Fri 26th March: Puppies and the weekend

With the weekend here we have ex-foster puppies Lemon and Ramen due to come back to the Homing Centre at Ap Lei Chau, part of the "Edible Litter" who are now old enough to be adopted after having spent a month in their respective temporary homes.  

Also "Edibles", Pasta and Kiwi are very lucky to have such an amazing foster mother, and you can watch them in this sweet video which includes smaller Emerald from the "Little  Gems" litter and already adopted: https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/pcb.4177852008894166/739785773392991

Apparently this corgi has no behaviour issues

It was an unusual day in that we didn't get any new puppies in, which is a good thing as we have enough for the time being.  I did however get a surrender request for a corgi girl because of a new human baby in the home, and as is so often the case when that happens the dog has to go.  This corgi is six years old and is due to be coming at the beginning of April, and as much as I hate to advertise dogs in advance because often they don't end up coming, if you're interested please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ 

I know many of you are frustrated by the lack of protection for the animals in Hong Kong, and you might be interested in this upcoming talk which was shared by one of our supporters. You can find all the information at this HKU link: https://www.facebook.com/780905378661065/posts/3834673579950881/

As another sad reminder of the attitude by too many towards dogs in Hong Kong, there was news of another poisoning at the Cyberport waterfront park today with the dog dying as a result.  I feel so sorry for the families who lose their dogs in this terrible way and can only urge everyone to be on high alert or to stay completely away from places where there have been multiple cases of such poisonings reported.  It's just not worth the risk.

Another sad case is that of our lovely big and goofy dog Bucket.  As if it wasn't already bad enough that he had had his ears hacked off as a puppy and subsequently spent his adolescent months at SPCA and AFCD (I assume while waiting for the court case), a recent X-ray showed that he has dysplasia in both hips and elbows, which Dr Tony says is a genetic and inoperable condition.  This means that as Bucket gets older he will almost certainly develop arthritis in his joints and become less mobile.  I do have to add though that I have two such dogs living with me, siblings Cody and Cumin, and Cody in particular is what I call my wobbly dog because he has the same problem.  They're now eight years old and still not showing ny signs of pain or difficulty in walking, although they're only medium sized as opposed to Bucket being large. 

Life hasn't been fair on Bucket

That brings me to my last subject today which relates to Bucket too, and the fact that due to him being held back for his first year he wasn't desexed at an early age.  The benefits of desexing has been a hot subject for a long time, especially for animal rescue groups where we see the result of not desexing in thousands of unwanted puppies being born every year.   However, modern reseach has shown that (male) testosterone is vital for development of muscle, and that castrating male dogs too early has a detrimental effect on their growth.  Although we have to spay (desex) females at six months because they come into season at that age and can start breeding, we have always recommended not desexing males until eight months.   

Our trainer, Cactus, whose name I know you're all familiar with as well as her reputation, is always continuing her studies and taking courses to expand her own knowledge and expertise.  In a new course she has just completed the subject of the effects of early neutering was discussed, and as a result we are now recommending that for large males desexing isn't done until the dog is a year old. Of course there may be occasional reasons for neutering earlier than that, but in general this is what is suggested. 

Thurs 25th March: Bell's second chance

 

Good luck Bell!

There was an unexpected but very happy adoption today as poodle Bell left the "Red Dog" Centre for his new home.  You may recall that he'd been adopted once before but ended up being returned, so hopefully this time it will be forever.  Poodles are very smart dogs, at the top end of the intelligence scale, which means they can be demanding in terms of care and behaviour.  Dogs are just like people in that not only do their personalities vary but also how clever they are, and as a generalisation the smarter the dog the more challenging they can be if you don't take the time to understand them.  

We get many applications to adopt every day, and if we have to turn anyone down because the situation isn't suitable for having a dog some people reply that they didn't know (that something wasn't acceptable) because they've never had a dog before.  In these days of the internet and sites like Google, there is so much information available that there's nothing you can't search for and find answers to.  Adnittedly you have to be careful and use discernment, but there are some really excellent sites like www.dogstrust.org.uk who have easy-to-follow training videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nvaKq4_l25et0ysZByaig/videos   and  https://www.facebook.com/DogCommunication/, both of which have links to other recommended websites or Facebook pages.   There is really no excuse for not doing some research so you have some understanding of dogs and their needs before you actually bring one into your home.  Too many dogs are damaged (for example our Red Dogs) because of a bad start in life due to the ignorance of their owners or because they followed the old-fashioned dominance-type training. 

The weekend is coming up and no doubt there will be lots of activity at the Homing Centres.  You can see some of the puppies available at Ap Lei Chau here: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES/videos/271709484538948

You can also follow the HappyWoof Facebook page for lovely photos and videos of dogs at both Homing Centres, as well as supporting HKDR by buying these gorgeous T-shirts:

Introducing our brand new design, 唐狗是寶! This is a very special one for us because we really want to show our love for all tong gau We've been working on this design for a while and we're so happy to finally present it to all tong gau lovers!

Tong gau, mongrels, mixed breeds, mutts. They have many names but no matter what you call them, they are a special "breed" that deserve to be in the spotlight! Every tong gau is so unique, and you'll find it difficult to have two that look exactly the same. What they do have in common is their sweetness, loyalty and love!

T-shirts are HK$180 each with free local shipping*, and 20% of our proceeds will be donated to Hong Kong Dog Rescue where hundreds of awesome tong gau are waiting to be adopted.

Click the link below to go to our shop, or DM us to order! Pre-order is available from March 17 to March 28, 2021. Order during this time period to guarantee your preferred colour and size The t-shirts are expected to ship out by mid to late April. (Size 2XL is available at an extra cost. Please message us for details.)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyWoof

T-shirt: Front and back design silk screen printed on a 210g t-shirt. 100% cotton. Designed and printed in Hong Kong.

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*Free shipping to local SF Express self pick up locations and lockers. International shipping is available, and if your country is not listed in our shop please send us a message!

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Weds 24th March: What do you think?

Candy has her own family now

There were two lucky puppies today, Candy and Shandy (coincidence?), and although not related they did come to us from AFCD on the same day.  Shandy was sent to Whiskers N Paws with her brother Gunner, and their initial shyness disappeared almost as soon as they arrived.  Now we have to arrange a new friend for Gunner.

Gunner isn't shy any more

We received an interesting letter from AFCD today, with a "Proposal for Reducing the Number of Surrendered Animals to AFCD's Animal Management Centres".  There were two suggestions offered, the first being to simply not allow anyone to walk in and surrender their pet.  The second being to stop offering a free pick-up service, and if you're shocked that this was (is) even available I agree, it's ridiculous. 

I sent my reply immediately as all comments needed to be received by 2nd April, and this is what I said:

"Dear Dr Shirley Chuk,

In response to the letter received regarding AFCD wanting to reduce the number of dogs being surrendered to AFCD, I have the following comments.

I fully and absolutely agree that AFCD should not be offering a collection service for those dog owners who can't even be bothered to take their poor pets to the nearest AMC, and don't understand why this free service was even available in the first place. 

Regarding walk-in surrenders, what would happen to the animals that people no longer wanted?  I can tell you, they would just be dumped on the street.

Having said that, when HKDR take in a surrendered dog we ask for details of health (including vaccinations and heartworm prevention), age and behaviour, and the reason for surrender.  I have already suggested to AFCD that you do the same thing, to help with the assessment and so the information can be passed to NGOs that accept the dogs for re-homing.  As it stands we have no past health information given to us.  My previous suggestion was rejected, even though it's easy to implement and makes sense all round. 

From our own observation, the number of dogs and puppies being surrendered to AFCD  already dropped dramatically in 2020, and there are very few available for re-homing in comparison to previous years.  I have my own theories about the reason for this if you're interested in hearing them. Let me know.

So to repeat, I 100% agree that AFCD should stop the collection service, and immediately.  I don't agree that you should stop accepting surrendered animals but there should be a fee charged for accepting animals as well as a surrender form giving full details of health, behaviour and reason for  surrender."

What do you think?  You can email your opinions to amchq1@afcd.gov.hk, attention Dr Shirley Chuk.

In case you're wondering why I think there has already been a dramatic drop in the numbers of dogs surrendered to AFCD, it's because of the increase in dogs and puppies being taken in by the growing number of Animal Rescue groups, whether registered charities like HKDR or just volunteers trying to help.  The majority of puppies HKDR receives these days are from such independent rescuers. 

Tues 23rd March: Hello Louie

Louie is staying at Tai Po

 We took in another puppy from AFCD Sheung Shui today, and while at first he was supposed to be coming to Ap Lei Chau the Tai Po team decided to hang onto him.  He's certainly a gorgeous boy, now with the name of Louie, so anyone interested in giving him a home please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Instead of puppies it was boxes of wine that were delivered to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, and if past enthusiasm is anything to go by they should disappear pretty quickly.  You can drop by at the Homing Centre any day between 10am and 6pm if you're interested. 

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬- 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐞

Assorted wines for sale at only $50 for 1 bottle, $500 for 12 bottles!

Come visit our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre to grab your super bargains before they all disappear!

Reminder: Please bring your own bag or box for the wines.

Address: Shop A, G/F, 5 Wai Fung Street, Ap Lei Chau

Open every day from 10 am to 6 pm

There were no new adoptions today but some good news about trials being upgraded to confirmed, and also that the mammary masses removed from little Mops turned out to be benign.  She was adopted by her foster home anyway, but now they don't have to worry about any potential cancer returning. 

Mops has now completed all surgery

At the opposite end of the size scale the trial adoption that is now a forever home is for Toffee the Malamute.  Like many dogs in their new homes and with both sides having to adjust to each other, it wasn't an easy time initially but things have now settled well.

As I'm sure you all know, every HKDR adopter has access to free advice and support from our very experienced trainer Cactus, and she's kept incredibly busy replying to requests for help.  In fact due to the number of adoptions that have been taking place there's a backlog building up, because although in the case of puppies the problems are almost always regarding playbiting and toilet training, with adult dogs Cactus has to tailor her replies to the specific issues.   To try to help with the more basic queries and to reassure adopters that they haven't been ignored, Cactus and I agreed that I would reply if she wasn't able to do so immediately, and hopefully my own experience and advice will help until Cactus can follow up with more detail. 

Mon 22nd March: Double sadness

 It's not always fun working with animals, in our case dogs of course, and today was one of those times when double loss hit.

Blanco (r), enjoying a day at Whiskers N Paws with friends

One of the little Red Dogs, Blanco, had been sent to Acorn on Sunday as an emergency case when he appeared to be very quiet and stayed in his bed, and that was the last time the Ap Lei Chau team saw him.  He was being treated for acute pancreatitis and was scheduled to have more tests, but it was all too late and he died on Monday morning.   There are many tributes to Blanco on Facebook, but I'll share Eagle's as her page is public: https://www.facebook.com/HKDR.DOGGIES/

The funny thing about Blanco is that he always hated me, and would bark furiously whenever he saw me or heard my voice.  It was a game we played when I would pass the dog park and he was inside, and I felt that we were somehow gradually becoming friends, even if on either side of a fence.  I don't know why he felt this way, but that's the thing about dogs, they have their own secret thoughts and reasonings and we can never really know what they are.

My favourite memory of Biff and Buffy on Lamma

The other loss only affected me as Buffy had lived on Lamma since she was a shy puppy, along with her brother Biff.  They would go to the Sunday afternoon puppy events at Whiskers N Paws but stayed under a table together so no one would notice them.  They were beautiful Belgian shepherd crosses (I assumed) and were very close until Biff's own premature death from autoimmune disease.  I was worried for Buffy but she coped, and even if she never really made any new friends she got along well with all of the other dogs.  I noticed that she was becoming quite tired or lazy recently, and put it down to the hot weather and her very thick coat, which I was gradually trying to trim bit by bit, bit when it turned cold again and she was sleepier than ever, I sent her to Acorn too.  She went in the morning and I was going to pick her up in the afternoon, thinking she probably had tick fever or something, but Dr Joe called me with bad news and I had no choice but to let her go. 

Big and beautiful Bucket

My van friend today was Bucket, the earless dog who was at Acorn being desexed.  I hadn't met him in person before but I've seen plenty of photos and videos, and he's a handsome boy with tons of energy and a passion for playing.  I hope he can find the right home soon, but it does need to have a large garden where he can have toys to throw around, and it would be perfect if he could also have access to the sea for swimming and runs on the beach.  If you think Bucket's the dog for you please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogresce.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ 

Esme

The two new puppies arrived today, and went straight off to their foster home, for which many thanks as always.  They're brother Edgar and sister Esme, and they'll be available for adoption as a pair any time, or individually once they're a bit older. 

Edgar

We have another Wine Sale starting on Tuesday after driver Ming has been to collect the boxes, so you can come to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre to buy. 

Sun 21st March: Another reminder about puppies

Alison is back

 Can I say it again? ALL puppies bite with very sharp teeth (which start to change to adult teeth at around five months) and it hurts, especially if you're a young child with tender skin.  It's not realistic or fair to expect a puppy to behave like an adult and for them to understand that play needs to be gentle, especially when puppies get over-excited just like human children do.   Puppies, and even many adult dogs, also have periods of madness which we call the zoomies, when they race round at top speed, and sometimes have a little crazy moment at the end.  Puppies also have toilet accidents and chew things, furniture included, and if any of this worries you and you don't think you can handle it, then please PLEASE don't consider adopting a puppy.  Alison came back today, and that's all I'll say about that except that she's a perfectly normal, happy and sweet puppy.  I'm not worried that she won't find another home soon enough, and we all prefer that puppies are returned if there's any uncertainty or concerns, but at the same time it really helps if you take note of this question in the adoption questionnaire which is included for a reason:

"If you are adopting a puppy, do you understand that puppies may chew your shoes and furniture, and bite with sharp teeth? "

Super-sweet Sweetie

Now onto the good news, especially from Tai Po as two new arrivals left for trial adoptions.  Sweetie has to get on with the resident dog, also an ex-HKDR girl, two cats and even horses, but she's such a lovely dog that I'm sure everything will be fine.

Lucky Maple

In-and-out puppy Maple is such a lucky girl as she only arrived on Friday and is already settling into her new home.  She looks a lot like Sweetie, and this "breed" seem to share the sweet nature gene. 

Felix

Felix was also chosen today after moving to Tai Po from Ap Lei Chau just last week, but although there is a happy adoption photo I'm going to wait a bit to share it in case of potential allergy issues.

Bye Busby!

Over at Ap Lei Chau puppy Busby went off to his new home, leaving sister Berry as the last of the litter.  I'm also not worried about her being chosen soon as she's a very sweet girl. 

Berry with Abigail (adopted)

Sat 20th March: Never-ending puppy supply

The Sugerbabes are all in foster now

 The four tiny tot puppies known as the Sugerbabes are all in foster homes now, so if anyone is interested in adoption please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com to arrange a meeting.  While these little girls were on the move I received messages about other potential puppy arrivals, all of which are what we call Hillside dogs, meaning living wild.   Although some of the pups are old enough to be taken, meaning eyes open and able to eat, even if still very young, if possible we ask that the newborns are kept with the mother.  This doesn't mean leaving them out in the wild but trying to catch the mother as well, not an easy task if you understand how smart dogs are.  We'll wait to see the outcome of the trapping attempts, but it seems certain that at least the little-bit-older ones will be coming, probably on Monday.

So far 2 of this litter have been caught

Again, please contact Cindy if you're able to foster puppies, and we're still looking for a foster home for the two pups still waiting at Concordia Pet Care.  These are the pair who tested postive for parvovirus but made a very quick, almost instant recovery, and are fine to leave hospital.  We can't take them back to our Homing Centre as we have new puppies that still haven't been vaccinated, so ideally a home without any dogs would be best. 

Lori and Lyra need a foster home please