Here is the latest blog about friends and customers of Jill Milan. Gina Pang loves animals and volunteers at a non-profit in Hong Kong.
“Where I Live”
I'm a British born Chinese who has been living in Hong Kong for 20 years.
Hong Kong is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city where many different nationalities have chosen to make their second home. I live on an island, Lantau Island, in a place called Tung Chung. It's a peaceful place surrounded by mountains and the sea making it an ideal place for dog owners and a place to get away from the hustle and bustle. Yet, it's only a 30-minute train ride away from the central district. In the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to have time to pursue my passion of volunteering. This has been at a local dog shelter, Hong Kong Dog Rescue. Recently I've started studying again and have returned back to work to teach English in a primary school. Volunteering is a passion that I have followed yet it's taken me a while to find the other goals in my life!
“Am I Vegan?”
Yes, I'm vegan. Why? There came a time when I realised that I was being hypocritical in saying that I love animals yet I was eating them. That just didn't make sense!
“Vegan restaurants in Hong Kong”
It is relatively easy to find vegan restaurants that serve local Asian food, cheap or expensive. There are eateries that serve western style vegan food but unfortunately these can be on the pricy side. There is still a long way to go concerning grocery shopping, pricing and selection need to be greatly improved but stores like Just Green and Green Common are working hard to improve the situation. My favourite restaurant is Loving Hut. Everything is vegan so I don't have to worry about dairy. They have the most amazing 'egg'
tarts, cream cakes, sweet and sour pork and my secret addiction, tom yum gung. Plus, the lady who owns the branch that I go to is an amazing lady who helps homeless dogs and donates food to dog shelters. Another bonus is that the pricing is humble!
“The charity I volunteer for”
The charity I volunteer for is Hong Kong Dog Rescue. It was founded by an amazing lady from England, Sally Andersen. She founded HKDR in 2003 and has rehomed over 7,500 dogs. Most importantly to me is that it is a No Kill Organisation. HKDR receives no funding from the government and relies on private donations, sales of HKDR merchandise and fundraising events.
Through volunteering I have met some amazing people, cried tears of joy, anger and sadness whilst trying to make a little difference to a dog's life. I have included photos and they each have a special meaning.
This photo is of me and my baby girl, Olga. She was abandoned at age 11 and was at the shelter for about 7 months before I adopted her. She was in a pen by herself as she couldn't get along with dogs and would bark at them and try to attack them, even though she was one of the smallest dogs there! I used to walk her all the time then one day when I put her back into her pen, she walked into the corner, faced the wall and ignored me. I realised that I couldn't leave her there anymore and the adoption process began. This photo was taken a few months before she passed away from heart disease in February this year. She was 15 when she left and feisty to the last day. I still miss her now.
This is Otto. So beautiful but so socially awkward! He needed someone who would be confident in handling him and who knew when to give him space. Eventually he was adopted by a volunteer.
This is Silo. An adorable little chap who enjoyed greeting people with his teeth. The reason I love this adoption is that it shows there is hope for every dog. With a lot of the dogs, we don't know their backgrounds or how they will react to humans. Silo had trust issues and just needed to meet someone who was willing to spend time with him and gain his trust. One lady understood this and spent time with him and finally adopted him. This picture was taken when I went to visit him after the adoption.
