Sun 17th Nov: All change at WNP

 Before talking about the "all change" at Whiskers N Paws, I just want to mention that next Sunday will be our big fundraising event, Peak to Fong, and the weather is still forecast to be dry for the day, thankfully.  So if you haven't already bought your T-shirt/ticket for whatever reason, be sure to get one before the big day so you don't miss out.

Back to today, thanks to Lexi Vittachi for jumping in at the last minute to be our photographer at Whiskers N Paws  Puppy Adoption Day 17th Oct 2024 , and being on hand to record the adoptions of both resident puppies, Posy and Jiro. They will be replaced on Monday by two lovely sisters coming from AFCD, and I'm posting their photos in case anyone is interested.  Also black-and-white puppy Jasmine has already moved in, so she'll be happy to have the company of the soon-to-arrive sisters. 

We're also expecting another intake of small dogs and puppies at our Kennedy Town Homing Centre, so keep a lookout for details as they come in.  Remember to complete the adoption questionnaire as a first step, and you can find it at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

I'll see you all on Sunday I hope, ad it going to be an amazing day for sure.  There's new information about what's going to be happening being updated all the time on our Facebook Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR)   and Instagram @ hkdr_official pages, so be sure to keep checking in, 

Thurs 14th Nov: A dry day forecast for Peak to Fong

 It's been a strange week for me, and not a happy one to be honest, starting with one of my Lamma dogs having to go back to hospital on Monday with a mysterious wound on her side that had become maggot-infested.  This can happen very quickly, as the eggs hatch within hours of a fly laying them. The worst thing was that the dog, Nona, had recently had surgery to remove a giant-sized cyst from her underside, and she was recovering very well.  The current wound was unrelated, and I can only think that a wild boar may have caused it.  

On Tuesday I made the very difficult decision of having two of my fifteen year-old dogs euthanised, as their lives had become extremely difficult for them, and for me.  Domino's mind was sharp but her body has completely given up on her, while Misha was still able to walk but her advanced dementia meant she had no idea where she was or what she was doing.  I'd been thinking about letting them go for some time, but it had got to the point where they had no quality of life at all.  For me, the build-up to making such a decision is the time when I grieve for them more than after the deed, because it's heartbreaking watching a dog you have known for so many years become so completely helpless.  

Apart from that I have been sporting a massive black and swollen eye since running into a (closed) glass door, and it's quite likely that it will still be quite colourful when I go to Peak to Fong on Sunday 24th.  

The good news is that I've been watching the long-range weather forecast closely, hoping that the current rain will have disappeared by then, and according  to what I'm seeing the day will be dry.  We've only had one rainy Peak to Fong, and of course although everyone turned up for the event it put a literal dampener on the whole day.

More good news, both of the puppies currently staying at Whiskers N Paws will soon be leaving with their new families, so that means two new puppies will take their place.  They could be sisters Inky and Isa, or two new recruits from AFCD, we haven't decided yet.

Apart from the two puppies at AFCD, there's also a one year-old border collie girl who was surrendered by her owners when they left Hong Kong.  Of course it's terrible, so we want to find her a new and definitely-forever home as quickly as possible.  If you can offer a suitable home and environment to this lovely dog, please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step. 

With just over a week to go until Peak to Fong, the excitement (or is it anxiety?) is building, as there's so much for the organising team to do and think of to make sure the day goes smoothly.  Yannie is also combining her role as Events Manager with working at our Tai Po Homing Centre, so I'm quite sure she's going to be doubly-relieved when the Monday 25th arrives.  Then it's just a month until Christmas, so our dogs are already busy making their Santa Wish Lists, top of which is always treats and toys, with the number one wish being a home of their own.  

Sun `10th Nov: Only two more weeks to go

 Only two weeks to go!  I'm talking about Peak to Fong of course, and the time is just flying by as usual.  I think I have just enough time to recover from a huge black eye I got when I ran into a glass door thinking the door was open and finding out it was definitely not.  Now I look like a panda, but at least the door survived.  Please don't leave it too late to buy your T-shirt-tickets for this amazing event, as they're selling fast.

Each 𝙋𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙏𝙤 𝙁𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙏-𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 includes a 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢. Invite your friends to sponsor your walk, and remember to hand in donations at booth No. 32 before 4pm on event day! Top fundraisers will win fantastic prizes, with more to be announced soon.

Get your Peak to Fong T-shirt ticket now at Whiskers N Paws’s website or retail locations shown below.

Join our event page on Facebook for all essential info! HKDR Peak To Fong 2024 - empowered by Kakato

Eric Tang was our volunteer photographer at today's Puppy Party, and you can see the wonderful shots here  Puppy Adoption Day 10th Nov 2024.  We also received a lovely Twopresents donation from Muskaan and Shaye who were kind enough to share their birthday with the HKDR puppies. 

Of course the shiba puppy Jiro was very popular, but as always we need to remind potential adopters that this breed isn't the easiest as they're strong-willed and can be challenging.  If you like a dog that's very intelligent but also with a definite superiority complex, then that's a shiba.  Oh, and they shed like crazy.   

The second shiba puppy, a girl called Keiko, had been adopted during the week, making her stay with us (or rather Whiskers N Paws where both were sent to) very short.

There have been several adoptions over the past week, and happily two of these were Tai Po dogs, although both Joey (now Oliver) and Navy came to us as young puppies and have grown up at HKDR. Both are incredibly sweet and loving characters, and I know they're going to make the best family members.

Over at Kennedy Town there were also adoptions, and in no particular order the lucky dogs were Della, puppy Izzy and Katie.  

We often get dogs arriving in family groups, even if they're not direct siblings. Binky, Blossom, Bonnie, Brenda and Beemer were a small black-and-white family, and one of the adopters arranged a lovely get-together over the weekend:

On 9 November 2021 HKDR rescued a small group of black and white beauties! They were all adopted by wonderful families, and to celebrate their third rescueversary a small gathering was organised. Beemer could not join on this occasion (hopefully they will all meet up at Peak to Fong), but Pippin, Lim Lim, Wonton and Brandy, plus their extended families, had a great time. 

Thus 7th Nov: Starting the countdown to Sun 24th November

 Rather than trying to share details of some of the dogs that are waiting for adoption at either of our Homing Centres, please check out our Facebook Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR)  and Instagram @ hkdr_official pages for photos and information.  There are far too many wonderful girls and boys to even begin to list here on my blog, so I'll stick to adoption updates instead.  

Of course I have my eye on several that I would definitely bring home if I had any choice in the matter, but I'm very happy with my little pack of collectibles who have become my new walking companions. What I love is seeing how they change and open up given time, bearing in mind that they ended up moving to Lamma because of their shy nature, or unsuitability to be staying in the small Kennedy Town Homing Centre.  They're all amazing, and each one of them demonstrates the intelligence and unique personality that each dog possesses. 

The most recent intake at Kennedy Town have proven to be very popular, not surprisingly as three of them are young poodles. The two boys are already spoken for and the girl will probably be leaving before the weekend, but there are so many more still waiting. 

However don't forget the hundreds of dogs staying at our Tai Po Homing Centre, from older puppies to seniors, all hoping that today will be their special day.  

One special day for so many dogs and their humans will take place later this month, meaning Peak to Fong on Sunday 24th November.  It's a huge day for us too for so many reasons, and I can promise that everyone will have an amazing time, with lots of freebies to take home, as well as the brilliant T-shirt (which is your ticket in case you don't know yet).  Remember to bring a spare shopping bag for all of the great products that you'll be able to buy at the Lan Kwai Fong Street party, where you can also enjoy great food at the many eateries, and live music too to keep the party rocking.  I'll be there of course, so I hope we can catch up and say hello.

Sun 3rd Nov: Countdown to Peak to Fong on Sunday 24th

Thirty eight lucky dogs and puppies found their forever families during October, so thank you to everyone who gave them the opportunity to live as family members.  Dogs really are family, and as social animals that by nature live in tight-knit groups, it's unnatural for them to be alone. This is something that anyone thinking about adoption needs to consider.  Having a dog is not only a commitment to potentially 15-plus years, it also means a commitment to giving the dog what it needs in terms of companionship and regular exercise, as well as the obvious food, water and shelter.  

Thirty eight may seem like a good number, and we're really happy for all of them, but as every dog leaves the Homing Centre we take another one in, so there are always literally hundreds waiting at any given time.  I really hope that before 2024 ends many more will have been added to the list of lucky ones.  If you're thinking about adopting, please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/, and let us introduce the dogs that we feel will be the bust match for you, your home and family. 

Tai Po Homing Centre

Darcy (Border Collie)

Tansy (Multibreed)

Hunter (Terrier cross)

Dorina (Doberman)

Zoe (Multibreed)

Joy (Labrador)

Kennedy Town Homing Centre

Pax (Poodle-Terrier cross)

Palmer (Terrier cross puppy)

Oona (Pomeranian)

Opal (Multibreed)

Ocean (Multibreed)

Google (English Cocker Spaniel)

Piper (Pomeranian cross)

Penny (Corgi)

Gail (Shiba Inu)

Perrin (Multibreed puppy)

Phoebe (Multibreed puppy)

Sniffy (Beagle)

Cressie (Multibreed)

Simon (Multibreed puppy)

Gemma (Chihuahua)

Scampi (Terrier cross)

Bertie (Multibreed puppy)

Barrier (Multibreed puppy)

Kai (Schnauzer cross)

Snoopy (Beagle)

Sidney (Beagle)

Scooby (Beagle)

Scout (Beagle)

Whiskers N Paws

Dimple (Multibreed puppy)

Poppy (Multibreed puppy)

Knox (Poodle)

Foster Homes

Violet (Poodle)

Flora (Multibreed doglet)

Rain (Siberian Husky)

Petra (Terrier cross puppy)

Jimmy (Multibreed puppy)

Echo (Mini Pinscher)

Our Forever Dogs

Chess (Tai Po)

Toppie (Tai Po)

Gordon (Foster)

Audrey (Foster)

Rescued Dogs (Total: 41)

From AFCD: 8

From other sources: 33

November is a big month for us as we look forward to our big fundraising event, Peak to Fong, and it's also a day when we get to see so many of our ex-HKDR dogs again.  I know a lot of you have already bought your T-shirt/ticket, and for those who haven't yet done so, please don't leave it until the last minute when the size you want may have sold out.  This happens every year, so make sure you're not left trying to find something that will fit.

There's also something that has been in the background for a while, and that's the potential new Homing Centre to replace our current two sites in Kennedy Town.  I'm sure I've talked about this before, but the situation is that although we have found a new space that's (just) large enough to be able to combine both Kennedy Town Centres, plus the office, we still face the problem of having to pay for renovation.  With every month's income barely covering the regular outgoings, even for the most basic work of floors, walls and air conditioning, the cost will be almost $1 million.  We don't have that money to spare, so it's really a big problem that's holding us back.  

 

Tues 29th Oct: Back after a mini-break

 I know I've been away for too long, but somehow my time is eaten up by other important things which I can't avoid, such as getting dogs to Acorn and so on.  In the meantime, with November just around the corner, we've been busy with Peak to Fong 2024 and the huge amount of pre-event work that's required, much more than I'm sure most people realise.  We're often asked why we don't hold more than one big fundraiser every year, and the answer is just that it requires all sorts of behind-the-scenes preparation, from applying to all of the various licenses needed, to T-shirt design and production plus all of the logistics of planning a big street party.  We do all of this ourselves without the help of any professional event company, so it's a lot of extra work for the team.

Anyway, the T-shirts are now available to buy from our Homing Centres as well as a few other supporting outlets, and as these are your tickets to the event please make sure you buy one in good time, and that you wear it on the day itself. 

𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅𝒚 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆 | 堅尼地城領養中心

Shop 4, G/F, Brilliant Court, Sai Hong Lane, No.28 Praya, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong | 堅尼地城海旁28號明珠閣地下4號舖（西康里入）

Daily 每日 10am-5pm

𝑻𝒂𝒊 𝑷𝒐 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆 | 大埔領養中心

6, Shek Lin Road, Tai Po, N.T. | 大埔石蓮路6號

Daily 每日 10am-5pm

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑵 𝑷𝒂𝒘𝒔 | 寵物用品專門店 @whiskersnpaws

10/F, New Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St, Ap Lei Chau | 鴨脷洲新海怡廣場10樓

Daily 每日 10am-6pm

𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 | 寵物美容店 @goodgrooming

Shop 102, 1/F, Harbour North Phase I, North Point, HK | 北角北角匯一期1樓102鋪

Daily 每日 11am-8pm

特別鳴謝

場地贊助 Venue Sponsor:

@lkfa 蘭桂芳協會

@peakgalleria 山頂廣場

門票T恤設計 T-shirt ticket Design:

@happywoofhk Happy Woof

If any individuals or dog-related businesses are interested in taking one of the booths for the Lan Kwai Fong street party, there are a couple still available.   You can contact us in any way and we'll get the message through to the relevant team members.

Back to the dogs, we've had several adoptions and still more dogs coming in, so if you're interested in any size or age please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/. 

Several of the latest "K" intake at Kennedy Town have already left, as well as a few lucky puppies, while I still have to name the three that arrived late in the afternoon today.  

There have also been new dogs from AFCD joining the already-huge numbers at our Tai Po Homing Centre, and many of these dogs that are abandoned by their previous owners are young adults.  The reason is almost always because when people take in a small puppy they don't consider that that tiny little thing will grow into a large dog, so as soon as that happens the dogs is thrown out.  The "teenage" period when a puppy is reaching the age of young adulthood often comes with behaviour changes too, just the same as in humans, so people wrongly assume the dog is "bad".  It's just a perfectly normal hormonal issue that will pass, but it's a sad time for too many misunderstood doglets (as I call them).  Skylar and Pumpkin are two such "teenagers" who have just arrived at Tai Po from AFCD, and I really hope they won't become one of our long-termers.  Life is so unfair for these poor dogs. 

Of course we always have puppies waiting for homes, and you can see some of them in these wonderful photos taken by our regular volunteer photographer, Eric Tang Puppy Adoption Day 27th Oct 2024. 

Sun 20th Oct: Another busy weekend, with more to come

 It's been a pretty hectic week with so many new dogs coming in, and happily several going out, as well as our small adoption event at Blotto Bar in Kennedy Town on Saturday and the regular Puppy Party at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday Puppy Adoption Day 20th Oct 2024 .  Laura Nie was the volunteer photographer this time, and thanks as always to all of our volunteers for their invaluable time and efforts.

Coming up next weekend we'll be holding another small adoption event in Sai Kung on Saturday afternoon, with many thanks to Catherine's Puppies for lending us the venue.  This will be for our lovely Tai Po dogs and doglets, and we'll also be selling some of our latest merchandise.  Please drop by to say hello, give the dogs a pat, and to check out what we have for sale. 

On Sunday, as well as the regular puppy event, Whiskers N Paws will also be hosting a Halloween Party with proceeds being donated to HKDR.  There will be opportunities for photos and lots of other fun stuff for you and your dogs, and I'm sure you know by now that WNP really know how to throw a great party!

Happily we saw some dogs and puppies being adopted, with puppies Simon and Poppy going home. Brothers Bertie and Barrie also had their adoption confirmed, and they'll be heading off together next weekend.  The third brother, Bailey, is now staying at Whiskers N Paws to replace Poppy, but he also has some interest so hopefully he'll be leaving soon. 

Beagles Scooby, Sniffy and Scout have all gone off to separate new homes, leaving just two still available.  

Corgi-cross Cressie met her new family at the Blotto Bar event, and it was such a great day that we'll be planning more of the same in the future.

Lastly, Zoe was adopted from our Tai Po Homing Centre, which of course was extra special as Zoe is a larger mixed breed adult.  

This coming weekend will be the last for October, and then the countdown for our major fundraising event of the year begins.  Be the first to grab your T-shirt/tickets for the big day on Sunday 24th November, and remember to wear it on the day.