Mon 7th Nov: Training is a 2-way thing

 I'm going to start with the photos (head shots only) of the new puppies that arrived yesterday, and as they're already around three months of age they're ready to go to new homes immediately.  I love black fluffies, so there's already two in this group that I would grab for myself if I was able to.  Of course, as with all of the new arrivals, this litter will be going for a health check and vaccinations before anything else. 

The most depressing and upsetting emails I get are the surrender requests, and right now they're coming in thick and fast.  A poodle with behaviour issues, a senior terrier type whose owner has died, a young dog adopted from HKDR as a puppy and who apparently became aggressive, another dog adopted from HKDR way back in 2011, another large and shy dog who has never been walked in its life, and so on and so on.  It's never-ending, and the sad thing is that the victim is always the dog. 

I'm so tired of hearing from ex-adopters who have made no contact until suddenly they want to return their dog. Every single adopter from HKDR is offered the free services of our very experienced and highly qualified trainer, Cactus Mok, yet many still go to other trainers (often the worst kind) and the results are that either the training doesn't work, or the dog gets worse.  We're happy to recommend trainers if home visits are requested, but there are too many in Hong Kong who still use the outdated dominance-type methods.  I also need to mention that training a dog is a two-way thing, as the human side also needs to put in the effort.  Dogs are amazing and intelligent, but they don't possess superpowers that enable them to instantly understand what is wanted of them.  

I'm also worried when I see newly adopted dogs with young children draped round the dog's neck, and the dogs (or puppies) almost always have a worried look on their face.  In fact, one of the above-mentioned surrender requests showed exactly this, a new older puppy being smothered by the young child.  It's a recipe for disaster, and it shows a complete lack of understanding and parental responsibility.  Most dogs don't like to be tightly cuddled, and you need to know your dog well before doing this.  Allowing, or even encouraging, a child to hug a puppy is never a good idea.

Turpin during his stay at Kennedy Town

One recent surrender was Turpin, adopted as a puppy, and again the first photos we were sent from the adopter showed the child with her arms tightly round Turpin's neck, and a very unhappy expression on the puppy's face.  Turpin's littermates all turned out fine, and indeed both in the foster home that took Turpin in for a while after his return, and later at the Kennedy Town Homing Centre, Turpin was a very sweet and normal doglet.  I'm happy to report that he's currently in a trial situation, with his brother and sister as it happens, and of course we're all hoping that everything works out.   Either way, we know that although Turpin lacks confidence due to his early experiences, he's not a problem dog in any sense of the word. 

The point is, in so many cases when a dog is labelled as aggressive, it's simply not true.  The dog is responding to situations where it feels it has no alternative but to show its teeth as a warning, or to growl to indicate that it's feeling scared or uncomfortable.  Dogs have no other way to vocalise their feelings, so they can't say in words that something scares them, or hurts, or makes them feel threatened. It's part of being a dog owner to learn how to read their dog's body language and facial expressions, and to be able to communicate both ways.  If it seems too complicated, just pretend that your dog is a toddler, and think what you would expect that baby to understand.  Hopefully you wouldn't yell at a two year-old and punish him or her for not getting everything right first time.  

Sun 6th Nov: A day of surprises - again

Muppet

 We have some amazing puppies still waiting for homes, the types that people keep sending me photos of telling me how lovely they are.  I say yes, I know, and I also wonder why they haven't been adopted yet, but their day will come.  Sometimes it takes a while for the right family to appear, so in the meantime you can take a look at the photos from today's puppy party Puppy Adoption Day 6th Nov 2022, with thanks once again to Jimmy Tsang for his time and skills. 

Here's what trainer Alice Lau said about Muppet, one of the current Whiskers N Paws resident ambassadors: "My Dream Dog" (brother Mambo is another puppy I keep getting messages about).

超愛呢隻豬鼻男孩

How come Muppet is still waiting for a home?!! He is the most gorgeous, adorable puppy with great temperament and a super lovely pink piggy nose

Who wants to be the very lucky adopter?

Go see Muppet (6-month-old boy) at Whiskers n Paws and take him home!!

Mambo is Muppet's brother

Now Gertie, this pretty sausage is only 4 years old

It was a day of incoming rather than outgoing dogs and puppies today, with a long-haired dachshund girl and six puppies (not hers) turning up suddenly in the late afternoon.  The dachshund is only four years old and very pretty, but oh my goodness, her teeth are shocking! It's often the case that small dogs have problems with their teeth at quite an early age, simply because their mouths are too small.  The tiny dogs are especially prone to having dental issues, but the dachshund's heavy tartar and gum disease must also be related to a poor diet of soft food.  Bad teeth and infected gums aren't only painful and very smelly, they lead to serious health issues as the bacteria in the mouth affects the whole system, including the heart. 

Luckily the teeth can be cleaned

Black fluffy girl

The puppies are mixed breed but also very pretty, and they're around three months old. 

The only boy today

Amber, the German shepherd also arrived at our Tai Po Homing Centre, and from her teeth and general appearance she seems to be a relatively young dog, although she has clearly given birth to puppies at some time, and she's inevitably infected with heartworm as well as being very, very thin.  The wound that we knew she had is really pretty horrible, but all of these issues can be dealt with and treated.  The most important thing is that Amber is a very sweet dog, so we would really love her to go to a foster home where she can recover and gain weight and strength.  If you can help, please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com. 

Before anything else, a tasty meal for Amber

Sat 5th Nov: Please keep checking in

We'll call the GSD Amber

 I hope the German shepherd that will be coming to us on Sunday will be as lucky as the golden retriever I wrote about the other day, and that she'll find a new home just as quickly.  I don't know the age as now-Amber isn't microchipped, but she was found by someone who discovered that there was a large wound that had become infected with maggots (this happens extraordinarily quickly).  Luckily the finder was kind enough to take the dog to a vet for treatment, but is unable to keep her and will bring Amber to our Tai Po Homing Centre where she can stay until we find a new home.  If you might be interested in adopting this beautiful German shepherd, please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.  We will also be happy to send her to a foster home until her wound heals, and for that please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

Today's model is Clio

Sunday is, of course, Puppy Party day at Whiskers N Paws, with many lovely hopefuls waiting to meet their forever families.  Funnily, as I was uploading the photo of Clio for this week's event, I saw the photo for last year's, and see for yourself the similarity. There's a very distinct set of looks for our lovely Hong Kong Specials, this one being the brown-and-tan design.

This time last year it was Alison

There's always too many things to write about here, from the happy graduation photos from the Positive Partners training courses 

HKDR Positive Partners 老友狗狗 added 20 new photos to the album Positive Partners - October 2022.

to the Staycation offer at W Hong Kong, so please keep checking in at https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue for the full stories with all of the accompanying photos and details.  “ You stay, we donate!”

Pamper your four-legged friends and delight in the coolest staycation. W Hong Kong is supporting and making a donation to Hong Kong Dog Rescue from now until November 30, 2022.

A supplement of HK$800+10% per room for a ‘pawe-some’ staycation with ‘pawe-fect’ pet amenities, insider escape guide and more!

Staycation with your furry kids = helping other dogs in need!

Enquiries: 852 3717 2222 / wreservations.hk@whotels.com

Break time at the training class

I love looking at the Positive Partners photos to see our ex-HKDR dogs and puppies, all of them looking so well and happy.  Even after so many years I still get a lot of joy out of knowing that every single one of these dogs was at one time homeless, and maybe even in a horrible situation.  There's never an age when a dog is too old to change and learn, and our classes prove just that.  Over the years we've had many seniors joining the puppies - and their families of course - and if you'd like to sign up to either the English or Cantonese classes, please click on the 

HKDR Positive Partners 老友狗狗 link. 

Fri 4th Nov: Coming and going from foster care

Peter is very relaxed about adoption

 In an ideal scenario, puppies that are in foster homes move directly from temporary care to their forever families, and that's what happened to Peter, one of three youngsters who stayed together until old enough to be adopted.  As you can see from the photo, Peter took it all in his stride and was already fast asleep in his new mama's arms by the time he left.  I hope the two sisters, Penny and Paula,  will be just as lucky before too long.

Also chosen from foster care, puppy Celeste (also called Cel) will stay for a bit longer with her two sisters until she too will start a new life with her family.  These are the puppies featured daily on Instagram @why_i_foster, so you can follow their happy lives and see why they all turn into such wonderful adult dogs.  These early days make all the difference in how a puppy develops, both physically and behaviourally. 

Baby Oliver

The "Rain Babies" that I wrote about yesterday turned out to be a bit older than newborn, as their eyes are open and they can almost slurp food from a bowl.  We estimate that they're coming up for three weeks, so it won't be too long before they too are ready for interviews, even if they can't be adopted until they reach the eight week mark.  I called one of the pups Oliver after my own beautiful, and sadly very sick boy, because they look so similar, and if this baby has the same temperament then you should grab the chance now.  My Oliver is the perfect gentleman, soft and loyal, and determined to hang onto life for as long as possible. 

Darwin is the first of his litter to be adopted

Not all puppies are lucky enough to be adopted while they're still very young, and despite weekly visits to Whiskers N Paws every Sunday, the "D" litter returned disappointed week after week.  Finally they grew too big (they're really big !) and had to move to the Tai Po Homing Centre where they could have more space, and also get used to walking out with the staff and volunteers. Today was the big breakthrough as Darwin was adopted, and I hope this means that the tide has turned and the rest of the litter will follow very soon.  They came to us as literally newborn, just a day old, so I really think they've waited long enough. 

Thurs 3rd Nov: Rain babies and a runaway

Finding the babies at night

 Almost inevitably after very heavy rain there will be newborn pups washed out of their nest and down the hillsides, and today's call for help showed this time was no exception.  The rescuer that goes out searching in the dark for such "rain babies" deserves a medal in my opinion, and she's one of many who carry out such work, without pay or recognition.  Without these unsung heroes many more puppies would die of starvation or disease, and while it could be said that this is nature's way of dealing with an overpopulation of stray dogs,  I think the government carrying out Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) would be a much more humane and effective way of dealing with the problem.  We continue to hope and dream that this will eventually happen.

On their way to foster care

For now we take in these storm orphans and put them into foster homes, and thanks to Cindy, our Foster Coordinator, and our regular baby fosters, the puppies will be cared for until they're old enough to be adopted.  

For anyone who likes the idea of having a dog that has been with them almost since birth, this is a wonderful opportunity to do just that, bearing in mind that these babies need to stay in pairs until they're at least eight weeks old.  Two months is such a short time, but in those short weeks the puppies will change dramatically from helpless and blind, to running around and playing.  It's always amazing to watch them grow and develop, and foster homes like those on Instagram @why_i_foster documents the daily changes perfectly.  Currently there are three little residents in this regular foster home, otherwise I'm sure the new rain babies would have found a safe place there. 

Cam and volunteer Raymond made it all very easy

The day actually started with the trial adoption of Sparky from our Kennedy Town Homing Centre, the short trial being needed because of the resident cat needing to decide whether or not a dog would be allowed to join the family.  

As happens so often when a dog moves to a new and unfamiliar place, if the opportunity presents itself the dog will run away, presumably trying to get back to the previous "home" and familiar faces.  Sparky had spent a couple of weeks at our HKDR@Elgin space, where he and manager Cam formed a close bond, and then moved to the Kennedy Town Homing Centre where he had many puppy friends to help him settle.  His latest move to this lovely and potentially forever home will have confused Sparky, so when the door was opened (by the young daughter I believe) he ran out, and the messages started flying on the various chat groups asking for help.  Sparky had been seen but he was too scared by then to be caught, so Cam immediately headed over to Clearwater Bay from Elgin Street, and as soon as Sparky heard her calling he went to her.  All is now well, Sparky is feeling more comfortable, and the family are keeping him on a leash even while indoors to make sure he won't disappear again. 

As expected, after I'd mentioned the golden retriever yesterday there were several enquiries about him, the first of which was very suitable.   Even if that doesn't work out there are enough standby homes to ensure that at least one of them will work out. 

Weds 2nd Nov: T8 means work as usual

 With things back to normal now I can resume my blogging, with apologies for missing a day in case you noticed.  My internet signal resumed later in morning so I was at least able to get some work done, but as you all know the day was a write-off for many, although not our Homing Centre teams of course.  Not only is every day an adoption day at HKDR, but it's also a dog walking, cleaning, getting dogs to the vet and everything else day.

I received a surrender request for a young golden retriever, and I know there's going to be a lot of enquiries about him.  So please let me say right now that we won't consider small homes in busy areas, or any that can't provide adequate exercise for such a dog.  "K" just under three years old, and anyone interested should start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

The golden retriever is going to have no trouble finding a new home because of his breed, but there are others dogs that come to us on a regular basis who were unlucky to have been born without that designer tag that would guarantee a quick adoption.    I keep repeating myself, but these mixed-breeds are just as lovely, loyal, loving and deserving of a home as any others, and in most cases they're far hardier and healthier than the breeds who carry genetic faults and pass then down from generation to generation.  

Rag was just one of my many amazing dogs

I'm grateful to have lived with the most wonderful dogs, none of them purebreeds,  who because they were born at the wrong time of the year to be adopted ended up staying with me.  Every one of them had their own unique personality, and although many are no longer alive they will always be remembered.   

That's why the adoptions that take place at our Tai Po Homing Centre mean so much to me, and to all of the staff and volunteers who know and love the dogs staying there.  I'm happy to say that I'll be writing about some of those dogs over the next few days as they pack their bags and say goodbye, and for anyone who misses out on adopting the golden retriever, please remember that he's not the only dog that needs a new home. 

Tues 1st Nov: Sorry no post today

 Sorry everyone, my internet connection was down earlier so please come back tomorrow.