Thurs 29th Sept: It’s all over

There’s always a sense of anticlimax after something like a typhoon.  This time yesterday I was battling the wind while trying to repair the fence before the dogs discovered there were big gaps for them to jump though, while keeping an eye on the flapping roof of the porch and wondering which was more important.  I knew that the next big wind that came would be the final straw for the porch, as the metal frames have been rusting away for some time and I’ve been telling myself I must do something about it – so now I really have no choice.  Luckily I had already started on the fencing, also rusted, so the damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been.  The broken areas were those that were still waiting to be repaired, so that’s another “must do” job now.

Tai Po - looks bad but no serious damage done

Apart from my own concerns I was also also very worried about Tai Po and the dogs there, not knowing if any of the staff or volunteers would be able to get there with the Typhoon 8 signal being up.  I sent out a message on Facebook asking for volunteers who had cars to get over there, but as it turned out everyone made it anyway.  Being right on the seafront and in the direct line of the wind (this time), I think it was a lot worse for me than in other places.  Anyway, it’s all over now and we are still in one piece, and I think the dogs rather enjoyed being blown by the wind judging by the number of them that stayed outside (except when there was rain too).

A typhoon didn’t stop Maria (foster coordinator) from being busy, and there was a lot of movement throughout the day, or planned for tomorrow and the weekend.  Puppy Lemon was supposed to have come back to Lamma from hospital but I couldn’t get there to pick her up, and lucky for her as she’s in a foster home instead.  Hopefully dachshund Dax will also be moving from Ap Lei Chau very soon too, and maybe sweet Lady, one of the Lamma dogs that got bitten by a snake, will get her chance.  She’s eleven years old but still looks amazing, and she has the most wonderful, sweet nature.  She was surrendered to AFCD when her family had a baby (so they said), and I just can’t imagine how anyone could so that after so many years and to such an incredibly loyal dog.

Kit has a sister, Rassy (was Raspberry when she was with HKDR, a long time ago)

There was also good news from Tai Po with the formal adoption of Kit, a lovely shaggy dog who has been having regular meet-ups and walks with his sister-to-be, adopted from HKDR a few years ago, and now everyone was ready to make it a full time arrangement.

Sweet Marina will also be leaving on Saturday for her new home, taking the place of rottie Alpha who died recently.  Long-term (Pokfulam) volunteers will remember Alpha and his brother Beta (still in the same home), and others from a group of six rottweilers who were surrendered to AFCD together.  They were – and still are – such sweet dogs, as rotties tend to be.  Now Marina will become Beta’s sister (and also sister to Woody, another HKDR-adopted dog), and May will do her best to persuade the adopter to take Marina’s sister, Pippa, too.  She’s another sweetheart.

Mina, time to pack your bags and a big woolly coat

I got a lovely surprise when I checked my emails today and there was one from the Swedish couple who came to interview Mina on Lamma a few months ago.  I had assumed that they had decided against having her sent over to join their other adopted dog but no, they have asked if we can now arrange everything.  Finally Mina’s time has come, and like Stanley/Wafer who was such a hit in Washington where he stayed for a few days before moving to Virginia (USA), I’m sure Mina will get a lot of attention in Sweden.  What’s so common here in Hong Kong, is quite a novelty in other countries.

Although I live on Lamma and it’s a fairly small island, I’m (thankfully) about an hour’s walk from the nearest ferry point.  There have been a lot of poisoning cases in Yung Shue Wan over the past couple of days, a place that’s very popular for dog owners.  It’s always horrible to lose a pet dog, but poison is an agonising way for an animal to die and whoever is putting down the poisoned bait should think about the pain they are causing the families, not just the dog’s suffering.  Wherever you live, please don’t let your dog roam freely where it can cause annoyance (not to mention unwanted puppies).   Dog owner’s have a responsibility to take care of their pets, and not doing so can have terrible consequences for everyone.  I hope, of course, that whoever is killing the dogs will be caught and punished, but let’s not give dog haters a reason or excuse to do something like this.