Mon 20th Feb: The case of the missing red hotpants

Cher, who "hates being outside"

Here I go again, same old rant about people who adopt and then want to “give back” the dog.  This time it’s a dog called Cher, who was one of our most gentle and loving residents at Tai Po.  She didn’t stay long because her wonderful nature – and the fact that she was so pretty – meant she quickly found a home.  Now a year later the adopters think she deserves a “better life” than they can give her, so obviously being one of hundreds at Tai Po is the option that first springs to mind.  I was also told she didn’t like being outside, so again, yes, Tai Po is the place where she’ll clearly be much happier.  I’m assured she is the “She is quite an amazing dog and we love, love, love, her”, in fact so much she’s no longer wanted.  The reason?  She is so happy to see her owners that she pees involuntarily (submissive urination) and it will ruin the floorboards.  Well, yes, I guess that’s a totally unbearable situation even though the dog is fantastic with the children and really just the best, best, best dog ever.  (I’m assuming all readers understand the meaning of sarcasm).

Can these people even begin to understand how this affects the morale of the staff and volunteers, myself included of course, when we all work so hard to get dogs into nice homes and celebrate every adoption, and then the dog is so casually discarded?  These people have taken a year out of a dog’s life, a year in which she could have found a real home where they would have bothered to ask us for help with minor issues like the accidental peeing, and she would have stayed for ever.  This is not a game and a dog’s life is not something you can play with.  The truckloads of praise for Cher that accompanied the “giving back” email made me sick to my stomach and absolutely furious.

Fuzzy Monkey, my quiet friend

The day started with four Lamma dogs being sent to Acorn, two doglets for desexing, puppy Haggis for hernia repair (I usually wait until the dogs are desexed for this but it was too big) and one of the fuzzy monkey dogs for a wound repair.  I don’t know why but all of the “monkey” dogs are picked on, not just at my house but generally.  I have no idea why this happens, but it does.  I love “Fuzzy Monkey” (real name Renate but it just doesn’t suit her so I never use it), not just for her looks but because she was such a timid puppy who has become quite close to me in her quiet and understated way.  She doesn’t like me to touch her, but she sleeps close to me at night and is always happy to receive treats if they’re being handed out.  Anyway, she was caught on the thigh by one or more of the other dogs and the small wound needed stitching so it wouldn’t get bigger from licking.

The problem with anything on the thigh is that you can’t bandage or cover it in any conventional way.  Another one of my dogs, Milo, had a hotspot on his thigh which had been licked into a big open sore and I tried all sorts of T-shirt ‘designs’ to cover the area, and eventually converted a pair of running shorts by cutting out the necessary areas to allow for the tail etc.  It worked so well that I sent another pair with Fuzzy Monkey so they could be put on her while she was asleep (knowing that it wouldn’t be possible any other way).  The dogs (in crates) were put on the sampan for Hing, our driver, to pick up at the other end, along with the bright red – and now crotchless – shorts.  I called Acorn a bit later to make sure the vet understood what the shorts were for and to make sure Fuzzy Monkey was ‘dressed’ before she woke up, only to be told that no red shorts had been delivered.  I then had to do some fast detective work to find out who had the (crotchless) shorts, and what they had planned for them.  Did the sampan driver know that he was supposed to pass them to Hing, and was Hing aware that they were not a gift and definitely not to be worn?  At least this exercise had everyone laughing (at all the possible misunderstandings) and eventually I got May at Tai Po to speak to Hing who still had the shorts in the van.  What on earth did he think they were for?? Anyway, they were duly dropped off at Acorn in time and Fuzzy Monkey is now wearing them.  I’m not sure how I’ll ever get them off, but that’s a challenge yet to be faced.

What a cute little bunny boy

Yet another rabbit had turned up at AFCD, this time a baby lop-eared boy and very cute.  I’ve taken rabbits from AFCD before but never so many in such a short time.  I hope this isn’t the start of a trend.

One of the new Wrinkly Litter

There was also a litter of four baby sharpei pups, looking so much like the real thing that it was a surprise to hear they were “hillside” pups, the name for the stray dogs that live on the many hillsides surrounding residential areas.  Apart from hopping with fleas the pups looked healthy and clean, and of course those wrinkly faces are just too unbearably cute.  Now I need foster homes, or even adopters (dare I hope?).  The pups must at least go in pairs at this age and having four makes it easy to split them up.  Please email Maria at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help, or complete the online questionnaire if you are interested in adopting (on the website under Adopt).