Fri 22nd Oct: The new dogs arrive - plus an extra 3

 The anticipation started first thing as we really didn't know when the big group of small dogs would be arriving, or what they would be.  While we were on standby and Ming the driver was already waiting with Catherine (Catherine's Puppies) in Sai Kung, three other small dogs came to our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, this time directly from a breeder (via an intermediary as always).  These were rejects from the breeder, and all very sad cases.  The adult shiba inu has distemper-related twitching, which means although he has fully recovered from  the virus it has caused neurological damage.  He's fine in every other sense, and the non-stop bobbing almost stopped when he was running around, so it's not something too serious. 

Baby shiba inu with no back feet

The other two puppies were really sad cases, with the baby shiba inu girl having no back feet and the pom puppy suffering from pneumonia-related collapsed lung and a heart problem.  This is breeder territory, where suffering is ignored and sick animals are still made to produce more puppies.  

The pom puppy is very sick

Happily the other dogs that finally turned up at the Homing Centre in the early afternoon are all healthy, lovely and very sweet.  It seems that there are family groups which are quite easy to pick out, with one being a schnauzer-poodle (schnoodle) group, many barely a year old.  Volunteer Harryn had organised plenty of volunteers to help, as well as being the photographer/videographer, and here's the result https://www.facebook.com/hkdogrescue/videos/306539234265532

We have many pre-approved potential adopters already coming on Saturday and Sunday, so I do have to ask that nobody visits unless already invited to do so.  We can only handle so many people at any one time, and if the Homing Centre is too crowded it's impossible to do anything.  

I need to thank all of the volunteers, and staff who stayed way past closing time to assist when Dr Ada from ALCVC came to the Homing Centre to check and vaccinate as many of the dogs as possible.  The remainder will be seen on Saturday.

Where's Odin? 

We also had two early potential adopters who came to meet the new dogs, and ironically one of them chose puppy Odin instead! You can see from the photo that it was already quite late by then. 

Other lucky puppies were chosen directly from their foster homes where they'd been staying since coming to us.  I'll save those details for another day while I plough on with replying to all of the questionaires that are coming in non-stop. 

Thurs 21st Oct: Getting ready for a crazy weekend

Many of the new dogs are mixes

 I got up early this morning (Friday) to try to reply to the many adoption enquiries that have been coming in regarding the new dogs that are due to arrive in Friday afternoon.  Many potential adopters are looking for small-sized puppies but these are adult dogs as far as I am aware, and the puppies aren't small sized, or don't appear to be from the few photos I've received.    Regardless, we're expecting a lot of visitors over the weekend who are coming to meet the dogs, and I have to ask that you don't just turn up without having completed the adoption questionnaire and received a reply inviting you to come (www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/).  As it is I have added a note to potential adopters to please be patient if the staff are busy, because there will be a lot of things happening and the Homing Centre is small, so there may be a wait to talk to anyone about the dogs.  That means those who turn up without having been invited will have to wait even longer, and it may even be a wasted journey in the end

You may have seen the posts on our Facebook page regarding Eliza, a foster dog that was spooked and slipped out of her collar and harness.  Tragically she was found dead on a road, the victim of a hit-and-run, so the search for her has sadly ended.  I was reminded of another runaway dog, Charlie, whose life also ended as a result, and even those dogs who aren't particularly timid are at risk of running away when they're in a new home and strange environment.  Eliza was wearing the double collar-and-harness that we ask all new adopters and foster parents to use for safety, but even then she managed to slip out.  As a reminder, the collar must be one that tightens when pulled, not a chain of course, but the semi-choke or martingale type collars.  These can be fitted so they tighten to a certain point, enough to make sure a dog's head can't slip out, but not enough that they continue to tighten and choke a dog.  These full choke collars, and chains especially, cause damage to a dog's neck and throat and should never be used. 

It's going to be a very busy weekend ahead, with the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre being full of dogs and potential adopters, and Whiskers N Paws on Sunday afternoon (which will be a good opportunity to separate the dogs and puppies).  There's also a pre-Halloween party taking place on Sunday afternoon for those of you who already have a dog and who want to take part in something that's fun.

You are invited! Let's all get together for an afternoon of fun, pizza and dogs to raise money for the dogs!

24 October 2021 (Sunday)

2pm-6pm at La Camionetta

Come in your finest Halloween attire and support Hong Kong Dog Rescue with your fellow dog lovers. Enjoy delicious pizza, Aperol Spritz, games, prizes and dogs. All proceeds go to HKDR!

Book your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.hk/.../monster-pawty-tickets...

Weds 20th Oct: Dogs, dogs and more dogs

Just a reminder

 Yes, it's time for the big news many of the readers of my blog wait for - we will have a large number of small dogs arriving on Friday, with more to follow in the subsequent few days.  The number is never guaranteed until the dogs are in the van and on their way to us, but it should be around thirty on Friday with a total of up to fifty eventually.   I've been told there are schnauzers, terriers, shiba inu, French bulldogs, poms and all the usual small-sized mixes, and I believe some mixed breed puppies too. 

 If you have already completed the adoption questionnaire and have been invited to come to meet the dogs you don't need to fill the form in again, however if you're interested and haven't yet completed the questionnaire please do so before coming to meet the dogs.  I will reply as soon as possible, with many enquiries getting an immediate response if I'm at my desk, but please wait for a confirmation email before  visiting the Homing Centre.  Even with as many dogs as we anticipate having available, the same adoption requirements apply.  

We will also be asking for foster homes for some (or many) of the dogs depending on their health, age and condition, and the foster parents will be asked to take the dogs to the ALCVC vet for health check and vaccination.  We will cover those costs, as well as providing food, bowls etc, so please email Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can take in a dog temporarily.  Please understand that we have no idea how healthy the dogs are, and we can only make very superficial assessments to start with.   That means if they appear to be in good health and condition we will assume they're fine. 

There are also four small dogs coming from another source, a breeder apparently.  Two shiba inu, one a puppy, are being let go because of inborn leg defects which may require amputation depending on what Dr Tony at Acorn says.  Another shiba inu and a pom puppy have post-distemper issues, meaning they have recovered from the virus but I assume are suffering from typical neurological damage.    We will need foster homes for these dogs and puppies so again please contact Cindy. 

Sweet boy Ziti is doing fantastically in his new home, just as we knew he would.  Dogs that have been with us since they were puppies have had nothing but love, lots of playmates and plenty of good training, everything that results in a happy and well-adjusted young adult. 

Tues 19th Oct: On standby for a crazy Friday

There's a calm before the storm while waiting for the flurry of activity and adoption enquiries that pour in when new small dogs arrive, and that should be happening this Friday.  As always we never know who, what and how many, and we'll have to sort them all out and get them health checked before anything else, but readers of my blog will be the first to know.  

Finally it's Ziti's turn

I'm just as excited, in fact more so, about those Tai Po dogs who went to bad weather foster care and as a result have been offered forever homes.  I mentioned some of them yesterday and now I can say that older puppy Ziti will be heading off on Wednesday, maybe not as a direct result of the typhoon situation but who cares, it's a great opportunity for him.   That leaves Donut as the sole "left behind" adolescent, and not for any behaviour reason, it's just that so far luck hasn't been on his side. 

Baby Ziti in February

Donut is waiting!

In an ideal world all of the puppies that come to us as very young babies will be adopted straight from their foster homes, and it's very helpful to have instagram updates following the daily lives of such foundlings.  Even I check the current pair @why_i_foster on a daily basis just to see the photos and the small changes that take place as the puppies grow.  

Many adoption enquiries are for puppies, and it's reassuring to know that most of our adopters are keen to learn proper training techniques from the start.  Of course we already run our Positive Partners training classes, but these can't include the very young puppies that aren't yet fully vaccinated, so our trainer Cactus is currently putting together an online course for such under-age students.  That should be available very soon, so please look out for information posted on our website, Facebook page and, of course, right here.

Mon 18th Oct: Puppies then and now

Goji 

 As expected there's been a lot of interest in shiba inu (older) puppy Donny since his video was shared on Facebook and Instagram @hkdr_official, even though he's been available for some time.  I think there are a couple of homes that will suit Donny, so maybe it's also a chance for Goji and even Damson to piggyback on Donny's good luck.  As always we ask for experienced adopters and homes without children (and vulnerable seniors too) as these dogs need special handling.  It's also probably not a good idea to leave helpers in charge of dogs with potential behaviour issues unless they also have relevant experience. 

Damson loves swimming

I like to check on the baby puppies and how they're doing in their foster homes, but  they grow so quickly that it takes me by surprise when I see up-to-date photos.  Following an enquiry for a young puppy Cindy sent some information to the potential adopter and here are a few of the candidates....

Ronnie and Reggie are ready for adoption now, as are Nancy and Nessa, so if you're interested in meeting these - and other foster puppies - please complete the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/ as a first step. 

Nancy

Nessa 

How they looked in early September 

See how they grow!

Sun 17th Oct: Two of our favourite words

Poppy when she came to us in July

 Two of our favourite words are "failed foster" which translates as "adopted", the best word of all.  Today's "failure" was the Typhoon Foster home of Poppy, and it's easy to understand why the family didn't want to send Poppy back as she's a very sweet dog who fitted in perfectly. 

The Cheung Chau Campsite family

Another lucky Tai Po dog is Sparkle, one of the glittering campsite sisters (plus mother) who were evicted from their "home" in Cheung Chau before coming to us as a family.  All of the daughters were very sweet natured from the start, although funnily not looking at all alike. 

Hershey had a blast in his foster home

Two more Tai Po dogs went for short trials, one being Jolie - just returned from her Typhoon Foster home with a glowing character reference - and Hershey, who also proved himself to be a wonderful dog in his temporary bad weather home.  We're all grateful to the foster parents who not only took in our Tai Po dogs when we needed safe shelter for them, but also took the time to send us information about how the dogs settled and behaved away from the Homing Centre.  We can't know any of this without the help of such foster homes, and it's already helped at least two dogs, in fact three if we include Poppy.  Let's hope there will be more over the coming days. 

Lucky pup Piers

I'm loving the cooler weather and being able to open the windows rather than have the air conditioning on, and the puppies at Whiskers N Paws loved it too. We've come to expect that the two hours on Sunday afternoons are more a look-and-see opportunity rather than resulting in immediate adoption, and in fact the one lucky puppy had already been seen at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre earlier in the day.  Piers left his brother Morgan behind as he was taken home by his new family, and you can see all of the other hopefuls here in this wonderful set of photos by this week's volunteer photographer Elena Mathew Puppy Adoption Day 17th Oct 2021.  There are so many great shots that it's impossible for me to pick the best, so you'll have to take a look for yourself. 

Look at Dylan's innocent face!

The number of small adults available at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre was reduced by one today as terrier Dylan was adopted.  Now only Erin remains from that large intake of small dogs, and I asked for an updated photo of her as she is now because she's a different dog from the sad one that first arrived.  

Erin's a happy girl these days

Mother Jiggle 

As happy as we all are to say goodbye to the dogs and puppies who are leaving our Homing Centres to start their new lives, either for the first time for puppies or the second (or more) time for the adult dogs, inevitably there are new dogs arriving to take their places.  I know that development of the New Territories is a fact of modern Hong Kong life, but the victims of compulsory relocation aren't only the human villagers but the dogs too, and we have already taken in many that have been made homeless.  Today's pair are mother Jiggle and son Waffle, and they're both really very sweet dogs too.  

Son Waffle

Sat 16th Oct: Perfect walking weather

Following a very wet start to the week we finally we have a perfect weekend for dog walking, so I'm sure the Tai Po volunteers will be signing up to take the dogs out hiking for the day, something that had to be put on hold during the very hot summer.  This activity is for registered volunteers only, so you'll have to sign up if you like the idea, and you can do that via www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/ (priority will be given to those who can volunteer during the week). 

Fun on the WNP terrace

It's also perfect weather for puppy fun on the terrace at Whiskers N Paws, so be sure to get there early if you want to have good time to meet all of the hopefuls.  Here's last Sunday's photo album as a reminder of some of the puppies available Puppy Adoption Day 10th Oct 2021.. If you can't make it between 2pm and 4pm, you can always meet the puppies at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre which is open every single day of the year between 10am and 6pm. 

The puppies love this tunnel

Apart from the puppies, we're also hopeful that a few of the Typhoon Foster dogs will either be staying in in their temporary homes, or meeting other potential adopters who read the dogs' glowing testimonies.   I need to mention that we never try to force or persuade foster families to keep the dogs they've kindly taken in, but often the dogs fit so well in the home that it seems like the natural thing to do, and of course that makes us very happy.  Many of our dogs have previously lived in family homes so it's easy for them to slip right back into that lifestyle.  Please do check out our many Tai Po Homing Centre residents if you're looking for an adult dog, or an older puppy like our sweet boys Ziti or Donut (why are they still waiting?)

Chester

I know a lot of readers check my blog to find out about new arrivals, and the small-sized dogs in particular.  They tend to come in groups, and often without much warning, but we did take in a lovely young dog on Friday.  His name is now Chester and he's two years old, and staying at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre.  

Dylan 

Dylan the terrier-type is also still available, probably because he's a bit shy with strangers so not really suitable for a home with children.  Erin is also waiting for a home, and she came to us in a pretty bad way and needing to have one leg amputated.  However she's made a great recovery, not only in walking on three legs but also in her confidence and personality. 

Erin is a happy girl now

Other small-medium dogs are for experienced adopters only, meaning Phaedra the cocker spaniel, and our two shiba inu Donny and Goji.  

Goji

Also hoping for a chance at a new start is Plum, a very petite girl who spent a year at AFCD following a cruelty case (with no prosecution at the end of it all).  She has also come out of her shell after a couple of months at the Homing Centre and playing with the other dogs.  In all of these cases where a dog comes to us as a scared or very shy personality, it's the other dogs who are the healers and trainers. By watching and following their lead, and seeing that life can be fun and humans aren't all bad, dogs like Plum, Phaedra, Donny, Goji, Piggy and the rest of the "Shy Squad" start to really enjoy life.  However all of the less-confident dogs need to go to homes where there's another dog that they can partner with, as these types don't do well on their own. 

Piggy and Phaedra live happily upstairs at the Homing Centre