Tues 1st Nov: New dogs, young and old

This week has been a little bit crazy so far, and it continued today when I made a quick pit-stop at AFCD in Pokfulam because volunteer Catherine told me someone had said there was a surrendered poodle there.  I hadn’t planned to go to AFCD  because I was too busy, but agreed we could swing by and pick up the dog, although was Catherine sure it wasn’t a bulldog I’d seen last week?  I’d been told there was a bulldog that wasn’t friendly, but with the Chinese accent I heard ‘poodle’.  Sure enough, Catherine’s ‘poodle’  was the same very pretty and young bulldog who was acting quite aggressively.  Had it been  poodle I would have taken it anyway, but there have been a couple of bulldogs in the past that have been dangerous and I won’t risk taking any dog that could cause real damage.

While bulldogs are generally very friendly dogs, with so much inbreeding there are a few that definitely have some faulty wiring in their brain, and it’s like a switch being turned on when they suddenly go crazy.  I’ve seen it in both French and English bulldogs, and there’s no training in the world that can help.  Some of you may remember the cute Frenchie that leapt up and bit me in the stomach while I was at AFCD to get him licensed.  That little dog had everyone hiding behind closed doors until it could be crated (and taken to be euthanised).  It’s a sad but inevitable result of the incest that is what “pure” breeding really is.

Of course, being at AFCD I had to pass other kennels with other dogs inside, and in the first there was a very thin black labrador type whose coat had been completely shaved except for his fuzzy head.  He looked so sad and pathetic like that, and when I went into his kennel he lifted first one paw, and then the other, and my heart just melted.  He had been surrendered because the owner “couldn’t keep him any more”, and of course I said I’d take him.  He had a microchip (and was licensed as a labrador) which showed that he was nine years old.   He was duly given a rabies shot and while I was waiting for the license to be issued, van driver Hing took Brady (as I called him) out of the gates for a short walk so he could relieve himself, rather than in the van as often happens.  Coming back inside Hing didn’t close the gates properly, so when Brady backed out of his loose harness (that he was surrendered with),  he sped towards the gates, opened them with his nose and ran out.

I couldn’t hang around so left the others to it, while Hing, Catherine and the helpful AFCD staff went in pursuit of Brady, who was eventually caught (after about an hour) and taken to Acorn where I later met up with him.  It turned out to be the first anniversary of Acorn’s opening, hard to believe that it’s been so long in one way but I can’t really remember when it wasn’t there.  It’s become like a second home for me as I spend so much time there, and certainly for both Pokfulam and Ap Lei Chau the location has proved to be ideal because there’s no tunnel to go through, so no long traffic jams.  Even coming from Tai Po through the Western Harbour Crossing via Shatin it’s an easy drive, so thanks for choosing that spot Tony!

As Brady was so thin some blood was taken to see if there was any underlying cause, and I brought him back to Lamma while we waited for results, as well as hoping that someone would adopt such a sweet dog (to save him having to go to Tai Po).  Being so bony he needs a soft bed and some home comforts, but even with that the poor boy howled sorrowfully throughout the night.  To be on the scrap heap after nine years is so heartbreaking.

Charity now Daisy

Some good news now: Strawberry is on the mend, the poodle puppy will be staying in her foster home and Charity-now-Daisy has settled in.

We still have lots of young small-sized dogs that are waiting for homes, including chihuahua puppy Maisy Munchkin (doing very well in her foster home), one year old mini pinscher Jaewon (who can stay with his current owner until a new home is found), and a four year old schnauzer boy due to arrive any day.

Jaewon is only a year old and needs a new home

Maisy Munchkin