It was just as well that our driver Ming was back at work today, because he was all over the place taking dogs and puppies to various vet clinics from our different locations. Two of these were Tai Po dogs, one of which was Izzy, who had been with us for a long time and was already quite sick before starting to show signs of deterioration. The decision was made to let him go as there was no chance of him ever getting better. The other, and even older dog, was Katie, and she was sent back to Tai Po to be looked after, but again being realistic she's coming to the end of her life too.
This is something that we're having to deal with on a regular basis now, both on Lamma where the dogs that stay with me are all seniors, with many being fourteen or over, and at the Tai Po Homing Centre. We moved there in 2010 from Pokfulam taking around a hundred dogs with us, and while there may be a few dogs remaining from that original group, the number is very low. As a "No Kill" organisation, any dog that comes to us will be taken care of for its entire natural life, with euthanasia only being agreed to when it's the only humane option. It's hard to say goodbye to a dog you have known for so long, and that affects all of us at HKDR.
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| Tessa is already in a home |
Also moving from here to there were the younger "T" puppies that were staying at our HKDR@Elgin space, because they'd been taking it in turns to have bouts of diarrhoea and lack of appetite. One by one they'd seen a vet and been tested for the viruses we all dread, but the tests were negative. Finally we moved them to Kennedy Town today so they could be monitored by the more experienced staff, so if you were planning on meeting them over the weekend, don't go to Elgin Street. The other "F" puppies are still there though, and all doing well (as well as being very lovely).
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| Freya has been adopted |
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| Poodle puppy Boogie |
We received another ex-smuggling case puppy today from AFCD, this time a very lovely poodle puppy boy, now called Boogie. We also still have the one year-old Scottie that arrived with the group on Thursday, and his name is Walter. As with all of these types of puppy that are so much in demand, we'll choose the home that we feel is best for each one.
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| Walter |
There's obviously no fear that such puppies are going to have to wait for long before finding their forever homes, but we do have one small puppy who's proving to be a bit of a worry. Sugar is the last of the "S" litter and the one that looks most like her mother Stella, and being now an only "child" she has become very clingy and dependent. Iris tried separating Sugar from Stella but the cries of desperation were too hard to bear (see the video). I suggested putting another puppy in with the pair in the hope that Sugar would be distracted by having a playmate, and new poodle Boogie was the one chosen because he's also small, young and fully vaccinated. That didn't last long either, because Sugar wasn't interested and Stella was protecting her baby against this intruder. The only solution is that Stella and Sugar are adopted as a pair, so this is now our aim.
I almost thought that puppy Mambo had a lovely home today, but that didn't go through as the husband felt it was too soon to adopt after the recent loss of the family dog. This is something that causes differing opinions, with some feeling that bringing a new dog or puppy into the home quickly helps to heal the pain of grief, with others being unable to bear having any other dog too soon. For myself I have found that having so many other dogs to take care of when one dies means that I don't have the time to bury myself in grief or sad thoughts for too long, and it's a great comfort.
Of course I want our dogs and puppies to find homes so perhaps I'm biased, but the enjoyment of having a new puppy can't fail to make you smile.
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