Tues 1st May: Another holiday

.

With no van available today because of the public holiday my travels were restricted to Ap Lei Chau, while other volunteers took a big group of Tai Po dogs for a day out at Petworld.  I think I get (almost) as much pleasure from seeing the photos the following day as the volunteers themselves have, because it makes me incredibly happy to see the dogs having so much fun, especially if they’re not on the regular list of favourites.

Iris was working (as always) at Ap Lei Chau, and while I was talking to her about the health problems her own pomeranian has and suggesting that an holistic approach would be worth trying, I remembered that we had a stock of donated Flower Essences for animals in the cupboard.  These aren’t medicine or even herbs,  but essences which work on a more subtle level, and looking through the information sheet which details the various ‘remedies’ and what they are for, it occurred to me that we should try them out on all of the dogs.  There are mixtures for anxiety, aggression, fear and even abandonment so it’s worth a try.  We have quite a few guests who could benefit!  Iris took the information booklet home with her so she could understand why and how these Flower Remedies work, so if you happen to see her administering a few drop from little bottles you’ll know what it is.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Ruskin was the lucky Tai Po dog today (apart from the dogs that were taken out for a swim), and I forgot to mention Denzo, who was adopted on Sunday.  That’s two down, and a few hundred left to go!

Windy, the Tibetan terrier, was taken on a foster-cum-medical basis, and depending on how she adapts to her new home she may very well stay.  The medical aspect is that she will soon be having surgery for hip dysplasia, but in any case she wasn’t at all happy at the Homing Centre with so many small dogs crowding her.  Some dogs don’t mind at all, like ex-caged shih tzu Paulie, but others just can’t cope.

Two other dogs that are in temporary care are poodles Billy and Chimney, both of whom are at “boarding school” with our volunteer trainer Eddie.  Eddie specialises in dogs with behaviour issues, and I’ve seen him completely transform monsters into angels using nothing but positive reinforcement and being able to understand where the ‘bad’ behaviour comes from, and how to turn that into ‘good’. Trust, patience and communication are the keys to successful rehabilitation, and never punishment or even a raised voice.  Billy and Chimney are both only a year old but their previous experience has taught them that humans are not to be trusted, so rebuilding their confidence is necessary.  They joined the group at Petworld today and had a lot of fun too!

.

.

.
I just got this photo of two lucky little pups in their foster home.  They’re the siblings of the two (Ginger and Lily) that were adopted last Sunday, and Cumin who came back to Lamma with me.  They’ll be at Whiskers’n'Paws this coming Sunday afternoon hoping that they will be leaving for their new forever homes. If you are interested in short-term puppy fostering please email Maria at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com for details.  We have three litters of baby pups currently with their mother, but they will soon be old enough to be taken away while not quite yet ready to go to homes on their own.  We ask that puppies this young are fostered in pair at least, as they need the socialisation and comfort of a sibling.