Sat 23rd Nov: German shepherd out, and in

Jenna going home 

By coincidence as one German shepherd had her adoption confirmed, another was being surrendered.  Victor, the new male, is five years old so still in his prime, so I hope he will be offered a new home soon. As is often the case he has a sad story, beginning with a breeder who didn't want him and ending up in a home where the owner became too sick to continue looking after his dog.

New arrival at Tai Po, Victor

Little Wesley also had his adoption confirmed, and while there were a few disappointed would-be adopters for him we have other small dogs still waiting for homes. 

Wesley was with us for some time before being noticed

We're going to have a packed house at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday with so many puppies currently with us, and I've been wondering how - and even if - they can all fit in the purpose-built indoors puppy area or if we should just let them all scatter out on the terrace.  I think they'd really enjoy running freely but then it's often hard to see them all as they hide behind benches or in corners and it's certainly much more difficult to control.  Either way I'm hoping for a busy afternoon, and if you can foster a puppy please do contact Cindy in advance at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

Fri 22nd Nov: Lots and lots of puppies!

Murphy is a very old grandpa now

It's hard dealing with surrender requests for old dogs, those that have spent their entire lives with their families and who are now being thrown out.  As someone who has, and has had, many old dogs to take care of I fully understand that it can be hard.  There's the same interrupted sleep that comes with having a human baby, often multiple vet visits and medications to buy, so it's a challenge for sure.  However being there for a dog when it needs you the most is part of the deal you agree to when taking in a puppy, and if you can't handle it then please don't even start.

I admit I don't have any patience with such dog owners, as well as having no understanding of how they can be so unfeeling and callous.  It seems that there are many people who assume that dog rescue organisations exist to relieve them of the burden of their senior pets, or as somewhere convenient to dump four-legged family members when they become an inconvenience. 

Adopting (or buying) a puppy is a long-term commitment to a life that depends on you entirely for fifteen years on average.   A dog considers its humans as family, and trusts that they will always be there, a trust that is too often broken.   Allowing children to influence the parents' decision to get a puppy also often means that once the kids are grown up the dog gets thrown out too, so please make sure that it's the whole family that wants to have a dog.

Lots of new puppies have recently come to us

Having said all of that there are happily many wonderful dog parents, those who genuinely do think of their pets as being part of the family, and that's what I'm hoping for when I'm there every Sunday at Whiskers N Paws with the puppies needing homes.  At the moment we have so many and it's not a great time to be a puppy-in-waiting with Christmas coming up, closely followed by Chinese New Year.  These are the little ones who were at last Sunday's afternoon event  Puppy Adoption Day 17 November 2019 - Part 2 and now with a lot of new arrivals it's going to be a packed puppy enclosure for sure.

Poor Romeo's pads are sore and swollen

Our new French bulldog Romeo's story is a sad one, as it seems he has spent years in a cage, standing on hard wire with no bedding or relief.  His poor feet are sore and swollen as a result, so we're having to keep his walks outside to short outings until his pads harden and heal.  Keeping dogs in cages is an abomination as far as I'm concerned and I wish there was a law against it.

With just over a week to go until this year's P2F (now Pulse to Fun) things are looking good for a great day out for both dogs and their humans.  We've got all sorts of activities going on with lots of things to do and buy, and I hope you can come along to enjoy a day of nothing but happiness and fun.  Remember that your T-shirt is your ticket so be sure to wear it on the day!


With thanks to our amazing sponsors listed here https://hongkongdogrescue.com/event-sponsors/

📢Volunteers Wanted for Pulse 2 Fun Next Sunday!!!

Date: 1st December 2019 (Sunday)
Time: 8:00am - 10:30am
Venue: the pulse, Repulse Bay

Task to help with: Event set-ups

Please email Eva at eva@hongkongdogrescue.com with your name and contact number if you can help. Thank you!

Eat, play, swim at P2F 2019! 

Thurs 21st Nov: More and more puppies

We took in a new delivery of puppies from AFCD Sheung Shui today, stretching our limited space to its limits so we really need to move some on into foster homes.  I'd taken two of those staying on Lamma to Acorn for their second vaccinations and ended up exchanging them for several newbies, while Misty and Willow joined the three fluffy pups upstairs at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre.  You can meet them all at this Sunday's Whiskers N Paws afternoon, or ask Cindy about fostering by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.  One of the new puppies looks like a little golden retriever so I think she'll be a popular girl.

Romeo the French bulldog is not quite 7 years old

Along with the puppies today we also took in a French bulldog boy, now called Romeo, and he's ready to go to a new home any time.  Please do complete the adoption questionnaire before asking about him as that's a first step for anyone interested in taking one of our dogs home.  You can find it at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Talking about Sunday made me realise that the following weekend will be the 1st December, and that's Pulse to Fun day!  Everything is going ahead as planned so we're looking forward to seeing many old friends, as well as new.  Please be sure to wear your T-shirt on the day as that's your entry ticket to the pulse, the venue for Sunday's event.

Look at these two gorgeous faces, Twiglet and Bongo

Long-term volunteer Harryn has been busy as always taking great photos of the Ap Lei Chau dogs and puppies, and here are some that I think you'll like.

Twiglet and Bongo are obviously small-sized adults, while Origami and Zeb are older puppies, good friends while being very differing sizes.  Origami is a gorgeous and very big boy, while Zeb is small-medium.

Origami and Zeb are both staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre

Weds 20th Nov: Chase still needs a home

Chase is a medium-sized and active dog

A while ago I posted about a poodle in need of a new home due to a genuine medical situation in the family, and a lot of people subsequently asked about adopting Chase.  However as often happens one by one the potential adopters dropped out for this reason or that, and now the deadline for finding a new home is almost here and Chase is soon going to be homeless. 

Here again is what his current family say about him, and it should be noted that Chase isn't a small poodle and weighs 14kg (although he's admittedly overweight and should be closer to 12kg).   Anyone who likes the labradoodle type/size might consider Chase, and if that's you please complete the Adoption Questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.come/adopt/adoptions-questionnaire/

"Chase needs a little bit of time to get to know you. Once he is comfortable he is always up for a good belly rub and a scratch behind the ears. He loves to be near you and he likes resting his head on top of your lap. He is very loyal and protective particularly of children. He is perfectly toilet trained, doesn’t jump on furniture and hasn’t damaged any of the house. He tends to bark when the doorbell rings, but if you ignore him and let him sniff the guests he will be perfectly fine within a few minutes."


I haven't been pushing the little fluffy puppies staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre as they're still pretty young and so lovely that I know they'll find the perfect homes when the right family comes along. For some feelgood moments here's a video of Freddie, Jilly and Judy doing their happy greeting routine https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/2540033979607500/

We have a lot of young puppies at the moment and more arriving from AFCD on Thursday, so foster homes are really needed if you can take in a little lodger for a while.  Everything will be provided in terms of food, bed, and fencing if required, so all we need from you is the time, space and cuddle time.  Please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help.

Jason was adopted but we have a replacement coming

We'll also be taking in another black-and-white French bulldog boy, although not a very young one like Jason (who has been adopted).  The new arrival is almost seven years old but that's what we'd call an adult, not a senior, so there's plenty of years left to enjoy his company. 

Tues 19th Nov: Rescued from near-death

Jemma is such a lovely girl

I took a third cruelty case dog out of AFCD Pokfulam today, and just like the previous two now-Jemma is very sweet.  She's a bit older than the boys Billy and Robin, and has obviously been a pet as she's very easy to walk on a leash and was quite relaxed in the van too.  We know some of the dogs from this shelter had been sent there by their owners, in fact one of those at AFCD was supposed to have been reclaimed by the registered owner who has since disappeared,  but I'm still not allowed to take the dog out.  Such is the insanity of the laws as they stand, or at least AFCD's interpretation of them.   All of our dogs deserve real homes and families, but surely these cruelty case individuals deserve it more than any other.  What you see now is not what they looked like when they arrived at AFCD, and today one of the staff kept telling me over and over how emaciated Jemma had been, just days from death.  The whole case was tragic, including the minimal sentence meted out by the magistrate when it finally came to Court.  So many cats and dogs died where they lay, left without food or water to wait for help that came too late for some.  That those who made it out alive are such lovely characters speaks volumes for the forgiving nature of dogs.

Salty on arrival in August

Probably most of our adoption enquiries are for smaller dogs, which is understandable given the size of most Hong Kong homes, but still the breed versus mixed preference persists.  Salty, for example, is a small-medium size, just a year old and now a very affectionate boy.  He had a bad start in life and was a terrified wreck when found at the waterfront with a string tied round his neck and untouchable initially. Gradually he started to relax and trust, and now he will lean against your legs and ask for a back rub as well as enjoying his walks.

Zara and Zeb (left and right) in June

Zeb is another lovely little dog, the last of the "Z Litter" and the smallest of them all.  That he survived at all is a miracle in itself, as the pups were so tiny when they arrived and all had tick fever. On top of that they were infected with distemper, and in the end only Zara and Zeb made it through. Zeb now enjoys his outings to the dog park with the other Ap Lei Chau residents, and as the weeks pass he's growing in health and strength but remains a small size.

Pulse to Fun is coming up on Sunday 1st December  (just a reminder if you haven't bought your T (for ticket) shirt yet) and I think everyone can use some relief from the current difficulties and dramas.  Thanks to our many and generous sponsors we've got a great day planned, and in a safe and very lovely environment.

Mon 18th Nov: Visit our Homing Centres any day of the week

Robin had a shave at AFCD so may be a fluffy dog

It feels like ages since I was last at AFCD Pokfulam although thankfully there have been no new dogs coming in, but I was back today to take out another of the cruelty case dogs, a sweet boy I called Robin.   After having been in a kennel for so many months it's quite a terrifying experience for them to suddenly be walked out on a leash as they have become so used to being closed in, but Robin quickly calmed down and was such a good boy at Acorn allowing Dr Seems to check him over.  He's got a slight ear infection but is otherwise in good health and I'm sure he'll be happier at our Tai Po Homing Centre where he'll be walked and fussed over by the volunteers.   I can't complain about the care given at AFCD, but obviously being shut in a kennel for half a year isn't exactly ideal.

It's one thing taking in dogs from AFCD and situations like this because it feels like a step up for them, but it's really not the same when people want to surrender their long-term pets that they claim to love so much. "We're leaving Hong Kong" is not a reason to give up a dog unless there's really extenuating circumstances, and using a rescue organisation as a convenient dumping ground is very sad.

I was trying to explain the importance of desexing to someone who was looking at puppies on Sunday, while he was saying that in a dog-friendly place like Discovery Bay it would be different wouldn't it?  Actually DB is notorious for people leaving their dogs behind, but apart from that it is never OK to allow your dog to have puppies when there are thousands of pets being abandoned,  homeless animals in shelters or being "humanely" killed. There is never anything humane about destroying a healthy animal just because nobody wants it.

We have so many puppies now, all of them lovely (take another looks at Eric Tang's album from Sunday) Puppy Adoption Day 17 November 2019 - Part 2 , and more will be coming in this week.  It's a very difficult time right now for homing with Christmas and holidays looming and the current situation in Hong Kong meaning potential adopters are choosing to stay home rather than venture out.  We're doing the best that we can but we need your help and support more than ever in terms of adopting and donating.  All outside adoption events other than Sunday's Whiskers N Paws afternoons have been put on hold for the time being, so there will be no Concordia Pet Care or WeWork events taking place, but our two Homing Centres remain open every single day and you can visit whenever you want.

Sun 17th Nov: Two weeks to go!

Topaz went home almost immediately 

We didn't have a van today as our driver Ming had taken the day off, but thanks to the help of volunteers all puppies arrived safely at Whiskers N Paws and there was a large crowd for the early part of the afternoon.  Topaz had been pre-chosen so was quick to be taken home, and out of the Seasons litter it was Spring who was picked to join his lovely new family.  The personalities of these little puppies are quite different, and once again July was full of energy and played non-stop for the full three hours. She always makes me laugh, and if you're looking for a smaller-sized dog who can enjoy long hikes as well as being a really happy and friendly girl, July's the one for you.

Spring and his new family

Brindle puppies were the lucky ones it seems, as another stripey baby, Paula, was taken home for fostering and potential adoption.  If you can foster any puppies please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com as we have new puppies arriving this coming week and need some help.

Paula was taken for fostering

Eric Tang is a regular volunteer photographer and he takes wonderful photos for us, and here is his album from the afternoon.  Puppy Adoption Day 17 November 2019 - Part 2   Most of the puppies were inside, but older pups Maddie, Rio and Carla stayed on the terrace to enjoy the space and warm sunshine.  They're all waiting for homes too, so please don't forget them if you're looking for a new family member.  Being just that little bit older everything has already been done in terms of vaccinations and being able to go for walks, so it's a lot easier in many ways.

A second photographer was also there helping out so here's Mary Hsiao's album

Puppy Adoption Day 17 November 2019 - Part 1

Jason 

Over at our own Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre it was going home day for two lucky dogs, Jason the French bulldog and Tori the chihuahua cross, while a new poodle girl was surrendered in awful condition. 

Tori

We can fix her up so she'll look like a normal dog again but at eleven years old it's very sad that she should end up homeless and with an easily treatable condition.  I've called her Bambi and she'll be starting her treatment immediately.

Poor Bambi will look very different soon 

With just two weeks to go until this year's P2F (Pulse to Fun instead of Peak to Fong) I just want to confirm that the event will be going ahead as planned in a safe environment in Repulse Bay.  We're aware that getting there isn't as easy as the Central location but we want to be able to enjoy a day out without any concerns.  Thanks to our many supportive sponsors there's going to be lots to do and buy, so please come along and join the day's fun.  Remember the T-shirts are the tickets and you can buy online or at any of the outlets selling them, including our two Homing Centres and Whiskers N Paws.