Fri 5th April: A long weekend catch-up

 We took in some new dogs at Kennedy Town today, Sunny, Simon and Skittle, while previously-resident Patch and Paula are now on trial adoptions to see how they get along with the respective family dogs.  Corgi Bella was also on a short trial for the same reason, and her adoption has now been confirmed. 

The first two of the new fluffy pup litter have already been adopted, and happily they have gone to the same home where they can enjoy lots of fun and games as they grow up together.  Of course there are many other gorgeous puppies waiting for homes, and you can see their photos here Puppy Adoption Day 30th March 2025, taken by Carol Chan at last Sunday's Puppy Party at Whiskers N Paws, 10/F Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau.  We're there every Sunday afternoon from 2pm until 4pm, and it's the best place to meet all of the puppies at the same place as many of them are staying in foster homes.  

As I'm sure you know, foster homes play an important - if not vital - part in the successful running of HKDR, and we're always very grateful to those who offer temporary care to the dogs and puppies in need of a place to stay while waiting for adoption.  One particular foster of several of our smaller dogs, now in their own forever homes, arranged a get-together of her previous charges who are all now living close to each other.  In the photo you can see Sally, Umbria, Porter, Toffee and Gabby, and it's also lovely to hear that previously shy and overweight Gabby has undergone a transformation. "Gabby has come a LONG way, no longer obese and actually playing! Approaching new humans and even running! I cannot believe it. Incredible."   

No matter how many times we've seen this happen, seeing timid dogs come out of their shells once they feel secure, it always makes me happy.  Several of the dogs staying at our Kennedy Town North Street Centre came to us as very scared individuals, completely shut down and refusing any human interaction, but over time they have blossomed into sweet, happy and trusting characters.  Some of you will remember Hetty when she first arrived at our then-Elgin Street Centre as being so scared, curling her body up to avoid being noticed or touched,  while now she is the happiest dog in my Lamma-dog family.  All any of these dogs need is a home where they can feel safe, secure and loved, and while it can take time and a lot of patience, seeing the turnaround is worth the wait. 

If you're interested in adopting, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/, while for fostering the form is at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/. 

We prefer that puppies stay in foster homes until they're adopted, while for the adult dogs it's usually the surgery or special needs cases that benefit most from being in foster care.  These could be the shy ones, or seniors, or those who find it hard to cope with being at the Homing Centres. 

Sun 30th March: A busy week one way or another

 It's been a busy week for me one way or another, and finding time to catch up with the incoming dogs and puppies as well as sharing happy adoption news is quite difficult.   

It's not often that I get to visit the Homing Centres these days either, as I have so many dogs to take care on Lamma, with frequent vet visits taking up whole days.  However, this week I made it to both Kennedy Town and Tai Po, and got to meet the little hopefuls as well as a few of those at our big Tai Po Centre.  There are so many and I didn't have enough time to cover the whole area, but I got plenty of enthusiastic welcomes from those I did manage to say hello to. 

At both sites I couldn't help but wonder why there are so many such lovely, sweet and friendly dogs that are homeless, especially the little ones at Kennedy Town. Gibson (more medium than small), Kingsley, precious Celia, who is so incredibly sweet after being horrendously injured before coming to us, Hilary, Bobbin, Soda - all such happy characters, as well as many others. Small Dogs available for adoption in KTHC (MAR2025).  It's just as well I can't fit any more dogs into my home because I wanted to take them all. 

Despite already having so many dogs at HKDR, especially at Tai Po which is a very big space but full to capacity, we are inundated with surrender requests on a daily basis.  Some of these are genuine cases, such as one dog who was adopted from us several years ago but whose adopter recently passed away.  Delphine, as she was called before, is a lovely girl, and our commitment to all of our dogs means that we will take her back, even though the chances of her finding a new family are sadly very slim. 

On Monday we will be taking in an older Collie, who is homeless due to unforeseen family circumstances, and I hope that being a breed this boy will at least have a chance of finding someone to take him in.  We would be happy for a foster home, even if not an immediate forever family.

We've also been asked to accept a Dutch Shepherd, a breed similar to a Belgian Shepherd in terms of intelligence and energy. As it happens I managed to find a great home for a young Malinois (Belgian Shepherd) this week, but that was pure luck and perfect timing, and a rare occurrence.  These breeds are not suitable for most homes, and I wish the breeders would stop adding to the already too many that are abandoned as adults.  We still have one at Tai Po waiting for a home, and it's very upsetting to see such magnificent animals not living the life they need and deserve.

We took in more puppies this week, the "A" group, although they're not all from the same litter. They are, however, all gorgeous, as you can see from the photos.

Luckily almost all from the previous intake, the "C" puppies, have now found homes, but surprisingly the one I thought would be the first to leave is still waiting for a family to adopt him.  Casper was the odd one out, as the others were from the same litter. 

If you're interested in adopting any of our dogs or puppies, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

For fostering, please complete the form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/, or if you have already registered you can email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.  Please note that not all dogs need foster homes as it's often better if they can stay at the Homing Centres to be seen by potential adopters, but puppies and older dogs like the Collie need fosters while waiting for forever homes. 

Mon 24th March: The lucky, and not so lucky

 Luck plays a huge part in a puppy's life, with some finding homes almost immediately and others waiting, sadly sometimes forever, to be chosen. We have a lot of dogs at our Tai Po Homing Centre that moved there as puppies from Kennedy Town when they grew a bit too big to stay with the small dogs, in fact too many to name. I really don't know why they missed out on finding their families, and it seems so unfair.  

Quink is one of the very lucky ones, as she came to us from AFCD only on Friday, with her look-alike brother Quito, and she was adopted today after being chosen at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday.  

Foster puppy Calypso will also be staying in her current home, and her formal adoption was recorded by Laura Nie, the volunteer photographer for the regular Sunday Puppy Party.  You can see there are a lot of beautiful puppies waiting for homes at the moment Puppy Adoption Day 23rd March 2025.

Unfortunately too many puppies end up in homes that are either unsuitable for a variety of reasons, or with people who can't commit to keeping the dog for its whole life, again for different reasons.  The average lifespan of a large dog is around fourteen years, with many living a lot longer than that, so you need to be sure that you have considered this when welcoming a puppy into your life.  Puppies are small and very appealing, but while they may grow in size they never grow into self-sufficient adults in the same way that humans do.   Dogs will always need to rely one hundred percent on their humans for everything, meaning food and water, exercise and companionship. 

Terrible things happen to many dogs when their families no longer want them, and I'm sure you know that Hong Kong is full of strays that were once pets, discarded on the street or in the hillsides.  (In fact puppies Quink and Quito were found by a rubbish bin, thrown out like trash).  Another one of the dogs that we'll be taking from AFCD this week was left behind in the apartment when her family moved out, another not uncommon scenario, and again really quite terrible.  This is how she was described by the AFCD staff member (so how could we say no?)  "This girl was found abandoned in an apartment building and efforts to trace the owner has proven fruitless. Nonetheless, she has melted the hearts of many people here with her sweet, innocent nature and she greets everyone not just with a wagging tail but a wagging backside! She is considered small-medium sized, weighing around 15-17kg."

 Also coming from AFCD at the same time is a six month-old poodle boy, and I have no doubt he will quickly find a new home. 

I mustn't forget another lovely adoption from Kennedy Town, this time of Olive, a shy girl who has been with us for a while.  

We have so many lovely dogs of all ages and sizes waiting to meet you and hoping that you can offer them a loving home for life.  If you're interested in adopting, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ so we can help with finding you the perfect match.

Tues 18th March: More new dogs and puppies

 We have some new incoming dogs and puppies, which we would obviously like to get into homes as soon as possible.  The shiba inu is and ex-breeder girl who was surrendered to AFCD, while the two identical puppies were found dumped by some rubbish bins and taken to AFCD.  One is a boy and the other a girl, and they're definitely beautiful. 

Three others are a poodle (or bichon), a corgi and a little mix, with details shown in the photos.  

As always, if you're interested in adopting any of these newcomers, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.  

If you're not looking for a dog or puppy to adopt, we also have plenty of other ways to support our work, including fantastic HKDR-brand products which you can see here:

For all merchandise, you can take a look on our website:

https://hongkongdogrescue.com/merchandise-2/

 

Some hot items are available for online order at Etsy, for other items you can order directly and contact admin@hongkongdogrescue.com

Sun 16th March: Some very happy news

 As I've mentioned some very happy news in this post's heading, I'll start with the confirmed double adoption of two little seniors,  Pringle and Snickers. They have joined recently-adopted "red" (no longer) poodle Carrot's lovely family, and you'll be able to follow their adventures on Instagram @flora_broom. 

There was more very good news today when runaway boy Tonka was found after several days.  He was in a drain and needed to be rescued by the fire service, and I suspect he got stuck in there after hiding during the thunder and rain.  It's obviously a huge relief for everyone, including the Kennedy Town volunteers who had taken Tonka's mother, Tinker, over to help with the search.  

Any adoption at Tai Po is always extra special, and it was Skylar who was the lucky dog this time.  It's a very sad fact that mixed breed adult dogs are extremely lucky to be chosen, and many if not most will spend their entire lives at the Tai Po Homing Centre.  It doesn't matter how sweet, loving and well-behaved they are,  most adopters want small dogs, puppies or specific breeds, and it's very sad.

Eric Tang was the photographer for this week's Puppy Party at Whiskers N Paws, and you can see his heartwarming shots here Puppy Adoption Day 16th March 2025.  Names will be added very soon if you're interested in knowing who the puppies are. 

It was also quite a relief to say goodbye to young poodle Bingo today, because he was a very popular boy with lots of interest from potential adopters.  Biggles also has many potential homes, and I hope they don't all turn up at the same time to adopt, as so often happens. 

We are still in need of temporary foster homes for the renovation period during the move from Kennedy Town to Ap Lei Chau.  This should be for two weeks during April, and hopefully everything at the new location will be ready for occupation by the end of April.  If you can take in a small dog while the fixtures and fittings are being torn out of our Kennedy Town Centre to be re-used, please complete the form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer.fostering/, or email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you are already registered with us. 

Sun 9th March: Adoptions and donations in kind

 It's been a busy weekend, which is always good of course, and throughout the week we've seen quite a few dogs leaving for their new homes or having trial adoptions confirmed (like Georgia). 

We also saw two pairs go to foster homes, puppies Roo and Riley, and the others being older small boys Snickers and Norton.  Obviously we're happy about all four, but especially the little seniors who will benefit greatly from having the comforts and space of a real home. 

It's been a particularly good week for poodles, as Henry, Rowan and Betty all found homes (not forgetting Snickers either). 

New-ish boy Bounce also left for a trial adoption, which we allow when there are other dogs (or animals) in the home that need to agree to the newcomer staying. 

I'm still waiting for the photos from the Puppy Party at Whiskers N Paws, but gorgeous Casper was the star of the afternoon with a lot of interest shown, and I don't think he will need to be back next week. 

I get many messages asking if we can use donations in kind, so to answer the most-asked questions, we are very happy to accept towels and bedding that can be washed (so not pillows or woolen blankets), and also not small cushions for the same reason. 

Any kind of food is fine, but not opened bags.  We are happy to take unused medications that are within their expiry date.  Of course dog treats are always very welcome. 

We don't need dog clothes as we have enough, and for most of the year the dogs don't need coats which means we have to store them. 

Pee pads are very useful, but not diapers because we prefer not to use them.  Of course newspaper is always needed for the toilet areas, and for some reason dogs really like to use newspaper to pee on so it's helpful for training. 

We don't use cages, which some people call crates, but we do use travel crates for transporting dogs to the vet, or even sometimes to send dogs to other countries!

We're happy to take sundry items like cleaning products, or electrical appliances that are in good working order (preferably new, or nearly new). 

Larger items like buggies are usually too difficult for us to store, and at both Tai Po and Lamma the steep slopes and steps mean they're impossible to use. 

Whether we can accept donations or not, we're always grateful for the kind offers, so thank you. 

Tues 4th March: New dogs, an urgent case, and renovation fosters needed

 I assume that most readers of my blog also follow HKDR on either Facebook 

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) or Instagram (@hkdr_official), especially if you're thinking about adopting and want to know about new arrivals.  In case you're someone who prefers to stay off social media, I try to update on arrivals and departures here, although now that I'm not writing a daily post I might miss a few here and there.

We took in four new dogs at Kennedy Town today, one young poodle from AFCD and three from an independent rescue group, and you can see their photos below.  At the same time a young and larger dog from AFCD was sent to our Tai Po Homing Centre, although I don't know what name has been given yet.  I choose the names for the Kennedy Town dogs, while the Tai Po team do the same for new arrivals there.

I also want to mention some dogs that aren't at our Homing Centres but are also looking for new homes, with one case being particularly urgent and not easy, as both dogs are fourteen years old.  Their sad situation is a result of a marriage break-up and neither side being able to keep them, but whatever the reason our concern is for the dogs, not the adults involved.  We're told that despite their age the pom and the chihuahua are in good health and have no behaviour issues, so if anyone can take this pair in please complete the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

The other dog will certainly be or more interest to potential adopters as he's only two years old and a cocker/schnauzer cross.  Gandalf was brought over to Hong Kong by his owners when they moved here, but their jobs involve long hours and also frequent business trips abroad, which means Gandalf seeing very little of his family, even if he's cared for by others during those periods.  Realising that this kind of life is unfair to their dog, I was asked if we could find a better home for him, one where he could enjoy companionship and a stable situation.  Gandalf is healthy, fully toilet trained and without any vices, so he would be the perfect dog for any active family. 

Other than dog matters, renovation work has started on the soon-to-be new Homing Centre in Ap Lei Chau, where Iris and I went on Monday to talk to the contractor about layout and other details.  As I have explained before, the decision to move from Kennedy Town wasn't an easy one due to the cost of fixing up what is currently a bare shell, but the benefits of having the two small dog centres under one roof, as well as the office, outweighed the negative.  As much as possible we'll be taking the fittings from Kennedy Town to re-use in Ap Lei Chau, so there will be a period of disruption as this happens.   It would be very helpful to be able to move as many dogs into foster homes for the expected ten days or so that the workmen will be removing the cabinets and the kitchen fittings, so if you can help by temporarily fostering, please let us know.  The form for new fosters is at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/, and for already-registered fosters please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com using the heading "Renovation foster".  Thank you.