Mon 26th Oct: Heartwarming "foster fails" and other stories

 Yet another month has sped by, and in just a few days it will be November and Peak to Fong. I had to grab my T-shirt to make sure I had one, as some sizes have already sold out!  If you're planning on coming along to enjoy the amazing day with dogs and human friends, please don't leave it too late. The date is Sunday 23rd November if you need a reminder.

We've had some wonderful adoptions this month, with several foster fails of Tai Po dogs who were taken for typhoon fostering.  I'm not sure which is the happiest story, so I'll put them on equal footing and alphabetical order, meaning Gelato comes first. You may remember he escaped from his foster home and ended up being hit by a car, and while we were all extremely worried at first he made a quick recovery, and even better he's been formally adopted!

The second heartwarming adoption is that of Turbo, a 12 year-old Tai Po resident who has been with HKDR since he was a puppy.  This proves that a dog is never too old to become a family member, and that we take care of all of our dogs until that special day comes.

The third "foster fail" was Nando, another lovely boy who just needed that chance to prove himself.

Thank you to all of the foster parents who changed the dogs' lives for ever.  

I also want to mention another very kind and loving foster family, although with a sad and unexpected ending.  Delphine had been adopted from us several years ago but ended up having to be returned when her owner passed away.  She wasn't in the best condition when she came back, but she was taken in by a foster family and her health seemed to be improving.  She was actually going to Acorn for a routine check-up when she collapsed outside the clinic, and despite best efforts she never regained consciousness.  The happy part of this story is that she died knowing that she was loved and cared for, and that the end was quick and pain-free. 

Of course most adoptions are of smaller dogs from our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and they include the last shiba puppy, Yoshi, and Coco with the amazing eye patches.  Big puppy Larry found a lovely home with one of our long-term adopters, so I hope his siblings will be as lucky. For the full list with photos, please check our HKDR Facebook page, as for some reason I'm not able to include photos on this page any more.

While dogs are leaving we're always taking in replacements, one of which is a young corgi boy, now called Blair.  If you're interested in adopting any dog or puppy, large, medium or small, please complete the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

Fri 17th Oct: Peak to Fong and other upcoming events in the pipeline

 We have a lot of exciting collaborations for the coming months in the pipeline, all of which serve two purposes.  The first is to bring in much-needed funds so we can save more dogs, and the second is to help to share awareness about HKDR and what we do.  Of course we'll be sharing information as the time approaches, but for now all eyes are on Peak to Fong, taking place on Sunday 23rd November.  Although that might seem a long way off, we have already sold out of some T-shirt sizes, so please don't wait to buy yours. I'm sure you already know that Peak to Fong (P2F) is the most-fun dog event of the year, and we always look forward to meeting our ex-HKDR dogs and their families. 

As you may have noticed if you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, we have been asking for foster homes for new dogs coming to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, or rather even before they arrive.  This is because we had an outbreak of a serious strain of kennel cough at the Centre, and while it's resolving and the affected dogs are recovering, we need to make sure that the premises is totally clear of any potential infection before introducing new residents.   It's created a lot of work for Cindy, our Foster Coordinator, who honestly deserves a medal for the work she does, but we feel it's for the best interests of the dogs and puppies. We have a new intake waiting to be offered foster homes, and while about half of them have already found foster families, we still need more before we can say yes to the dogs arriving.  If you can help, please complete the form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/, or email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you're already registered with her.

I don't want to forget the dogs at our Tai Po Homing Centre waiting for homes, as they tend to get overlooked as it is.  We recently took in two lovely older puppies from AFCD,  now called Lizzie and Lottie, and they're both only medium sized.

Other than Lizzie and Lottie there are so many lovely dogs, some of whom have been with us since they were puppies, and they really deserve a chance of becoming part of a real family.  Please come and meet them at 6 Shek Lin Road, Tai Po, but remember to complete the adoption questionnaire in advance so we can suggest the best match for you and your lifestyle.  The form is at www.hongkongdogsrecue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/,

Sat 4th Oct: Yet another typhoon, and new poodles arrive

 It seems we can hardly catch our breath after patching up and repairing the damage from one typhoon before we're on to the next.  At least today's isn't as ferocious as Ragasa, but it was enough to bring down a big tree at our Tai Po Homing Centre, which came crashing down onto a shelter roof.  Fortunately no dogs or people were injured, and only the roof needs replacing.

On top of the typhoons, we're still trying to get the kennel cough situation at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre under control, and while most of the dogs and puppies are recovering, we can't risk bringing in newcomers who will almost certainly be infected and start everything up again. For that reason, when we were asked if we could accept a group of poodles, we had to secure foster homes before saying yes.  Initially we had big response, but as quickly as they came in the offers of a temporary home were withdrawn.  Finally we had enough confirmed fosters to give the go-ahead for the poodles to come, and they all went straight out again, with one lucky doodle being instantly adopted.  Gunner is now called Ginger, and is obviously no longer looking for a home.  We also have quite a few poodles at Ap Lei Chau also available for adoption if you're looking for this breed in particular, or just a small dog to join your family.

Adoptions are still ongoing at Ap Lei Chau, and Tai Po of course, and there are plenty of dogs and puppies to choose from.  As always please complete the adoption questionnaire as the first step in the adoption process, and you can find it at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Other than the dogs and puppies that have been affected by the cough and runny nose that are the symptoms of kennel cough, our vet bills have been astronomical as each individual case has to be assessed and treated, some of them needing to be hospitalised.  Just when we seem to have got our finances under control and back on track, we've been hit with huge monthly invoices which need to be paid.  In addition to the financial burden, the staff and volunteers are exhausted with all of the extra work involved in giving extra-special care, attention and medication to all of the dogs and puppies.  

These outbreaks occur from time to time, and come out of the blue. There's nothing that can be done other than to wait it out until the virus has moved on, but we will still need foster homes for the next groups of incoming dogs until it's safe to keep them at our Homing Centre again.  If you can help, please complete the foster form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/, but please only offer if you can genuinely take in a dog or puppy until it finds a home.  There's a lot of time and work involved in assessing each application and the to-and-fro messaging and arrangements, and frustrating when it comes to nothing in the end.  As a reminder, our Foster Coordinator, Cindy, is a volunteer who isn't paid for the many hours of work that she puts in for the dogs and puppies, and the workload at the moment is very heavy.