Mon 23rd April: Sunday runs into Monday

Tiffin will join her sister Leona

I’d been asked by AFCD to postpone my usual Monday visit until Tuesday as they would be short-staffed today, which I was very happy to do.  In any case I’d arranged to take Tiffin, sister of puppy Leona who was adopted on Sunday, to Ap Lei Chau because the mother of the adopter had been persuaded that it would be nice to keep the two girls together.  A good and very welcome decision as they are very close, and another puppy homed is always cause for celebration.

Tiffin and Leona playing on Sunday just before they were (temporarily) separated

I had to take another puppy, Kelly, to Acorn for a vaccination, and when dropping Tiffin off at the Homing Centre I was asked by Iris if I could take some of the small dogs with me.  Queenie has a bladder infection and Yorkie Bobo had what turned out to be very full anal glands, while even smaller Yorkie girl Rocket was shaking all the time.  As far as Rocket was concerned this stopped as soon as we got into the van, so in the end she was only there for the ride.  She’s a funny little dog who, despite her tiny size and poor eyesight, doesn’t like to be carried and loves to go out for walks.  If you pick her up she wriggles and squirms (but never bites) and when yo put her down she’s off like a rocket (and that’s how she got her name).  She was only shaking because she wanted to be out and running around!

I'm not surprised Windy didn't want to play with the other dogs on Sunday

The dogs that we’d got in last week from Sheung Shui AFCD had gone to Acorn earlier in the day for all of their health check and desexing.  I’d noticed that Tibetan terrier Windy had something wrong with her back legs when she’d been at Whiskers’n'Paws on Sunday, and an X-ray today showed that she has very bad hip dysplasia, with one side completely out of the socket.  It’s incredible that she walks as well as she does and with only a hint of a limp, but surgery is an absolute must and we need at least a foster home for her.  As a very young dog and with both good looks and a personality to match, I hope that she’ll find a home regardless.  The surgery to remove the femoral head (top of the thigh bone that fits into the hip socket) is relatively easy and the results are almost always very good.  We’ve got a few dogs recovering from the same operation, like Baxter and Dawny, and they’re doing really well.

Tolliver has a home even though it took longer than expected

It was good news today for two small dogs, Subo and Tolliver.  Subo had gone for a day to see if he would be OK with the resident large dogs and at  first it seemed no, they didn’t like him and for his own safety he would have to come back to us.  As often happens, once the dust had settled and Subo was no longer a newcomer it was fine, so now he’s officially homed.

Subo looks very relaxed in his new home

Tolliver’s adoption came at the last minute but still better late than never.  I thought he’d go a lot sooner than he did but his dry eye problem, and his intense dislike of the daily eyedrops, meant he had to wait longer than anticipated.  His spot as our young shih tzu has been taken by Paulie, the poor boy who had been living in a cage outside for two months after being abandoned by his owner.  With his raggedy hairdo he looks forlorn but undeniably cute, and he has turned out to be a very sweet little dog too.

This life is all history now for Paulie

Back at the ranch (Lamma) and with baby pup Aria on her own until the end of the week (when the foster puppies will come back), she was eager to get out of her enclosure to play with the other (big) dogs.  Puppies really don’t like being alone, so while I was there in the evening to make sure that she would be safe, I let her out.  Talk about happy, she was ecstatic at finally having the whole floor to run around in, and the older dogs were absolutely fine.  I even let her stay out for the night and this morning she’s as happy as larry, acting as if being one of the big family was what she had always been.