Yes, yes, yes, they're very cute, but puppies are transient things: they don't stay puppy-like nearly long enough -in no time they'll be tearing around the place weeing and gnawing the chair legs.
The Memsahib's morning constitutional is a purfunctory activity and she likes to get it over and done with as quickly as possible so that everything else in the day can also get done. But, as the great Rabbie Burns once quipped, 'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley' and, at the end of her swift pedestrain perambulation to Wong Shek pier this last week, she discovered a couple of fluffy teddy bears (below) hiding amongst the bins. Seeing their pitiable state she brought these terrified two home at once -and that was it for any attempt at work for the rest of the day!
They are a delightful pair. The female's nose and pads is cutely black, the male's pink -like a little pig! Their little creamy labrador coats are in good condition, their sharp needly teeth and their stuffed bellies mean that they were only recently abandoned -one cannot help wondering quite what the poor whelping mother makes of her recent loss.
One cannot also help wondering quite what kind of person thinks it a kindness to dump puppies. I like to think of myself as possessing an even temper, able to see both sides of an argument, tolerant of diversity and respectful of opinion. That, I'm afraid to say, goes straight out of the window when I consider the imbecilic, heartless, mental machinations of someone that abandons puppies in the Country Park. Unless people (other pet owners, I presume) find them, then they'll be torn apart by feral dogs or run over by senseless speeding drivers. If they manage to avoid these dangers (by avoiding human contact), then they will slowly starve to death within a week at most. Fuck tolerance!
Despite all that, we have enjoyed hosting two more attention-hungry puppies and they have enjoyed our company, our food and our security. They're about 6 weeks old and a joy, but we decided last year that we'd not take on more than our current 3 in the near future because our career plans are likely to change and that could mean leaving HK.
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We have, of course, done all this before with each of our dogs; Squiddly (and her late sister) were found just outside our house under the bridge, Buster the poor emaciated English Mastiff nearly perished in the woodland around the village until the village pooled contacts and eventually found us, we saw little Ronnie wandering pitifully outside the Sai Kung McDonalds, Barka we adopted (thanks to my helpful daughter picking one up from the kind ladies at Sai Kung Stray Friends), and so on. The only dog we bought was a female Mastiff we saw being kept in a Sai Kung pet shop cage too small for it's growing body. Although she was beautiful, we eventually had to have her put down when she bit someone. One of the most unhappy things I ever had to do.
I know many are starving out there and orphanages full of abandoned children. Their needs must be met, but our environment is now also our responsibility. Those without a voice must be our concern. The rhetorical question of Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (the first question in the Bible asked by a human) can, of course, only be answered in the positive. I believe this affirmation must be extended to the animals and plants of our environment. Their rights, regardless of whether they understand them or not, must be upheld -that is our job. It is our responsibility to heed the voices of the dispossessed, whether two-legged or four, which are sometimes difficult to hear.
So we have two adorable pups who will probably be rehoused quickly. They have good natures and are (relatively) clean. We're doing our bit, but someone else must adopt them, take them home and enjoy some lifelong canine company.
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