Sat 30th Nov: Getting ready

The end of November is here and the beginning of the last month of 2019, with December 1st being Pulse to Fun day as well as the regular Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon, 2pm to 5pm as always. 

Our fundraising event starts 11am outside the main entrance of the pulse in Repulse Bay with a short kick-off speech, then we will walk along the seafront towards Deep Water Bay beach before returning to the pulse where there will be over 20 stalls run by sponsors inside the mall.

The weather's perfect for the waterfront walk

Let your dogs enjoy a swim in the rooftop pool

The roof of the pulse will also be open for our event, with a dog swimming pool and a large lawn to run around on. There will also be several activities taking place on the roof, including a Hydrotherapy Workshop by HEAL (12:45pm -1:45pm), Dog Gelato Eating Competition plus cheque presentation by Gino's Gelato (2:00pm - 2:30pm) and Doga by tutor Tina C. (15:00pm - 15:45pm).

Please note once again that yes, you do need to buy a ticket/T-shirt to enjoy these activities, and remember that the T-shirt can be worn over and over again as we very deliberately omitted to include a date, event title or a sponsor, so it's not an item that will look out of place at any time of the year.

We had so many enquiries about the senior golden retriever lady Mabel, but just as happened with Chase the poodle these came to nothing today.  Chase has a deadline which is coming up soon when his family are leaving Hong Kong, and this is a genuine case of having to re-home their dog, not wanting to.   Can I ask a favour, and that is that only those who can take a dog immediately and who are really interested and intending to adopt ask about both Mabel and Chase. 

Mabel

There's an adoption questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/  which needs to be completed as a first step in any adoption, puppy or adult, so please fill out the form before asking for more details.

Every Sunday at 10/F Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau

Chase 

Fri 29th Nov: Aren't we lucky?

It's on Sunday and it's going to be great! 

Aren't we lucky?  The weather is set to be perfect for Sunday's big event just before a big temperature drop, and there's been a surge in ticket sales as the prospect of an amazing sunny day of family fun beckons.   The waterfront walk from Repulse Bay to Deepwater Bay and back is easy enough for everyone and is a beautiful route, and that's followed by a party at the pulse, including lots of opportunities to buy, eat and play.   Last-minute tickets are available at either of our Homing Centres, Whiskers N Paws or Dogotel, and please remember your T-shirts are your tickets so you need to wear them.

A lot of people are asking if everyone attending has to buy a ticket (T-shirt) and the answer is yes, one T-shirt doesn't cover the whole family.   Please bear in mind that this is an important fundraising event for us and we have already had to cut down on the size and number of participants with the move away from the traditional Peak to Fong venue, so it's really important to us that we raise as much as possible to help cover the huge monthly costs of caring for over six hundred dogs.  Although we do get some food donations the bulk of the dog food we need has to be bought, and vet costs are extremely high too as well as other recurring expenses.   Also worth remembering is the fact that your T-shirt can be worn at any time in the future plus there's a free goodie bag included too, so the $250 entry price is a bargain!

Mabel is a young 12 year-old

There's been a heartwarming response to the photo I posted of the twelve year-old golden retriever girl, Mabel, so I really hope at least one of the enquiries about her will result in a home.  Thank you to everyone who asked about her, and please remember we have many other very sweet and beautiful seniors who are also in need of a soft bed and a warm home.

The old pom was dropped at the side door in his cage

One of those was delivered to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre today, sneakily dropped off at the side entrance by a couple who then ran away when our staff member Zing spotted what had happened.  According to the van driver who had dropped the pair and the pom at Ap Lei Chau they had started their journey in Ma On Shan, but as the dog had no microchip there's no way of tracing the owners.  We sent the pom straight to Acorn where he was found to have no teeth left and the "penis entrapped in matted fur and large amounts of pus".  In such cases it's probably better for the dog that he was abandoned because he's obviously never seen a vet or been properly looked after.  It's not enough just to love a pet, there are certain obligations of routine care, which includes exercise, but we already know that many puppies are bought simply to satisfy a desire to have a cuddly "toy" at home.

Thurs 28th Nov: New places, different lives

There's acres of space for Buzzy and Korma to run now

It seems that there really is a mini exodus taking place in Hong Kong, with news reaching me of many dog owners leaving and thankfully taking all family members along with them.  I'm talking about the dogs (and cats) of course, because they are as much family as any two-legged members, and other than genuine emergency situations there can be no excuse for abandoning your loyal and faithful companions, especially older ones.  Buzzy and Korma, shown in the photo, are two very lucky dogs who are now in he UK, especially as Korma's sister Mango (they were a Curry Litter) is still waiting at Tai Po for someone to give her a chance.

It always seems so unfair when one out of a litter is left over (Mango) 

I went to AFCD to take out another one of the cruelty case dogs, this one more nervous than the previous three already at our Tai Po Homing Centre.  She has large scars on her head, as do some other very similar-looking dogs who are also at the Pokfulam Centre.  I have a horrible image in my mind of the three or four dogs literally fighting for their lives as they were slowly starving to death, and whether or not that's the case it seems strange that they all have such scars.

I had already planned to take this particular dog out but there was another surrendered dog waiting when I got to AFCD, a very sweet and friendly golden retriever girl, twelve years old.  For her age she seems to be in good health and was delighted to be taken out of her kennel of course.  I really can't imagine taking my old dog to AFCD, knowing that it would probably mean death at the hands of strangers.  How anyone could do that is beyond me, although I shouldn't be surprised after we had yet another surrender request for one of our ex-HKDR dogs today.  If you can give a home to Mabel, the new name for the golden retriever, please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

It should still be warm enough for dogs to swim 

Let me move on to happier things, like Sunday's event which is going to be a really great day with lots of dogs and their people coming along to enjoy the fun.

It's too late now for us to be able to send the ticket/T-shirts by mail, but you can still buy online and pick up at the event.  Other venues that have the T-shirts available are listed here https://hongkongdogrescue.com/p2f2019/ticket-information/.  Please note that the T-shirts are your entry tickets and only those wearing them will be admitted as guests for the event.

There's plenty of space for the dogs to enjoy playing 

Weds 27th Nov: Adoption is for life

An innocent victim who's about to lose her home and family

What a miserable day it was today apart from the glorious weather, with not only one but two surrender requests, each for two dogs. I find it very hard to stay upbeat as the past few months have been very difficult in many respects, and I know that applies to most of Hong Kong, but I spent much of my "day off" dealing with these cases. 

There really seems to be a common assumption that adoption is a temporary situation, lasting until it's no longer convenient, but I have to say that we are really at capacity now at Tai Po and there can be no more accepting of peoples' throwaway responsibilities.  "I am full of kindness towards people and animals" today's would-be dumper asserted, upset that she wasn't welcomed with open arms.  That made me laugh anyway.

The "Seasons Litter" are small-sized and perfect in every way

And seriously no, we don't have any labrador, golden retriever, beagle, shiba inu or any named breed puppies, but we do have the most beautiful, gorgeous, happy and waggy-tailed youngsters, all sizes and  variety of colours.  There are lots of photos to look through from last Sunday's puppy afternoon at Whiskers N Paws and here's the final album from the day

Puppy Adoption Day 24 November 2019 - Part 6     ( thanks to volunteer photographer Reeki Hsu)

Cactus with one of the puppies at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre

Apart from the sunny personalities and beautiful looks of the dogs and puppies waiting for homes, each adoption comes with the back-up and training support of Cactus Mok, whose years of experience and full qualifications mean that no adopter is left without help if and when needed.

You can meet lots of puppies at our Ap Lei Chu Homing Centre any day, as well as all of the foster puppies too at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday as usual, 2pm to 5pm.

Putting the day's disappointments behind me, I'm looking forward to Sunday's P2F (Pulse to Fun taking over from Peak to Fong) and the day's activities.  I don't think I've made the walk along the Repulse Bay waterfront, at least not for a very long time, and it's a beautiful stretch of seafront.

After the walk we've got all sorts of great prizes to give away as well as things to do, and all in perfect time to catch the last of the year's sunshine before the drop in temperature (according to the HK Observatory).  There's still time to buy your ticket/T-shirt, and last-minute online purchases can be collected at the venue on Sunday. 

Tues 26th Nov: An early start for nothing

A younger and slimmer Minky in her walking days 

I was up very early today as one of my Lamma dogs was booked in for minor surgery and I wanted to go with her to Acorn rather than send her unaccompanied.  If you've been a long-term follower of HKDR and my blog you may remember Minky from way back, when she and Sparkle were best friends as puppies and inseparable until they grew up.  Sparkle subsequently died of diabetes, which due to her being a very nervous type couldn't be treated, and although when young Minky used to join the daily hikes she grew lazy and eventually stopped.   Now at eleven years of age Minky needed to have a small growth removed from her leg, almost certainly nothing serious, but traffic jams between Tai Po and Aberdeen meant I had to cancel for today and instead one of the older Ap Lei Chau puppies went for desexing.

As mornings are a busy time for me with dog walking and feeding as well as my "office" work to do, if there's any reason for me to have to go over to Hong Kong Island before midday it means a very early start.  That's not such a problem for me even if I don't like it, but it leaves the dogs and their inner clocks totally confused.  They have their routine and know exactly when and in which order things happen, so an early walk has them puzzled and some miss out on breakfast because the timing is wrong.  Now I have to do it again next week when Minky's rescheduled operation is due to take place.

That's going to be Monday, the day following Pulse to Fun (and Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon) so there'll be a mad rush to write my blog before leaving home.  Hopefully there'll be lots of good things to talk about, starting with the walk along the waterfront https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/470762943547761/?v=470762943547761
followed by hours of fun and shopping at the pulse.
We've got Doga (yoga with dogs), swimming (for dogs) food and shopping for everyone, so really a great family day out.

Thanks again to our amazing sponsors https://hongkongdogrescue.com/event-sponsors/ for supporting, including the prize sponsors for the highest amount raised for the Sponsored Walk https://hongkongdogrescue.com/sponsored-prize-list/

On top of that there's a fantastic Goodie Bag for all participants wearing the P2F T-shirt (remember that's your entry ticket) so nobody leaves empty-handed. 

Mon 25th Nov: Yay for bendy-legged Alfie!

Alfie may have bendy legs but now he has a home of his own!

In amongst the deluge of surrender emails there was one very happy and heartwarming message from long-term Tai Po volunteer Terry.  He'd taken bendy-legged Alfie home to see how he was going to fit in with the other dogs, and although it was supposed to be a week's trial the adoption was confirmed after just a day.   Poor Alfie, born with a severe leg deformity, is now lucky Alfie, proud to be adopted and have a family of his own.

We're coming into a difficult time of year for adoptions, and whether it's connected to the recent troubles or not, a lot of people seem to be abandoning their dogs at the moment.  Newly-surrendered German shepherd, Victor, went for a check-up today and was found to be heartworm positive, yet another one whose ex-owner failed to give any protection against the disease.  As I've said many times before, if you live outside the city and don't protect your dog against the mosquito-borne infection, it's pretty much guaranteed.

Victor is handsome and friendly

Freddie, Jilly and Judy are staying at our Ap Lei Chau Centre

As a reminder to anyone who didn't see yesterday's post, we have a lot of puppies available for adoption at the moment and here's another set a of photos which came too late to be included  Puppy Adoption Day 24 November 2019 - Part 5.  Sunday's Whiskers N Paws afternoons are when you can see all of the puppies together at the same time but that doesn't mean you can't meet them on any other day.  Our Homing Centres are open every single day without fail, and meetings can be arranged for any of the puppies lucky enough to be staying in foster homes, and that currently includes the remaining four small-sized Seasons litter.

This coming Sunday is Pulse to Fun day, and although I'm going to be there for the 11am start and for most of the event, I'll be heading over to Whiskers N Paws for the puppy afternoon later on and it will start at 2pm as usual.

Thanks to our very supportive sponsors for guaranteeing that Sunday is going to be an amazing and fun-filled event, and for everyone who has already bought their ticket T-shirts.  There's still time to buy at any of the retail outlets listed on our website, or at either of the Homing Centres.  Here's the quick link to find all the information about the event https://hongkongdogrescue.com/p2f2019/  so I hope to see you there!

Sun 24th Nov: One week to go until P2F!!

I decided to go for the "scatter" approach today at Whiskers N Paws, and that meant letting the younger puppies run free on the terrace rather than stay inside.  We had a few volunteer photographers to record the fun and games, and in no particular order here are the results with grateful thanks to all:  Puppy Adoption Day 24 November 2019 - Part 2 (Bambi Yau). The puppies had the best time ever, although as expected it was quite hard to pick out the four-legged from the crowd of two-legged kids sitting on the ground enjoying puppy cuddles.

 Puppy Adoption Day 24 November 2019 - Part 1 (Jocelyn Chiu)

July loves to play

Once again little July was the entertainer of the afternoon, running around and wrestling with anyone who wanted to play, and honestly I would love to have this funny girl myself.  Like all of the Seasons litter July will be a small-sized adult meaning short legs and long body, like a corgi shape and size, and as so many potential adopters are looking for this kind of size we still have Winter, June, July and August available. Here's the photo album by Faye Cheuk Puppy Adoption Day 24 November 2019 - Part 3 showing July having fun.

There weren't any confirmed adoptions to write about although two lucky pups were taken home for fostering with a view to adopt, including the "mini golden retriever" Ora, which wasn't a surprise.  All of the puppies are very friendly, happy and (in my mind anyway) beautiful, and as I always say when asked about temperament, if you treat a puppy with love and kindness it will grow into a well-balanced and behaved adult.  The way a puppy looks will attract attention, but underneath the long or short coat, colour and size, they are all the same in the end. This photo set is thanks to Kathy Guo Puppy Adoption Day 24 November 2019 - Part 4

Thank you Shavonne (and Winter)! 

We also received two lovely birthday donations, one from Shavonne (shown here with puppy Winter) and the other from Hannah via TwoPresents.

Thank you Hannah!

This time next week will be Pulse to Fun, and you still have time to pick up your ticket-T Shirts in time for the big day.  According to the weather forecast this will be the last warm and sunny day before the temperature drops dramatically, so come along to join the party to take advantage of the final autumn rays.   We have tons of things for you and your dogs to do, buy and eat, including splashing in the rooftop pool and taking part in the waterfront walk. 

This event serves two purposes, the first is to have a big meet-up for the whole family to enjoy, and the second is to raise funds fro HKDR.  As you probably realise this has been a difficult few months for everyone, and we hope that our efforts to provide a happy day out for dogs and their humans alike will also bring in the funding to help us take care of the dogs and puppies.

The walk is easy and a scneic oute along the seafront

It's next Sunday!!

We will also be at Whiskers N Paws with the puppies from 2pm to 5pm as always, and if there are any you want to meet before then please just ask so we can arrange.