town, but they didn't stay there for long because there was a sudden message asking if we could take two small adults and two puppies.  While I said yes and asked that they be dropped off at North Street, I was told there was no space because the four pups from AFCD had filled the last free area, so we agreed that the four "T" puppies would move to HKDR@Elgin to make room for the other four.  So Tansy, Toastie, Tinker and Tessa are now at 22 Elgin Street if you would like to meet them, while the two adults and puppies took over the North Street space.  The adults are three years old and female, while both pups are male. 

Two small adults and two puppies

Freya going home

At least Freya had been picked up by her adopter from the Elgin Street location, and there's actually a big area for the puppies to enjoy downstairs.  The new four are the same age as the already-resident "F" litter, so I'm hoping their confidence and friendliness will rub off on the still quite shy ones. 

This is a photo of a very sad abandoned dog

There was another (horrible) surprise arrival at our Tai Po Homing Centre when a dog that had been adopted in 2014 (!!!) was "returned" by the adopter.  There had been no contact in the eight years since Muffin had been promised a home for life, but suddenly she was apparently a problem.  Some people have no shame or conscience, and this very wealthy person falls squarely into that category.   I mention that the adopter is wealthy because we're often accused of only allowing rich people with big homes to adopt, but we're fully aware that money has got nothing to do with morals or decency.  When we're assessing potential homes we do have to take into account the size of the home and the number of people living there, because it can be very stressful for a dog to have absolutely no quiet space of its own, but that doesn't mean we reject would-be adopters simply because they don't live in spacious apartments with gardens.  Every application is considered independently, and while it's true that it's always a lovely bonus if there's a garden or terrace for dogs to play in, it's certainly not a deal maker or breaker.

Muffin as a baby when she was adopted in 2014

However the worst part of the day for me came as I was walking my dogs in the morning, and ahead on the path I noticed an obviously scared dog scuttling away as it saw me approaching.  In horror I realised it was one of my dogs, Kirsten, who had never come on the walks with me but had recently started following me into the woods close to my house before turning back and going home.  I hadn't noticed that on Monday Kirsten had come quite far into the woods before disappearing, and I had just assumed she'd gone home as before, but obviously not.  I thought she'd be happy to see me on the path this morning, but she must have been in such a panic and so traumatised that she just ran away as I got closer.  I had to take the other dogs home as they're old now, and can't do very long hikes, but after that I went back to search for Kirsten, unsuccessfully.  I should explain that there's only one track that leads from my house into the woods and then along the crest of the hill, so it's actually hard to even imagine that a dog could get lost, and even then it should be easy to just follow the track back home.  I don't know why after eleven years Kirsten should suddenly decide to follow me, or why she had obviously peeled off and headed in another direction.  All I know is that she's now lost and very scared, and I can't even find a photo of her amongst the hundreds of photos I have locked in old phones and computers.  I did find a short video of my then-sick dog Oliver with Kirsten by his side, so that's what I'll use for the time being.  (The dogs chewed my external hard drive where I had everything saved).  

So for anyone living on Lamma, Kirsten is a medium-sized tan-and-white dog, and she could be anywhere on the island.  She is timid with strangers, and if she's even now scared of me then all I can hope for is a sighting so I can try to catch her. 

Mon 28th Nov: Newspaper, transport and a sad bulldog

 Well it looks like summer is back, at least for a couple of days, and this is probably my fault because I had put all of the big fans away in storage thinking they were no longer needed. 

Before I talk about other news can I remind everyone that we always need newspaper at all of our centres, to use in the toilet areas.  Not only is newspaper eco-friendly, for some reason it attracts the puppies in the same way that cat litter works for cats.  I can't explain it but I assume it's something to do with the smell, and the result is that the puppies almost automatically use it for their toilet needs, even the youngest of babies.  It's the easy way to toilet train a puppy, even if accidents will always occur and should be expected.  You can drop newspaper off at either of the Kennedy Town Centres, 22 Elgin Street (Soho), 21 Ap Lei Chau Main Street or our big Centre at 6 Shek Lin Road, Tai Po. 

It's also our driver Ming's holiday meaning we are without a van for a couple of weeks, so if anyone has a car and some time to spare and can help with transport, please let us know.

Pretty Freya

The first of the HKDR@Elgin puppies was chosen today, and it's probably obvious who that is because Freya has been very friendly from the start, as well as being very pretty.  She didn't leave Elgin Street immediately as it was already late in the day, but I believe she'll be heading off on Tuesday.  Hopefully Fitz will be following in her footsteps (paw prints) before too long, as he's also come out of his shell over the past week. 

Freya is the only girl

This boy needs a new home

In yet another sad story about people leaving Hong Kong for good and not taking their dog with them, we received a surrender request for a bulldog who had been given to the parents of the owners, and they were unable to cope.  You can see from the photo that this poor dog has terrible skin, very typical of bulldogs, a breed which probably has more genetic health problems than any other due to the deliberate inbreeding of excessive characteristics.  I know that attempts have been made to try to reverse some of this, but the fact remains that there are many issues that we see in English bulldogs that make their lives difficult.  This boy is five years old, so still a relatively young dog, and anyone interested should start by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ 

Please remember that we have literally hundreds of dogs staying at our Tai Po Homing Centre, many of them young and very sweet-natured and really perfect family dogs.  You can take a look at our long list of those that are available at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/dogs/ and we do try to keep this up to date as much as possible. 

Sun 27th Nov: Happy adoption news

 I don't know if it was the same everywhere but there was no rain to spoil the party at Whiskers N Paws today, and I'm happy to announce the adoption of  Quince, sister of Quentin (still available in case you wondered).  We were hoping that the adopters might consider taking both home, but we're happy for little Quince anyway.  Both are really lovely puppies, and maybe this will bring Quentin some of his own luck. 

Rodger So was the volunteer photographer today, and he knows just how to get the best out of the puppies as you can see here  Puppy Adoption Day 27th Nov 2022.  You know the drill by now if you're interested in adopting, you start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ and we will get back you very quickly.

Cassius has his own family now

Quince wasn't the only lucky pup today I'm happy to say, as Cassius was adopted from our Kennedy Town Homing Centre, as well as Aaron, the shy one.  He will have two dog friends in his new home, not just one, so we're really happy that we waited for the right home to come along.   Just as we hope that Quince's adoption will bring luck for Quentin, maybe Aaron's brother Austin's turn will be soon as well. 

I'm so happy for shy Aaron

Of the three "O" babies currently enjoying their foster holiday at Instagram @why_i_foster, one of them, Okra, is actually a slightly older singleton, and although still too young to go to her new forever home, her would-be adoption was confirmed today.   The other two, Odile and Oliver, will still be together after their big "sister" leaves, and I don't think it will take long for their day to come when it's time. 

Rambo

I'm sure you'll be happy to see this updated photo of Rambo, the dog who came to us from a very sad previous existence after the death of his owner over a year ago.  You can see the difference already, and although Rambo's legs are weak due to Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), I believe he's not as bad as we previously thought at this stage.  If you can foster this boy, please let Cindy know by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.  There's no treatment for Rambo's condition, but a soft bed and massages will help for sure.  We're also researching supplements that may slow down the progression of the disease.

The "S" (for small) litter are popular with potential adopters, although they're still not quite old enough to be adopted as singletons.  If there is already a dog in the home or you want to adopt a pair, then now's the time to meet them.

Sat 26th Nov: The updated puppy list, and a reminder of the many dogs at Tai Po

 I'm not sure how far I'm going to get with today's post as I'm once again having trouble with my internet connection. This is already my fourth attempt, so I think it's going to be another short entry.

Imogen and her family

I should start with the confirmed adoption of the day, with poodle Imogen leaving Kennedy Town with her new family.  Imogen was one of a group of ex-breeder poms and poodles that came via AFCD, and of course they all had various things wrong with them or they would still be with the breeder.  Luxating patella (kneecap) is the most common of all small dog issues, even if it occurs in larger dogs too sometimes, and of this intake I think all of them had bad knees to a certain extent.  

Imogen with Igloo

There are still three from this group available, pom Igloo (bad knees), pom Izzy who is recovering from knee surgery in a foster home, and poodle India, also needing patella surgery.  The reason why it's so important to fix the knees even if the dog is quite capable of walking and even running, is that the condition worsens over time and will eventually cause complete lameness.  Luckily Dr Tony at Acorn is very experienced in fixing knees, so although the surgery isn't cheap and there's obviously a recovery period afterwards, once it's done then there should be no future problems.  It's just frustrating that these very lovely small dogs aren't easy to home immediately, and the cost is also a factor of course.  Just as a reminder, these dogs didn't come to us looking as good as they do today, as they were all a filthy mess, courtesy of the breeder they came from. 

When they arrived in October (India had to be shaved)

Izzy in foster

There were several potential adopters visiting the Kennedy Town Centres at Brilliant Court and North Street, and the "S" litter (of smaller puppies) were definitely popular.  These are the babies that came with their mother Stella, herself a small size and very sweet. 

Stella can be adopted at any time

Here is a full list of the puppies currently waiting for homes, although the "S" litter are still a bit too young to be adopted individually.  For foster puppies please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com, and please remember that we have many, many beautiful and lovely young adults at our Tai Po Homing Centre that are deserving of loving homes too.

HKDR Kennedy Town Homing Centre - Shop 4, G/F, Brilliant Court, Sai Hong Lane, 28 Praya, Kennedy Town

Clio (F), Molly (F), Ike (M) and Ottilie (F)

Yvette (F), Yuri (M) and Yasmin (F)

Josh (M) and Jude (M) 

Aaron (M) and Austin (M)

Cairo (F), Callum (M) and Cassie (F)

Connor (M), Christian (M), Coral (F) and Carla (F) 

Quentin (M) and Quince (F)

Grant (M)

HKDR Headquarters - Shop 4, G/F, Cheong Yue Mansion, 13-19 North Street, Kennedy Town

Gavin (M), Griffin (M), Gunner (M), Gabby (F) and Gidget (F)

Cherry (F), Chimney (F), Cassius (M) and Cotton (F)

Rosie (F), Ritzy (F), Rina (F), Rowan (M), Ruby (F), Roman (M) and Riley (M) 

Speedy (M), Sandy (F), Sugar (F), Sophie (F), Sylvie (F) and  Sassy (F)

HKDR@Elgin - G/F, 22 Elgin Street, Central

Freya (F), Frankie (M), Fitz (M), Fabian (M), Ford (M), Farley (M), Finley (M) and Felix (M)

Whiskers N paws - 10/F Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau 

Muppet (M)

Mambo (M)

Foster homes on Hong Kong Island

Charlie (M) and Cressie (F) at Chung Hom kok

Azaria (F) at Happy Valley (Instagram Page @zeldainthevalley )

Omega (F) and Oscar (M) at Sai Ying Pun

Foster homes in Kowloon and New Territories

Okra (F), Oliver (M) and Odile (F) at Sai Kung (Instagram Page @why_i_foster ) 

Turpin (M) at Kowloon Tong

Fri 25th Nov: Puppies galore

 My heart sank when we were asked if we could take four beautiful puppies from AFCD, as there's already a waiting list of other "rain babies" waiting for a "yes", and completely packed Homing Centres at Kennedy Town.  You can take a look at the many available puppies on our Facebook page: our https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue, too many for me to post here.  

This is what you call orderly!

I should also mention the eight puppies staying at HKDR@Elgin, 22 Elgin Street, Soho, and they're oblivious of course to any thought that this isn't where they will live for ever.   In a puppy's mind they only consider the present, meaning food, sleep and play.  You can see from this video that these puppies are incredibly happy where they are, but sadly this is not a forever situation and they will need to move on at some point, hopefully to their new homes.  However they're still quite shy, even if they're improving day by day, and now there's a second puppy who has decided that humans aren't that bad after all.  Freya has always been friendly, and now Fitz is also happy to be petted. 

Cute Fitz

When the puppies at Elgin Street are adopted, at least some of them, we will have some space to take in others that are waiting, so I really hope the weekend brings some good news.  At least we know that two of the Kennedy Town pups will be going to a new home together very soon, even if Carter and Cooper are still included in the available grid. 

Lucky Carter and Cooper are off the list

Sunday will be the last Whiskers N Paws puppy party for the month, and I'm determined to se the two brothers Muppet and Mambo in homes before Christmas.  These are the easiest and sweetest of puppies, perfect for families and anyone looking for an all-round amazing dog.  You can see the brothers and many others in last Sunday's photo album  Puppy Adoption Day 20th Nov 2022.

Please remember to start every adoption enquiry by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Thurs 24th Nov: Please desex your dogs!

Shiloh is such a sweet girl

 Every day brings new arrivals to our Tai Po Homing Centre, all lovely dogs, many older puppies or young adults who should be in their own homes.  Yesterday it was six month-old Trudy, and today a beautiful young lady from AFCD who's now called Shiloh.  We know that she had given birth to a litter of puppies during her time at AFCD, and while the pups had found another place to go, the mother was still stuck at government kennels until we took her in.  She's a lovely dog, just as all of the newcomers and longer-term stayers are.  There's this sad misconception that all dogs who end up in shelters are there because they have a health or behaviour issue, and that's absolutely not the case.  

Trudy is still a young puppy

These dogs are just victims of circumstance and human failings, the simplest of all that would make the biggest impact being lack of desexing.  One single female puppy can come into season at five to six months, and produce a litter of puppies long before reaching the age of one year.  Some of those puppies will be female, and then they too will go on to have their own litters, so in just two years one un-desexed dog can result in many, many unwanted puppies being born.  

Zuma came as an adult, not desexed

Right now there are three litters of puppies that we've been asked to take in, two of which are newborns and the other slightly older.  The truth is, even if we find foster homes for these puppies while they're very young, in just a matter or weeks they'll be old enough for adoption and, as mentioned, within a few months the females would be ready to start their own cycle of reproduction.  It's not only frustrating that even owned dogs aren't desexed, it's tragic for the homeless female dogs that they are condemned to a life of misery, starvation and disease as they produce litter after litter until their eventual early death.

I do need to add that not neutering males adds to the problem, because on their own the females can't become pregnant.  DESEX YOUR DOGS!  If you have a mongrel ( mixed breed) you can apply to the SPCA for free desexing, and if the puppy (or adult dog) you adopt has come from AFCD then it also comes with a free desexing form (at designated vet clinics). Even if the puppy you adopt isn't entitled to free desexing, if you genuinely can't afford to pay for the surgery yourself, then you really can't afford to have a dog.  There are always going to be vet bills at some point during a dog's life, and nowhere is cheap.   All of the adult dogs at HKDR will already be desexed (females at six months, males by a year of age), so if you want to be sure that your dog isn't going to be responsible for adding to the over-population problem, adopt an older puppy or adult. 

Christmas is just a month away now, and while it's a time for celebration for many, as well as holidays out of Hong Kong, that inevitably means a tough time for the dogs and puppies that are waiting for homes.  It's always been this way, and quite honestly I dread holiday periods for just this reason.  Our own HKDR staff want to take their holidays too, so that means we're short of caretakers at both Kennedy Town and Tai Po, with the big Homing Centre always struggling to get the work done during any regular day as it is.  If you can volunteer, please do come to help, and if you're not already registered but are available on weekdays we can fast-track your application if you're not already a registered volunteer.  Please note that we're not able to accommodate volunteers who can only do a day or two, as it takes time to train all new volunteers and we really need experienced and longer-term help.

We also can't accept anyone under eighteen years of age for safety reasons, although we're asked all the time by students if they can come to help. 

Talking of Christmas, here's a great gift idea..... 

Art for charity! Our adopter and supporter Angela Poon-Higasi continues to do commissioned portraits to raise funds for HKDR until she reaches her $10,000 target. All proceeds will be donated to HKDR to help save lives!

See more of Angela’s work here: @portraits.byangela

The portraits are watercolour, painted on Arches hot pressed paper (13x18 cm)

Each portrait is $700 for two subjects (pet or human) for $700, and $950 for three subjects. Max 3 subjects per portrait.

To order a portrait, please WhatsApp Angela at 5588 8386

Huge thanks to Angela and all the donors!