Celebrities' Adopted Dogs

HONG KONG DOG RESCUE

Rescuing, Rehabilitating and Rehoming Abandoned Dogs

Sandy & Dizzy

Article and photo from Sally's Blog http://hkdr.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/

The reality of the move is starting to hit home as volunteers were busy packing up the office today.  Twelve dogs were moved out to go to private boarding kennels for a month or so, and hopefully more will be joining them before too long.  Clearing work at the Tai Po site (what will we call it?) continues, and the transformation is quite amazing.  Rachael, Mark, Nana and Dennis are trying to coordinate all of the offers of cars, van, trucks and coaches for the actual move, and someone has to get this all on video!!  I don’t know how it will all work, but somehow it will.

The playground equipment in the big field was moved to Lamma as the terraced garden at Tai Po isn’t suitable for it, although we hope and assume that it will be moved back when we find our permanent home.  My Lamma dogs spent a good half hour inspecting and sniffing every inch of it when it arrived, and gave it a good watering of course.  Now it belongs to them.

We really, really need to get more dogs into homes in the few remaining days, and there were a few adopters today.  I brought puppy Dizzy over from Lamma for a second interview with local celebrity singing star, Sandy Lam, and the adoption was confirmed.  I love it when mongrels go to homes like these because it helps to spread the message about adoption, and that dogs don’t have to be the designer label variety.
In the afternoon I was taken out to the deepest far North New Territories again to look at possible land.  I’m always amazed that wherever you go, and no matter how deep into the countryside you are, there are clusters of new houses being built.  Although we didn’t find anything that looked immediately suitable, I got some very good advice and tips about buying land in the New Territories, something that is so complicated due to the traditional clan ways and laws, that you can easily end up in trouble if you don’t get it right.  So it was a very worthwhile afternoon, even if we’re still no closer to finding our eventual home.

While kennel volunteers were busy with the packing, and moving the dogs, others were finalising details and arrangements for Wednesday’s (now tonight) party at the Coyote bar in Lockhart Road, Wanchai.    What was originally a normal fundraising event as part of the Eclipse Group’s “giving back” scheme, the evening has now become our Farewell to Pokfulam, and I hope that as many volunteers and supporters as possible will come along to share memories of the four years we have been at our kennels, and to drink to the future of HKDR and the dogs.  The event starts at 7pm and will go on until late, and it’s going to be one BIG party!  I really hope to see you all there.


CELEBRITIES' DOGS
SADIE
- This blonde Cocker Spaniel is one of the luckiest in the world with her proud owner, Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey adopted Sadie in Chicago at the PAWS shelter; Sadie joins Winfrey’s brood of pups from previous adoptions. America’s first glimpse of Sadie was of her wearing a Ralph Lauren cable knit sweater while being nuzzled by Winfrey. We can only assume what royal treatment this pooch is in for. Oprah’s previous Cocker Spaniels, Sophie and Soloman, (who both sadly passed away) were left a $30 million dollar inheritance by Winfrey in the case of any unfortunate event.

Samson - Alicia Silverstone may not have found Samson in a shelter per say, but she has built one. Her Rottweiler-Pit Bull-Doberman named Samson was found wandering the streets of LA and she took him home to her seaside estate. It was there that she decided to build Stonehaven, her no-cage, no house-training, no rules mansion for all creatures. Silverstone has over 90 pets living in Stonehaven and they range from dogs to pot-bellied pigs.



Sapphire- A blue-breed racing greyhound was adopted from a greyhound rescue center by J.K. Rowlings. This well-renowned author makes her billions writing novels based on the character “Harry Potter”. She is ranked the twelfth richest woman in Britain and Forbes ranked Rowling as the forty-eighth most powerful celebrity of 2007. Sapphire is the second addition to Rowlings’ pets, and when asked to make a donation on Sapphires behalf, Rowlings gave the shelter $980.00 more than they requested. Coming from a “rags to riches” story herself, I’m sure Rowlings will give this greyhound a “magical” life.

Atticus Finch- Apparently someone in Hollywood is a “To Kill a Mockingbird” fan, and that someone happens to be Jake Gyllenhaal. Atticus was adopted from a shelter in L.A. and is no stranger to the paparazzi, as we frequently see Jake and Atticus walking around town together. Gyllenhaal is known for his role in “Donnie Darko” and the controversial film “Brokeback Mountain”, where he worked with many farm animals. In real life, Gyllenhaal always talks about his love for all animals, including the many animals he owned as a child, stating that his animals help ground him.