Thurs 23rd May: Trying to deal with numbers

Apart from seeing our own dogs being adopted, going to AFCD just as an owner is picking up his (or her) lost dog is almost as good.  This time it was a beagle, one I’d seen and reserved just in case it was never claimed, and I was double thankful that we didn’t have to try and find space for yet another having just taken in the group of corgis, and yet one more found stray and without a microchip.

We are all struggling to cope with the numbers of dogs at the moment, with so many puppies being born and this latest batch of corgis on top of the recent influx of poms.  Just one litter can mean six to eight more pups, and there were six poms and five corgis, that’s eleven extra bodies to squeeze into the small Homing Centre.  One of the poms died and one went to foster, but all four of the remaining furballs are suffering from coughs and a lack of appetite and had to go to Acorn today.

Gertie is a little gem, so sweet and really very pretty

We have also just taken in Emma the schnauzer cross, and Gertie the shih tzu type, and as neither of them had a microchip they joined the four poms in the van, along with peke cross Timo, due for his second vaccination.  At least sending my two baby pups off to foster today meant that I could have my kitchen counter space back, but  it’s a real struggle at the moment dealing with sheer numbers.  I know the puppy births are due to the time of year, but is it the looming summer that has meant so many more dogs being abandoned, or is it just the growing number of dogs being bought and subsequently bred that has us bursting at the seams?

Although 14 years old, Percy is doing well after his surgery and is desperate to go for a walk

More dogs means more vet visits, and that means more money being spent.  It’s really difficult to know what to do when the dogs that are sick are also old, as is the case with two of the poms.  How far do you go when you know that funds are limited and there are younger dogs that need help?  There are often these dilemmas that need to be faced, but in one case at least the outcome was a happy one with Percy the schnauzer recovering well from surgery to remove his gall bladder.  Although the vets were concerned that he also had hepatitis, the results from the biopsy showed that it’s not life-threatening and Percy has already started to gain weight.  He’s still in hospital but really desperate to get out of his cage and start his walking again, something he really enjoyed while at our Homing Centre.

This chow chow puppy turned out to have totally under-developed and tiny eyes and has been blind since birth

Another decision to be made involved a young chow chow who I was told had entropian, the very painful condition where the eyelids turn in causing the lashes to continuously scratch on the eyeball.  In this case, it was so bad that the dog wasn’t even able to open its eyes and was to all intents and purposes blind.  Under sedation which allowed a proper examination to be done, it turned out that it wasn’t entropian that was the problem but under-developed eyes, like tiny raisins.  The fact that there was in effect no eyeballs to push the lids out was the reason for them folding in, and as it was now clear that the chow chow was already totally blind anyway, both eyes were removed.  It has made no difference to the dog himself because he has never been able to see, but at least the pain has been removed.  It does leave us with an eyeless dog to find a home for though, and that’s a matter of luck.  In his favour he’s still a puppy, and now we just hope that there is someone who will open their hearts and home to a blind boy with his whole life ahead of him.  Having my own blind Roley on Lamma I know that being blind doesn’t hold a dog back in any way, and I still have trouble believing Roley can’t see a thing and has never been able to.

Eight of my Lamma doglets were also at Acorn today, not because they were sick but because it was time for them to be desexed.  That’s eight lovely individuals who came to me as very young puppies and are still waiting for homes.  Tara has grown into a petite beauty, so smart and lovely.  Esther is her best friend and another easy and affectionate young lady.  Esme and sister Winnie are simply little lovebugs, wanting nothing more than kisses and cuddles, while another pair of sisters, Nessa and Tyra,  are double the size though the same age.  There was one last Dog Island dog, Callie, sister to Babs and almost identical and the only boy, Gabriel.   All of these doglets have developed into totally separate and individual characters, but they all have one thing in common and that is their need for a home.

Miss Claudette is modelling the latest in French bulldog couture

Just so you don’t think it’s all gloom and doom at HKDR, here’s a little something to make you smile.  It’s also a bit of insider information because we’re not advertising this adorable pup on our website because we know we won’t be able to deal with all of the adoption enquiries.  Claudette was thrown away by her owner, and I mean literally as in dumped on the street, and was lucky to have been immediately picked up by someone who brought her to us.  She has the typical skin problem of a bulldog (demodex) and the tips of her ears are missing, but she’s just so lovely that the Ap Lei Chau crew couldn’t resist having a bit of fun this morning.  I don’t think Claudette minded as she’s just a very happy little soul.  If you would like to give her a home, please don’t post a message here but complete the adoption questionnaire on the website.