Thurs 18th Jan: Two easy arrivals

Funny "wobbly dog" Cody 

I have to hurry as there is a mass rabies vaccination exercise taking place at my home on Lamma, and the Acorn vet and nurses will be here before too long.  This is something that happens every year and saves me from having to take the dogs over to AFCD one by one, so it's important and a great help.  After the dogs have been with me for a while I group them and their licenses into years rather than months, so this group are the dogs due their updates any time in 2018.  There are those very timid dogs that can't be caught when the vet (any stranger) appears, so in reality I do still have to make individual trips to AFCD, just not as many.   Dogs like Cody, who never grew real teeth and has joints like jelly but who can still put up a real fight if a stranger tries to touch him. 

Spangle the springer spaniel

The two new dogs were brought to Ap Lei Chau today, the springer spaniel and the "shorgi" (shiba- corgi cross), and it's likely both already have homes once we have got them licensed and vaccinated.  They are in good condition, young and seemingly healthy, so I can't foresee any problems there.

You can easily see the two breeds in the shorgi

I enjoy my short visits to the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, especially now that there are puppies there.  They are mixing freely with the older dogs and all seem to get along fine, but I still hope they can find their own homes or at least fosters before too long.  They'll all be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday of course, but you can visit them any day of the week at the Centre, 21 Main Street, between 10am and 6pm.  For fostering enquiries please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.

The two recent litters have joined into one

Weds 17th Jan: Dogs want to be your companions

I've been asked if we can take a couple of dogs from a home breeder and of course I said yes, while at the same time asking the contact to remind the "accidental" breeder that an Animal Trader License is required for any type of breeder or seller of dogs and puppies, even if it's a one-off transaction.   I'm told there are a lot of dogs at this home and they are all living in cages, so I'll do anything I can to get them out and into homes.  Unfortunately I don't know where the breeder lives or I'd take direct action myself of course but for now these two dogs are the lucky ones as they apparently bark too much, and who can blame them?

Shiba-corgi boy 11 months

One is an eleven month-old shiba-corgi cross, male, the other a female Springer spaniel, age unknown but I think young.   If you are interested in either of these dogs please complete the Adoption Questionnaire on our website www.hongkongdogrescue.com (under Adopt), and please understand that we we will choose the most appropriate home for each.  Springer spaniels are sporting dogs that require a lot of exercise (and not to be kept in a cage), and we don't know the temperament of the shiba inu cross but they can be difficult dogs, as can corgis.

By some miracle, my computer and monitor suddenly decided to work again after weeks of problems ending up with a complete break-down.  I'll never understand these machines, but I'm more than happy to be able to work normally and without the daily frustration of having to constantly unplug and re-boot, and I spent a fair bit of time today watching and re-watching the lovely video that was made for us by some volunteers:  
https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/1856058177740239/
I look at those dogs and wish every one of them was in a home as someone's companion, and remember when I found them and how they came to us, some as puppies a long time ago.  Please take a look, or another look if you have already seen it, and maybe think about coming to meet the dogs at our Tai Po Homing Centre.  We are open every single day of the year from 10am to 6pm, including Public Holidays and typhoons.

This is no life for any dog but especially a springer spaniel

Tues 16th Jan: What's Molly's real story?

Waldo and Willy

I went back to AFCD today to pick up the further litter of four puppies taken from Chai Wan Cemetery, all sharpei crosses so again too vulnerable to the cold to be outside on Lamma.  There is always a small one in every litter and this runt is a little boy who looks so much like my Lamma Chippy that I felt instantly bonded to him.  I called him Waldo after the last sharpei cross puppy, although this Waldo has big pixie-like ears, not the tiny ones of the breed.  The other three are black girl Inky, and boys Willy and Monty.

The pups soon made themselves comfortable

After dropping them at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, Iris sent me photos of the pups cuddled up to the long-haired adults, looking very happy and snug.  I'm sure after living outside in the cemetery with barely-existent hair covering,  the warmth of a centrally-heated woolly blanket must have been bliss.   Of course we need foster homes please, not only for this litter but for the remaining three sharpei cross pups from the previous litter too, one of whom (Rosie) is also very small.

Rosie on Sunday

A new dog had been surrendered to AFCD, a very sweet corgi girl who is now called Molly.  She is ten years old but looks and acts like a much younger dog although her story is something of a mystery so far.  I was told she had been surrendered because she had cancer, and when I asked where and what kind I was told it was a tumour on her leg which had already been removed. I had a look myself, as did Dr Andy, and couldn't see anything other than pink toes typical of an allergy, so the staff at Acorn tried to contact the vet clinic I'd been told the corgi had been to.  They had no record, so I asked AFCD if they would contact the ex-owner (whose identity I have no idea about) to confirm which clinic it really was.  I was given another name but this clinic don't keep a record of microchip numbers, only the owner's names and telephone numbers - which I don't have of course.   Then it turned out that the person who surrendered the corgi had only had her for a few days anyway, so now I need to ask AFCD's further help in tracing the one who knows Molly's real medical history.  Maybe someone reading this will be able to help?  I don't need to know the identity of the ex-owner, I just want to understand what the problem is or was, and what needs to be done.

Molly is a very sweet and happy corgi girl

I also took two baby turtles from AFCD who had apparently been taken home by a child, then immediately expelled by the mother for being dirty, bacteria-carrying creatures.  Dr Seems at Acorn told me one wasn't in good shape and he (she?) doesn't seem well, but I'll see what happens.  These red-eared sliders love the warmth and sunbathing, and the babies are especially vulnerable to the cold. 

Baby turtle catching some rays

Mon 15th Jan: Still battling computer problems

One of the 4 Chai Wan puppies taken before Christmas

Back at AFCD today I saw that the dog catchers had been out to Chai Wan Cemetery once again and had brought back several puppies.  Adults from that area that are picked up don't make it out alive, an irony that wasn't lost on me, and the puppies seem to be infected with a very stubborn strain of tick fever.  I was allowed to take one puppy out today and a blood test at Acorn confirmed she also had the disease, so she is now sharing her Lamma space with the previous litter of four from the same place.  I have had Melba, Toastie, Foxy and Whiskers since before Christmas and they have been back and forth to Acorn for re-checks and tick fever injections, but today's blood tests showed all had failed to work.  Now I have to start on the dreaded Liquid Gold, which is a real and messy nuisance when you have five puppies needing to be medicated with the sticky liquid three times a day.

Cadet

I also took out a six year-old poodle boy, now called Cadet (it sounds similar to his previous name) and he is obviously very scared at the Homing Centre with so many dogs inspecting him as the newcomer.  Still, I have to say that it doesn't seem to me that his old home was a happy one, and the fact that he was abandoned at AFCD confirms that.  No loving family would take their dog there, and Cadet is really very thin and unkempt.  I'm sure there will be a big change for the better coming very soon.

I'm still struggling with computer issues which means having to unplug and re-start every few minutes, so writing my blog is taking a ridiculous amount of time so apologies for having to keep posts short.

Sun 14th Jan: Coming out of hibernation

Harvey's family didn't want to give him up

We had a gloriously sunny afternoon on the terrace at Whiskers N Paws and the warmth brought adopters out of hibernation too, although the first "going home" photo was of Harvey and his foster-now-forever  family.  It was touch-and-go as they had found out they would be leaving Hong Kong just after having fostered Harvey so it seemed he would have to come back to us, but in the end they didn't want to give him up.  It's possible we may need a short-term place for Harvey to stay while a new home for the family is found in Germany, so if anyone thinks they could help for six to eight weeks please let me know.  This will be starting in March and may not be necessary if friends can help, but just in case please contact me if you would be willing to take in a very sweet and easy older puppy for that short period.  My email is sally@hongkongdogrescue.com.

Beatrice is underwhelmed by her adoption

Four of the litter of eight puppies came today, with three of them moving to new homes by the end of the afternoon including the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.  A third sister, Emmy, who had been in a separate foster home with brother Ollie, was also adopted.  I hadn't seen the pups since they were a month old, and it was quite a shock to see how big Emmy was in comparison to her siblings as she is double the size, but very soft and beautiful too.

Like all of the puppies, Elke loves Sunday afternoons

Emmy was the giant of the litter

Older puppy Ziggy was also chosen, leaving just one of the older puppies to still find a home.  Elke is a very sweet and happy girl, and even if it's just a foster home where she can learn basic things like walking on a leash and how to live as part of a family, it would be a great help.  Please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can offer Elke this opportunity.

I was so happy for Ziggy and his adoption

In fact there is one more puppy of Elke's age, or maybe a month older, but Peaky is still very timid of people even though he loves the Sunday afternoon get-togethers and is a happy boy in the company of other dogs and puppies.  Maybe there is someone who already has a dog who can show Peaky that humans aren't bad, and that being in a home is a good thing.  We've seen other very timid puppies change completely, such as Tickle who is one of the current Positive Partners Training Course participants,  Seeing her now it's hard to believe she was such a scared baby pup.

Eric Tang was our regular volunteer photographer and here is the full set of beautiful photos from today's puppy afternoon:  Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) added 127 new photos to the album Puppy Adoption Day 14 January 2018



Other than the happiness of seeing four confirmed puppy adoptions and three others being taken for fostering or trials, there was a lovely surprise donation from hair stylist Elaine Swanson who had kept a donation box for HKDR in her salon in the run-up to Christmas, and had topped up donations to make a final figure of $10,000. 

Elaine Swanson and friends

I'm having trouble keeping up with the smaller dogs being adopted from their foster homes, or staying forever.  Shih tzus Sugar and Candy, for example, who won't be going anywhere now and have had their status formally changed to adopted.

Merry (right) will soon look like a real bichon

Bichon frise Merry was adopted and will soon look as handsome as the resident bichon in the family, while our dramatically slimmed-down Miss Piggy was taken for a trial adoption. She'll need a new name for sure.

A very overweight Piggy last October

Poodle Barry officially became Bali as he proved to be a very sweet boy in all respects, including with the young children in the family as well as the resident dog.

Sat 13th Jan: Small survivors

Dogs are being adopted from foster homes and our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre but I think it's been too cold for many to venture out to Tai Po, or maybe that's just me.  I found it impossible to warm up today and I'm just hoping the sun will be out for the Whiskers N Paws puppy afternoon but in any case I'll be wearing multiple layers and possibly a woolly hat to match.

Adele came back to us as a very scared girl

Returned poodle Adele was the lucky dog today, and I'm sure she will be so much happier than in her previous (and horrible) home.  It can take time but most dogs will overcome their bad experiences, with the key to success being patience and allowing the dog to decide when they are ready.  Over-compensating or trying to smother a scared dog with love will only hold them back, however tempting it can be to want to help.

Frostie looked like this when she arrived from a breeder

Frostie the Westie had her adoption confirmed today, and this was a real success story taking into account the fact that we had been warned by the vet that she may die when she first came to us from a breeder. It wasn't anything specific, but she couldn't have any surgery until we had fed and fattened her up a bit, so her "medicine" was just that: food and more food.  Happily it worked and Frostie put on weight and gained strength, and now she has her forever family.

It's quite incredible that Raine survived

Another touch-and-go case was little pomeranian Raine, who came from a home breeder and close to death with an advanced pyometra (infected uterus).  At first Acorn recommended stablising her condition before attempting surgery as she was so weak, but after a couple of days and no improvement it was agreed that as she would die anyway without surgery we would go ahead.  It's quite remarkable that Raine not only survived the anaesthetic and being cut open, but that she is now running around the Homing Centre very happily.  This girl is a fighter for sure, and a very sweet one at that.

Peke Jelly is another very lucky little dog, as she came  with another Pekingese, Bean, who was too weak to survive after having been held at the AFCD kennels for too long while unable to feed himself.  Jelly had to have almost all of her teeth removed and also had an ongoing infection, but she is now a very happy girl who loves cuddles.

Jelly looks completely different now

All of these dogs, and many more, were thrown out to die but have made incredible recoveries, so I think they all deserve the love and comfort of real homes.   Even if you can't promise a forever home for whatever reason, if you can foster until a permanent adopter comes along that's also very helpful.  Please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com for information.

Fri 12th Jan: Ending up where we started

The Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre when we first moved in

After all the searching, the hope, and then the fruitless discussions with potential landlords, we will be staying where we are at Ap Lei Chau.  We had even got as far as signing a provisional agreement on another place but couldn't proceed due to a bizarre requirement by the owner's lawyers, so finally accepted that renovating what we already have is the best option.  At least we won't have to change any of the printed leaflets showing our address as 21 Main Street, or go through all of the upheaval of a move, so there are two good things right there.   Our long-term volunteer Catherine has been amazing in handling all of the negotiations, even if it did all fall through in the end.  So now starts the planning for revitalising the current Homing Centre and seeing what can be done to somehow transform a very small space into something a lot bigger.

Tufty as a baby (top right)

Now we can also get back to the real job of finding homes for our dogs and planning the year's many fundraising events.  Apart from the fact that it's the Year of the Dog (or will be very soon), I was reminded that it's also HKDR's 15th Anniversary, something that I'd totally missed.  HKDR was officially set up in 2003, although I'd been rescuing and rehoming dogs and puppies on an individual basis for many years prior to that, in fact since 1986 when I first moved to Lamma Island.   It seems only recently that we brought out our 10th Anniversary Book, but here we are five years later and nothing much has changed except the dogs that have come and gone.  I still have quite a few still living with me from the very early days, such as Curly, Vivi, Tufty, Bali, Shadow and Lois, all of them fourteen years old, and many of the Tai Po dogs have been with us for a very long time too.

Baby Curly

Quite by chance the theme of this year's Gala Dinner, already booked for Saturday 13th October in case you want to mark that down, will be honouring our long-termers in a very special way.  Although I won't be giving any secrets away, I can say that the planning is already well underway and it's going to be a very different kind of event this time.

Getting back to this weekend, I hope I'll be writing about lots of happy adoptions tomorrow as we have a few interviews lined up and lots of gorgeous new puppies to show off at Whiskers N Paws. See you on Sunday.

A young Bali