Finally, Home

Charlie the Chihuahua, though not from Seletar, has been part of our rescue effort. A little background on Charlie for those who are new to this blog. Charlie came from a lady whose husband had left her. The couple had Charlie for about 2 over years before they went their separate ways. The wife was left with Charlie, and became a little mentally unbalanced. For the next 4 plus years of his life, Charlie was subsequently locked up in his cage all the time. His cage is a small little carrier box meant for short travel. This means he lay down most of his life without being able to turn much. When we first rescued him, his claws were very long due to unuse. Food was given to him in this cage. He never got out at all. As a result, he became reserved and withdrawn. On top of that, he was given a metal collar with his heavy AVA tag that subsequently turned rusty and the fur around his neck became furless due to the corrosion of the metal.

One of our rescuer/feeder and animal lover friend, an old lady, heard from a neigbour about this poor dog's plight and went to beg the lady to give up Charlie. After consistent bugging, the lady then agreed to give Charlie up. When he first came out of his imprisonment, he had bad skin problem around his neck and his chest that resulted most of the fur in his chest area dropping. He was also temperamental and in the morning he would be grouchy and bark at his fosterers. We suspect that morning is the time the previous owner would yank him from his box to clean his poo and pee because he is terrified in the mornings. A docile dog in the evening can turn an unrecognizable dog in the morning. The owner must have been very rough with him for him to be so afraid. We heard that he was beaten up quite a bit too which explains his defensive nature. However, when he gets over his moody side, he does allow to be carried and cuddled.

Charlie was fostered by HL and her family immediately upon his release from imprIsonment. She gave him a reprieve and a new beginning. Charlie was extremely close to HL and protective of her. For him, she was his savior. However because of Charlie's aggression and over protectiveness, HL could not keep him as she has younger siblings. Recently, Charlie was handed to F, who read about him in a forum and offered his home. F lives with his elderly parents and they used to have 2 CHH who died of old age. F's mother will be the main caregiver and she is such a patient and sweet lady. It has been a week and F has told us that Charlie seems to settle in well.

We owe it to HL for her stepping forward to save Charlie from being put down and giving him a chance at love again. Her devotion to Charlie shows her mature beyond her years. She is young yet she has much compassion, love and devotion for this sad dog. Her handling of Charlie has impressed us.

We also thank F and his parents for opening their home to a very abused Charlie. They just responded with their hearts without any thought of how difficult it would be. Their only thought was to give him the best years ahead, to make up for what he had lost. It will be good if Charlie, now named Sayang can finally call it a home. For this dog, the journey in life has been long and hard, his latter half will be better than his first - the best for last. We will feature Sayang’s new life in our blog at a later date.

Mummy Dearest, I do love you so
It is common for mother dogs to abandon her pups when she herself does not has enough to eat. This is understandable, this is instinctive. This is the animal kingdom where only the fittest survive. You cannot be shackled to the weak or you too will die.

However, against all odds, Cara did the exact opposite. You have read from our earlier blog that Cara stayed with her pups despite of being beaten by men. She was frightened of them, we know because we saw her bolt the minute they appeared but she endured their presence, she braved their cruelty and overcame her fear. How many of us can do that, in the face of danger and not run but stay stock still. The more we know about Cara, the more we admire her, her devotion, her love, her tenacity. She is a dog but she has taught us lessons and values.

Recently, we discovered Cara did more than just endure and protect. We had noticed something amiss the day she came into the shelter. She vomited after eating. When she first did it, our initial thought was she ate too fast. Second time, we thought, ok, she’s sick, can’t digest her food. The third time, we were there to really observe her. She is not sick. She is well, There was a purpose. She did it out of love.

The third time happened when she was in the kennel, this time in a different kennel from her pups during feeding. We were there right from the start by giving her the plate of food. And the pups in a separate kennel in front of her with another plate of food. As she ate her food slowly, she kept looking at them. She finished and then whined and barked to be let out and join them. She ran towards them and vomited her food right in front of the puppies, who were crowding around her. It was whole grains, wet and soft but the mucous was clear, you could still see the chicken pieces. After she did that, she went back to her kennel and watched. And the pups started to eat it. Of course we picked it up when she wasn’t looking and threw it away as we weren’t sure at that time if she was sick or anything.

Then we waited and observed her. She looked perfectly well. She didn’t vomit anymore. Just sat there and waited for the puppies to go back to her and played with them. Sensing something more than just the usual, we researched the internet on this incident. It is a fact that this is a behaviour not usual in domestic pets but in wolves of the past. Where the father or mother dog would hunt for food and then regurgitate them later for their young to feed them. Cara was not sick, she wasn’t vomiting, she was regurgitating. Precious love. Cara is probably pass the stage of producing milk for her babies yet her love for them compels her to think of them first, as she has always done, protect and feed them, no matter the cost. Even in the safety of the shelter, and although the pups had their own food, she still felt it her duty to feed them. She loves them so much, to the extent she would sacrifice herself for her pups..

Wow, this completely blew our mind. Amazing love. We have never seen anything quite like this. Truly an epitome of a mother's love .. and from a dog! You think it is only in humans that a parent will sacrifice for their kids. And you know how thin she is and how fat her puppies are. What a truly loving and sacrificing dog she is.

Last looks.
Goodbye Zen girl. Have a good life. Mummy loves you, sweetheart

Zen has left for her new home during the weekend but because there are two more pups, Cara is not alone. She will be sad when Silver and Raven say goodbye and go to their new family. She did a good job of raising them and now they are going to good homes and new beginnings.

This is one dog who has impacted us much. In years to come, we will never forget what we have witnessed. We are glad to have been with her, on this journey of love and devotion.

We still need a long term sponsor for Cara (for her boarding), to retire at Pets Villa so she no longer has to worry about the next day or her next meal. She also has a long road ahead of her in terms of medical as she is gaunt, unsterilized and needs to be treated for heartworms. We need your donations for her, not just for now but for her future. Every amount counts, nothing is too little. This is your gesture of love for this brave mother. Cara needs your help here. Email anaterry@singnet.com.sg if you are interested to donate.

This weekend @ Singapore Expo - AVA's Roadshow 2009 –

Free Admission
This weekend Rat Team and friends will be helping man the ALL's booth at the AVA's roadshow (November 7 to 9 from 11 am to 9 pm). This is held at the Singapore Expo, Hall 6B along with all the other Animal Welfare Groups.

We will be selling calendars postcards, notebooks, candles and other merchandise to fund ALL's welfare activities for the cats and dogs in their facility. Come and visit us in our booth and let us get to know you. Support ALL’s cause by buying their merchandise. We hope to see you there.

Sale of Animal Lovers League (ALL) 2009 calendars
The Animal Lovers League 2009 calendars are out and the RAT team and friends are helping to raise funds with their sales. The 2009 calendar features some of the rescued animals in their care. The calendars are specially designed with additional message cards for separate use At $10 each this will help in the funding of ALL's medical fees for the animals in their charge.

Please help support them for the good work they are doing for the helpless. If you have bulk order of 10 pieces, we will deliver to your locale or you can let us know your interest and we will direct you to the nearest location near you. Email to anaterry@singnet.com.sg.

An Angel For Adoption
Adorable 8 weeks old cross breed puppy for adoption to loving home. She has been vaccinated and in excellent health. Angel is manja, loves attention, good with people/kids & dogs. More of Angel can be viewed at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Y_ItCugZU and photos at http://mywhitepaw.wordpress.com/2008/11/.

Found abandoned in a box infront of a factory with her 4 siblings, her life was in danger as the owner wanted to put them down. She is currently fostered while looking for a permanent home. Regrettably Angel is not suitable for HDB. Call 98383820 or email to anaterry@singnet.com.sg.

Do you have room for an Angel in your home?