Tues 3rd June: Lots of dog news, and a tragic loss

 There are adoptions to write about, as well as new arrivals and dogs that are due to come to our Tai Po Homing Centre on Wednesday (five young and friendly Golden Retrievers).  This breed is probably the most popular of all, so if you're interested in adopting please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

We've also been asked to take (cream-coloured) labradors, as well as a young Bernese Mountain Dog, so again please complete the questionnaire if interested. 

I should also add that we can't hold dogs if the potential home can't take them immediately, and with many families already planning their summer holidays that means not being able to adopt until they get back. 

Today we also took in four lovely smaller dogs at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, all girls, and their photos will be shared once names have been allocated.  Of the previous intake, the "M" Group, Marco, Mandy, Molly and Mungo (on trial) have already found homes, so I'm hoping that the new girls will be just as lucky.

There were also two adoptions from foster homes, one being Percy and the other Sunny.  Sunny is actually staying with his foster family, the best outcome of all. 

I almost forgot to mention the adoption of the Malamute whose photo was shared on our social media recently, and she's found a lovely family and the new name of  Akela.

Of course my blog is almost always about dogs, but today I need to share some extremely upsetting news about the sudden passing of one of our long-term volunteers, who was also an HKDR Board Member.  Vivian Chan is known to many in the HKDR community, not only for her volunteering with the dogs, but also as one of the main organisers of our Peak to Fong event, and much more.  Vivian used to be a regular visitor to my Lamma home where she used to walk the dogs, and even ended up adopting one of them, a grumpy little terrier called Gecko.  She subsequently adopted several seniors from Tai Po, as well as sponsoring many others.  The news of her death came as an enormous shock to us all, as Vivian was still young and active.  A tribute to Vivian will be shared on our Facebook and Instagram pages, and for the many who knew her and would like to attend the Memorial later this month, we're happy to share the details. 

Our sincere condolences go to Vivian's family and close friends, as she will be greatly missed by all.  

Vivian's beloved dog, another senior called Joss, is being cared for by Tai Po staff member Gigi, as I know there was concern about what would happen to him. 

Sun 25th May: A very busy weekend

 I really can't believe we've almost reached the end of the month and that it will soon be June, halfway through the year.  It's certainly been an eventful period with the move to Ap Lei Chau and so many dogs and puppies coming in, but at least there were several who found their forever homes over the weekend.

As always the breeds don't stay for long, and the three young golden retrievers have all been adopted, as well as the husky and samoyed that came to Tai Po at the same time.  We still have the border collie Taffy, who's actually a boy, not a girl as we were first told, and Marble, a gorgeous two year-old scruffy girl.  

A few puppies were adopted at the regular Whiskers N Paws Puppy Party, with siblings Tumble and Tara finding different homes, and new boy Arthur now becoming Tara's "brother".  Little Rosalind was also lucky today, so it was a very happy couple of hours.

We always seem to be busy at our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, either with potential adopters coming to meet the dogs or new dogs arriving.  Today we took in six more, including a surprise golden retriever puppy girl who found a home in a very short time.   I'll wait to share details of the others until they have names and more information on age.

Anton was the lucky boy who left the Homing Centre with his new family, while Celia the corgi will be moving from her foster to a forever home.  

We have so many lovely dogs waiting for their forever families, both at our Tai Po Homing Centre and Ap Lei Chau, so please start by completing the questionnaire if you're interested in adopting.  It's at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/

Sat 17th May: A quick update

 Just as a quick update on the ins and outs at Ap Lei Chau now that we've settled into the new Homing Centre, we took in three new dogs today while two other have left.  Not surprisingly, since he was everyone's favourite, Griff has left to start a new life, as has little Molly, a very pretty and sweet girl. 

The newcomers are the "I" intake, and are now called Inky, Izzy and Ivo.

I mentioned the three larger dogs in another post but I'll do so again, as we really need homes for these long-haired dogs.   Border Collies aren't specifically a cold-weather breed, but they do need lots of exercise and mental stimulation being highly intelligent dogs.  The other two are a Husky and a Samoyed, so please complete the adoption questionnaire if you're interested in any dogs, large or small.  It's at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Poodle Gimlet and whippet Noodle have both had their respective surgeries and are now recovering in foster homes.  They will both also start their physiotherapy at Heal very soon, so hopefully that will help a lot. 

Thurs 15th May: Grand Opening of ALC, and more dogs coming in

 You can see the photos of the official opening party for our new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre here  15May2025_ALC Grand Opening, as well as the many lovely little residents who are enjoying our cage-free facility until they find their forever families.  I want to mention that particular fact, because it's so important that dogs can socialise, play, and make their own decisions about where they want to sleep, and who with.    We strongly believe in not crating or caging dogs, or at least having no door on the crate, allowing the dog the freedom to move in and out at will.  Even the dogs that aren't sociable enough to be able to mix freely have their own space that's large enough for them to be able to run around and not be confined, and it's something that makes a huge difference to a dog's mental condition. 

Apart from the dogs that are already with us, we've just been asked if we can accept more, both small adults and puppies, as well as large adults.  Not shown in the photo are golden retrievers, and as these are always a popular breed I hope they won't have to stay with us for very long.  As always, please complete the adoption questionnaire if you're interested in any dog or puppy, and you can find the form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

I want to give a special mention to our long-term partners, Whiskers N Paws, who have been hosting our Sunday Puppy Parties for many years, as well as supporting in many other ways, including the amazing food provided for today's opening party.  You can visit the in-store cafe to try the food out for yourselves, and remember we'll be back on Sunday with our gorgeous puppies-in-waiting, 2pm to 4pm.

There was more good news from the "renovation fosters" of some small dogs that needed a place to stay in the period between us moving out of our Kennedy Town Centres and into Ap Lei Chau.  Preston will be staying forever, as will Kingsley, who is now called Whiskey.  There's never any pressure on foster parents to adopt, but of course we're always delighted when it happens.

Sat 10th May: We're fully operational at Ap Lei Chau

 Now that we're fully operational at our new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, we're starting to fill up quickly with new dogs, as well as our previous residents and foster dogs starting to come back from their temporary homes.  Happily not all are returning as some were adopted during their "holiday" (Tinker for example), but obviously not all were so lucky.

The new dogs are lovely, all very sweet and happy characters, but as you will probably have already seen there are two that need surgery on their legs.  One is tiny poodle Gimlet, whose previous injuries are quite severe and will need specialised surgery followed by physiotherapy to get the leg working again.  Thank you to everyone who has donated so far towards the surgery cost, and to Heal (located in Horizon Plaza, next to Whiskers N Paws) for offering to provide the essential physiotherapy afterwards.  We're extremely grateful for the kindness shown when dogs need that extra bit of help.

Noodle the Whippet is the other dog who will be having surgery next week, fortunately less complicated than Gimlet's, but his problem is a result of previous surgery gone wrong.  As I have said before, it's really important that you choose the surgeon carefully if your dog needs bone or joint repair because if not done properly the effects will last a lifetime. 

I went with the new dogs to AFCD on Friday to have them microchipped and licensed, and they were all very sweet and brave.  As usual I feel in love with all of the fuzzy-faced terrier types, and particularly Griff.  It seems that he has been in a home before because he was very relaxed, wanted to sit on my lap, and jumped into the (volunteer's) car as if he was very used to it.  

On Sunday we'll be back at Whiskers N Paws with our lovely puppies, and everyone is welcome to come along to meet them between 2pm and 4pm.  To make things easier, please complete the adoption questionnaire in advance so you won't have to do it there.  It's at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

Mon 5th May: Open for business at Ap Lei Chau!

It's taken a long time, including many months of discussion, negotiation and planning,  but we are finally ready to open the doors to our new Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre at 13-15 Wai Fung Street, just a few doors down from our previous location.   

This means that our "renovation foster" dogs will be coming back, at least those that haven't been adopted during their home-stay holiday, and we'll also be taking in new dogs starting on Tuesday when we'll receive two beagles, a corgi and a ten month-old whippet.  On Wednesday there will be more smaller dogs coming, so as always if you're interested please start by completing the adoption questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

We still have so many gorgeous puppies available for adoption, and you can see their photos here  Puppy Adoption Day 4th May 2025, taken at Sunday's Puppy Party by Lauren Cheung. 

I'm thrilled to be able to report some happy adoptions from our Tai Po Homing Centre, including Crinkle (who I think I've already mentioned), Ruthie, and soon-to-be-adopted Flippy.  Many of our dogs wait years before being chosen, so it's always a special occasion. 

Since I don't have the time to write a daily blog these days, please keep updated on what's happening by checking our HKDR Facebook page, or Instagram @hkdr_official.   We have all sorts of events taking place regularly, and you won't want to miss out. 

Sat 27th April: Just a week to go!

 It's been strangely quiet since we moved all of the dogs out of our Kennedy Town (Brilliant Court) Homing Centre, although for the time being we're still occupying our North Street premises.  That's due to come to an end as well in a week's time when we move everything and everyone to Ap Lei Chau, combining both Kennedy Town Centres as well as the office into one space, making life a lot easier for volunteers and adopters too.  We actually take the place over on the 30th April, but will need to prepare everything before the dogs can move in, and that will probably be next weekend. 

Of course the dogs and puppies that had to move into temporary foster homes to allow the fixtures and fittings to be removed from Brilliant Court and transferred to Ap Lei Chau, are still available to meet (and adopt), and Cressie was one of the lovely puppies who met her new family during her foster stay.  While she now won't be at Whiskers N Paws for the Sunday Puppy Party, 2pm to 4pm, the gorgeous four youngsters that have been with me on Lamma will be making their debut this weekend, and I should issue an "too adorable" warning in advance.  It's been a long time since I've been woken early in the morning by the sounds of puppy play, and while it always makes me smile I hope all four will find their forever homes, or if not forever then at least fosters. 

The Samoyed that we were asked to take from AFCD was adopted even in advance of his arrival at Tai Po, and his new family are very experienced with the breed having had several before.  

For all adoption enquiries please start by completing the questionnaire at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/adopt/adoption-questionnaire/.

For fostering please complete the form at www.hongkongdogrescue.com/volunteer/fostering/