Weds 11th April: If you can’t adopt, please consider fostering

I’d made a long list of all the things I had to do today (technically my day off) and achieved very few.  I should know better by now, but I start every day thinking it’s going to to as planned when it really almost never does.  The hitch at the moment is the breeder dog situation, and while in the end the dogs didn’t come to HKDR (and as it turned out, thank goodness) I was trying to help move some bigger ones out of Acorn where there was really no space for them.  Almost all of the dogs have heartworm and/or erlichia (a kind of tick fever) with many having scabies too.  Some of them are extremely sick, and since they have been kept separated for probably all their lives they can’t mix with other dogs (or they will fight).  The whole case became so complicated with so many people involved and a whole variety of stories about who, what and how, that it’s actually a huge relief that I decided to step back from it all.  Ultimately, we need the space at Tai Po (not that there is any) for our own dogs, and by that I mean the queue on Lamma waiting for the next available slot or the dogs that we take from AFCD.  Finding my mobile phone chewed to pieces when I made the mistake of turning my back for a few minutes is what I’m talking about.  Luckily the SIM card survived and I keep spare handsets so all was not lost, but the doglets need to find homes.

This was Baxter just after his first hip operation. Now he needs the other side done

Baxter is one doglet who moved out of Lamma to a foster home following his hip surgery and he’s doing brilliantly.  He was lucky enough to take George’s place when he was adopted, so he has the luxury of countryside and beach runs, a dog friend to play with and a (very confident) cat to annoy.  The second hip needs to be fixed soon, but judging by how well Baxter coped with the first operation (his hip was totally dislocated on that side) he’ll be up and running very soon afterwards.  The next step is to find him a permanent home, and this video clip is perfect for showing Baxter off:  http://youtu.be/htAPlV_P1sU

Tickets are still available

There still seem to be some lucky people away but by next Monday we should be back to normal and with no more long public holidays, which is good news for me but not so good for those with office jobs, I know.  For those of you who are around to read my blog and check the HKDR Facebook page, here’s a reminder about Saturday 28th April and the Wine Walk, and with HKDR being the sole beneficiary you can support us and have a great day too.

I’m also still holding two tickets for the Lady Gaga “Born this Way” tour, face value $1280 each, and we are looking for the highest bid before the actual date (unless someone offers a very high amount before then).  The tickets were donated so anything we get goes in full towards helping the dogs.

We have until 7th May to get a high bid for these tickets

Speaking for my Lamma puppies (and the Tai Po dogs too I’m sure) they are so happy about the change in weather and the sunshine.  I’ve filled the dog pool, which they love, and I enjoy just watching them have fun almost as much as they love playing.  It occurred to me today that this must be how life is at its best, with not a care in the world and not a single thing to worry about.  With plenty of food, lots of playmates, a big garden and even a pool, the puppies are in heaven and it’s only me that has that niggling concern about their future and what it will hold for them.  Who will find a home and who will be left behind (to move to Tai Po), which ones will be lucky enough to hit the adoption jackpot and spend the rest of their lives being loved and cared for by their families?  Please come and meet them on Sunday (at Whiskers’n'Paws) and make at least one puppy’s dream come true.

I also have baby puppies in need of foster homes if you can’t offer a forever home.  There are three who are now four to five weeks old, and the six babies now at Tai Po will soon have to leave their mother (young puppies must be taken in at least pairs).  Please contact Maria at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can help take care of baby pups until they are ready to be adopted.