Thurs 21st June: The newbies get their “Intake” checks

Don't assume that a 'No Pets' policy will always be ignored

It was a small dog day today with more ins and outs, vet visits and a meeting at AFCD to receive a pom cross who was a victim of a long-forgotten “No Pets” policy in a building that had suddenly decided to enforce the rule.  The case was fought in court by a group of dog owning residents, but they lost and they were left with the choice of moving out or giving up their pets.  In the case of the pom, the situation was complicated and moving impossible so there were tears and sadness, as well as total confusion for the dog as she saw her family disappear.  We get quite a lot of adoption enquiries from places that turn a blind eye to the No Pets policy, but this can change at any time.

I also had to take one of my Lamma ‘leftover’ young dogs to have a lump on the underside of her chest checked out.  I was pretty sure it wasn’t serious because she’s only a year old but I needed to be sure.  Lorna was one of a litter born at the wrong time of the year for adoption, on top of which they all had bad kennel cough, and not one of them – all girls – found homes.  They are very pretty and sweet-natured, but that’s the way life goes.  Much of it relies on luck and timing and has nothing to do with how big/small/pretty or good-natured a puppy is.  The lump needed surgery although it seemed to be related to an old injury, so no big deal in the long term.

This sweet boy is now called Mr Brown

As I had to wait for Lorna to have her lump removed before I could take her home, I sent the van back to Ap Lei Chau to pick up a few new dogs that needed to have their “intake” check.  The long-haired dachshund, a very sweet boy who is desperate for love, was surrendered “because of his barking”.  Bullshit to that, I say, he has a bad skin condition which smells apart from anything else.  He’s almost totally bald on his underside and it itches.  It looks as though the problem is long-term and he was probably bought with it, then never treated so after two years it’s become too much for the ex-owner to bear.  Mr Brown (because he is chocolate-coloured) also looks like a dog that has been kept in a cage, so if he did bark I don’t blame him.

The new poodle that was surrendered, with the owner saying he was seven months old, still has his puppy teeth and no testicles, so he’s just a baby.  Don’t rush to adopt him though, because he’s already spoken for.

Sasha (left) and Quebec are very lovely dogs

The shih tzu pair have the typical issues so common in the breed.  They are almost certainly allergic to something, hopefully food, and the female (four years old) has early dry eye.  They will both be going to a new home next week but they’ll have to be on a special diet with the hope that it will keep the problem under control.  When people buy puppies, I wonder if they bother to find out the common genetic faults of that breed and are prepared to do what’s necessary to prevent the symptoms getting out of control?  (Don’t answer that, I know it’s a no).  Many of the older shih tzus (and pekes, pugs etc) come to us with untreated dry eye, which is so painful apart from anything else, and results in blindness if not treated.

Aries leaves Ap Lei Chau to start a new life

Aries the beagle puppy left Ap Lei Chau for his new home today. Good for him, as he had an unhappy start to his life as the result of a broken relationship and neither side being able to take care of him.  He was left on a balcony to howl his misery, and it was this that brought him to the attention of someone who followed up on the case, heard the story and then brought him to us.   If you see this type of thing happening, please don’t just turn a blind eye and ignore it.  It’s not just the dogs that are suffering it’s everyone around who can hear their distress too, and it’s also the sort of thing that turns people into dog haters.  That results in complaints which means the dogs get evicted (ie. dumped) or even worse, those dog haters turn into dog poisoners.  Don’t give anyone a reason to hate dogs, and please do your bit to help.

We still need more daytime dog fosters for next Thursday 28th when we have the team from Morgan Stanley coming to paint our Ap Lai Chau Homing Centre.  Even if they can’t stay the night, as long as they’re picked up by 10am in the morning and not returned before 6pm, that’s fine.  Maybe they can go for grooming and come back looking amazing which will get them a home?  If you can help, please let Maria know at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com.