Weds 6th Sept: We welcome volunteers!

Nolan with the spectacular underbite 

There's a hundred dog photos I could share every day, like this one of funny-faced Nolan, but I'm going to have to refer you to our social media pages for those today.  These are Instagram @hkdr_official, @hkdr_kennedytown, @hkdr_eagle, @hkdr_puppy, and Facebook Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) .

 Today I want to write about our Tai Po Homing Centre, because not only do we have hundreds of dogs staying there while waiting to be noticed and taken home, but we also have an amazing group of regular dedicated volunteers who support the few actual staff members.  Most of these volunteers help with all aspects of the daily tasks which are part of running the Centre, such as cleaning and feeding as well as walking the dogs, but we also have individual volunteers who concentrate on helping the more challenging dogs. 

Bucket is a Cane Corso who came to us as an older puppy/young adult after having spent his puppy months at AFCD following a cruelty case where his ears were cut off with scissors.  Missing out on those incredibly important formative months of a puppy's life in terms of socialisation and training meant that Bucket came without any clue about normal dog behaviour.  I gave him the name Bucket because a metal water bucket was his favourite toy, and I assume the first toy he had ever had in his life.   As a Cane Corso he's big and very strong, and he had to be walked by two volunteers at the same time, that is until one particular person, quite a well-known face in the Hong Kong animal scene, asked if she could work with Bucket to try to train him.  It's been months now that Kaz has been coming to walk Bucket, and you can see from this video how good he is with her.  We do still want a home for Bucket, but it has to be one with a secure and large garden, and an adopter who understands big dogs and how to work with them.  That doesn't mean horrible things like prong collars, choke chains or any of those tools meant to inflict pain and punishment, but a calm and patient manner and rewards for good behaviour. 

Viva is also a large dog, but she has been with us since she was a baby puppy and certainly hasn't had anything awful done to her.  However she and the other "V" doglets are big and full of energy, so again they need a home with space and someone who can offer lots of exercise as well as mental stimulation, a vital part of any training for such dogs (that includes Bucket). 

Claudia and Tai Po staff member Gigi on the right 

This video of Viva was taken by another non-regular volunteer who used to be part of the Sunday team at Whiskers N Paws.  Today Claudia came with her workmates to help with the post-typhoon clean-up, and to donate an amazing cache of power tools.  We were all very excited to receive the saws, drills and tree cutters, and that's how Viva got involved when she decided to run off with a pair of goggles. 

The power saw makes cutting logs easy

Little Pudding 

Totally unlike Bucket, Viva or the other larger dogs at Tai Po, we also have much smaller and very sweet ones like easy-peasy Pudding, the mini sharpei. 

You can browse through the available dogs on our website at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/dogs/, and if you're interested in meeting any of them please take the first step by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Not all dogs are suitable for all homes, which is why we ask for the completed questionnaire in advance of any meeting. 

Everything is easy when you have the right tools