Weds 7th Aug: Never a dull moment

Dogs and puppies on their way to Ap Lei Chau

I was waiting all day for news of the new dogs that were coming and they finally arrived late in the afternoon; four small young adults, three small puppies and two regular-sized doglets.  The latter were driven on to Tai Po by Kaz of Freedom Rides, and it was already past closing time when they got there.  Thanks to everyone for waiting, even though it was already pretty late.

Thursday will mean sorting, microchipping and vet check with vaccinations, ensuring there's never a dull moment at HKDR.

7 month-old puppy boy

Three gorgeous puppies

As a reminder, to save time on both sides please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt) before asking for more details about the individual dogs.   I know that there will be many enquiries about the puppies in particular so we will need to go through all of them before deciding on the most suitable home, and priority will always be given to those who can adopt a pair or who already have a dog.  Not every home is suitable to adopt and we do have to reject many, but we reply to everyone regardless, if only to explain why having a dog or puppy isn't going to work.

Please don't bring a dog into your home and life if you really don't have the time to take care of one, including giving proper exercise and not just cuddles at home in the evening when you get back from work.  Dogs are intelligent animals that require both mental stimulation as well as physical exercise, and they are not solitary by nature so long hours alone isn't fair or natural.  If you love dogs but really don't have the time for one, sign up as a volunteer and then you can enjoy as much time as you can afford without the worry and commitment.

This boy reminded me of a Dandie Dinmont (breed) 

Tues 6th Aug: Still more foster homes needed

Fred on the way to Ap Lei Chau

I left home later than usual because I was delivering Fred the basset/beagle to Ap Lei Chau to go to his foster home, and it's been a long time coming.  Fred's almost fourteen now and has been with HKDR since our Pokfulam days.  The last few years have been spent on Lamma, so I suppose he was overlooked for adoption as there wasn't any real urgency for him to move anywhere, but better late than never.   Fred's massively overweight and will be starting a diet and fitness regime to help knock him into shape, so I'm looking forward to seeing a newly slim(mer) version soon.

Dora's brother is a diferent colour

News about some new dogs that are due to arrive, and probably starting on Wednesday when a carload are expected.  These will include little Dora's brother, and since I've had a lot of interest in her I'm assuming the brother will find a home very quickly.   We'll be needing foster homes for all of them, and sizes vary from small to medium, puppies or young adults.  Photos will be posted as soon as they arrive so we can share those on our Facebook page immediately.

This young labrador has no health or behaviour issues

Also coming to us on Saturday is a one year-old chocolate labrador female, needing a new home due to her owner having a health problem which means he can't provide the time, attention and exercise his young dog needs.  As with all dogs and puppies, please complete the adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt) as a first step, and with as much relevant information and details as possible.

Now that September is inching closer, we've posted the banner for the upcoming "Bohemian Pupsody" on our Facebook page, https://hongkongdogrescue.com/event/charityparty/ and more details are being added all the time to the website.  I'm sure many of you will have been the recent movie about Freddie Mercury's story and his rise to fame with rock band Queen, and our event will be a tribute to their music.  Come prepared to have a great time, and dress up!

Mon 5th Aug: Sunday's photos

Noddy going home on Sunday

Jimmy Tsang's photos from Sunday's Whiskers N Paws afternoon were posted shortly after I published my blog for the day, and you can see the whole album here   Puppy Adoption Day 4 August 2019 

Spot needs a home please 

Funny short-legged Dora

It was Rachel's big day 

Daisy's adoption leaves siblings Spot and Dora available

Fei Mui enjoying the cool tiles and aircon of her new home

Also starting her new life of air-conditioned comfort was Fei Mui, the Tibetan mastiff  sister of recently-adopted Fei Jai-now-Hugo.  We'd been really concerned that this pair would never find homes due to their size and hairiness, but happily Fei Mui didn't have to wait too long after her brother left before she too was adopted.

Will lovely young Oscar find a new home soon? 

I'm actually feeling excited about this coming weekend as we have a couple of other dogs that may be leaving our Tai Po Homing Centre, and funnily enough they are recent recruits from AFCD.  That doesn't mean that we don't have hundreds more that are still waiting, hoping to catch the eye of families coming to meet potential family members, and I can imagine how it must feel to be one of them:  'if only they look my way, if only they will stop to talk to me, if only they will give me a chance'.   Whenever I see the photos posted of the Tai Po dogs and I recognise them from the time I took them from AFCD, maybe only as puppies then or perhaps as adults, and I think why didn't you find a home?  Why were you passed by when you're so lovely, and so sweet?   It's hard, and quite heartbreaking, and especially so when I see so many newly-bought puppies out and about.  There's no shortage of homes, there's just a shortage of hearts and compassion.

Sun 4th Aug: Uncertainties about travel plans

There'll be a slight delay in the publishing of today's Whiskers N Paws photos as our photography coordinator, Semirah, is on her way to the UK for a holiday but will nevertheless be busy as soon as she lands.  Semirah is one of the many dedicated and long-term volunteers whose help is invaluable to HKDR, and both she and the photographers make a huge difference in terms of finding dogs and puppies their new homes.

Noddy and his crate were adopted together

Jimmy Tsang was the regular volunteer taking the photos today, and to follow soon there will be adoptions shots of German shepherd puppy Noddy, whose travel crate was also part of the deal.  This might sound funny, but to Noddy his crate was his best friend and companion, and although he hated being shut in and really didn't spend much time inside the crate, he liked to lie beside it.  Wherever the crate went, Noddy followed, and it was very much like his security blanket - only much larger.  I knew he would be very distressed if he was adopted without his crate so they went home as a pair.

Dora and Spot are still available

Puppy Rachel was also adopted, as was one of the newest smaller-sized black-and-whites, Daisy.  That leaves little Dora-with-the-short-legs and brother Spot still available if you're interested. Neither will be large sized when fully grown, and Dora will be a small adult.

It was quite a busy day at Tai Po Homing Centre and I hope to be posting some happy adoption photos soon.  Anyone is welcome to visit at any time, and we're open every single day of the year from 10am to 6pm.

We're expecting some new dogs to arrive at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre this week, but the exact day isn't known at the moment due to uncertainties about road closures and tunnel blocks.  The same issues also mean I'm not sure if arrangements made for old Lamma dog Fred can go ahead for Monday as planned, or if the move to a foster home will have to be delayed. 

Sat 3rd Aug: Thanks for adopting

Just as two of our smaller Ap Lei Chau dogs found their forever homes today I received a message about others that should be coming to replace them, although I'm not sure exactly which day they will arrive.  Keep reading my blog if you want details as soon as I have any.

Tina with her new family 

For today it was all about our lovely Tina, the runaway terrier who was eventually recaptured by a team of volunteers.  She has gone to a wonderful home (with appropriate warnings about potential escape attempts) and I know she'll have the best life.

Tonto went home too

Another lucky dog was Tonto, a very sweet boy who has now also hit the jackpot with a lovely family to look after him.  Thank you to both adopters for choosing to give their respective dogs a second chance at life.

Corky when found 

I wrote about an old shih tzu that was found on the streets the other day, in the middle of the typhoon in fact, and to show just what a difference wash and brush-up makes look at these photos of Corky before and after (thanks to Iris).  He's doing well in terms of eating and being happy, but he does have some issues like cataracts and weak back legs.  I'm sure he'll continue to improve as he gets stronger, and Dr Joe at Acorn estimated that he's really not that old and perhaps only around eight years.

Can you believe this is Corky too? 

Little Coco found her forever home at Concordia Pet Care today

One of the great benefits of being able to host adoption events at Concordia Pet Care Puppy Adoption Day 3 August 2019 (photos thanks to Rodger So) is that there's a vet on hand to check all of the puppies, and that's how we found, much to my dismay, that the newest litter have tick fever.  Dr Elaine took blood and confirmed the anaemia, so rather than leaving the clinic with their new families Costa, Rica and Domingo went back to their foster homes with the Liquid Gold.  We still have plenty of others though, and they'll be back at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday if you want to meet them.

Fri 2nd Aug: More lucky dogs

Oscar was naturally worried, but he's a sweet boy who'll be fine

I stopped off at AFCD on my way to Acorn as beagle/basset hound Fred's license was coming up for renewal soon, and as he has a potential foster home to go to I thought I'd better get everything in order beforehand.  Of course I didn't leave without taking another dog out, and this time it was a young medium-sized boy who is now called Oscar, since the previous Oscar has been adopted.

I was expecting Fred's blood test to show some health issues due to his age, but he's remarkably in good health other than the fact he's hugely fat, something I hope his foster parents-to-be can help sort out.

Beautiful Kate was quickly adopted

The previous dog I took from AFCD was Kate, and she was adopted today after being with us for less than two weeks.  Finding a home is really as much about luck and timing as anything else, and Kate was very lucky.

Second time very lucky for Marco

Marco at Ap Lei Chau was also lucky as he was adopted today too.  He came to us as a baby puppy and was quickly chosen for fostering, but the family turned out to be allergic.  Without consulting us in advance Marco was passed to another family, something which we strictly don't allow, and after a couple of months he was returned.  During that period, and as we had been desperately trying to get the new adopter to come to Ap Lei Chau to complete a questionnaire and fill in adoption paperwork, Marco didn't receive any due vaccinations, so although furious about the whole situation it was a relief to get the now-older puppy back.  Thankfully we know his new family are reliable and trustworthy.

Eva, Little Eva and Jun Kung

Working at HKDR means being flexible about helping out as and where needed, and for Eva, Yannie and Ka Yan that involves quite a lot of out-of-hours duties as they attend fundraising or promotional events. This time Eva, Yannie and volunteer Little Eva were at musician Jun Kung's concerts selling his special chilli and curry sauces, a percentage of which is donated to HKDR.   I know it was a very late couple of nights, so thanks to both Evas and Yannie for being there, and to Jun Kung for his ongoing support of the charity.

Volunteer Becky will be at Concordia Pet Care on Saturday with some of our newest puppies, but for the many - and I really mean very many - who have been desperate to adopt baby Adam, he and his sister Eve have been offered a home together so that's where they'll go.  It's always lovely for puppies, and even adult dogs, to have a four-legged friend to play with, and no matter how much you love your dog you will never have the same ability to run, play and speak the same language in the way another dog can.

In place of Adam and Eve we have also-small Coco and Dora, as well as other hopefuls of course.

Little Coco

Thurs 1st Aug: A July surprise

Shiba inu puppy Monty's adoption was the biggest surprise

It's thanks to our amazing Homing Centres teams, adoption volunteers and Foster Coordinator Cindy behind the scenes that we achieved the surprise adoption total of fifty for July.  I thought it was going to be a very slow month but happily I was wrong. 

Tai Po:

Mochi (Multibreed)

Smithy (Multibreed puppy)

Tiny (Great Dane)

Jocelyn (Rottweiler cross)

Fei Jai (Tibetan Mastiff)

Michelin (Multibreed puppy)

Icy (Multibreed)

Oscar (Multibreed)

Wolfie (Multibreed)

Moses (German Shepherd)

Gyro (Multibreed)

Ap Lei Chau:

Diesel (Multibreed puppy)

Pippa (Poodle/Terrier Cross)

Cat  (Shuba inu cross)

Patch (Multibreed puppy)

Phoebe (Multibreed puppy)

Biggles (Poodle/terrier cross)

Pringle (Poodle/terrier Cross)

Wilfred (Terrier Cross)

Sadie (Multibreed puppy)

Ivan (Multibreed)

Toffee (Dachshund)

Tia (Terrier Cross)

Pedro (Chihuahua)

Webster (Mixed Breed)

Aggie (Poodle)

WNP:

Aston & Martina

WeWork:

Collins (Tibetan Spaniel cross)

Arlo (Schnauzer)

Lucille (Japanese Spitz cross)

Ellie (Multibreed puppy)

Perkins (Multibreed puppy)

Foster Home:

Jonny (Poodle)

Malteser (Multibreed)

Wendy (Multibreed puppy)

Tiggy (Pug)

Monty (Shiba Inu)

Wilby (Multibreed puppy)

Puzzle (Schnauzer)

Wiki (Multibreed puppy)

Chowder (Chow Chow)

Guthrie (Terrier cross)

Cameron & Benjamin (Multibreed puppy)

Piggle (Chihuahua)

Archie (Poodle)

Polly & Anna (Bichon) 

Rocket (Poodle) 

I'd like to mention one adoption in particular as not only was it another complete and unexpected surprise, but it showed how extraordinarily kind some people can be.  Monty the shiba inu came to us as an obviously brain-damaged puppy, and we didn't know if he'd survive.  Usually puppies with these sorts of problems don't live beyond a few months, and we've seen too many coming from the unscrupulous and uncaring breeders.  Monty did survive, although we found out that he was also totally blind which explained why he walked round and round in circles, but he really enjoyed playing with the smaller puppies.  We expected that his lifespan would be short and that he would never find a home as his disabilities were too severe, but we were wrong about the last part.  Monty is now in a loving home, and although he may not live to see old age it doesn't matter as long as the time he has is happy and pain-free. 

Lewis-now-Karashi with his poodle brother

August started with the adoption of beautiful puppy Lewis, now Karashi which is Japanese for Mustard,  and he has a poodle brother was was also from HKDR.

On Saturday we'll be at Concordia Pet Care in Happy Valley with our newest puppy recruits if you want to go along to meet them all, and of course Whiskers N Paws on Sunday.