HKDR BACKGROUND & HISTORY  救狗之家(HKDR)歷史及簡介

Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) was first set up as a Society in 2002 for the specific purpose of saving dogs from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) government kennels, and in March 2005 gained full charity (non-profit) status. It is run by founder, Sally Andersen, and the many dedicated volunteers with the aim of rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing as many of the thousands of abandoned and unwanted dogs and puppies as possible.  What started as a one-person mission has now become one of Hong Kong’s most active and successful dog re-homing organisations.

Currently based in Pokfulam in purpose-built kennels, HKDR will soon be on the move as the site is due for redevelopment.  A number of long-term dogs are also permanently housed on Lamma Island, along with young puppies kept in a home environment until they are ready to move to the Pokfulam kennels.

The dogs that are kept at the Pokfulam kennels still almost all come from the AFCD Animal Management Centres. These are dogs and puppies that have either been found as strays and handed in by members of the public, or have been surrendered by their owners directly.  Many have been caught  by the government dog catchers and all are due to be destroyed after only 4 days unless they are chosen for re-homing or reclaimed by their owners. A few dogs are accepted directly by HKDR from their owners.

Some of the dogs that come to HKDR have physical or behavioural problems, and part of the work of HKDR’s Behaviour and Training Manager, Mark Curran, and the volunteers is to rehabilitate these dogs to make them ready for adoption.  It is HKDR policy that all dogs be treated with respect and kindness, and that all training and rehabilitation is done by positive reinforcement, never punishment. Many dogs are abandoned by their owners because of behavioural problems caused by bad training or lack of knowledge about keeping a dog. HKDR believes that education regarding a dog’s needs is vital to prevent cruelty through ignorance of and the abandonment by so many owners.

All HKDR dogs over 6 months of age are routinely de-sexed prior to adoption, and HKDR encourages the de-sexing of all companion animals to help reduce the number of unwanted puppies born every year.

HKDR is entirely self-financed and funds are raised through donations, fund-raising events, collection boxes, and sales of donated dog-related products in the kennels shop. HKDR also produces its own annual Desk Diary, T-shirts, notebooks and Tribute Book of photographs which are sold throughout the year.

HKDR is proud to be a No Kill Organisation meaning that no dog under our care will be euthanised for any reason other than when it is the only humane option.