Our story began in 1996 in
Australia when we got our first German Shepherd Dog (GSD). We did the right
thing by adopting a homeless pet from a local shelter and not buying one from a
breeder or pet store. When we return to Hong Kong, our GSD came back with us.
We were then fascinated by this breed and became interested in the plight of
homeless Shepherds. We began surfing the net and stumbled on an all volunteer
German Shepherd rescue group in Southern California. We were moved by their
work and we began sponsoring their dogs.
It was when our Australian GSD succumbed to cancer and once again we started
looking for another homeless one. This time, we found one at the local SPCA. By
then, we realized there are (even in small number) adult GSDs who are being abandoned
by their owners and have no place to turn to. It was at this time we began our
local chapter of German Shepherd rescue operation. We do not home the dogs
locally. We would fly them to California and ask our friends of the rescue
group to find permanent homes for these dogs. The reason is we firmly believe
large dogs like the GSDs require spacious living environment and ample human
attention of which many local households could not provide.
Our small scale GSD rescue runs with the following rules:
We provide full medical care/attention to each dog we rescue. This includes we
spay/neuter every dog. Each dog will have their hips x-rayed. If their teeth
are tartared, we'll have the vet clean them. Every dog will undergo a full
panel blood test for infectious & blood borne diseases (e.g. tick fever,
heart worm) and in case they have it, we will provide proper medical treatment.
Our vet would also check the dogs for their pancreatic function- some GSDs have
a genetic defect in the pancreas which affect their digestion of food.
We provide accommodation for each dog while they are waiting for their passage
to California. They will be staying at a fully licensed boarding kennel.
We will evaluate the temperament of each dog so that the match making process
will go smoothly and painlessly.
We do take in physically challenged dogs as long as they have a friendly temperament.
We do not take in more dogs than we can handle.
We focus on quality rescue, not quantity - in terms of the number of dogs to
rescue.
We provide passage to California for all our rescue dogs and also their medical
care and accommodation in the U.S. while waiting for their forever homes. All
dogs will be fully vaccinated (including Kennel Cough and Leptosporosis) prior
their departure. Dogs with tick fever will have a re-test of their blood just
to make sure they are cured.
We provide obedience training for dogs that need them, to make them more
homeable / adoptable. The qualified trainer will use positive/reward type of
training techniques and not punishment.
It does not matter how long ago our dogs got adopted out by new families, we
welcome the humans to contact us whenever they have problems with the dogs. If
for any reasons, our dogs need to return to the rescue, we would gladly take
them back. We practically 'look after' all our rescued dogs for life.
We do not ask for donation from anyone from day 1... even to this day.
This rescue operation has been running for a couple of years. On average, we
spend over HK$10,000 on each dog. This does not including travelling expense if
it is to ship to the U.S. by manifest cargo.
We feel that in order to make such rescue operation sustainable, we should fund
it in a sensible manner. Asking donations from the general public and business
entities are not within our consideration in raising funds. We thought of a
plan that would generate a win-win scenario.
We outlined a business idea of importing natural and healthy pet care products
hoping that this would bring 'refreshing ideas' to vets and pet owners alike.
And at the same time generate some much needed funds to our rescue venture.
It is under these circumstances that our company Healthy By Nature was established.
"Saving
one dog may not make a difference to the world, but it makes a world of
difference to the dog."
