Sat 14th April: A bit of history

I had the sort of day that I really consider a day off today, one involving lots of hard manual labour and the satisfaction of a job well done (at least I think so!)  The outdoor puppy enclosure in the garden, which is where the older pups sleep at night, was looking rather ramshackle as bit and pieces had been added here and there to stop the more agile of the group from escaping, and I decided it needed a complete makeover.  I started by dismantling the whole thing, and rebuilding using leftover fencing and roofing from recent (professional) renovation, and although I say it myself the result is a great improvement.

Having finished that task I decided to row over (in my small dinghy) to Dog Island to check out the two dogs that are currently living there.  Unfortunately one is male and the other female, but a litter of pups born a couple of months ago must have perished somehow because they haven’t been seen since they were first born.   This island is where my own Inky was born, and where previous HKDR dogs Missy and Misto were taken from and more recently George, although he only made it as far as the shoreline before he was rescued.   Both dogs there now arrived as older puppies, the female with a sibling who has since died, and while there is fresh water from an underground spring there is obviously no food other than the occasional dead fish that washes up.  I’ve been taking care of these island dogs since I first moved to the bay in 1986, at first getting over there in cheap inflatable dinghies that regularly got punctured and sank beneath me, and later in proper rigid rowing boats (the one I have now is my second).  In fact these abandoned island dogs are the reason for HKDR’s existence, at least the reason why I set it up.

Clooney and Linda

Linda Tso, one of our long-term volunteers, finally had her dream come true when she officially adopted her favourite dog, Clooney today.  Most volunteers have one  individual that they form a special bond with, and taking them home is the ultimate aim.

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SCMP July 1989