Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and we want to celebrate the thing that makes us feel alive – Love; that many-splendored thing that’s better than ice cream; that comes in all shapes and sizes and forms not limited to the human race! We’re talking about… puppy love! Literally. We’re celebrating love in its pure, unadulterated form of tail wagging, wet kisses and furry cuddles. Check out the following “tails” of four-legged love from Beijing’s beloved animal rescue group Lost Puppies!

“And they called it puppy love…” ~ Paul Anka [Puppy Love]

Dakota and Loki: From the moment she first met him, she had an instant crush. He’s a bit stand-offish but I’ve noticed him being a bit protective when mean guys get close!

Murphy’s Law… of Love

Fur parent Jack says, “They have a gorgeous relationship. Murphy can’t be without Elsa ever, and Elsa can be quite cold towards other dogs but she always tries to look after Murphy. When he had the snip she was covering him up with a blanket whilst he was moping and cuddling up to him; always nibbling each other and playing and so on.” Follow Elsa and Murphy’s adventures on Instagram (elsa_and_murphy).

Poof! Thor In Love

Fur mom Bisera shares the love between lost puppy Poof and another lost puppy Thor, seen in their adorable dancing moves!

Grizzly and Reya – Sibling Love 

Furry Fun Fact: Did you know that dogs have the same hormones as humans such as oxytocin which is involved with feeling love and affection for others?

However, a dog does not experience the full range of emotions like humans do. …”we know that the assortment of emotions available to the dog will not exceed that which is available to a human who is two to two-and-a-half years old. This means that a dog will have all of the basic emotions: joy, fear, anger, disgust, and, yes, love, but the dog does not experience the more complex emotions like guilt, pride, and shame. [Modern Dog Magazine, “Which Emotions Do Dogs Actually Experience?”] 

Tails of Bromance

Nanook and Joey, 3 years and counting!

Iroh and Ginger

Lost Puppies is a non-profit team of volunteers focused on rescuing dogs across Beijing to give them a happy and healthy life. All Lost Puppies rescues are spayed / neutered to help minimize the stray dog population in Beijing from growing out of control. To foster a pup, make a donation or help in other ways, scan the QR code below!

KEEP READING: Hope and Love; Making a Difference at Age 11

Images: Courtesy of pet owners in The Lost Puppies Network WeChat group

My family was lucky to return to Beijing in March, but after nearly two months of isolation and social distancing, I was scratching at the walls. Then it hit me: what better way to spend this time stuck indoors than with a little bundle of fur that requires all my time and attention? An internet search brought up Lost Puppies of Beijing (LP) and their noble mission to rehome as many stray dogs as the city could churn out (an infinite number it seems, though dwindled by some 150 thanks to this organization).

I quickly signed up to be a foster parent.

I would be a temporary caregiver for strays fresh off the street. An LP volunteer interviewed me through WeChat and explained that LP would cover all medical care and essential pet supplies, all I had to do was to feed and care for the fur-baby. It was also strongly encouraged to begin basic obedience training, potty training, and crate training for the puppy.

Perhaps the most significant duty of a foster parent is to show the dog what it is to be loved.                                                                        

Within a week of applying, I had been approved by LP to foster. I was ready to give my time, heart, and soul, to a furry companion who would fill my long days. There were so, so many puppies that needed a home, and I was just waiting for the right one.

The “Fabulous Five” was a litter of five puppies who had been found, just days old, in a tied up garbage bag in the trash. They were at the veterinarian until they were eight weeks old — the age when you can traditionally separate the pup from its mother. A poster featuring the five made its way into the LP WeChat group and I instantly fell in love with them. I even contemplated fostering the entire litter to keep the family together. Alas, three of the five died while going through the deworming process at the vet and only two were left — a boy and a girl.

They were named Simon and Kamina when they were rescued.

In the DiDi ride home, I sat calmly with the box in my lap, trying not to laugh as one of the puppies licked my fingers through the small opening in the lid.

I returned to my apartment and peered into the box – Simon was wearing what a beloved Pixar film coined as “the cone of shame” due to a skin condition and was still fast asleep. So the puppy who had been licking my finger was Kamina. She looked up at me, eyes shining with adoration, and began to wag her tail, smacking her brother in the face several times, though he did not stir. I lifted her from the box with just one hand, feeling her tiny heart race. It dawned on me that this was the first time she had skin to fur contact because the vets always kept rubber gloves on while handling them. She licked my toes, my clothes, and just about anywhere she could get her little pink tongue on. She was sheer happiness dressed in a fur coat. Kamina and I bonded while her brother slept.

Everything she did was magic.

She licked my son’s nose – magic; she drank out of the bowl we carefully chose for her – magic; she pooped – even that felt magical. She was tiny, helpless, and new; she could do no wrong. Simon eventually woke up and it became clear that he was the runt of the litter, especially next to his playful, curious sister. He was a perfect lap dog, and I mean that literally – he would clamber into any available lap and stay there, perfectly content.

The magic of the pups’ newness slowly dissipated over the next few weeks, and it all but disappeared when I discovered they had… worms! Remember, these little guys had survived through the deworming process, so that meant they should be worm-free, right? Well, it turns out that worms are a constant and never-ending battle in any dog’s life, and they had been infested with a particularly nasty case of them. So I dewormed them again, and again. I’ll spare you the gory details and skip to the end where they are, and hopefully will remain, free of worms.

Fostering the puppies was as rewarding as it was exhausting.

A growing sense of responsibility took root in my family. We were proud when the puppies learned to sit (30 minutes of your undivided attention and lots of treats); we were overjoyed when they eventually managed to go to the pee pad 8/10 times (a great success rate for puppies). Most of all, our hearts almost burst when they curled up in our laps and slept, showing us the trust and the beginnings of love.

Simon was the first to be adopted in early August.

Our hearts ached when we saw how well he had taken to his new family, but we were happy for him. Then down came the axe for the final blow – a family wanted to adopt Kamina. “This was my mission as a foster parent,” I told myself unconvincingly. My son protested, as he had also done with Simon’s departure, but I steeled myself and set up a visit. The family came to our place and met us downstairs in the garden. They instantly wanted Kamina. In a daze, I didn’t quite realize until after they had left that I had agreed for them to return in just five days to pick her up for a trial adoption. It was in that moment that I heard a ping in the vicinity of my heart. I quickly texted LP that I could not go through with it and that I had decided to adopt Kamina myself. The potential adoptive family was understandably upset, and if they should ever read this, I can only beg for their forgiveness and hope with all my heart that they found the right four-legged addition to their family.

As for my family, we have welcomed our newest member with open arms and open hearts.

Kamina, or our “little pucky,” takes our love and returns it exponentially every day. I smile to hear the pitter patter of her paws down the hallway as she seeks us out just so she can be near us. I can’t help but feel we are destined to be together since a line of gray hairs appeared down her back before she was six months old, echoing my very own premature graying. She is our loveable furry companion who fills my days, (now shorter and fuller with regular walks and cuddles) and keeps my feet warm in these cold winter nights — our very own foster fail puppy.

Vivienne moved to Beijing in 2019 and discovered how different Singaporean Chinese culture was from China’s. In between teaching Jazzercise fitness classes, she looks for greener ways to minimise clutter and waste in her family’s life here.

Responsibilities of a Foster Parent

As a foster, you will play a vital role in helping our dogs find a loving home – from socializing, to bringing them to events, to sometimes just showing them what it is to be loved.

THE BASICS

• You must be 21 years or older
• You must have a stable residence, where everyone living there is in agreement to have a dog. This includes landlord approval.
• You must be able to transport your foster dog to scheduled medical appointments, adoption events, or training classes.
• You must be financially stable enough to provide your foster dog with basic living expenses, including bedding, good food, toys and even find them boarding solutions while you are on holiday.

HERE’S WHAT’S EXPECTED OF OUR FOSTER PARENTS:

• They provide nutritious food, plentiful water, adequate shelter, and control of external parasites (fleas and ticks).
• They provide the dog with exercise, basic obedience training and house-training. Proper training greatly increases a dog’s chance of being adopted and we can pair you with some of our more experienced fosters for guidance.
• They are responsible for the safety of each foster dog that comes into their care, and for the safety of other dogs and people the dog comes into contact with. They never let their foster dogs be a nuisance to other people or other animals.
• They always keep a collar with the Lost Puppies ID tag on the dog at all times, just in case the dog runs off. If the tag is lost they immediately contact us for a new one.
• They keep foster dogs on their leash when they’re outside of a house or securely fenced yard.
• They keep any fostered dog safely confined in a fenced yard, kennel run, or inside a house or garage when the dog is not with them or a family member. Crate training is highly encouraged. At no time are foster dogs placed outside on a tie-out (in a yard, in front of a café, store etc.) Our fosters immediately notify us in the event of a missing, injured, or sick dog.

Information courtesy of www.LostPuppies.cn

KEEP READING: Best Buddies with Zhichao: Harrow Students Learn from Children With Learning Differences

Photos: Dave’s Studio, Lost Puppies

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 December issue

"A pet is for life, not just for Christmas." A Christmas kitten or puppy is often a popular choice, however animals are not a good impulse buy. That being said, there are many unwanted dogs, cats, rabbits, and more, available for adoption around Beijing. For those who have given the idea due consideration, we suggest waiting until after the holidays, when the chaos has died down before welcoming a rescue animal to your family.

We spoke to Dr Rosie Furlong, from Doctors Beck and Stone about how best to make the process of animal adoption go more smoothly. 

Furlong is from Ireland and studied veterinary medicine at University College Dublin before going on to work with large and small animals in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, She has worked at Doctors Beck and Stone’s branch in Chaowai SOHO for the past two years.

Furlong says that first off, anyone considering pet adoption needs to be responsible and aware of the commitment it takes to keep an animal. "Aside from needing to be home enough to look after day-to-day care, owning an animal makes taking holidays or relocating a little more complicated as the animal has to be taken care of or moved as well," she says.

Adopting families should consider the costs of keeping a pet. "Predictable costs are likely to include vaccinations, de-flea and de-worming treatments which are ongoing throughout the animal’s life," says Furlong. Spaying or neutering is another significant cost and this is usually done around 6 months old. Furlong lists other smaller costs including equipment such as leashes, bedding, litter tray,  and "Obviously if the animal has any health problems, these can also prove costly and require time for vet visits," she adds.

People sometimes worry about adopting a rescue animal, fearing health issues or behavioral problems. "In some cases," says Furlong, "depending on their background, animals from shelters can need a little more work to become used to strangers and other animals, but in general the time requirements would be about the same as for any other animal."

When it comes to introducing a new animal to the household, it should be done slowly and preferably after the new animal has been found to be free of any infectious disease or fleas or mites. Any existing animals should also be up to date on vaccinations, de-flea, and de-worming treatments. It’s also important to consider the gender of your pets, and and whether they are neutered or not. "For example, introducing an older unneutered male dog to another older unneutered male dog can be more likely to result in problems than if one or both is neutered," Furlong says. With regard to children, the age of the child and the temperament of the new animal need to be considered. "Younger children aren’t likely to be aware of how to safely handle a new pet. The age and breed of the animal need to be considered . If there is any doubt, seek advice on this from a vet (ideally someone who has had contact with the animal) before introducing the new pet to children," she says.

Families should take care to pet proof their homes, particularly if they are adopting a young animal, as they are more likely to chew furniture and eat things that shouldn’t be eaten! "This may only become clear after the animal has moved in but your leather couch may have to go!" Furlong says.

When introducing a new animal to their space, allow the animal to discover the area themselves in their own time, for example by leaving the carrier open and allowing the animal to come out when they want. If the animal is nervous, it may be best to introduce them to the family gradually, at a quiet time of day when only one or two people are around, before gradually introducing more people. "If introducing a dog to another dog, sometimes a neutral ground is best," says Furlong. "They could meet in a public space outside and then go into the house together." It can take animals several weeks to acclimate to their new home, usually older animals will take longer.

There’s no reason not to adopt a rescue animal if you do your homework, and take your time. But considering the holidays are one of the busiest, craziest times of the year, it’s a good idea to put off finding your forever-friend until the new year.

Photos: Courtesy of Dr. Rosie Furlong