Mon 20th April: Good things are happening

Wizard will be moving to his new home very soon

Quietly and behind the scenes some of our Tai Po dogs are finding their forever homes, thanks in part to the fact that they were lucky enough to be offered foster homes initially.  Some like Emil are staying where they are, while Wizard will be moving from his foster home to a new family after a successful meeting.

Emil looking comfy at home

Another senior found a home with Terry, this time June

June, who has been with us for a very long time, went home with volunteer Terry to join his family of seniors and dogs that nobody else wanted.  Terry has a huge heart and luckily his home is also large enough to provide space for all of the dogs until their lives come to a natural end.

Thanks to our amazing staff and core volunteers our Tai Po Homing Centre has stayed open throughout everything that nature has thrown at us, from Typhoon 10s to the current coronavirus, and nothing makes me happier than to see dogs being adopted from there.   Every one of them has a story and a place in my memory, with some like June going back a very long way.  To all of us at HKDR these aren't "just dogs", they're individuals with four legs, a wagging tail and a heart full of unconditional love.  Look at Tusk, such a beautiful and soppy boy.  When will he go home?

Tusk is big but a great cuddler

Julian is such a sweet doglet

We had the results back from the CT scan on doglet Julian, and as I'd suspected from when I first saw his funny face his problem is related to a malformation of the skull.  That basically means there's nothing that can be done and the sometime noisy breathing is just part of Julian's life.  He's a lovely boy and very sweet, so now we just have to wait and hope that someone will fall in love with him.

Lizzie is just 2 years old and very sweet

Little Lizzie, the young pom-cross girl, will be going for her desexing surgery at Concordia and while she's there it will also give the vets the opportunity to further investigate her heart and how serious the problem is.  Lizzie is showing no signs of being anything but a very normal and happy little dog so I really hope it will be good news.

I found out when I was at AFCD this morning that they have a restricted service for licensing and rabies vaccinations.  There would be no way of anyone knowing if they didn't read the www.afcd.gov.hk website so it's frustrating for any dog owner who turns up on any day other than Tuesday or Thursday.  I have no idea why these two days have been chosen over any other as there are staff there every day, but the HKSAR Government works in a mysterious way.  Here's the relevant information taken from the AFCD website:

Moreover, the anti-rabies dog inoculation and dog licensing services at the Animal Management Centres under the AFCD will be provided on Tuesday and Thursday, from 9.30am to noon and 2pm to 4.30pm, whereas all other Anti-Rabies Dog Inoculation and Licensing Centres will be closed until further notice. For details, please visit the designated website: www.pets.gov.hk.

Sun 19th April: Two surprises

In and straight out again

Late Saturday evening as I was checking email messages for the last time before heading off to bed, there was a surrender request for a one year-old Maltese.  In these cases it almost always ends with the owner changing their minds or giving the dog to someone else but this time the dog turned up on Sunday morning as arranged, by which time I'd already contacted an adopter on our waiting list.  A couple of hours later the Maltese was adopted and already in his new home, so for the many of you who are also waiting to adopt a smaller-sized dog please just keep checking in here.   We haven't been getting the dogs and puppies that were coming to us on a regular basis before the coronavirus situation, but they do appear from time to time.

We're all SO happy about Blake's adoption

We had a lot of visitors at both Homing Centres today, and one of those turned into the second very happy surprise as our Ap Lei Chau puppy-now-adult Blake was finally adopted.  It's been a long wait during which time Blake needed to have his knees fixed and his diet controlled due to skin problems, but at last he's got a home of his own and we're so grateful. 

Blake grew up as an office dog

Baby Jack in 2018

Blake was one of our office dogs, and Jack is another one who's still waiting.  As with Blake, Jack came to us as a adorable baby pup, but like many others he had tick fever which meant he missed his "golden" weeks, the time when puppies are most likely to be adopted.  Now as a small/medium sized young adult Jack is timid with strangers but loving and affectionate with people he knows, and he loves his dogs friends too.  We keep hoping that someone will give Jack a chance to show what a great little dog he is, and all he needs is a little time. 

Will Jack's turn be next? 

Sat 18th April: In praise of adult dogs

Before I forget, can anyone offer a home to turtles?  These are red-eared sliders and big enough that an outdoor pond would be most suitable.  I get these turtles from time to time and there are two more currently waiting at AFCD to be picked up, which I'll do on Monday. Email me directly if you have appropriate space for large turtles:  sallyandersen@hongkongdogrescue.com

A few dogs have been moving out of our Tai Po Homing Centre for trial adoptions (no names yet), and for those of you who haven't ever visited you'll be amazed if you ever do.  We have so many really beautiful souls staying there, all at least medium sized, most larger, but without exception all wanting to be the one chosen to go home.

Gorgeous Fuzzy Taylor

I'm reminded of so many that came to us as puppies when I see volunteers posting photos, like this one of Taylor, such a gorgeous girl with the kind of scruffy coat that would suit people with allergies.  Taylor was one of a shy litter and the most timid, but she's grown better over time and although still not exactly confident she's ready for adoption.  All shy dogs do best in a home with another dog if at all possible, but we'll consider all aspects of any home offered.

1 year-old Rosie is the perfect first-time dog

We have dogs that are suitable for first-time adopters, and others like Taylor who need more experienced owners, but I can say without hesitation that if given the chance every dog will become the perfect one.


Most adopters think of puppies as being the best option, but like human children they're a lot of work and not the best choice in many cases.  By adopting a young adult you get the best of both worlds, meaning many years of loving companionship but without the chewing, play-biting,  and training needed.  You can also see the exact size of the dog rather than guessing, and there are so many other benefits, but go and see for yourself.  Our Tai Po staff can introduce the most suitable match for your lifstyle and family, and we have dogs for every situation.  Just complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step.

Fri 17th April: Meet Julian

Waldo was adopted today

Thanks again to our Ap Lei Chau volunteer Harryn for some lovely photos of the resident Homing Centre dogs and puppies, one of whom left today to join his forever family. 

The nearby dog park is currently closed so the dogs are being walked along the seafront promenade (not the Ap Lei Chau Praya where dogs are banned of course), so while they can't have their runaround and games it's nice for them to get out and see new things.

Jack at the front of the office dogs walk

The indoors gang of Waldo, Cherry, Igloo the pom and Pepsi

One of the older puppies that came to us from AFCD a while ago had to have a CT scan to see why he made funny snoring noises even while awake.  All normal vet checks couldn't find anything specific so I agreed to have Julian scanned.  I hadn't anticipated that the cost would be $13,000 on top of the many other checks and tests that have already been carried out, and in the end we may never really have an answer as to why Julian snores.  This is the worst possible time to be racking up big vet bills for a condition that isn't an emergency, but I wanted to see if something could be found that might help Julian find a home if nothing else.  He's a lovely doglet and very happy, totally unaffected in himself by his sometimes noisy breathing.  He's in a foster home at the moment but if you would like to meet him please let Cindy know by emailing foster@hongkongdogrescue.com to arrange a meeting. 

If you would like to donate towards Julian's vet bills that would be very much appreciated, and you can check how to do this at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/donate/

Julian is now in a foster home if you'd like to meet him 

Our Homing Centres are open every day, Tai Po as normal and Ap Lei Chau by appointment, so if you would like to meet any of the available dogs or puppies please start the process by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Thurs 16th April: A tale of two sisters

Esme's adoption was confirmed today

There were initially three older puppy sisters who came to us from a construction site, with one being adopted quite quickly.  Today the second lucky sister, Esme, had her trial adoption confirmed while the smallest of the three moved from our Tai Po Homing Centre to Ap Lei Chau.

Coral moved from Tai Po to Ap Lei Chau 

Now Coral can be Sidney's friend until one of them, or hopefully both, find their own forever homes, and as always I recommend that families with young children look at slightly older puppies like these two rather than very young. This means skipping the play-biting stage while still being able to enjoy the entire life of a dog minus only a couple of months, and I would like to remind all potential puppy adopters once again that ALL puppies bite.  It's part of their natural learning process and nothing to do with being aggressive, although sharp little baby teeth can easily break the skin and hurt.  Puppy biting is probably the most asked-about problem that our trainer Cactus has to deal with, so please do be aware that it will definitely happen to you too if you choose a baby pup.

Coral is smaller than Sidney

We still can't hold our Sunday Puppy afternoons at the moment, but we do have something for yoga fans this Sunday.......

Yoga at home this Sunday to support HKDR dogs! Thank you yoga instructor Tina for running a Charity Virtual Yoga session for HKDR. Sign up fee: $100 with all proceeds going to HKDR as donations. IG message @tinacyoga to sign up!
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Weds 15th April: Romeo returns

You can't see Amos but he's there

Puppy Amos was adopted today, the third from a litter of six I recently took from AFCD.  These puppies will probably be larger dogs when fully grown but it's really impossible to know at this age.

We're still getting a lot of enquiries for small-to-medium sized puppies or young adults, but as mentioned previously we haven't been getting the dogs that would normally arrive on a regular basis, and certainly not the small-sized puppies.  I can only ask that would-be adopters be patient, even though I know that this is the time when so many people are desperate to have a dog or puppy at home.   This isn't only happening in Hong Kong as I've read that countries requiring non-essential workers to stay at home are seeing a surge in adoptions, and while that seems like a happy side effect of a horrible situation, it worries me that this is a short-term phenomenon and the shelters will be full again once everyone goes back to work.

Pepsi, Cherry and Waldo remain

New arrival Lizzie had a grooming session from Iris today and looked very pleased with herself afterwards as she enjoyed a walk in the sunshine.  It's impossible to see from the outside that Lizzie's heart has a problem as it didn't stop her from wanting to run ahead and have fun.   She'll be going to a foster home while we arrange further tests on her heart, but that doesn't mean she's not available for adoption if you don't mind that she'll need a special diet and probably regular checks.

Lizzie is a lovely little dog

Following Igloo's return from her foster home we have another sad returnee coming back on Thursday.   It's heartbreaking for me, and all of us at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, that French bulldog Romeo has to go back into isolation, the very reason why he became so depressed and frustrated in the first place.

French bulldogs often have antisocial behaviour towards other dogs and this is made worse if they don't have the opportunity to mix with other puppies when young.  Romeo has a bad case of dog hating, and we can't even begin to work on that problem until he's settled and happy in a home.   The requirements are simple, and they are that the home should have an outside area like a terrace or garden for toilet needs and play, and other than that there's nothing except that Romeo should be left alone.

Romeo's not a bad boy, he just needs space to unwind

All dogs who have behaviour issues need space to unwind, relax and be left alone until they are ready to try again.  We've seen it time and time again, and every dog that's come to Lamma for rehabilitation has succeeded in changing from scared and angry to happy and (relatively) normal. Unfortunately for Romeo, the fact that he hates other dogs means he can't join the other Lamma ex-misfits, but surely there's someone who can provide the same sort of environment to help this poor guy heal?

Lamma resdident Kobe had serious anger issues when he first arrived

If that's you, please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com or complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Tues 14th April: Two little pom girls

New girl Lizzie

With the Easter holiday officially over (did anyone even notice?) I was able to take the little pom (cross) out of AFCD today, with the added bonus of finally getting the license for the Clumber spaniel I've been waiting for.  That means Toby can now officially be adopted by the family who chose him some time ago, so he's already got a home in case you were about to ask.

The ex-owner who surrendered the pom, now Lizzie, to AFCD said she was two years old and the reason for giving her up was that they couldn't afford her keep.  It's true she had lot of knots in her coat and her nails were long, but I couldn't really understand why it would cost so much to look after a tiny dog until she went for a vet check at Concordia Pet Care and was found to have a serious heart murmur, so that could be an explanation.   We're just discussing now what the next step should be but I'm happy that Lizzie is with us now as she's really a very sweet little girl.

Candy was adopted on Sunday

Lizzie

I forgot to mention that poodle Candy was adopted on Sunday, but pom cross Igloo is back at the Homing Centre again after her foster parents agreed with our recommendation to bring her back. 

Igloo is a very pretty dog but she needs a particular kind of home as she has separation anxiety and other anxiety-related issues.  She was doing relatively well in her foster home, but as they have three other small dogs (two from HKDR), the training that Cactus suggested was proving to be difficult without the other dogs wanting to be involved.  So the home that we're looking for is one that can provide constant companionship and where Igloo can be the only dog.

Igloo 

WNP Manager Andrew delivered the boxes of cow hooves

I was given the perfect birthday present from Whiskers N Paws today, something for the dogs.  The time has long since passed that I need anything for myself, although anything that the dogs love is like a gift to me as well.  Whiskers N Paws have been supporting HKDR for so many years now and we have become friends as well as partners in helping the dogs.   Hopefully the Sunday Puppy Afternoons on the terrace will be starting up again before too long, and it will be business as usual.