Sam-as-was in earlier days

It was during one of our many drives out to the New Territories to look at a potential kennel site when I spotted a head bobbing up and down inside one of those big rubbish containers at a collection point.  Stopping to check, it turned out to be a dog who was scavenging for food and I gave him what was left of a sandwich I was eating.  After having visited the site, we went back to find the dog but he’d gone, and he was subsequently rescued by someone else.  He was very thin and had heartworm (of course), as well as many broken teeth, but he made a good, if slow, recovery and was eventually adopted.  For one reason or another, and not because of any bad behaviour, Sam (as he was then) needed to move on and ended up in a wonderful home where he lived a life of luxury and enjoyment.

Now-Nelson had been enjoying a life of luxury before becoming very sick

It was the best ending to this particular dog story, but sadly Nelson (his new name) became very sick and had to have his spleen removed.  When I was told he needed blood of course I wanted to help, and Acorn had a record of one of our Tai Po dogs that had a matching blood type.  I sent a message to May to get O’Brian over to the clinic as soon as possible, and he was about to be loaded into the van when two things happened at the same time.   I was just being told that some blood had been found so there was no need to send a donor after all, while simultaneously reading a message telling me that there had been an accident with the van and it was no longer operational.  Nobody was hurt, but it did mean that there would be no dogs going anywhere, and the only place the van would be going was a repair shop.

It was just as well that I had made my necessary van trips yesterday and it was no big deal not having transport today, at least not for me.  There were still small dogs that had to go to Acorn, and come back again, although the new white schnauzer, Reno, had to stay in hospital following surgery.  I was told by AFCD that he had kidney stones but in fact he had many small stones in his bladder (as Dr Andy had felt)  and two large ones lodged in the urethra, all of which had to be removed.  It was lucky that I got him out of AFCD in good time, and lucky too that he was surrendered when he was.  Whatever post-operation discomfort Reno might experience will still be a lot better than what he must have been suffering before, and I’m sure he’ll be relieved to be rid of those stones.

Puppy Stanley is eating and drinking well, so hopefully that’s another case that can be successfully resolved. Sadly though  it’s not looking good for Nelson at the moment, but it’s not for lack of trying.

The puppy's name is Happy, and I called him that because his tail never stopped wagging.

After posting my request for a foster home for the puppy with the sore paw yesterday, I received two offers.  One was from the current foster of Kermit, who until recently had his sister Tootsie for company and was lonely after her adoption, so that was a perfect fit.  The second offer came from another HKDR adopter, and I guessed that I would be able to fill that vacancy fairly soon – today, as it happened.

To start the afternoon though, I had arranged to pick up a fantastic donation of collars and leashes from the warehouse office of one of my Lamma neighbours.  The only problem was finding it, as although I knew the general area quite well the current new MTR construction has created a whole maze of diversions and one-way streets.  Van driver Hing has an “as the crow flies” mindset, meaning if he can see a building he heads straight for it, not taking into account that it’s not that simple. So after some futile attempts to get where we were supposed to be going I got out of the van and walked, locating the right building very easily on foot and leaving with two big bags of loot.

I was in a hurry after that little adventure because I’d arranged to meet the foster at Acorn to hand over the Lamma puppy, but I still had to get to AFCD for my dreaded regular Monday visit.  Apart from the dogs I’d seen last week and agreed to take out, in the first kennel was a very young black puppy who was looking very sorry for himself.  He had a sore on his back and his lip and his gums looked pale, an easy-to-spot sign of possible tick fever.  Knowing that I had a second potential foster lined up I said I’d take the puppy, and by the time I’d checked all of the other dogs out and was on my way to Acorn, little Stanley (because that’s where he was found) was already fixed up with a place to stay.  It turned out that he did have tick fever, and the sores were almost certainly dog bites, but at least he’s being treated now and well cared for.  The biggest hurdle, of course, will be finding him a home once he’s better, but for now that’s not something I’m going to worry about.

One of the other dogs I took out today was a white schnauzer boy, another one who was surrendered with existing and obvious health issues.  He’s only six years old but clearly not in top condition, and I was told he had kidney stones.  I assume his now ex-owners had given that as a reason for giving him up, and even by feeling his bladder from the outside Dr Andy said it was completely full of “sand”.   The dog will stay at Acorn for surgery today, and should then be feeling a million times better.  He’s a very good looking boy and very sweet too, so I don’t think he’ll have any trouble finding a nice new home once he’s recovered.  I called him Reno if you want to ask about him with a view to fostering or adoption.

This isn't Happy or Stanley, just another baby now in a foster home and too cute not to share

It was no wonder that the puppy with the sore paw was so miserable at Whiskers N Paws yesterday because Dr Andy thinks he has broken bones, not just an infection.  There’s only one treatment possible apart from antibiotics to prevent infection, and that’s lots of love and cuddles, something that Happy is more than willing to accept.  This is a particularly lovely litter, and their tails were wagging so hard when they made their first visit to Acorn for vaccinations that I gave them names like Happy and Waggy.  Their mother is still at AFCD for now, and there are three more puppies still with her (all black).

I need homes for all of these puppies!

‘

Potato looks very pleased with himself on the sampan

The heavy rain stopped just as I was leaving Lamma with all of the puppies, but I decided against taking Potato to Whiskers N Paws as promised because I suspected it might not stay dry for long.   The usual bunch of doglets pushed through the open gate as the crates were moved out, heading for some fun on the beach,  but Potato wasn’t one of them, so I was again very surprised to find him bounding along beside me as I walked towards the sampan.  So that’s what the scrabbling sound was as I passed the high  fence surrounding the garden, it was Potato climbing over the top, the same as he must have done last week.  The dogs certainly know it’s Sunday then, and not just any day, otherwise Potato would take himself off whenever he felt like it.  Once he was out and so keen to come along, I just had to let him join me and the puppies, and you can see how pleased he was with himself on the sampan.

Angel is adopted, and now there are just two left from her litter

The rain held off for a while and the puppies were able to enjoy the terrace, as well as taking the opportunity to relieve themselves on the “grass”.  This is something they all do as soon as we arrive at Whiskers N Paws and don’t ask me how they know that’s where they’re supposed to “go”, they just do, even the very young ones who are allowed to run free for the first time.  It demonstrates once again how easy it is to house train puppies as long as they have access to a designated toilet area.

Tommy already has the new name of Simba

As soon as the younger pups were put int the enclosure I noticed that one of them was limping badly, and although at first I thought it was his leg that had a problem, it was an infected paw.  The poor baby was in pain, and he spent the rest of the afternoon being carried and cuddled by various people, and he will go to the vet first thing in the morning.  He will need to be separated from the other puppies to give his paw a chance to heal, so could anyone take him in for a while, even just a week?  Please let me know by email sally@hongkongdogrescue.com if you can offer him a short-term foster.

While I was accepting this little girl's birthday donation, I had the puppy with a sore paw tucked under my arm

Two puppies were quickly adopted, one of them being Angel and the other one Tommy (already re-named Simba).  Angel is one of the litter taken from AFCD with their mother, Molly, a black lab-alike who is now staying at Tai Po, and now there are just two of the puppies left.  They are all beautiful and also very sweet-natured, just like their mother.

Tommy was a singleton at AFCD, but I made sure that he was put in a kennel space with other puppies so he wouldn’t be too scared.  That’s the worst thing for a baby pup, be to taken from its mother and littermates and end up on its own in an AFCD “cell”, with nobody to cuddle up to for comfort.  Even with the puppies that are too wild for me to take for re-homing, I always ask that they be put with others so at least they have that if nothing else.  In fact it’s not unusual for very timid puppies to come out of their shells once they have the feeling of security that other warm bodies provide, especially if the other pups are friendly.

Pretty black Tara's adoption was made official today

Tara came along with her foster parents and temporary “brother”, an ex-HKDR “whippety” called Mega(tron), and I was very happy to be told that they would like to formally adopt her as she has fitted in so well, not just with Mega but also the resident cats.  In fact it’s not at all unusual for cats and dogs to be perfectly happy sharing a home, even if that same dog will chase other cats outside.

While Tara’s status was being changed from “fostered” to “adopted”, sweet little Esme’s tag was also being amended.  She was taken into foster care with two other ex-HKDR dogs, so she will have the benefit of learning to be a real “home” dog, and by the time I see her again I’m sure she’ll be walking nicely on a leash and doing all of those polite things that are expected of four-legged family members.

Adorable Gertie will share her new home with another ex-HKDR dog, Bruce

While I was busy at Whiskers N Paws (with the help of volunteers Stella and Michelle), there was good news from Ap Lei Chau with the adoption of adorable little Gertie, as well as the Sheltie pair Sarah and Rosa, taken home together just as we had been wishing for.

We're all so happy that Sarah and Rosa can stay together

Apart from the good news about the dogs that had been adopted, I also got a message from Iris telling me that she had found out the hard way that new corgi, Topper, was a food guarder.   Food guarding is a behaviour issue that I have found to be most common in dogs that have been bought from pet shops by people who have no idea about dogs.  Pet shops underfeed their puppies to keep them small, and they recommend to buyers that they also only give a very small amount of food for the same reason.   I have heard many stories from Hong Kong vets about puppies being brought into their clinics in a state of collapse, or very weak, and they have actually just been suffering from starvation.   Dogs that have been deprived of  food like this will treasure every bite as though it was their last, and food guarding is the result.  This behaviour issue can range in severity, but it can sometimes be so serious that the dog is impossible to re-train.  Something else I have discovered over the years  is that corgis seem to be particularly prone to food guarding, and maybe this is why so many of them are abandoned.   There is one corgi who lives at the Lamma “Home for Small Delinquents” who had to move there because his guarding issues were so bad that it was impossible to keep him at our old Pokfulam Kennels.  He wouldn’t  just guard his bowl, he would guard the whole room, and then the entire area if he knew food was around somewhere.  All of our trainers tried every trick in the book to train him out of this behaviour, because without food around he was a sweet angel.  Strangely, on Lamma and with so many dogs around and no particular area that Cooper can call his own, he has no food issues, but unfortunately I think he’s going to be staying with me for life.

Anyway the point of this story is to underline the fact once again that the first few weeks or months of a puppy’s life can shape its behaviour and personality for ever.  It’s the reason I give my puppies as much food as they want, so there is no fighting over supply and no subsequent issues around feeding.  I do suggest that after adoption a more structured meal time routine is established, but while they are with me no puppy gets less than it needs or wants.

Not your usual check-in baggage

Fulham doesn't know it yet, but he was very lucky to be chosen

The day finally arrived for the three lucky dogs that had been chosen by volunteer Lena to fly to Germany with her, and there were lots of helping hands at Tai Po as Twister, Fulham and Jude were secured into their crates and loaded into vans.  The preparation for their departure wasn’t too difficult (for me anyway, although Lena might feel differently) thanks to the advice and support of George Yung of International Pet Travel, May, Stella, Sidney and everyone else involved in this adventure.   From the photos I received it looked as though there was quite a contingent of HKDR supporters at the airport too, and I’m sure everyone was a great help.

Lena (centre) gets a helping hand to complete the final forms

Now thanks to Lena these three dogs can start a whole new chapter in their lives in a country where dogs have always been a part of the culture, and are accepted pretty much everywhere.  I have often thought that sending our lovely Hong Kong dogs to Europe would be a great idea, because while black or spotty tongues and sharpei crosses are very common over here, over there they would really stand out as being special and different.  So if anyone else would like to do what Lena did, just say the word and we’ll be ready.

Check-in time and goodbye to Hong Kong for three very lucky dogs

The 10th Anniversary Book will be published in October

I had arranged to meet someone in the early afternoon to do some work on the 10th Anniversary Book, and had then promised the AFCD staff  that I’d go and try to clear some kennel space.  Still, easier said than done when it’s pouring with rain and there’s no space to put any new dogs unless they are small and can be squeezed in at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre.  There are two little dogs currently awaiting their release papers, and I would happily have taken them both had they been cleared for re-homing.   In fact I feel bad that they are having to stay there when it’s very clear that neither owners are going to claim them or surely they would have already done so.  One is an old shiba inu, and the other a young maltipoo (Maltese/poodle cross), and so desperate to get out.   The best I could offer for today was a cuddle and a promise.

As it happened, thanks to the never-ending rain and subsequent disappearance of available taxis, my first meeting started late and ran on over schedule, so I wasn’t out in time to meet up with Hing as pre-arranged.  When I finally found the van parked round the corner it was already getting close to the four thirty closing time at AFCD and that was before we hit the traffic in Victoria Road.  I was tempted to turn back and use the weather as an excuse, but a promise is a promise and I’d said I’d be there.  I think I made it a minute before official closing time, but I didn’t take any dogs and could only cancel some I had reserved.  That does mean what you probably think it does, that those dogs and puppies will be killed, and it’s of little consolation that at least I won’t be the one doing it.  Quite honestly I don’t know how anyone can do that job, least of all a vet, but then it’s not only at AFCD that those who have trained to treat and save animals are required to do the opposite.

Heather and her sister came from Lantau

You can’t lay the blame entirely on AFCD or any one party, as the responsibility for the deaths of thousands of dogs and puppies every year is shared among many.  The breeders for a start, who are contributing to an already over-supply of puppies, and the pet shops that sell them to anyone who has the cash.  The buyers who don’t even need to know a thing about dogs and end up passing their now-unwanted puppy on to someone else, or simply throwing it out.  Those dogs owners or even rescuers who don’t desex their dogs and produce even more puppies, and those who simply get bored and hand their dogs to AFCD to dispose of them (“disposal” being the actual word used by AFCD).   The dogs and puppies come from anywhere and everywhere, and the oft-used slogan “For every puppy bought, another one dies” is absolutely true.