Fri 3rd Feb: George’s story continues

The day started with an emergency vet visit required when I found puppy Seal flat on the floor and unable to stand.  Luckily Hing and the van were available to come over from Tai Po to pick Seal up from the sampan drop-off point, and now it’s a matter of total rest (in hospital) to see if the injury is temporary, and keeping fingers crossed.

As if that wasn’t enough, the day ended with another panic situation when I went outside to start the evening round-up of dogs and found one of them in a crate (used as a bedroom) with her front paw totally stuck in the open door.  Her foot was twisted round the front and the toes jammed in the wire squares, and I couldn’t for the life of me work out how she had managed to get herself into that position, let alone how to get her out of it.  Wriggling and pushing only resulted in her biting the end of my thumb (in her pain), and the only thing that worked was unscrewing the nuts that held the top and bottom of the crate together, which then released the door and allowed Joanna to straighten her foot and pull it free.

In between the morning and evening escapades I took George, the dog rescued from certain drowning,  to AFCD to get him microchipped and licensed on the way to Acorn for vaccinations and desexing.  Of all the dogs that it should happen to, it was just his bad luck that the crate he was in for the sampan ride was completely drenched by a big wave halfway across the channel, so I had to let him out not really knowing how he would be on a collar and leash – but he was fine.  I had another little dog with me, Peter the schnauzer, who had been found as a stray and also needed to have a microchip and rabies shot, and the two of them were so sweet together while waiting to see the vet that I had to take a photo.

George had a foster home lined up to take him the next morning so he was going to stay the night at Acorn anyway, but it was just as well because I got a call from Dr Tony in the evening telling me what he had found.  The top of George’s mouth (the hard palate) had a big hole in it with bone splinters, and his tongue was also badly gashed.  Without knowing anything about George’s story, Tony said the wound looked as though it had been caused by something like a big fish hook and I could hardly stop myself from crying at the thought of what George had been through.  Putting the pieces together it seems likely he had been thrown off a fishing boat using one of those very large hooks in his mouth, and why he was so weak on reaching the island that he was unable to drag himself up the beach and away from the shoreline to safety.  No wonder he didn’t want to eat and was howling so much.  I had seen blood on his mouth when he was rescued but thought it was probably from him having hit some rocks or something, and never guessed what the real, and awful, reason was.  George has been so sweet and well-behaved, something that says a lot about him and dogs in general. After such a terrible and cruel experience he would have been justified in hating and fearing people but a dog’s love is unconditional.  He will be well taken care of in his foster home but it’s only temporary, so please think about giving George a home forever if you can.

The good part of the day was that I’m pretty sure all three rabbits have homes.  I learn more about these funny animals every time I find them at AFCD, and you do need to know the do’s and don’ts of rabbit care before having one.  They are far more complicated that you might imagine, more so than a dog I’d say.  Dogs are pretty easy in comparison, and as long as they have food and water (obvious), then human companionship and exercise is all they ask for.  They don’t care if they live in a shack or a mansion, or even on the street, as long as they are with the person they love.

Although my Lamma puppies have kennel cough so can’t go to the homing afternoon today (Saturday) at Pacific Pets in Stanley (2pm-5pm) we have plenty of spares!  There’s a litter of four youngsters at Tai Po plus several others in foster care, and while I’m only taking four of them today the others can be seen at Whiskers’n'Paws tomorrow, usual time, same place.

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