Harry is the face of rescue in Hong Kong. His is a story of love, redemption and chicken weiners.
When Gigi L. saw Harry’s face on the local SPCA site, she didn’t know much about the breed but couldn’t forget his smile. When she arrived at the shelter and saw him, she fell for Harry at first sight.
Although he was very underweight and his fur looked funky, Harry had a friendly demeanor. “He climbed to my lap and my heart melted. His papers said he was part of an animal abuse case. I was shocked that I had to sign waivers to classify him as evidence in a court case, but couldn’t leave this guy behind.”
As I signed the paperwork, Harry sat quietly and watched us from afar. I knew very little about his past but I was smitten with him. My friend joked that adopting a Corgi officially made me a queen, and if I were a queen he’d have to be my prince. The name Harry fit my little ginger prince perfectly.”
“Two days later I went to pick him up. I put on his new leash on and tried to walk him to fetch a cab. To my horror, he didn’t know how to walk on a leash! After trying to lift my 20 pounds of Corgi for half a block, I gave up and returned to the SPCA. The receptionist gave me a chicken wiener and told me everything was going to be OK — I just needed to be patient.”
“Within the first 24 hours, I realized Harry wasn’t an average dog.”
“Aside from the mold on his ears, I started to notice all the scars he had on his body. He had mold and scars on his ears, ankles, elbows, and square-shaped notches on his snout. He never made a sound and was obsessed with the tiniest morsel of food. When his new bed arrived, he didn’t know what to do with it. My poor Corgi didn’t know how to enjoy most things a lot of dogs take for granted.”
“A follow-up call from SPCA a few weeks later confirmed my worst suspicions: Harry was a puppy mill stud. He was part of an illegal operation where 140+ dogs were kept in stacked cages. I cried when I saw the video about the rescue operation featuring my beloved Harry as the poster child of abuse. He was found with almost no hair on his rear end and his nails were wrapped in his cage’s wired floor due to neglect.”
Note: The video is graphic and may trigger especially sensitive people.
“Sadly, a lot of people in this city simply regard dogs as a toy, or worse — a nuisance. Our animal laws are archaic. Harry’s abuser was fined (after keeping 140+ dogs in hell) about US$800.” (Editor’s note: this is real and happens all the time, even in the United States. Most of these puppy mill dogs are sold in pet stores).
“After a lot of TLC and reassurance, Harry has blossomed into a friendly and intelligent dog. His vet helped him sort out his myriad of minor health issues and his fur grew into a glossy coat; the mold on his ears and ankles is gone!”
“He gained some much-needed weight and has learned to enjoy a life of naps, belly rubs and walks. His favorite things are his tennis ball, cattle bone and drinking water. He also loves his neighbors.”
“Adopting Harry has helped me gain a lot of perspective in life. I learned most importantly what unconditional love means — to give it and to receive it. I hope everyone will give a rescue animal a chance, Corgi or not.“
I was very touched by your story, lucky, lucky Harry who found a loving person like you !!!
I wish to both of you, many many happy years together !
Best regards from Flo, Nana, and Uyanga, in Japan.
Nice one and I am a rescue too. Have a happy Monday!
Best wishes Molly
Lovely story. Thank you for sharing. Harry is a total cutie.
Thank you for sharing such a lovely story. Harry is a total cutie.
Yours is a wonderful story. I hope it helps others and shines a light on abuse.
Harry is a very handsome boy! Thank you for rescuing your prince, Gigi. That big Corgi smile is a great testament to your TLC and devotion.
I couldn't help but think how guys are told to "man up" over incidents and situations in life but reading this story and seeing this little guy blossum into what he is not versus the and how someone took the courage and displayed such love to take him in and give the patience so needed to transform into a lovely boy, it brought tears to my eyes. Bless you for caring.
I am so glad that someone helped this poor boy Harry; I can only pray that people who harm and abuse animals one day will see how horrible and disrespectful their behaviour is! I am very touched by this story and the photos now show a very very lucky corgi boy! <3
Thank you for sharing. Harry's story was hard to watch. Our Dundee was from a puppy mill breeder, underweight, horrid skin and no hair, ears infected with mold and half eaten off. So glad you have Harry and he's blossomed into a happy, healthy corgi. Bless you for loving him.
Gigi L. You are not only a queen with that handsome corgi Prince Harry but you are also an angel for rescuing and securing a safe loving spot in the world for this little Prince of a guy! You are truly a blessing!
I have two corgis at home, and they are wonderful dogs, teach them right, they can be your true friends for life time, when you come home from a bad day, your corgi still love you, just look at the smile on his face, he knows he's gonna be with you till the end of his time.
Thanks everyone for the kind words. I hope this can encourage more people to adopt 🙂