Weds 18th April: Poodles needing homes

I think poodles are the most popular of all breeds in Hong Kong, and as a result  they are also now fast becoming the most abandoned (although schnauzers still top the list by a long way).  The difference is that schnauzers are usually dumped when they get to a certain age, eight to nine years, and when their teeth are rotten so they smell.  I don’t know why they tend to have such bad teeth (if not looked after) but it seems to be a breed trait.

Poodles, however, are coming to us at a much younger age and many with behaviour issues.  The reason for this is no mystery, and it’s that poodles are one of the most intelligent of all breeds and they require both mental stimulation and physical exercise but in probably the majority of homes they are given neither.  They are kept in cages, dressed up, dyed, pushed around in ridiculous buggies and even made to wear shoes.   The result is a dog that’s  literally gone crazy with boredom, frustration, lack of exercise and just about everything else.  A poodle is a lot of things: intelligent, affectionate, loyal and energetic, and they are great dogs if they are allowed to be.  They are not  dolls or babies, or invalids that needs to be carried or wheeled around in prams.  They do, however, have coats that require either daily brushing or regular clipping, and that takes time or money.

With two new poodles waiting at AFCD (which we’ll take, of course), here are the poodles that we currently have available, and an honest description of them:

Crunchy, white, male, five years old, surrendered by his previous owners because he had sticky and stinking skin which they had left to get crusty and infected.  He’s a very sweet dog but he has epilepsy and a thyroid problem as well as allergies.  He’s currently in a foster home that has transformed Crunchy from a dog so overloaded with ineffective drugs (due to misdiagnosis of his actual problems) that he even fell asleep on the vet consult table, to a happy and extremely good looking boy.  As long as he is kept on medication and a special diet, Crunchy is a very easy and very sweet dog.

Harvey, black, male, ten years old.  He also came to us in a pretty bad condition but luckily for Harvey it was mostly cosmetic and rotten teeth, an easy-to-fix problem.   Harvey is also in a great foster home and has no issues at all.

Chimney, black, male, one year old.  We had so many enquiries about Chimney when he first came to us from AFCD (with a long and matted coat) but none that could provide a home where he would get what he needs in terms of companionship, proper training and/or exercise.  One short walk a day isn’t anywhere near enough for a dog with the energy levels of a young poodle, especially when he  falls into the category of those that have had bad homes before, and the subsequent behaviour issues.  Chimney can be perfectly behaved if he wants to be (as he was in a foster home and as he is with Iris, our Ap Lei Chau manager) but he needs to learn to be that way with everyone.  He is now going to stay with one of our HKDR trainers, Eddie, who specialises in these sorts of behaviour issues.  Lucky Chimney will almost certainly come out of rehab a reformed character!

Billy, male, one year old, brown.  Billy came to us as a  very scared young boy and he spent a few months on Lamma before transferring to Ap Lei Chau.  At first (on Lamma) he did nothing but hide, but he gradually emerged from his shell as he was given the freedom to choose when that would be.  After he had improved to the point where he was ready for Stage Two of his rehabilitation, he was moved to our Homing Centre where his progress really speeded up and he became a very happy and affectionate little dog, but retaining some issues such as not liking his back legs to be touched (probably due to having been hit on them).  To complete his training Billy is moving (with Chimney) to Eddie’s home, after which I’m sure he will be ready to start a new life.

Sophie, female, red, one year old.  Sophie came to us from AFCD as an eight month puppy, and being so young and a small size, she was very quickly adopted.  However there was a St Bernard in the home that she didn’t get on with so we found her a new adopter, again very quickly.  Unfortunately, after “corrective” training with a choke chain enthusiast resulted in apparent behaviour problems (wonder why?), I asked that Sophie be returned to us for assessment.  So far she’s been a delightful little dog, but we would still prefer that she stays with us until we find a home that we an be sure will treat Sophie like a dog and not a kid’s toy.

We have two new poodles arriving within the next few days, both white and male,  one four years (left) and one larger-sized one (weighing 15 kilos).  We have no real information on these boys yet other than their photos.

If you are interested in giving a home to any of these dogs and are sure that you can offer them a proper dog’s life, please complete the adoption questionnaire on the HKDR website (www.hongkongdogrescue.com) and give them a second chance.

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