STATUS QUO

This week couldn’t have ended on a more jubilant note : Patches, Junior and Blackie are back!

Like lost friends, the boys were so happy so see us. Long before we could even get to them, the minute they saw us from a distance, they dashed all the way out from their fenced area and ran towards us, jumping and licking and whining.

We kept hugging them, asking them, “Where did you go, guys, where did you go?” To which their replies were more licks and whines and barks. Such a sight to behold. Such a joy to see our beloved Rat Pack intact. They are so dear to us, so precious now. Even terrified Blackie had come towards us too as in greeting but shrank back just when she neared us. It is all right. With Blackie, as long as we can sight her, it is fine with us. That means she is still alive. And Mama Brown just keeps close to Blackie as if afraid she’ll disappear again.

We had thought the worst had happened to them and have been having sleepless night these past few days, since Friday when we couldn’t find them. Everyday, we’ll drive by to take a look to be greeted by a very lonely, forlorn Mama Brown, with pleading eyes as if she is asking us to look for her friends. And every day there was desolate silence, till Tuesday late afternoon, when we spotted the 3 missing ones. SMS-es went out, great cheers of joy and rejoicing.

Our dear Blackie,
from a distance

Happy to see them,
Rat Pack - Together again

Poor Patches and Junior, they want a family so badly, they want a home so much and we will be letting them down because we cannot promise them that. We can only promise we’ll be there with their food but we cannot give them the security and belonging they need. We can give them hugs and pats for that moment while we visit but we got to walk away after that, because we cannot take them with us.

They are safe for now, but for how long. Home for them is a temporary respite. How much time do they have before they are caught by the Bad or the Evil. For how long we don't know. This place is extremely dangerous as the whole area is under massive development with workers of all nationalities around. That is why we couldn't relocate Cara even if we wanted to as it would mean endangering her and the pups. If you recall n the earlier entry, when the construction foreman approached and tried to tell us of the road being sealed, we were pretty rude initially, the first thing we asked him "are you from China'. That's all we can think of now. Dogs being eaten. We are so paranoid that we get suspicious about every worker we see. The other day when we met some painters near the area where are Rat Pack were, we also asked him where he was from and when he said Myanmese, we asked "you eat dog?" and he replied puzzled-ly, "eat dog, why?" He turned out to be a pretty nice guy as helped us place food nearer the eating place as we couldn't enter.

It seems funny now but not then…. we have become horrible suspicious people. Paranoia sets in each time we see a regular dog missing. With no long-term solution or plan, their lives and ours hang on a thread. We try to be positive and take each day as it comes. Remind ourselves that It is better to have love and lost than not to have loved at all.. - small consolation but all we have left of to cling on.

This is heartbreaking. We share this sentiment with all the other feeders out there, cats and dogs, big and small, old and young. We all go through this emotional turmoil of tears and joy. Yet, this is what keep us humbled, what makes us human. If we had to go through all that again, I dare say most of us will say, Yes, rather this than to be numb and unfeeling with no compassion, no love for our 4-legged furry friends. Those who don’t understand, or even despise us feeders or rescuers are worse than animals because even among them, there is care, dignity and respect.

Cara and pups
The puppies are still with Cara. They are not so afraid of the other dogs and Cara has a wag for us when we visit. She still has the anxious, worried expression, perhaps she has been through too much to completely relax. Cara is still afraid of the leash and going outside her kennel. She prefers to be with her pups. We hope that when they relocate to their new homes, she will allow us to walk her and let her mix with the other dogs outside. We have been told that Cara has very bad, diarrhea extremely watery stools, though she eats well. We have seen her vomit too. We need to take her to a vet to check out if there is anything wrong with her internally. It is no wonder she is so thin as she can’t keep her food down.

See how fast Cara’s tail is wagging

Cara is happy to have visitors

She brought them up well,
her babies are equally happy to
see visitors – such friendly pups

The puppies on the other hand are healthy with no such symptoms. Puppy Zen has been to the vet and yelped loudly when she was checked and vaccinated. Goes to show how “manja” she is. The vet has declared her to be extremely healthy.

The family of Raven and Silver have visited them and in the midst of preparing a safe enclosure for them in their new home. They will be going to the vet in the next few days. They should be very happy as they have each other for company, for which we are very glad.

Shep and Lady – the temple dogs

Affectionately known as temple dogs as the site they were saved from is next to the temple, they are growing bigger and healthy. Both of them are adjusting well to civilization. Nobody would have known they were plucked from the wild.

And then there was one.
Poor Lady misses her brother

Shep and Lady.
Don’t they look good?
Taken before Shep left

Shep is very friendly with people and dogs and not afraid of investigating. He is always active and excited to see visitors. There is one gentleman who has been to view both of them. He has asked to take Shep home to foster him for a while and try out each other as he has never kept a dog before. It will be good opportunity for Shep and for potential adopter to see how things progress. Even as we write this, Shep is with him as he has taken 5 days from work to settle in. There is certainly a lot of thought put into this process. We do appreciate this person’s commitment and hope Shep and him will have a lasting friendship. We have just learnt that Shep has been renamed “Bobby” and has already learn how to “Sit”. (such a clever boy).

Lady is still looking for a home. So far a few calls regarding the dogs have been for her brother. It is a natural preference for most families to think of a male dog when taking in a pet. However once you sterilize them, male or female, there is no difference in the maintenance and looking after. They say keep the best for last and I am sure for Lady this saying will hold. Lady is very sweet natured and very docile. She does not retaliate even when her brother is naughty to her. She would fit very well in an apartment. She is also good with children, other dogs and cats.

Milo – the noose dog
Milo is slowly filling up and stronger each day. He doesn’t look so emaciated anymore. He is such a handsome looking fella with such rich honey coloured fur. He looks forward to his daily walk and this has become quite concerning as we have discovered that he will not eat unless he gets out to do his business outside first. He is still in the kennel (and he keeps it very clean) as he has not been sterilized and we can’t neuter him as he still test positive for heartworms. It will probably be another 6 months more before he can go through this operation. He is an Alpha dog, through and through and we know that if we let him run free with the dogs at Pet Villa, he will surely get into brawls. Milo has been so used to leading a pack in the wild that he is too free-spirited and independent to succumb to any other dogs, except to his human friends. However with us and little kids it is a different story, he is such a wonderful loving dog. He will stand on his hinds and place his front paws onto your chest and slobber you all over. It is such a joy to see that the cruel noose incident has not caused him to mistrust the human race.

Handsome Milo,
Happy again.
Doesn’t he look good

A dog who will make any owner proud

Milo is also up for adoption as we would love for him to go to a good home and run free. We know that he will do well in a family environment and will make his owners proud. As long as there is a chance, there is always a hope that someone reading this blog and looking for a good, loyal, loving dog will give Milo that opportunity. After fighting for his life, he deserves this shot at another beginning. If we could take him ourselves, we would.

Great response, Good support
We first started this blog to create awareness that in Seletar, there were many dogs dying of hunger or injuries. Joey and his sibling kicked off this desperate and desolate call that the situation was pretty bad. Remembering that ‘still and silent’ mound of dark fur by the roadside has left, (and still does), a lasting impression that triggered off a want that something had to be done for them, no matter how little.

While we started off as feeders, inevitably we are drawn into a deeper calling as we start to see the dangers to the strays we are caring for. For Joey and his sibling it was too late for them because we were new then, with no experience on how to help them, not enough people to rally but a lesson learned that time is of the essence if you want to save a stray, you have to act fast. They may be here today but gone tomorrow when you finally decide.

For the Rat team, we are "accidental" feeders as we work in this location and could not bear to watch the strays suffering. However, from pure feeding, we had no choice but had to react to certain grave situations that threatened the lives of the strays. As said earlier, this vicinity is undergoing massive re-development. As a result, some residents are being uprooted leaving their pets behind, they are the “Leavers”. Then there are the “Dumpers” who deliberately drive into this area to dump their animals thinking that the once seemingly tranquil setting is ideal for their abandoned pet to hopefully be taken in by some kind soul. Then there are the “Eaters” who do not think twice about abducting any animal for food. Of course, we also have the "Officials" - ministry who acts upon complaints from residents or workers who feel the strays are a nuisance. Then, lastly there are the strays reproducing themselves which add to the already worsening situation.

Whilst Singaporeans may be viewed by many as uncaring towards animals, we are glad to have met many who behave contrary to this unflattering view. The response from this blog has enabled us to meet with Zann and Tony who help the strays in Punggol. They have come forward to offer support and help even though they have their own feeding commitment. We have been approached by Serene and Calvin who currently feed in Jurong, they have offered assistance for the weekend, Ruth who is a saviour for those in Kranji and yet took time to help post our rescued puppies in different forums and web, Yun Ling who is offering her help to feed when we are short handed or going on vacation, Christopher who always has food in his bag for the strays he sees in Seletar.

And there are those like Grace who have called to support us in donation of funds, which is so needed and important as the females need to be sterilized as well as for serious injuries. And again others, who help with the rehoming, either by passing the word around or adopting them. Angela, our creative advisor, who help us with adoption leaflets and blog suggestions, others like Kenny, Lauryn and Justin and YY, who have adopted some of the strays we have rescued. We know they will be given a new lease in life. And many others, too many to name but supporting us in their emails and SMSes. And of course there is always Mohan and Cathy at Pet Villas, ever ready with their years of experience and expertise in stray feeding. advice and rescue.

It takes all of the these “Heroes” to help make this work, not just in Seletar but elsewhere all over this Island. Every bit helps and the ones who benefit are the helpless. It is not a thankless task either, rather we are rewarded hugely. In return we get licks, love, wags, woofs, sighs, nuzzles, barks - these which are priceless, beyond value. It leaves us a joy in our hearts that we've done something good, something right. This is enough, together, we want to make this place a better future for the next generation and leave a legacy of love and compassion.

Thank you Heroes. We salue you.