Sat 16th Nov: When will it be Stan's turn?

Spartacus leaving Tai Po for his new life 

It was a good day for Tai Po dogs today as three went off to new homes, although one is a trial so I won't name her just yet as we need to see how she copes with life in Kennedy Town.

The other two are akita Kira and malinois Spartacus, both lovely dogs in their own way.  Still they're breeds, and I keep hoping that the mixes will be chosen, especially as there are so many that are amazing dogs, the kind that in a home will prove to be the most loyal and loving companions. 

Kira also left Tai Po today

Dogs like Stan, a Stanley Barracks boy and of proven "pedigree" when it comes to personality, reliability and being great with children.  Ivory and Tusk are also Stanley Barracks dogs, and it's a mystery to me why they're still with us.  Anyway they are, and I can only hope it's not going to be for ever.

Super-Stan with Eva, one of his many fans

Sadly too many dogs spend their whole lives with us, and as a No Kill Organisation it's inevitable that not every dog will find a home, or even honestly want to.  Some dogs aren't born to be happy living with humans and prefer to be with others of their own kind.   I mentioned Tom yesterday and that he had to go to Acorn as an emergency case, and sadly that proved to be his final journey.  Thanks to long-term volunteer "Auntie" Sue for rushing to be with Tom at the end, giving him some chicken and a comforting cuddle as he went to sleep.

July is bold, funny and super playful

I'll be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday with lots of puppies, and hoping that this will be the last time for at least a few of the Seasons Litter.  These gorgeous and happy little girls and boys will be small/medium sized as adults, and all have wonderful temperaments even if different.  The smallest of the litter is June, while July is the non-stop joker of the pack, funny and playful.  Come and meet them all and see what I mean.

June is the baby of the Seasons Litter, and a very small puppy

The three fluffy pups will stay at Ap Lei Chau in case you want to meet them there. 

Meet these 3 fluffy pups at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre

Fri 15th Nov: See you on Sunday!

Meet these puppies and many more at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday

I was happy to see our driver Ming's familiar face today as the van thankfully made it from Tai Po to Acorn with a sick dog, Tom.  Inconvenience is one thing but my concern is for the dogs and puppies that can't get the treatment they need, even if it's only vaccinations.  Luckily puppies Ruby and Adele were also able to get over to Acorn in preparation for their Whiskers N Paws appearance on Sunday, and yes, we will definitely be there by two o'clock.  If you're planning to come to meet the puppies please make sure you're there as early as possible (after two o'clock obviously) in case some foster puppies need to head off before closing time.  We will leave by five o'clock sharp so if you come at that time wanting to see the puppies it will be too late. 

Penny is such a sweet and happy girl 

Another thing that made me happy today, our dear little poodle girl Penny went to a foster home so she'll have all the cuddles she needs now.  She's off all medication which will allow us to carry out the necessary tests to see exactly what's going on with the adrenal tumour, or at least give us a better idea. It's hard to believe she has any health issue at all as she's so happy and bouncy at the moment, but it's also possible her life expectancy will be short with this kind of cancer. At least she's in a home now and that's what we wanted.

Thanks again to long-term Ap Lei Chau volunteer Harryn for some great photos that I can share, including one of new "NO petting" leash attachments for the "Red Dogs".  I don't know yet where these came from but they're a great idea as these little dogs look so cute and appealing that it's tempting to want to touch them.   They're fine with the volunteers that they know and trust but previous abuse means that they don't like strangers. 

Two of the dogs currently staying in what we call the "Red Dog Centre" are corgi Bonnie and mixed breed Tommy.

Bonnie's is a sad case as when she first came to us she wasn't too bad, she just didn't like men, but she was adopted anyway.  We were very clear and open about the behaviour issues but her adopter was adamant they would make it work.  They didn't, and not only that but when Bonnie came back she was much worse than before and had added other dislikes to her behaviour menu.  Now that she's settled back in and is no longer being deprived of adequate food (she was very thin when returned), her behaviour is much better but we keep her at the Red Dog Centre just to be safe.

The other dog in the photo is Tommy and he has no behaviour problems at all, in fact he's the perfect gentleman.  He's only staying at the other Centre because when he came to us he had erlichia so couldn't be vaccinated and we didn't want him mixing with new or unknown dogs and puppies.  He's back to full health now and will be moving to the regular Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre if not adopted this weekend.

Thurs 14th Nov: More puppies arrive

(Sorry there are no photos at the moment due to uncooperative internet) One way or another we managed to get three little puppies out of AFCD Pokfulam and send them to Acorn for their health check and vaccinations, although our HKDR van is stuck at Tai Po and unable to get through to Hong Kong Island.   The puppies are now on Lamma with me but foster homes would be better for them, and the other pups who have nowhere else to stay other than an outside space at my house.  At least judging from their happy little voices as they play they're not complaining, but for their training and learning how to live in a human-based environment it would be helpful to send them to real homes, temporary or otherwise.  Please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com for information about fostering puppies or any other dogs.

Whatever happens we'll be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday afternoon with the Lamma puppies and those already in foster homes, so please come along for some therapeutic playtime if nothing else.  Even after so many years I still derive a huge amount of pleasure from just watching the dogs playing in the garden as I drink my morning coffee, and it's good medicine for the soul.  Check out volunteer photographer Marco Lam's album from last Sunday as a reminder  Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 6.

We're also going ahead with Pulse to Fun, this year's version of Peak to Fong, and it will be a day to forget about everything except the dogs, your own and those at HKDR.  More than ever we're in need of funding to help support our rescue efforts and to take care of the dogs already under our care, so please join the day's fun and fundraising.

Our Homing Centres at Tai Po and Ap Lei Chau are open every day (if you can get there) so please come if you are thinking of adopting or you're registered as a dog walker.  Luckily Ap Lei Chau has been largely unaffected by the protests and the South Island Line MTR is running normally.

Weds 13th Nov: One surprise adoption

After the typhoon last year

Although most of Hong Kong seems to have been brought to a standstill, I'm one of the lucky island dwellers whose neighbourhood hasn't been affected by anything except the weather, which although beautiful now has been devastating at times.  You'll all remember Typhoon Manghut last year, and the combination of the terrifying wind and high tide at the same time.  It completely destroyed the old stone-built pig farm buildings in front of my house, the remains of which still lie on the beach, as well as the fences keeping my dogs in.  It was impossible to see who was still around when everything subsided, and while most of the dogs were happily hanging around the house and enjoying their freedom there were some of the "scaredy" ones missing.   One of those was a dog called Romi, and I found her later in the hills with quite a bad injury.  I took her to Acorn to be stitched up and she recovered, although she later managed to escape again and I thought that was that.

However some time later one of the landlords in the bay (there are two local families) showed me a photo of a black dog and asked if it was mine.  I assumed it was Romi, especially as I was told she had a large scar.  At first Romi was returned to me but she was unhappy, so when I was asked by the local family if they could take her back of course I agreed.  

Romi was still licensed under my name so when it came time for her rabies vaccination to be updated I asked if the family would like to formally adopt her.  They said yes, so today Romi was taken to AFCD in Pokfulam to have the rabies shot and change of ownership, and I gave her license to the now-adopters to allow that to happen.  However when Romi was scanned to check that the microchip matched the number on the license it turned out to be different, so it's not Romi and I have no idea who the dog is except that I assume it was one of mine. 

So one way or another a dog was adopted today which is something to be grateful for. 

Tues 12th Nov: Cars and drivers needed please

It's obvious that everyone in Hong Kong is now being affected by the ongoing situation, and I'm not going to jump in with any opinions other then to say my concern is for the dogs and puppies and the fact that it's impossible to get to and from the vet clinic, or to help any of the waiting animals at AFCD.

We still plan to be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday

The Saturday adoption afternoon at Concordia Pet Care will be cancelled, although at this point we hope that Sunday's Whiskers N Paws puppy party will still go ahead as most puppies are in foster homes or close enough to Horizon Plaza to be able to get there.

If anyone on Hong Kong Island is able to help with transporting dogs to and from Acorn in Sai Ying Pun, or AFCD in Pokfulam, please let us know.  It's currently not possible for the HKDR van to come from Tai Po to Ap Lei Chau or Acorn so we will have to rely on help from private car owners.  You can email me at sallyandersen@hongkongdogrescue.com if you're able to help, or let the staff at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre know.

As I wrote yesterday both Homing Centres are open as usual, and we have dogs and puppies available for adoption and as much in need of homes as at any other time, and possibly more.
This adorable video showing the puppies at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday is thanks to volunteer Marco Lam, and I've watch it myself many times to brighten up my mood  https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/830189677400609/

Gorgeous happy fluffies 

Both the white Seasons Litter and the three remaining fluffies at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre will be small/medium sized as adults, something that isn't clear when you see photos or even videos.

Current puppy Freddie looks so much like Deacon, show here

Mon 11th Nov: Today was cancelled

Even though plans to pick up puppies from AFCD and to send other dogs to the vet had to be shelved, our Homing Centres were open as usual and will be open every other day.  The dogs need feeding and walking regardless of anything else, and although I stayed at home there's still plenty to do, such as replying to adoption queries.  I'd like to remind everyone once again to please check your Spam inbox if you're waiting to hear from me or anyone else at HKDR as many messages seem to be filtered out and end up being marked as junk mail.

One of the unfortunate cancellations was the transfer of a sick miniature pinscher (mini pin) puppy to Acorn after I'd agreed to HKDR taking over his care, and I hope that will happen on Tuesday but we'll wait to see what's possible.

We have so many lovely dogs and puppies waiting for homes, and for poodle Penny it's understandable that adoption might not be an option given her uncertain lifespan, but a foster home would be perfect.  Penny shows no sign of ill health and is a very happy and sweet girl who's desperate for cuddles.   She's nine years old and has an adrenal tumour, but we're having to wean her off the drugs previously prescribed by another vet before more tests can be carried out.  Penny will be off all medication very soon so we can see how she responds to that.  If you can help us by fostering Penny and live within reach of Acorn Vet Hospital, please let Cindy know by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.  Penny's condition isn't infectious and she'd be great with children of any age as well as other dogs.

Dougal has gone from very scared to loving attention

Another poodle at Ap Lei Chau was a very scared boy when he first arrived but now Dougal is also very sweet and affectionate, although he may not cope well with very young children.  He's also nine years old, and that seems to be an age when many small dogs are given up, maybe before they reach double digits. 

Another reminder that we have many young puppies waiting for adoption but you won't find them listed on our website for two reasons, the first being that they grow so quickly that we would be forever having to update the photos, and the second that we hold the Sunday puppy afternoons at Whiskers N Paws so the puppies can all be seen together at the same time.

Three "Seasons" puppies on Sunday

As many puppies as possible stay in foster homes so we can arrange for potential adopters to meet them individually, and while that may not be as convenient as coming to one place to see them all at the same time, there's more flexibility regarding timing so it works both ways. 

The Seasons puppies are all in foster homes and doing very well, while there are three fluffy babies at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre.  If you're interested in any of these, or other larger/older puppies, please complete the Adoption Questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step.

Three fluffy babies at Ap Lei Chau 

Sun 10th Nov: Photo bonanza!

Lucky Marvel and his new family 

It seemed it was a day for black-and-tan dogs today as puppy Marvel was adopted from our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre in the morning while little Ticket want home to join ex-HKDR Perkins (remember him?).

Ticket going home from Tai Po 

We had a few new photographers joining us at Whiskers N Paws today following a recruitment drive (thanks to our photographer coordinator Semirah) so there are several albums to browse through, whether you're actually looking for a puppy to adopt or just for fun.  Volunteer Marco Lam was back to join the photographer's group and this is his lovely album: Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 6.

April was today's lucky Seasons baby

The Seasons Litter were there in full today, six gorgeous chubby little bodies to cuddle and play with.  As always it was July who stood out as the entertainer, and she's the funniest character with her non-stop play.  Mary Pho took these photos of the puppies inside showing the Seasons Litter and the others youngsters available  Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 4.   As it turned out it was April who was chosen for adoption, with Laura also going to a new home, then later on Leila. Leila's sister, Plum, was adopted in the morning from her foster home so we don't have her special day photo yet.

Lucky and lovely Laura has her own family now

The older puppies were outside to enjoy the amazing weather we're having at the moment, and they included resident Whiskers N Paws guests Maddie and Rio, both lovely girls, with Maddie being the sweet cuddler and Rio the playful one.  You can meet them any day of the week at Whiskers N Paws, just ask to say hello.  This album is thanks to Aaron Howland

 Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 3 

followed by another thanks to Ian Taylor Photography  http://iantaylor.ca/

 Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 2 

Lucky Leila's joining a big dog family! 

Other outside puppies were brindle Topaz, who was taken for fostering, and shy Carla, another very sweet girl who's improving in confidence all the time and is going to be fine as she gets older.  I was so happy to see Carla playing with the other puppies today, and here's another beautiful album 

 Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 5 —   by Vanit Pet Photography https://www.vanitart.com/

As it will take me some time to go through to name all of the puppies, so please send the photo if there are any you're particularly interested in. The following album is thanks to Justin Lo:

Puppy Adoption Day 10 November 2019 - Part 1