Mon 7th May: Last call for a Lamma Adventue

I extended the deadline for registration for a day so I could make this last and final call for sign up.  The event is unique in that the vast fenced area is being made available exclusively to HKDR, and there really aren't many places in Hong Kong where dogs are not only free to run, play and swim, but are genuinely welcome.  The only request we make is that all dogs must be friendly, both to people and other dogs, because this is really an event for them. 

LAST CALL! Registration for Lamma Adventure Day ends today!  Ticket price is only $250 per person including round-trip private ferry fare from Central Pier, and it is free of charge for dogs!  Buy your ticket NOW!: 

https://hongkongdogrescue.com/lamma-adventure-day-registra…/

Remember to pack your own lunch and picnic blanket if you want to eat on the grass, although there are tents if you prefer.  

The day of the last part of the move from Ap Lei Chau Main Street to our new Homing Centre at 5 Wai Fung Street is about to take place so by this weekend, in fact sooner, the dogs will be occupying their new accommodation.  We've tried to incorporate everything we have learned over the past seven years about the best materials to use and how to provide the dogs with as comfortable a situation as is possible given the space constraints.   I'm sure there will be adjustments as we settle in, but it's really quite amazing how this Homing Centre has been pulled together in such a short time.  The staff have been working overtime and the contactor has also been extremely helpful in meeting our tight deadline, so we hope everyone likes the end result. 

The office equipment was moved earlier, and since then there has been quite a transformation

The office and staff moved a couple of weeks ago, along with the office dogs, and they're still unpacking and organising as much as they can while still doing their regular work.  We have had to fit two premises into one, so it's been quite a challenge to find enough storage space as well as rooms for the dogs and humans.

We have a late photo album of the Puppy Afternoon at Heal, and thank you to the photographer Tatiana for such wonderful shots. 

 Puppy Adoption Day 5 May 2018 — at HEAL Animal Wellness and Rehabilitation

All photos by Tatiana Yankovskaya
https://www.instagram.com/photanya/
https://www.photanya.com/

Sun 6th May: 3 babies, 2 photographers and an Olive

Olive was missing this week

Regular readers of my blog and followers of the Sunday puppy photo albums may notice a familiar face missing from this week's sets by regular Jimmy Tsang Puppy Adoption Day 6 May 2018 and new volunteer Joanna Wong  Puppy Adoption Day 6 May 2018 Part 2.  Yes, Olive has finally moved into a new home and although it's a trial for now and it's only been a few days, so far everything is looking very hopeful.  Olive is settling well and enjoying the company of her new poodle friend Dusty, as well as regular walks a few times a day.  Good girl, Olive, I really hope this is your forever family.

Look how well Olive walks with Dusty

Puppy adopted take one

It was a very strange Sunday for adoptions, as it was really very quiet and there were few adopters until the very last minute when all three of the new babies found homes.  By then the Whiskers N Paws staff had set up the puppy pen in anticipation of welcoming their new little guests and I had already left when the adoption photos were taken.  The puppies are younger than I would ideally like to separate, but three is a difficult number as there was always going to be one left behind.  In the end I agreed to them going off to their respective homes, but they will need a lot of attention and companionship to keep them happy.

Hector was puppy three

Mara is puppy two

There were also two Two Presents birthday donations, with an extra donation from Yoda's younger brother who sold off a load of his toys to raise money for HKDR.   The older brother, Neo, was the actual birthday boy but the family as a whole are wonderful supporters.

Both brothers donated today

Kianna was the other generous Two Presents donor, so thank you to both for thinking about the dogs on their special days.

In English the word "jammy" means lucky, and by chance it was Jammy who was adopted today from Tai Po.  She was the most recent of the puppies from Chai Wan Cemetery and the first to leave, so how lucky is that?

Yoda was just a small baby when adopted

Jammy Jammy 

Thank you Kianna!

Sat 5th May: Come and meet our Tai Po dogs

Bentley is really quite small

Two more lucky small dogs left our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre today, the first being a recently surrendered mixed breed called Bentley.  It's unusual to see this type of dog being so small, although there are a lot of mixes that have a variety of small breeds in them, dogs like Puddle for example. 

She's still waiting for a home, although she's not a dog who would suit children or anyone looking for a lap dog.  Despite her size Puddle has a big dog's need for exercise and she knows her own mind.

Puddle is a big dog in a small body

Lucy the shih tzu was the second dog to be chosen, and she is such a sweet girl we couldn't understand why she stayed with us for so long.  Never mind, she has a lovely home and family now and that's what matters in the end.

Morgan the border collie was also taken home today, and it was quite a relief after having had so many enquiries about him. He's a lovely dog and I fully understand why there has been so much interest, but border collies need much more time and exercise than most other dogs so there aren't that many homes that are suitable.  Many of the enquiries about Morgan were from potential adopters that would be fine for other dogs, but sadly it seems only Morgan was the one they wanted.

We actually have a lot of purebreed dogs waiting at Tai Po right now, all lovely and quite a few young ones like the pointers who came to us as puppies, Frederick the handsome husky, Adobe and Dorset, male and female Dobermans and both so sweet natured.

We're open at both Homing Centres every single day of the year from 10am to 6pm, so come and meet our dogs any time.

Just a year and and such sweet dogs

At last Lucy has a family of her own

Look at Lucy in her new home, isn't she lovely?

The second pair of baby pups were picked up by their new foster parents and are settling in well.  I managed to give them names at the last minute, so they are now Salty and Pepper.  They need a couple of weeks before being ready for adoption but the other three new puppies that I took from AFCD on the same day will be at Whiskers N Paws for the Sunday Puppy afternoon.

Baby Salty in foster

Fri 4th May: The new Homing Centre is coming together

Panda as a young adult in 2014

I was up at Tai Po today visiting the Homing Centre and saying hello to the many dogs still there that I have known since they were very young puppies.  It's incredibly sad that after so many years they have never been chosen while others have come and gone, although at least several long-termers have hit the adoption jackpot this year.  Still, there are far too many that are overlooked for no reason at all other than they are one of hundreds. 

Panda, for example, was the cutest baby, totally adorable, but he had the bad luck to be adopted at that age by a family who had no idea about puppies and their natural behaviour so he was returned as damaged goods.  That's the saddest thing about returnees, that they come back to us with a reputation, and maybe even real damage caused during their first formative months.   How a puppy is treated and trained in that incredibly important learning period will imprint on their brains for the rest of their lives.

Bossy is still with us after many years

I completely forgot to mention a dog at AFCD that I know many people will be clamouring to adopt as he is that most loved breed of all, a golden retriever, and only a year old at that.  I was told he has a problem with his back leg but I don't have specific details, and the sooner I can get him out and to see Dr Tony Matthews at Acorn, the better.  This is a very sweet dog, desperate for attention of course, so if you are interested in offering a home please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt). 

There's intense activity at the new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre as the contactor is under pressure to get everything done before the dogs move in, and everyone is feeling stressed.  I'm sure there'll be adjustments in the weeks after occupation as we see that some things could be better placed, the same as happened after we first took over the current and soon-to-be-vacated Homing Centre. 

The new Homing Centre taking shape

There will be some new puppies at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday, with other previously-seen of course, and they will also be at Heal on Saturday.  It's time Willy and Cello found their forever families as they have been in foster homes a long time. 

Cello is the last of her large litter and it's time she found a home

Thurs 3rd May: Farewell to Diamond

I keep forgetting to take photos, something that probably shows my age as now everyone seems to photograph everything, from their meals to their flight destinations, and that's not counting the endless selfies.  I need to remind myself to take photos of the new dogs and puppies so I can share them here on my blog, but once again I have no visual record of the seven puppies I took from AFCD today, four very young and three just a bit older.  Two of the younger ones (around five weeks old) went straight to a foster home, while we're looking at housing some of the others at Whiskers N Paws while they wait to be adopted, probably the three older ones.  That means we need a foster for the two remaining babies if anyone is able and willing, so please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

The life expectancy of the average large dog is around fourteen years based on my own experience over the many years I have been doing this work.  Smaller dogs live longer, and giant-sized have a considerably shorter lifespan, but in general most dogs (except very large) are still active and healthy until well into double digits, and I certainly wouldn't expect to see a slowdown in energy or activity in the average ten year-old, for example, particularly mixed breeds.

Fluffy baby Diamond

Diamond was always a beautiful girl, cute and fluffy as a baby pup and big and shaggy as an adult.  I never understood why she wasn't adopted when she was young, but she stayed with me and became my shadow, always by my side even at night when she slept on the bed next to me and Griffin, and sometimes Griffin's sister Opal.  Whenever I left for the day Diamond would walk me to the sampan, and she would love to show visitors around, her body always in a crescent shape so she could smile at whoever she was guiding, while swishing her tail at the same time.  Everyone loved Diamond's open and happy nature, except for the snakes.

Halo last year after surviving a cobra bite

Diamond and Halo were dedicated snake killers, with Halo being the main spotter and Diamond joining in as soon as one was seen.  It didn't matter if it was a deadly cobra or a harmless rat snake, and I knew that there was always a risk of a dog being bitten so did my best to make sure that didn't happen.  However most of the snake victims had become trapped in the storm drains so I didn't even see them until long after the dogs had, and by then it was too late to do anything.  Halo was bitten last year but survived, and the very next day was back to her hunting.  The other dogs show no interest in the snakes other than a natural fear, and they never joined in when Halo and Diamond were attacking.

Adolescent Diamond

The first I knew about today's cobra find in a storm drain was when I saw Diamond and Halo doing their usual snake dance, jumping back then lunging forward as the poor snake tried to look both ways at the same time.  Today I managed to call them off and put them both on leashes, and even took a video of the cobra before walking back towards home .  When I thought it was safe to let the dogs off leash I did so, and both seemed perfectly normal.

I don't take enough photos of my dogs and this is the only recent one of Diamond

When I got home and fed the dogs, as I usually do after our walk, I noticed that Diamond wasn't there and knew immediately what had happened.  I ran out of the house and back into the woods, dreading at every turn in the path that I would find her, and when I did she was already dead.  Diamond was only six years old, a young dog in her prime, and I wish I could have made her understand that cobras are best left alone but she would never listen.

Thurs 2nd May: Keeping it brief

I've been busy with emails and have just noticed I'm late to take the dogs out so will keep this post brief.  I'll be taking new puppies out of AFCD so will be needing foster homes (in pairs) as the pups are too young to be separated at this point. Please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help out until the pups are old enough to be adopted at around eight weeks of age.  I'd say they were around four weeks at the moment.

Suddenly it's summer for real, and I'm rather dreading the increasing heat and humidity.   The move to our new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre starts on Thursday, although not for the dogs themselves quite yet, and I think everyone will be glad of the new air conditioning.  One thing I remembered that we do still need for the new place is a steam cleaner, as someone donated one of these which I use at my Lamma house and it's great for both cleaning and disinfecting without the use of chemicals, something that's obviously very important with so many dogs around.   If anyone has one that's not used, or wouldn't mind sponsoring the cost of a new steam cleaner, please let me know, thank you.

The dogs will move next week and that will be goodbye to 21 Main Street, so if you want to drop by after the 10th May you'll need to look for us at 5 Wai Fung Street.  I was looking for landmarks that would make it easy for first-time visitors, and Wai Fung Street is opposite the HSBC ATM machine on Main Street, and the very popular fast-Chinese food eatery (cheapest fresh noodles in Ap Lei Chau) on the corner.  The street is a cul-de-sac with a park at the end, and that's where you'll find us. Just look for the sign.

Tues 1st May: The summer starts

We will be holding another "Sai Ying Pun Saturday Puppy Afternoon" this weekend on 5 May at HEAL Animal Wellness and Rehabilitation. Feel free to come along to meet our gorgeous puppies!

Date: 5 May, 2018
Time : 1pm to 4pm
Venue: 10 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun

Eliza (left) and Ivory at Tai Po

We have two puppy afternoons this weekend, with Saturday at Heal and Sunday at Whiskers N Paws, but there are also puppies available to meet every single day of the week now at both our Ap Lei Chau and Tai Po Homing Centres.  Lyra, Pebble, Bertie and his sister Anna are staying at Ap Lei Chau while there is quite a collection at the big Homing Centre these days.  Five new recruits joined the gang on Monday after having been sent over from Lamma for socialisation, something that is so important for puppies and unfortunately something I can't provide at my home. 

There are also new small-sized dogs due to come to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, in addition to those mentioned yesterday, and knowing who and how they are is really a case of watching our Facebook page or reading my blog.  The younger small dogs are so often in and out before we have time to publicise them, and keeping the website pages fully up to date is not always possible although we try our best.

Now that it's May and we can pretty much rely on it being hot every day, it's time to remind everyone once again about the dangers of the summer months when it comes to our dogs.  Heatstroke is guaranteed to kill every year, so watch for signs of overheating like heavy panting and make sure you don't walk in the full sun during the hottest time of the day.  Carry water with you for your dog as well as yourself, and think about exercise locations where your dog can swim to stay cool.

Ticks and mosquitoes are constant enemies and both of them carry life-threatening diseases. Many cases of tick fever are now resistant to the drugs commonly used, so if you are concerned about the potential toxicity of tick prevention you need to weigh up the (in my opinion minimal) health risk of spot-on drops or tick collars and the disease itself.  I would always choose prevention after having dealt with a procession of cases of tick fever in puppies which drags on and on before finally being cured, and also in adults.  The drugs used have to be so strong that they must affect the health of the dog in themselves.

Heartworm is undetectable until it is already advanced, and only by having a dog tested would you know that spaghetti-like worms are clogging the heart.  Don't take risks and give a monthly tablet to make sure your dog is protected.