Weds 21st March: HKDR’s home is Tai Po

Heyli came over to Lamma with some workers just as I was about to leave for my morning walk with the dogs.  It was the last visit for them (they had been replacing all of the fences) and today’s job was to repair the porch roof which was in danger of flying away in the next strong wind.  As this work meant standing right outside the front of the house, half the dogs were shut inside while the other half  were outside, and after getting back from my walk  I was also trapped inside until everyone had left. Not that I was complaining, but the dogs weren’t too happy.  Normally after exercise and their lunch, they would all be outside in the garden snoozing, and dogs hate a change in their routine.  Never mind, at least now I won’t have to worry about the inevitable storms and typhoons that rip through my garden every year, flattening fences and sending roofing flying, something that was always the worst part of any bad weather.

Still feeling happy about yesterday’s three adoptions from Tai Po, the question now is how to make this a regular happening?  There are so many dogs like Ross, Chrissy and Crimson, all incredibly sweet characters, and many more of them should be going to new homes.  I still see many puppies that have obviously been bought, either from local pet shops or imported (usually from Australia) and every Sunday when I’m there with my lovely puppies I’m tempted to ask these people, “Why?”  It’s not just the money, it’s the fact that breeders who send their puppies abroad to complete strangers obviously care nothing about their dogs, and buying from a puppy “factory” means you are supporting a very cruel business.  I know parents say they want a dog they know will be good with children, but just because a dog is a breed, labrador or otherwise, doesn’t guarantee anything if the dog is badly trained or treated, or the children are allowed to do what they like to the animal.  I have plenty of older puppies who have lived with me for long enough that I know their characters well, and they have shown their tolerance (and love, in the case of Sophie) for children Sunday after Sunday.  Many of the Tai Po dogs are the same, kind, loving and gentle, with the incredible patience and acceptance of their fate that make them so special.

Now that I will be resuming my visits to Tai Po and will be saying hello again to my ex-Lamma puppies and those that have gone straight there from AFCD, I’m determined to find a way of persuading more potential adopters to go and have a look too.  Apart from anything else, if you haven’t been to Tai Po Market itself it’s worth a visit, and our Homing Centre is up in the hills just a short drive from the main market street.  If you go by train, you can walk from the nearest MTR station (Tai Wo), it’s just quite a steep climb for the last part of the road.  The actual grounds of our site are quite something, with rows of terraces that used to be a lychee (or longan) farm, and each terrace is sectioned off by steps running from top to bottom.  I remember the first time I went there to have a look and everywhere was overgrown with weeds, but I was still so excited that we had been offered this as a temporary refuge, and had a wonderful image in my mind of how much the dogs were going to love being there.  At that time we were based at Pokfulam, and while it was a great site as far as being convenient to get to was concerned, the dogs themselves had very little space.

Within the huge garden area at Tai Po are large enclosures (with some smaller ones mixed in) housing most of the dogs, and they are able to enjoy their own space to run and play.  They’re always happy to receive visitors (volunteers) who will all know about the warm welcome you get when you enter any of the enclosures.  No matter how much fun dogs have with each other, their love for human company and attention remains top of their list.

Even if you can’t adopt but you want to help and be part of this incredible place (and really, it will amaze you the first time you see it), then join us as a volunteer (email new.volunteers@hongkongdogrescue.com).   For those of you who have already joined,  and especially the regulars and long-termers, I would love to hear from you about your experiences and what/how you feel about being with the dogs and what it means to you.  I know that special friendships have been made between volunteers, and there are regular outings and barbeques etc that happen throughout the year where the dogs are taken out for the whole day.  There are also many very special bonds formed between volunteers and individual dogs,  some of which have resulted in adoption, some just special treatment and gifts for those lucky dogs.

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