Mon 3rd Oct: Who needs pet shops?

I’m guessing it wasn’t just me that was over-cautious about the weather today, given the surprise number 8 signal that went up the other day.  I knew I could get a sampan over to Hong Kong, it was getting back that was the concern if the wind got any stronger.  After helpful input from friends on Facebook (where I had posted my dilemma) and still having a lot of stuff that I could catch up on at home, it was another Lamma day for me.

This tiny tot was in and out (this is him in his new home)

I had planned to go to Sheung Shui AFCD to pick up three dogs we’d been told were ready for re-homing (one of which was the three-month poodle puppy I’d mentioned on a previous blog), but May said she could go instead so I was just left with the problem of where to send the poodle baby, as neither Homing Centre was appropriate and Lamma was also out of the question.  Then I remembered that one of our regular fosters,  who has also adopted at least two dogs from us, was looking for a small-sized friend for her Yorkie, so it was simply a case of a short transit stop at Tai Po before the poodle was in his new home.

Fuzzy-faced pup

The new corgi has heartworm

I don’t think the other fuzzy-faced puppy will have to wait too long either but the third dog, a corgi boy, turned out to be heartworm positive during his health check.  How I wish people would just make that little extra effort and give their dogs heartworm prevention once a month.  Of the many surrender requests I get every week, hardly any of the about-to-be-dumped dog owners have a clue about heartworm, what is is and how it’s carried (by mosquitoes).  The dogs that come to us from the New Territories have a much higher infection rate than their Hong Kong cousins, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a need for all dogs to have either monthly tablets or the yearly Proheart injection.  Now we need a foster home for the corgi so he can have his treatment, and the required month’s rest afterwards.  (By the way, we also have other dogs in a queue for fostering such as Margie, who can’t have leg surgery until we have someone for her to stay while recovering).  The contact person is Maria and her email address is foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help foster any size or age of dog.

As much as dogs love their human slaves, they also love to have a dog buddy too

Just because a dog has been adopted it doesn’t mean we (all of us at HKDR) lose interest, and everyone loves seeing photos of our ex-HKDR “guests”.  I got this gorgeous photo of Kimbo today, and was so happy to see her so obviously content and relaxed.  She came to us from AFCD, as almost all of our dogs do, and goodness knows what her story was but she had obviously been used for breeding, and also had some slow-to-heal wounds on her (which required her to wear the dreaded cone for a long time).   What a difference a soft bed and some love makes, and it’s just the best feeling to know that you have been a part of saving that dog’s life.  For every single dog that has come to HKDR and left again for its new home, there is a sense of satisfaction and reward and it’s what keeps everyone going.  Staff and volunteers alike celebrate for every dog that leaves our Homing Centres, and feel the sadness for every new arrival (although to be honest it’s often the best thing that has ever happened to many of our dogs).  Our new volunteer programme is about to re-launch, and we hope that many more will sign up to be part of the HKDR team.

Here’s another happy ex-HKDR dog.  Remember beautiful Aden?  She’s now called Rayn and she also has her own dog buddy to play with ……..