Sun 24th July: The courage of dogs

Elena's husband was Lyra's babysitter today

Our new volunteer photographer at Whiskers N Paws today was Elena, adopter of husky Lyra, and she did a great job.  It's much harder taking photos of puppies that it appears, but it helps that they are so beautiful whichever angle they are seen from. Please take a look at the album on our Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) Facebook page to see all the available puppies.

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 128 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 24 July 2016 — at Whiskers and Paws

Ruby beat a golden retriever any day

The two newbies were the stars of the afternoon, both because they are still so small but also because they are so lovely. With puppies like these I really can't understand why so many people are set on named breeds, because it's not just that this pair are as cute as it's possible to be but they are so sweet and loving too.  Why would anyone say no, I want a golden retriever so I won't even consider a mixed breed?  And funnily enough, the adopters of the female puppy had also wanted a golden retriever to start with, but after meeting Ruby at Whiskers N Paws and seeing how totally gorgeous she was, their hearts melted and changed their minds too.

Super-lovely Oliver

Our first ever Flag Day will take place this Wednesday morning, so if you see any volunteers out on the streets please do stop and donate.  It means more than just helping to raise money, although of course that's important, it also means that we will be allowed to hold future Flag Days if we can collect enough this first time round and prove that we are no "Fly by Night" charity.  I want to thank all of the volunteers who have offered to be up at the crack of dawn to help in this fundraising effort, with many being students who are too dog for dog walking.  Thank you, all of you.

Getting ready for Flag Day on Wednesday

Hilton's MRI results are back and it gives me no pleasure at all to have been right in my first assumption that the cancer that had been cut out of his skin a while ago had returned, this time in his spine and other areas.  He has an aggressive tumour that can't be surgically removed, and I wouldn't dream of putting him through chemotherapy and radiation at this stage of his life.  The only good thing is that it's not causing him any pain at the moment but I will have to monitor that carefully, and for now it's just a case of making him as comfortable as possible and giving him lots of love. Once again I'm stunned at the strength and courage of dogs, because until his legs gave way Hilton had been doing the morning hike with his tail in the air as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with him, when in reality he was literally dying inside. Ask me again why I love dogs, and I'll show you Hilton and all of the others who have refused to give in.

Hilton enjoying the seaside rocks

Sat 23rd July: Hilton's story continues

I had an appointment arranged in Sham Shui Po at the Hong Kong Veterinary Imaging Centre -HKVIC (check out their Facebook page for details and interesting cases) for Hilton to have an MRI to see if there was anything that could be done for him and his sudden hind leg paralysis.  The day was made better by having a Tai Po volunteer helping out, as well as a lovely van driver who was himself an adopter and dog lover.  These little things can make such a huge difference when you are trying to deal with a difficult situation as well as a heavy dog who can't walk, so thank you to both.

This is going to be a fantastic event!

The MRI took a couple of hours so I was left to wander the streets of Sham Shui Po which, as every Hong Kong resident knows, is where everyone heads for if you want to get the best price for all sorts of things.  I had been planning on going there anyway as I'm already thinking about what I'm going to wear for the "Game of Bones" Gala event on Saturday 1st October, and I needed to buy various bits and pieces that  I knew I would only find in the markets.   I was happy to get just what I was looking for before heading back to the clinic to pick Hilton up, and that was my day in a nutshell.  Now I will wait for Dr Tony's call to see what the MRI results were, but the vet at the Imaging Centre told me that I should help Hilton to empty his bladder as he was unable to do so himself.  Obviously I'm very upset about the whole situation, especially as it happened so suddenly and I wasn't at all prepared.

Tosca wouldn't sit still for a photo

The new poodle girl Tosca wasn't adopted as expected, due to the fact that her patellas on both sides are slightly luxated (out of alignment) and surgery is recommended, although not absolutely necessary at this point.  However it's always better to do these things at a young age to prevent future deterioration, and of course the older a dog is the riskier any surgical procedure will be.

The fact is that a large majority of small dogs have luxating patellas to a certain degree, and even some larger dogs, so you would be lucky to find any tiny poodle, chihuahua etc that had both knees absolutely perfect.  Tosca is a lovely and happy character, and well worth the cost of any surgery.

I'm anxiously waiting for some good news from Tai Po as we have had quite a few interviews with potential adopters and now those "maybes" need to be converted into "absolutely yes".  I know that the team up at our huge Homing Centre work incredibly hard and under very challenging circumstances, and the biggest reward is seeing dogs going to their new homes.

We open every single day of the year, no exceptions

For me and the Sunday volunteers it's the same for the puppies, and every week that we turn up at Whiskers N Paws we share the same hope that this week will be a good one.

Fri 22nd July: Volunteers urgently needed at Tai Po

I was back at AFCD for the last day of the working week and left with a couple of puppies and a little poodle girl who had been abandoned outside the gates of the Animal Management Centre.  As she had no identifying microchip it meant I could take her immediately, which I did of course, and she is now called Tosca and I don't think she'll be with us for more than a day.  She's young, very cute, sweet and playful, and she has an interview lined up for first thing on Saturday.   Even if she's not adopted by the family who are coming to meet her I know she will have a lot of other offers.

All of these puppies have now been adopted

I wish I could be as sure about homes for the puppies as I am for Tosca, because even though they're very lovely it's the worst time of the year for adoptions.  Still, two lucky foster brothers, Mars and Milo, found homes together and that was before I had even met them.  They came from AFCD in Sheung Shui with tick fever, like their siblings, and went straight to foster where they have stayed until now.  Because they were being treated they couldn't come to the Whiskers N Paws Sunday puppy afternoons and now they have moved to their new forever home, and that is the file closed on that particular litter.

Celia is back at Tai Po hoping for a second chance

We haven't been having much luck at Tai Po either, with two dogs coming back from their trial homes when the already-resident dogs didn't approve.   Sometimes its works and sometimes it doesn't, and that's just life.  The few volunteers and staff up at the huge Homing Centre are also feeling the heat in more than the obvious way as we are short of cleaners and paid kennel staff for one reason or another, and that means double the work for anyone who is on site.  If any registered volunteers have the time to help out in any way during the week, please just go whenever you are able to.  Taking care of six hundred dogs is a huge undertaking and with even one cleaner off sick it makes a huge difference.

I seem to have had a running catalogue of dog disasters on Lamma recently, and after talking to Dr Tony about Hilton's hind leg paralysis today I'm not optimistic that he will get better.  An MRI scan has been booked but it's really more for my own benefit than Hilton's so that I can be absolutely sure that there's nothing that can be done.  The fact that Hilton can't stand at all and has to drag himself around by his two front legs means that he is also incontinent, or at least unable to stand to pee or poo, and that's not fair on him or the other dogs who share his living space.  It happened so suddenly that I haven't been able to accept the inevitable yet, and am clinging to any ray of hope that a miracle can save him.  Right now all I can do is hold him, and at least he enjoys that small comfort.

Thurs 21st July: Not the happiest of days

In memory of Suzette

It wasn't the happiest of days today with the very sad news circulating on Facebook about the death from cancer of a young animal activist, Suzette Ackermann, and from the hundreds of tributes pouring in it's clear that Suzette was an extraordinary woman who touched many lives through her love of dolphins in particular, but also as a dance and yoga teacher in Hong Kong.  I hope her family can see all of the posts and take some consolation from them.

Guido Tiger Larry

My heart also went out to the human parents of Guido, a funny bulldog-type dog who I remember describing as being made up of spare parts when he came to us as a youngster during our Pokfulam days. For some reason he was given two names, Tiger and Larry, so he became known as Tiger Larry until his adoption.  Guido's life had to come to an end today, and that final journey to the vet is the hardest one to make for all of those for whom a dog is not "just a dog" but an adored family member.

On top of that while my Murphy is getting better in all respects, Hilton's second back leg has now stopped working completely and he is having to drag himself around on his two front ones.  Wheels would seem to be the obvious solution if it weren't for the fact that apart from a short stretch of flattish path in front of my house, it's either beach one way or steep hills and steps the other.  It's the most heart-wrenching thing to see him trying to come on the morning walk, and there's nothing I can do to make it better.  Sometimes loving dogs so much seems like a punishment rather than a joy.

A young Murphy

When I write my blog and have to look for photos to illustrate it, I get lost in the hundreds that I have going back many, many years. Most of the early dogs have long since died, and I'm just happy to have some kind of memory of them stored in my computer.  If any adopters or volunteers want to see if I can find baby pictures of dogs, let me know and I'll see if I have any.

Hilton as a puppy

Here's Tai Po Cheeky as a baby

Weds 20th July: Thank you for not adopting

The heading for today's entry may seem strange given that adoption is always our top priority, but committing to taking care of a dog for its whole lifetime is not something that should be taken lightly. People get a dog or puppy for all sorts of reasons, and sometimes those reasons aren't the right ones, or it's just a matter of not being the right time.

I get lots of adoption enquiries for puppies, and many times it's the child or children in the family who are begging their parents to get them a dog.  Sometimes it works perfectly but too often it doesn't, and that's why I wrote the following response to one such adoption questionnaire:

"Thank you for your interest in adoption, although I see that you are looking for a puppy for your 10 year-old child rather than as a whole family choice.  You have also answered "No" to the question about whether you could handle problems such as chewing, barking, jumping, house-soiling, all of which are part of having a puppy, and you have also answered "No" to the question asking if you can guarantee to keep a dog for its entire lifespan, which for a small dog can easily be 15-plus years.

It honestly sounds to me as though your child asked for a puppy and you are getting one for that reason.  I really need you to ask yourself whether you and your wife also want a dog (not a puppy, as the puppy stage is very short), and that both of you will care for it until it dies.  Children always want puppies, but that interest often fades very quickly.  Adopting a puppy is a serious and long-term commitment which comes with all of the things that you may not want."

Usually when I send a reply like this there is either no response or a disgruntled one, so I was really happy to receive this message instead: 

"Thank you for your quick response. You're right; we're not ready yet. We need training and more thinking before we commit ourselves."

Barney adopted as.........

I may have talked myself out of an adoption but I have also reached at least one family who have listened, and that made my day.  There are far too many puppies adopted on impulse, the consequence of which is an abandoned dog somewhere down the line. We have yet another doglet coming back to us on Thursday, a lovely young boy who was adopted on a whim as a baby.  It's clear that the couple who took him home full of promises have no time for a dog in their busy schedules, and I can't for the life of me understand why they even pretended to themselves that they did. 

Returning as......

I had my usual Wednesday at home today, babysitting Murphy who is struggling to come to terms with having only one eye after losing the other one on Monday, but also now being fearful of the big dogs that he previously regarded as his friends, or at least not his enemies.  He'll get over the physical injury quickly enough but it's the psychological damage that worries me more.  Murphy has always been a happy and confident little dog, taking himself off to the beach if it was too hot to join the morning walk, and even eating the big dogs' food under their very noses (which is why he's overweight, nothing to do with the meals I give him).  Now he's clearly feeling very vulnerable, and it's not easy for him or me.  Hopefully once the cone is off his head and he's adjusted to his one-sided vision he'll bounce back, but in older dogs these setbacks can be the beginning of a slow decline. 

Tues 19th July: Stop the crop!

Doberman Tessa has been used for breeding

The new dogs arrived from AFCD Sheung Shui today, and once again I was left saddened and angry about the condition of them.  Like the golden retriever Gaby, who came with the last group from the same Animal Management Centre, the doberman girl (now Tessa) has clearly been used for breeding as her teats are long and disfigured. She also has cropped ears, a totally meaningless and unnecessary cruelty that needs to be banned, just as it is in many European countries.  Ironically, I received an email just today from someone who adopted a poodle from HKDR and is planning to move to Switzerland, where docking tails and cropping ears in strictly forbidden. I was asked if we could provide evidence to show that the poodle was adopted with his tail already cut because mutilated dogs are not allowed to enter the country.  Good for Switzerland.

Lena and Skye

The two year-old golden retriever, who has been called Lena, has heartworm and a skin problem, and may well have been kept outside.  She is actually not a pure golden retriever, but so many people buy puppies without knowing the first thing about them that breeders can get away with calling a dog anything they want.  We have seen all sorts of mongrels and mixed breeds with licenses showing them as fancy breeds. It makes no difference to the dog of course, and I can honestly say that you wouldn't find a sweeter and more loving character than Lena, but she isn't a "real" golden retriever.

The Scottie has chronic ear problems, which we had been told about beforehand, and he will need surgery on the ear canals.  It may be too late to be able to salvage what is left of them but I know the dog is in the best hands with Dr Tony.

The dog with the least problems, in fact none at all, is the mixed breed Skye that came as part of the group, but I'm still betting that the others will be chosen first.  I can't wait for the day when breed "racism" is as outdated as the human kind, but I don't think I'll live to see that happen.

Penny was adopted on Sunday

Luckily there are more and more people who know that a dog is a dog and that whatever handle it comes with means absolutely nothing, or is even a guarantee of high vet bills and ill health.  So thank you to the family who chose Penny on Sunday, and to our now-double adopter and failed foster Anne who confirmed the adoption of puppy Creamy, who is now Bella.  Anne had already taken Stanley home in May (photo) before offering to become a foster parent too, but it didn't take long for Creamy to win her (and her husband's) heart.

Creamy was wet when these photos were taken

I picked Murphy up from Acorn today after his surgery to remove one eye, and of course he was very happy to see me and to get out of his cage.  He seemed not to be at all bothered about anything that had happened and enjoyed a paddle in the sea before being taken into the house, but later on I realised that it was the effects of the pain-killing drip that had made him so oblivious.  By bed time he was already starting to whimper, and I was woken many times in the night by his cries.  I know he will heal and recover quickly, but right now he is not a happy boy at all.

Over the years I have rescued and re-homed many thousands of dogs and puppies, as well as a variety of other small creatures (oh, and one pig), but it was a first today when I was asked if I could find a "home" for ten full-length fur coats that had been bequeathed to someone in a will but were not wanted.  The new owner of these coats, being a vegetarian,  also didn't want to sell them and was looking for a way they could be used without ever being worn again.  I was more than happy to put her in touch with an anti-fur group who had said yes, they could make good use of the coats, so I look forward to receiving updates on my latest success story.

Mon 18th July: Murphy's horror story

There may come a week that passes without drama of some sort, but it won't be this one.  Today's horror story involved my little dog Murphy, who for many years has lived quite happily with all of the big dogs, although being wise enough to stay in my bedroom area while I was out of the house.  At night he sleeps together with a group of much larger dogs, and even plays crazy games with them despite them being more than twice his size.

I had come back from the daily walk and was getting ready to feed all of the dogs when I heard Murphy screaming from outside.  I ran down to find him by the front gate, his eye streaming blood and looking as though it was hanging out.  I can handle most things but I'm extremely squeamish when it comes to dealing with any sort of eye injury, so this was beyond any sort of horror story as far as I was concerned.  Other than screaming and scooping Murphy up to carry him to my bedroom, there wasn't anything I could do until I could get to Acorn.  I tried putting a cone on Murphy to stop him from pawing at his eye but he ripped it straight off, and while he was then remarkably calm I was a nervous wreck while waiting for the sampan.  

Poor Murphy post-surgery

To cut the story short I was right in thinking that the eye had been completely pulled, out and Dr Tony told me the optic nerve had been severed so there was ho hope of saving it.  So now my beautiful boy has only one eye, but he's alive and will be fine.  I hope he won't be too badly affected psychologically by what happened, but I can only think that for whatever reason one of the dogs bit him and that may well change a lot of things for Murphy.

One of the other recent emergency cases was Ginny, who turned out to have tick fever but was very sick with it.  She had to go back for blood checks every few days, and seemed to enjoy the outings.  In fact after she was declared well enough not to need any further tests until the end of her "liquid gold" course, she still got very excited when I left the house to go to work and insisted on following me to the sampan and jumping on board.   She was always disappointed to be pushed back onto the pier, and would stand there watching me as I disappeared into the distance.  Today was Ginny's lucky day as she needed to have one final blood test to see that she was now completely better (which she is), so she joined me Murphy for our Acorn trip.  She'll be sorry to know there won't be a next time, at least while she's fit and well.

Ginny

I didn't go to AFCD today because of the Murphy emergency, but I was told there is another turtle there that needs rescuing, and a pomeranian someone surrendered.  The pom isn't a problem as I was told (via Whatsapp by the woman who had taken the dog there) that he's five to six years old, so young for a small breed.  It's the turtle that worries me, because while I can't leave it there I still have five turtles that I took last year and who are still waiting for homes.  I have always been successful in rehoming any sort of animal, including turtles, but these few have stuck.  I know a lot of people who have garden ponds keep red-eared sliders as pets, so please consider taking another one (or more) if you can.  I have more than enough to handle taking care of all the dogs, so email me at sally@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can adopt a turtle.  They are medium to large size.