Fri 6th July: Last push for votes

It was one of those panic days today, with a dog (Baxter) being returned from his foster home following double hip surgery and nowhere suitable for him to go to, and the deadline for the golden retriever to move out of Acorn after having been desexed and all the trimmings. Just as a reminder about Baxter (who got a last-minute offer of a very short foster), he needs a home.  Here is a video of him that his current (and soon to be ex) foster took of him about a month ago.  He’s had great training while he’s been there, and is a very sweet boy. http://youtu.be/RFSLO-Fic5Q

So in between trying to get more votes for the “Love Ideas HK” projects (voting closes tomorrow) I was juggling calls and texts about both dogs and various other urgent and top priority matters.  I also knew I had an important meeting to get to at four o’clock in Central, and that meant leaving home by two thirty to get there on time.  Op top of everything else, the dogs seem to be in a particularly destructive frame of mind at the moment and I’m forever having to leap up to grab something out of a dog’s mouth.  I have developed special hearing which can identify the sound of a permitted chew toy versus that of something stolen.  Anything that tinkles or clatters has me on my feet because I know that the dogs will eat absolutely anything.

If you have already voted for the HKDR projects mentioned above, and shared it with everyone you can think of, you can skip this paragraph, but if you have yet to dial that number and/or go to the www.loveideas.hk website, please do it today!  I can’t stress how important this is to us and the dogs, and it really will take a minute of your time.

Please we need your votes or we won’t get the grants to be able to carry out these important projects. Here are the project numbers and all you need to do is call 36998800 and key the numbers in, or go to www.loveideas.hk, enter HKDR in the search box and all 5 projects will come up. Then click on “Vote”. It’s that easy!

Making a Happier Home (903246)

Safer Dogs, Happy Neighbours (903253)

Sunny or rainy, no more worries (903241)

Sharing Knowledge to Save Lives (903261)

Spreading the Word, Sharing the Love (903250)

Thinking ahead to Sunday’s puppy homing afternoon at Whiskers’n'Paws, one of the many questions that I’m asked is whether it’s better to get a very young puppy that can grow up with the children, or an older one.  My reply is always that it’s fine – and nice- to start with a baby as long as it’s understood that all puppies bite and they have needle-sharp teeth.  If you have a toddler or a crawling baby, it’s inevitable that the puppy will want to play, and to a puppy playing includes biting.  It’s not aggression, it’s the way puppies themselves learn bite inhibition and what hurts.  When puppies play together and one bites too hard, the other puppy will yelp to indicate “ouch!”

This play biting  is one of the most common reasons for adopters to give up a puppy, and while it’s not a sign that the puppy will grow up to be a biter  it’s important that you teach the puppy that it’s not desirable – in a positive way.  Smacking and shouting “no!” will only excite the puppy into more extreme biting.  Take a look at this advice from Dr Sophia Yin http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/puppy_play_leads_to_nip_marks_on_hands_and_arms

Honey is only 8 months old so she'll be with her family for a long time

One dog that won’t be doing any biting is Honey, such a sweet and lovely girl, still a puppy but an older one.  She was adopted at Tai Po today, and although she is around eight months old the bonding with her new family won’t take long and there’s only a few months difference between her and the young puppies I take to Whiskers’n'Paws.  This is why I usually recommend older puppies for homes where there are very young children, because you can still enjoy the full life of the dog without the tears and training required for the younger ones.