Family Reunited

Born as a feral dog in a mountain range where hundreds of dogs live as homeless, Wasabi has been pregnant at least three times despite her young age. We estimate she is around four years old. It took us almost eight months to gain her trust after she arrived with us. Now, she lives with her daughter Anya and Noel, a black puppy pictured below.

When she was nearing the end of her pregnancy, we received help from a volunteer with special equipment to catch her in the mountains. To our surprise, it was easier than we thought. Generally, mountain dogs have a strong instinct to avoid danger, as they must fight for food, shelter, water, and mates—skills that aid their survival. However, in Wasabi's case, her desperation for food allowed her to enter the trapping area quite easily.

Once she was placed in a safe home, Wasabi gave birth to three puppies. Unfortunately, one was stillborn, another was unresponsive, and the last one, Amberine, appeared to be fine. Thanks to the support of the Tobby Friends Foundation, Wasabi was seen by a vet, who confirmed that there were no more puppies left in her womb, and the lifeless black puppy was saved. We discovered that the puppies had not suckled from Wasabi because she was unable to produce milk, which explained their weakness. By the time the first puppy was born, it had already been six hours since we got to the vet—just in time to save the remaining puppies.

In the meantime, Wasabi consumed the stillborn puppy, and we could not find any trace of it later. As expected, she developed heartworm, and she has just completed her treatment. Two of the puppies were brought to our place immediately after consulting with the vet, while Wasabi remained at the foster home.

Ideally, the puppies should have had access to breastfeeding, but we had to feed them with a milk bottle since Wasabi could not provide any milk. Mother dogs often experience postpartum depression due to hormonal imbalances, and separation from their newborns can cause mental instability. However, Wasabi became mentally stable about a week later.

No Place for Mother Dogs After Birth

It is a sad reality that the majority of female dogs who give birth have no place to go. Whether catching a pregnant dog is the right choice remains a question. Lactating dogs, especially those who have given birth multiple times in the wild, often do not look appealing, with large, hanging nipples.

Why not return them to their previous environment? Once we rescue dogs from a mountain inhabited by many packs, there is often no space for the rescued dogs to return. The reason is simple: rescued dogs that have stayed in human care smell different from mountain dogs, and the areas where they used to eat and sleep are often occupied by others. A mother dog must breastfeed her puppies for at least four weeks, making this a crucial period for their development. In other words, a rescued mother dog cannot return to her former nesting area for at least a month. The recovery period could be even longer if she has illnesses like heartworm or tick fever. The longer a dog stays with humans, the more difficult it becomes for them to return to the mountains.

People Prefer Puppies Over Adult Dogs

In Hong Kong, countless newborn puppies are waiting for adoption. Unfortunately, few people are interested in adopting adult dogs, making it clear that mongrel lactating dogs rescued from the streets are not a preferred choice. This is a fact.

Like Wasabi, some dogs are fearful of humans due to their experiences while being stray. Building a bond with these dogs is not an overnight task; it takes a considerable amount of time to establish a harmonious relationship.

Until there is a system with government support to conduct rapid TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs to reduce the dog population, the chances for adult dogs or mother dogs after giving birth to be accepted by animal shelters are very slim. If TNR is implemented regularly, the number of homeless dogs will decrease in the future, as their lifespan without human care is not long.



It is also crucial that the breeding and pet industries involving live animals be banned. I hope that a new animal welfare law can be enacted to address these issues. Many dogs are kept as guard dogs at construction sites and warehouses without proper care.

After many months, Wasabi finally allowed us to touch her and put a leash on her without resistance. We hope that TNR will soon be widely implemented while finding ways for humans to be patient with homeless dogs. This planet does not belong solely to humans, and many people seem to have forgotten that.