Weds 22nd May: Now it’s corgi time

Tootsie wasn't really sure what was going on at this point

It was Tootsie’s big day today,  and she was sent off on a sampan to be picked up at Ap Lei Chau once the rain signals had come down.  Saying goodbye to one of the older puppies is always a great feeling as they really have so few chances once they reach a certain age.  It will probably take a while for Tootsie to settle, but she’s such a sweet girl and I’m sure she’ll be fine. (Since writing this paragraph I’ve received a lovely photo of Tootsie and her new sister playing, so I don’t think I have to worry!)

Somehow I don't think Tootsie's missing Lamma at all!

Milo was hard to resist as he is such a lovely boy

There was really only half a day thanks to the rain, but that was enough time for Milo at Ap Lei Chau to be adopted.  He only came to us recently after his owner had died, but he’s such a happy and friendly boy as well as being very handsome.

We could have done with a few more dogs moving out  because a group of corgis were taken to Acorn today, and four of them will be coming to us.  It was another one of those cases of someone allowing their dogs to breed, then being unable to cope.  Some of them are already old and have mammary tumours, some are younger, but hopefully with corgis being all the rage now they will find homes regardless of age.

The fact that corgis are so popular has one inevitable result, and that is that more are being abandoned.  In fact we will be getting yet another one that was found outside someone’s house, with no microchip so no chance of finding an owner (not that that helps in most cases).

It’s another one of those “Oh my God!” times when foster homes are desperately needed to cope with the influx of small dogs.  When they arrive in groups like the poms before and now the corgis, it puts a huge strain on our limited space and we just need a bit of time to get them into homes.  If you can look after any of these dogs temporarily it would really be a great help, and there are no costs involved in case you’re wondering.  Please let Cindy know at foster@hongkongdogrescue.com if you have space for a boarder for a while.

Everyone loved Faro and now he has a home of his own

Back in our Pokfulam days I took two lovely dogs from AFCD that had been living on a construction site.  They were both very friendly, being used to lots of people coming and going I suppose, but they waited a long time to be chosen.  Porto was the first to be adopted last year, and now it’s Faro’s turn.  I can’t remember how long they’ve been with us, but as we’ve been at Tai Po for three years in May it’s got to be at least that, and maybe four of five years.

However long it takes, we’ll wait, and we know from past adoptions that there is no such thing as impossible.  There are some other adoptions-in-waiting that are very special ones, and many if not most of these come about because volunteers have had the chance to get to know the dogs.

I’ve never been in the position of having to choose a dog myself because throughout my dog-owning  life they have come to me rather than the other way round, but I can imagine how hard it is to pick one out of hundreds.  The process often starts with me getting an adoption enquiry, and that may or may not mention any specific dogs.  I then pass the details on to Tai Po or Ap Lei Chau and ask for recommendations, maybe adding my own thoughts about those I think would be a good match.  Sometimes adopters go with their own first choices or our recommendations, but it’s not unusual for a totally out-of-the-blue choice to me made.  I don’t know why any one dog stands out for an adopter, but it really does seem true that they choose each other.  There seems to be an instant connection that means they’re ‘The One’.  I don’t really mind who gets chosen as long as someone is, but still an adoption like Faro’s makes me very, very happy.