URGENT DESPERATE APPEAL TO RESCUE

LATEST UPDATE

The response to this appeal has been immediate and fruitful. Thank you to those who have called in expressing concerns and some offering fostering or assistance..

Dale, the Golden Retriever was removed today from his owners, this evening 31 March at 5.30 pm, rights and ownership transferred. He will be in a short term fostering till the weekend where longer term fostering will take place. We thank Ms. L who helped arrange for an immediate place so that Dale does not spend another night tied up. We also thank Mr. A who has very kindly offered longer term fostering to care, groom and bring Dale back to health.

We are still appealing for an Adopter for Dale in the longer term, after he regains his health, happiness and self confidence. Please call us at 98383820 or anaterry@singnet.com.sg if you can provide a forever home.

Thank you again to all of you who have made it possible for Dale to live his life again as a free, happy and roaming dog with a happy wag.

We are appealing for a fosterer or adopter to rescue this Golden Retriever.

This is a call from a contact who saw the neighbour leaving their dog tied up the whole day in the compound for the last few weeks. Upon enquiring why they treat the dog this way, it was discovered that the family does not want the dog anymore and is leaving him there for someone, anyone to pick him. They don't care who does just as long as the dog leaves. The saddest part, they have recently acquired a young husky. So in comes the new and out goes the old - Shame Shame Shame!

The kennels are full and we have been asked to help blog to urgently appeal for a home to foster this 6 to 7 year old Golden Retriever for the time being till more permanent plans can be made.

Please help if you can, if you have a place in your home. This is one last call before the end. We fear if this waits too long, the next call the owner makes will be for it to be picked up and put down. Someone has spoken to them not to call the SPCA but to wait till we can find a fosterer.

This is an urgent plea. If it was not urgent, we wouldn’t put this right in the top of our blog. Please please call 9838- 3820 or email anaterry@singnet.com.sg

Homeless-Not-Just-In-Seletar
When we were first looking for a name for our blogsite and finally decided on Homeless in Seletar, in part it was a catchy name and in part we did love the show Sleepless in Seattle. It did dawn on us that we will receive flack that we are concentrating only on the strays in this area. Well, to be honest, that was our first priority and is still so. Being accidental feeders, we did not go around looking for dogs to feed. The strays we did chance on were the ones right in our doorstep where some of us work and some of us live. We are not part of a big organisation with a fund to support us, neither do we have the expertise to rescue these dogs. We also do not own kennels or live in big landed properties where we can house them. There is just a few of us with only one car for most of the time, how much can we do, surely not enough to save all the dogs.

So yes, this blogsite was set up to create awareness for the poor dogs being dumped in this seemingly idyllic Seletar, and with the current and very speedy development plans, these dogs are facing a very real and imminent danger of being hunted or put down. And again, though our initial purpose was just to feed them first, and hope to sterilise them and return them to the same area, it has not turned out that way and instead because of the precarious position some of them were in, we did rescue some who are now boarding at a Kennel. But there will always be others we try to help and can’t and all we can do is write about them and hope those of you reading can partner with us to help with what and however you can. Just like for the Golden Retriever that is being dumped now or faithful Alsie looking for her home.

Truth be told as many of you know, all over Singapore, dogs are being dumped and contrary to our blog's name, we have not restricted our care to only those in Seletar. We have extended our help, in one or another to others in different locations and Panda is one of them. We chanced upon Panda when one of our friends feeding in the West emailed us about spotting a pup in the midst of her usual pack of adult dogs. She became concerned when she saw the pup was limping, crying and also being attacked by the bigger dogs. A call was made out and with the support of like-minded friends, it was decided for the pup's safety, it should be relocated and a fosterer kindly offered to care of Panda in the interim.

The first time G saw Teardrops, a name W later changed to Panda, she was whining piteously by the road limping, tired and very hungry, dirty and completely covered in ticks and mites.

Panda is named such as the former was her past and the latter would be her future. How seemingly apt it is, as Panda now, no longer sheds tears and her whines are whimpers of love and contentment. She sleeps with her toys in bliss and dreams of a happy tomorrow.

As we are writing this update, we were going to talk a little more about Panda and our looking for a loving home for her but now there is no need. Just today at around 12 noon, March 29, Panda has been viewed by a wonderful family (incidentally a referral from the adopters of Indy), and on Tuesday, she will be going to her new home in a house with a garden for her to socialise with their resident dog. This is a fostering with a view to adoption as their resident dog is old and as rightly should be, first priority must be given to the older dog's feelings and reactions. But knowing how sweet Panda is and how docile she is with people and other dogs, we do not anticipate any major problems.

Panda with some of her foster brothers and sisters. Yes, we will all miss Panda
but we are also glad she finally has a home to call her own.

Panda and KorKor Ode

With Cheh Cheh Cookie

And Aunty Vivi

But since we are at it, let us tell you a little more. Panda is truly an unusual dog not just in her looks but in her behaviour. For one, she is easy to take care of even in a small apartment. Like someone described, she is so quiet and well behaved that it is as if you do not know she is around, despite her big size. She is calm, not jumpy and if she knows you are taking her for a walk, she will hold her pee and poo till she goes down. There are a few things amazing about her, for example when she enters a lift, she sits down and waits for the door to open. She does this without fail. She stays away from other people who may already been in the lift and so nobody ever complains about a big dog sharing the space. She is unobtrusive in the house, has excellent manners and knows how to behave in the right environment or setting.

She has been fostered in several homes and everyone just loves her, for her placidity, her calmness and her good manners. The only regret is that all of us live in public housing and have already at least one dog, we do not want her to live her entire life in secret or illegally. It is not fair to her so we have told ourselves that no matter how much we love her, we want her to go to a home where she can romp, run and play just like any other pup with no fear of authorities coming down on her. She deserves this and we will endeavor to find a home like that, and it has come in the form of Mr. T and his family. If all goes well between their old dog and Panda, it will be smooth sailing and Panda will be their latest family addition. We are very excited about this. Already the family are already making plans for her arrival, bedding etc.

….. When Panda met Indy…..
what a ball they had. Indy, incidentally is doing marvelously and adjusting fast.
She is happy, alert, active and when we visited, she had her toys strewn all over the garden.
She is the apple of her Daddy, Mommy and Nanny’s eye, as well as Grandpa.

She showed Panda how to loosen up and have fun. Good job Indy.
Blackie will be so proud of you.
Indy’s story will be contributed by her Daddy soon.

Panda can NOT be a stray dog from the wild. From her behaviour she had to be an abandoned dog. Someone must have taken her when she was a very young pup and as she grew older, they must have decided she was getting too big and didn't look as cute and decided to boot her out - in an industrial estate where heavy vehicles ply the road!! Because when Panda was first discovered, she was whining piteously, completely confused by the traffic around her, not sure where to go or where to hide, afraid of people and dogs. How can a pup this size suddenly appear in an area where there are no pregnant mother dogs.

How cruel people can be. The pup outlived her stay when she lost her puppyish looks and at four and a half months only. The cruelty in humans continue to astound us. We are just glad that with the combined efforts of G, M, A, W, S & K, Panda’s immediate needs were taken of the evening she was rescued. There are others like L who covered for her vet checks and standby fosterers like S and J who took or agreed to take Panda in for whatever periods they could. This was a rescue and rehoming where many individuals were involved but all's well that ends well as now Panda is looking at a bright future.

If it sounded so easy, let us tell you, it was not, it was nail biting in some parts but worth the effort, yes we all nod in agreement, well worth the effort as we see how healthy, big, friendly, confident and happy she has grown.

On the other hand
There are cruel people we agree but there are also good ones. Polo's case is one. Poor Polo. a pet much loved by his owners and yet the plans they made did not turn out the way they had anticipated or had hoped. Who would have known that when a couple marries, instead of a family much longed for, the wife would be struck by a terrible illness, robbing her of the chance for children. But then they thought, well no kids is fine, we will shower our love on our pets instead and so they acquired first one dog and then another a few years later. And they became a loving happy family, Dad Mom, a boy dog and a girl dog. But the illness however came back with a vengeance and poor Mommy had to be hospitalised, now critically ill. Daddy has to shuttle between work and hospital for long periods of time, and the two beloved cherished dogs, now suddenly have no more walks, already no mom and now not even dad is there to play with them, although he still feeds them and tends to their needs, brushing their teeth, cleaning their ears, etc.

Polo, sweet beagle but active and needs to be exercised

Which is how we chanced upon Polo. His owner, not knowing where to turn to and not wanting his dogs to be given to any stranger, started desperately calling up the petshops where he buys food and accessories, asking them if they could help rehome Polo. However his requests for visiting them once in a few months after the rehoming was met with scorn and no one would help him. What you are asking for is ridiculous was the answer he received, but not for us, as one of our team member overheard and stepped in. And in unison as a team we decided we will help him. Help Polo find another loving home so that he would not be neglected and in turn give Polo’s daddy a peace of mind that Polo has gone o a good future. Polo's owner has been feeding them well, a little too well in fact as he tries to compensate his long hours away by leaving more kibble, and thus the two dogs are on the chubby side.

Polo, is given a lot of food to compensate for lack of attention, he has become a little tubby. Polo would give everything in return just to have Dad and Mom back again.

It is a terrible and lonely journey for Polo's owner and we empathise with him how suddenly his happy world has come crashing down one by one. His wife is now critically ill in ICU, not knowing when she will ever come home, and now he has no choice but for the good of his beloved pets, look for alternative homes for them. For Polo now, as he is the younger of the two dogs. He feels that it is not fair for them to be cooped up at home for long periods of time and he has no other family member to help. He is still holding on to the other dog for the time being as he can't bear to let them both go at the same time, but we know a time will come when he eventually has to decide. For him to keep his other dog, it will be hard and for him not to keep will be as hard, as he will have nothing left. Who can blame him if he had one request, a desire to visit Polo even after rehoming, who can deny his poignant request. After all, he is giving away one of his family. If visiting Polo can bring him the happier memories when he once had a family, his request is understandable given the sadness in this case. We have several interested viewings currently being set up for Polo and we will be looking at the most compatible for both Polo and the new family.

In the face of this sadness, we have been struck by how fortunate we are. We have so much more compared to him. Treasure what you have now, your family, your friends, your pets. Despite the economy and the financial state some of us may be facing now, treasure what you have. They are not the material ones but those closest to your heart. If you had to compare the state you are in, look at Polo’s Dad. He once had everything but now slowly he has to let go his treasured, one by one with no thought of what the future will bring.

Blackie and Shadow
The situation for Blackie and Shadow has not changed. They still refuse to come out. In the past, Blackie will come running out when we call her, no matter how early or how late, she will appear, sometimes taking a longer time but like an old faithful, she will come out. This was the same even during the days of the rest of the pack, when Patches, MamaBrown and Junior were around. All this did not change too when she had her pups, the exception was during the month when she first birthed them, she disappeared. But when the pups were a about a month old, Blackie came back to us responding to our calls.

This time it is different. All this changed after Indy's rescue. Perhaps it is true then, that Indy's cries must have frightened her so much that she now thinks we are the bad people and have come to take her away too. She doesn't heed us anymore and has become like Shadow, mysterious and shadowy, hiding in the thick foliage. Except for that one or two occasion when one of our feeders saw both dogs early in the morning, Blackie seems like a name we used to call.

It is very sad for us. Yes very sad. We do not know if she has become thin or is advancing in her pregnancy or she is even well. The last time we had thought she might be ill as some of us had heard a dog whimpering in the forest but we couldn't be sure which dog it was. Was it a whine or whimper of fear, of hunger, illness or a cry for help. There are days, we do not know if the food we leave faithfully behind every day is being eaten by the dogs. All we do know is the flocks of birds wait greedily for us and we leave even more now, hoping these hungry birds will eat their fill and there will be still some left by the time Blackie and Shadow does appear. Now we have taken to deep freezing the food into a hard rock so that by nightfall, which we suspect that is the time they come out, the food wil be justl nicely thawed and the birds cannot attack a hard block of ice.

Many times, we have asked ourselves in our dark hour, if it makes sense to continue what we are doing, continue leaving food not knowing what has happened to these two, but we know we will, it is only those dark days. We know we will continue as these two, especially Blackie is very special to us. We will carry on, no matter how we feel, no matter if we do not see. We need to because even if Blackie does not appear to us, we know she exist. And if she does come out when it is darkness, she will find the food and a teeny bit of hope in us exist that perhaps she can understand that we do care and we are still around for her. Even if it appears she has abandoned us, we will not. We will carry on our feeding at her usual spot until the day comes when that whole place becomes inaccessible to us.

Each time when we leave our food, we still call her, in the hope that soon one day, one day, we can see her face again, peeping at us, even if it is a very far sight of her, it will still be a comfort to us. There is still a hope we carry in our heart.

Faithful Alsie
Alsie has taken to appearing regularly the past few days at our feeder's office early in the morning. However when she comes for her food, she refuses to leave and that poses a problem as not everyone in the office share the same compassion. The last time it happened, our feeder had to shoo Alsie away before her boss arrived or she would get into trouble. Regretfully, the next morning, Alsie did not come for her meal. sigh. It was as if Alsie's feelings were hurt by the rebuffs the day before. The next day Alsie did appear however she seemed afraid to venture near the feeder.

It is hard when not everyone we are in contact with share the same love and compassion. We do not expect everyone to love dogs the way we do or understand why feed them, but how do we explain that to the dogs. Theirs is a simple understanding of life, and not the complexities like we humans have. Alsie is probably confused, first you want me to come and next you ask me leave. How do we tell her that yes, we do love you Alsie but you can't stay here when the others arrive, you can eat but you have to leave after the food is eaten because if the others see you, you will be in trouble. If only she trust us a little more to let us lead her to safe place. We are working on it but we need time to build upon that trust. It is hard as we only get to see her if she comes for her feed and does not venture near us for us to pat her nor leash her. We have not been able to find where Alsie's hiding spot is.

We are still waiting for a someone to open their home to Alsie so that we may be able to proceed to a more permanent plan. We hope someone out there reading this blog can open their home to adopt her as we know she will adapt quickly to a new change since she was a pet dog before. We do have an offer to board her at Noah's Ark in JB but we still need an interim home of some kind for a few weeks as she needs to undergo vet checks and be socialised slowly while her papers to Malaysia get processed. Without the interim time and place to home her, she cannot be sent to Noah's Ark directly. Is there anyone who has a place to house her temporarily? Of course it would be ideal if she gets adopted and rehomed here in Singapore instead but while we think that considering the future that Alsie faces, we must take whatever we are offered. So to those of you reading this, even if you cannot take her permanently if you can allow us to put Alsie in your home for a short couple of weeks, we already have a sponsor who has stepped forward to board her at Noah’s Ark, please call us at 98383830 or anaterry@singnet.com.sg

THE RATS PACK FOR ADOPTION
We have wonderful dogs with great pesonalities for adoption.
We invite you to view the individual dogs and their profile-http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/

Devoted Cara - Sterlised Female
http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/2009/03/devoted-mia-cara-for-adoption.html

Classy Milo - Neutered Male
http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/2009/03/classy-milo-for-adoption.html

Gentle Mama Brown - Sterilised Female
http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/2009/03/gentle-mamabrown-for-adoption_18.html

Macho Horlicks - Neutered male
http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/2009/03/dog-with-heart-of-gold-macho-horlicks_18.html

Cocoa’s cry for help
A tale of a stray who longs for love and warmth just like any other dog

I am Cocoa. I’m a one year old, local chocolate dog. I’m currently living out on the streets with my mummy, daddy and little sis. Life has been a rollercoaster for me. I was born in a vehicle car park a year ago along with 5 other siblings. Two of my siblings were rescued as puppies and rehomed. Another brother of mine was found dead after being hit by a pole by a terrible man. My sister and I are the remaining of the litter my mummy had. I’ve been living my days out in the cold rain and learning the art of rummaging for food from mummy. Worst still, running from the authorities has not been an easy task. Thankfully, I am now being fed by a kind old lady who comes to feed us every evening.

However, she has not been able to take me in. Recently, I’ve grown pretty handsome and am fully grown. Most importantly, as you can see from my Pictures, I’m pretty small for a local dog! This makes me even more suitable for a family with kids and other dogs as well. I don’t fight for food, I wait my turn and never ask for much. All I ask for is the chance of a lifetime which could turn the dreams of a stray into reality. Please give me the chance to love you and snuggle up to you with my little brown nose.

I long for a home I could call my own. Will you be my guardian angel?
If you think you could look beyond me being a stray, please call Christine @ 97937162

We wish to thank Ms. XX and Ms. J for their very kind donation of kibbles and nice treats for feeding of the strays, not just in our area but in other areas.
On behalf of the strays, we really appreciate your joining us in our efforts.

A Melody of Joy

The ultimate dream for a wandering stray or abandoned dog is to be fed, rescued and eventually homed. Homing is hard, and for those abandoned, it would be rehoming. Already many pedigrees are abandoned and looking for homes, what more chance does a cross breed have. While this is true for all dogs, it is more difficult to rehome big dogs especially those who are older. With God’s help, we have managed to find homes for puppies and most calls we receive are always enquiries for a pup. The minute they hear of a dog past a year it gets harder and for our Patches, four years, considered by many pre-adopters is much too old for them.

How untrue it is that big and older dogs cannot learn, cannot adjust. Dogs are adaptable creatures. They adapt to survive. If they had to swim they would, if they had to climb they would. If they had to eat kibble and biscuit when they have been fed rice and cans, they would. If their leg got amputated or lost one eye, the dog would pick itself up, shake his body, with a wave of his tail, learnt to walk with three legs or see with that remaining eye. Yes this is true not just for dogs but for cats or any of the animals that God created. They were made strong and brave and they do not sit and mope and sigh for the "what ifs" or "why me". Rather they focus their energy on the will to survive and adapt because that is the only way or no way at all.

Besides, older dogs, having gone past their puppy antics are calm and perfect for children, especially very young children. It is a myth that kids should grow up with puppies. It is a romantically, sentimental and Disney oriented concept that needs to be revisited and argued. Take if from us, from a personal and real-life point of view, we who have had puppies and kids, we break that myth immediately. If you do have very young kids and pups, adult supervision is very much needed and closely too. Children have to be taught at a very early stage that puppies nibble, they bite, they chew, they scratch but all done in play, never in malice or spite but are parents of this day and age ready? An older dog may suit them better as they are more laid back. And so it is that we had an older dog to rehome, our Patches.

Our Awesome Patches, he has come a long way with us. From the time we started feeding him last year in the open he has now realised his dream of "coming home to stay" because he has held on to the dream, with us, he has held on, as sung in the theme song in our blog.

We first met Patches sometime in late September last year just about the time when Milo was first rescued from his noose and removed to a Shelter leaving behind a folorn and lonely Blackie because we could not locate nor catch her. Blackie was often seen running alone and for a period of time, missing for a couple of weeks. When we finally saw her during our feeding, we found her with Patches who was later joined by Junior, the little black pup.

(http://homelessinseletar.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html - A Broken Hearted Melody).

The first time we met Patch, he bowed to us.
We were impress by his size, colour, his hound like
features and his wonderful personality. Pack eating in the wild. Notice that
Patches is outside the facility while the
others are inside. It was hard to get him
to go back in each time.

The very first time we met Patch, we were totally impressed with him. He was huge and he was majestic. He carried himself with a very confident and alpha domineering air. He lorded head and shoulders and gruff woofs over all the other puny looking dogs and overshadowed them with his vibrant orangey brown fur covered in black patch, stripes and zig zag. In a crowd of strays, you will never miss Patches. In fact some of us called him the Hound then, because we were convinced he had hound blood, a fact which was confirmed by the vet much later, a name we later changed when another feeder kept referring him to that patched dog. Patches, we felt was a name better suited to his markings for identification. Though his name among us changed, his persona did not and Patches remained always our majestic dog, our big goof-ball, the sunshine in our lives for he would do the craziest things and make us laugh, yes to all of us he is our Awesome Patches.

Male bonding, Patches and Junior out in the wild.
If you see one, you see the other no matter where they roam. An unlikely pair but good friends.

On the evening of November 21, Patches and Junior were rescued and moved to a shelter (http://homelessinseletar.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html – Rats Pack–the boyz).

At that time we had no plans, no place even to put the two we rescued. We had to scramble for one and thank God our friends did come through for us to temporarily board the two big grown dogs. We never had any intention to move them from their feeding area as the place they were residing then was safe but because Patches was often seen chasing people, motorcycles, bicycles and trucks in that location, we felt he was beginning to look too obvious, drawing too much attention not just to himself but to young Junior too, and behaving too friendly. He would often run to people and jump on them in play but often misunderstood and we have seen people screaming and running away in fright. And worse, Junior pup followed because everything Patches did was imitated by Junior who adored and worshipped him. If you saw Patch around, you would see Junior. Those two were inseparable – best friends and Patches protected Junior from the other big dogs.

Patches never understood why people ran away in fear because he is actually a sweet boy and loves making friends. He is like a pup in a big dog's body, like a child in an adult, never growing up, like a canine Peter Pan. He, more than the rest of our Rats Pack loved to belong. He demanded attention because once he had a family but then he was left behind and abandoned by his owners. He never understood that spent the rest of his time searching for his previous family.

“I AM a big boy. When I grow up, I want to be as tall as him.” Patches’ signature jump when he sees visitors.
Thank you Uncle D for taking such good care of me
in the kennels.

A pensive Patches looks longingly at us
beckoning us to take him out to freedom

But he always has a big smile for us. His
trademark goofy smile is one we will not forget.
Yes, the kennels will be quieter and less chaotic
without Patches around.

At that time, we knew it would not be easy to rehome Patches as he is a mature dog, big in size, exuberant and a little different looking but we often reminded ourselves that we will try. As long as we are able and they are healthy, we will try. We had a hope that somewhere out there, there will be a special place especially for Patches. He is the one who loves to be with people the most, if there is any dog who craves for love and human touch, that’s Patches. We knew that one day someone would be able to see him for his beauty, his brindle colour, his unsual zig zag stripes, his efferversent personality and say “What a beautiful dog!” because to us, he truly is. It is not his fault he was born looking different, God gave him this for a reason, to stand out in the crowd and Patches does. Yes, Patches did need to be accepted for himself, by his own standards and by someone special who would see the beauty in him.

Patches getting ready for his journey Home.
Note his shiny new collar and tag.

Goodbye Junior Boy. Take care of yourself
now that I’m going home. Be good buddy, my little boy.

Goodbye my sweet MamaBrown. Someone will
take you home one day, you just wait and see.
You are such a gentle soul with so much love,
I hope one day we’ll meet again.
(MB is Patches girlfriend)

And the someone did appear in the form of Mrs A who called us about adopting a big grown dog, fierce to intruders but friendly and sweet to her family especially her kids. Mrs. A came with her children L and B and the children loved Patches on the spot. Although they had originally intended to adopt a much younger dog, they decided that with Patches’ personality and sweetness yet sort of menancing look, even if Patch is four years old, they would give him a home. With a "Hurray“ and "Whoops of Joy" we hastened to get him ready, microchipped, vet checked, etc.

Patches comes to stay with his towel in tow.

See his big ‘barang-barang’ bag. The dog in the
background is his new older sister who he can romp
and create new adventures.

Indeed it was a touching time last Sat, March 14th, when Patches arrived at his new family's home; a sprawling estate in the west. As befitting his majestic status and demeanor, he was accompanied no less than with an entourage of 2 cars and 5 escorts on his journey to his new home. He had been bathed and scarf-ed and smelt sweet. He seemed to know what was happening as he was quiet in the car, excited but not boisterous, rather serious and perhaps a little nostalgic. Our various team members had also prepared a big goody-bag for him; ranging from bags of treats (one called the dog's bak kwa), a special stainless steel collar, an engraved tag, a bath towel, some cans and kibbles, a squeaky ball and an orange soft toy. This for a dog who expected nothing but to be loved, but from all the feeders whose life he has lit up and touched by his sheer presence and open personality, we could not let Patches leave us empty handed. We do not know if he still plays with squeaky ball and toys but we had to give him something to take home to. Patches can not leave us empty handed for he has made our life full and rich. There would never be another dog like this, that much we are sure. He has nothing but pure innocence and joy and an open hearted enjoyment of people and children. This is the day we have all been praying for, the day for him has finally arrived. This is our BIG baby who is the first to leave our fold; the first in our feeding and rescue efforts, the first big mature dog, now ready to enter a new phase in life. Yes this is a milestone for him as well as for our efforts.

Patches being offered iced cold water from Mrs. A.
Mrs. A, you impressed us with your love and your open heart.
To see you offering Patches water from a cup really
heartens us. We will never forget this scene. We can’t thank
you enough.

Patches' faith in us never waivered all the while even when he was in the shelter. He accepted the shelter with a c'est la vie attitude but we could tell he didn’t like being cramped up. He tried to get out each time we visited him and it made us sad to see him, a big dog stuck in his cell but he was always with a big goofy smile, his deep woofs and his signature jump on you; the constant wag of his thick, bushy and wavy tail and his cheerful outlook. All these we are going to miss...

Patches has brought us so much joy and fond memories. We will never forget
• We remember how in the wild he would always look for an opportunity to jump into the car. We had to be careful we left no gap otherwise next you would fine a big goofy head smiling from the driver's seat and the hard part would be to get him out. Try doing that with a big dog who loves car rides. Ha!

• We remember how he would refused to go back to the safe facility after he had eaten. The others in the pack would obediently head back when we shooed them back but never Patches. He would plonk his big bum on the floor and stare at us haughtily when we tell him to go back, sometimes woofed at us as if in reply "I'll go when I'm good and ready and I'm not ready... yet!" and if you waved a stick as if to threaten him, he would stand up and go "grrrrrr" in response and we would hurriedly drop the stick and run back to the car because a huge dog like Patches growling is nothing you want to reckon with.

• We also remember how he would always chase our car after we had done our feeding. We would be so careful to distract him before driving off otherwise our hearts would break when we look at the rear view mirror to see an orange/brown/black dog running after us and woofing away shouting "Wait up, wait up, don't go, I want to go too". Yes many times tears would flow because we would drive even faster because we couldn't take him home. We wished we could but we couldn't.

• We also remember the day he donated blood, how his eyes closed and refused to open even when the vet had given him a "wake up" jab and we kept shaking and shouting his name. Much to our relief, when we waved a stick of treat right under his nose, his eyes popped open immediately and he grabbed at the treat. Even the vet had to laugh.

• And how he clutched that same treat in his mouth and groggily walked over to where sweet Davee was. Whether he was showing off his treat to Davee or wanting to give it to her, we never really knew but N. told him gently, “Thank you Patches but Davee can’t eat it,” whereupon he slowly walked back to us. Yes Patches is our clown, our special boy, our sunshine. The one who makes us laugh even during our darkest hour.

Patches, the blood donor – his act of love and
sacrifice for Davee (who has since passed on) and other
needy dogs.

Patches doesn't have to run or chase anymore. He now has a big garden to explore. He has children he can play with, and children are his first love for we have witnessed him woofing at a passerby child just to get her to come to him and pat him. He has canine friends to romp with and he Belongs. Yes he finally belongs. He now has a family of his very own. We are very grateful to Mrs A, Mr B and her family for giving Patches a home and making his dream and our dreams come true. Patches no longer needs to sing his broken hearted melody, that has now become a melody of joy.

Imparting last words and pats from our
Mentor and Guide, who has been there for Patch
during his stay at the kennels.
“Take care of your new family Patch. Be there
for them just as you have always been there for your pack,
and bring them sunshine and joy just as you have
brought to us.

During the challenging days of feeding Patches and his pack, our thoughts were just keeping them full and alive. Ours was a journey of faith we took with Patches and the dogs we rescued and those we couldn't. When out in the wild, they faced an uncertain future, never knowing how long it would be before they got knocked down by cars or trucks or picked up by authorities or caught by poachers. And when in the shelter, never knowing how long they will lead a life as a kennel dog with no home to call their own. A kennel is a safe place and sanctuary but not a home. Dogs like Patches need a family to belong as they were once pet dogs. But God has been good and faithful and has brought this opportunity for Patch. The irony of it all is that Patches was deemed the most difficult to rehome given his size, age, colouring and some deemed, menancing look. But God has taught us a lesson in Faith; that nothing is impossible if we continue to believe and to trust. This is a lesson that when things seem impossible, Faith can move mountains.

And Patches’ last words “Mine, this is my home.
I now belong.” as he marks his territory and makes
his presence felt.
Patches wears his scarf proudly, a gift bestowed
on him the day he gave his blood for needy dogs.

For those who have followed Patches’ story in our blog from the time he was rescued and for those who have cared for him one way or another, we send our heartfelt thanks to you. It was your encouragement, your comments, advice, your giving and most of all your love for Patches that kept this team going for him. We hope that for the rest of the Rats Pack and those out in the wild, they can hold on to that dream with us, that one day they may have a home they can finally come home to stay.

For those of you who are contemplating an addition of a furry friend to the family, do consider adopting instead of buying. There are many homeless dogs looking for home. A homeless dog is not a wild dog. Many are made strays because of the choices their owners made, something beyond the dogs' control. A dog will never abandon you but unfortunately owners have not returned that favour. All they want is another chance and a new home where they can re-belong.


Blackie and Shadow

Both of them have been avoiding us for the last two weeks. Perhaps Indy’s yelps when we pulled her out from the hole traumatised them as no one as spotted them since. We are very worried and have been leaving food but not sure who has been eating them as no one has seen them. This morning, Wednesday March 18, we are very happy. We have spotted both of them in the field where they used to hang around. Shadow in the area where we always leave our food and Blackie on the ground further afield. And yes, unfortunately for us, much much to our regret, she looks like she might be in the early stages of pregnancy. We can't really be sure and we hope we are wrong.

We can only speculate that possibly Shadow is a male. What has happened to him to make him so fearful we do not know, completely unusual for a male dog no matter how timid they are, but if Shadow is a male, it does explain lot of things. That is the reason why Blackie has accepted him so easily into the fold while she chases Alsie away on sight. And that that Indy was close to Shadow probably because he was a surrogate dad.

Sigh. We HAVE to catch Blackie, we don't know how but we have to and we have to do it fast, before the pregnancy develops further or we will have yet another litter of black pups that we will have difficult rehoming. This time, they are Shadow’s pups.

On hindsight, we probably should have put contraceptives into her food but how are we to do that with the young pups eating from the same mound of food. Won’t that affect their health and growth. Our concern all along wasn't just Blackie but her puppies too so how could we endanger their development and growth into a one tracked purpose. Besides how can we make sure she actually eats the food because she never allow us near enough to see. We know nothing medically and it also never occurred to us that Blackie can be on heat so early. The pups are barely four months and when researching through the internet and speaking with those in the know, bitches get into heat between four to six months after a birthing. How can it be that Blackie was on heat so much earlier than that? We had thought all along that if we can rescue the pups before they hit the four months, we still have time to rescue the mother and sterilise her but Blackie has been avoiding us since a month and a half back. How do you catch a dog who doesn’t want to be caught nor appear during the the feedings. It is back to the famous Catch 22 cliché again.

Only God can help us now, only He can help us solve Blackie’s situation for we are helpless.

Alsie

Dear Alsie has not been sighted for a while, at least in the last few weeks. The food we leave for her is eaten we know but we see male spraying of urine and Alsie is a female. Who has then been eating the kibbles we leave behind? Again today is a good day, March 18, Alsie came to the feeder’s office this morning waiting. She ate half a can of food and bacon strips. She loves those but she doesn’t stay long to finish her can nor her kibble. Instead she looks nervously to her left and right as if she is running from someone or something. Poor Alsie. The workers’ dormitories are directly opposite now and in an open space when it used to be fenced up. If Alsie mistakenly heads for that direction, she is up for grabs. We are so worried for her but what can we do.

We think we can use professional help to trap her, she will definitely be easier than Blackie who is famously smart in avoiding gadgets but Blackie comes from a different background all together. Alsie is a pet dog and has not much of survivial instinct, but if we do catch her, where can we put her. Is there someone who can adopt her onsite? Is there anyone out there reading this blog who can commit for her, not just a pledge or a promise but a commitment because if we do catch her, there is not turning back, we will have to move her to the adopters’ location almost immediately.

We know that she being a pet dog before will adjust very quickly to love and pats but we still need a committed home for her before we can venture into anything bold. We cannot raise her hopes to let her down again. She has been abandoned before and we cannot do it again to her.

Is there anyone who can take Alsie in as a pet? She will make an excellent companian and friend. Adoption on-site is unusual but it is not improbable. Please help us to help Alsie. She is young, less than a year and a half and very beautiful and we all know how loyal and devoted she is. We will send her for her vaccinations and sterilisation but we need a home to put her.

Please call us at 98383820 or email anaterry@singnet.com.sg if you can help Alsie.

THE RATS PACK FOR ADOPTION

We have wonderful dogs with great pesonalities for adoption.

We invite you to view the individual dogs and their profile-http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/

Please call us at 98383820 or anaterry@singnet.com or homelessinseletar@yahoo.com.sg if you wish to ask about them or view them.

They are more beautiful in person than in photos

Sweet and mild PANDA pup for Adoption

Panda is a lovely pup with beautiful markings, very mild, gentle and quiet. She has already been trained on paper by her fosterers in this short period. She gets along with people and children and is docile. She deserves a chance at love and at a family. Panda is four plus months and eats well and very healthy. She walks beautifully on leash.

Panda is currently being fostered and enjoying cuddles and pets as well as friendship from other dogs. She is slowly discovering the joys of being a puppy all over again instead of being humped and chased by other adult dogs, she now has doggy friends to share with her toys and chewies. Instead of piteous whining, Panda now wuffs in delight and excitment just as she should, yes, as she rightfully should.

Is there anyone out there who can give her that new life? Please contact trlytru@yahoo.com.sg or 98383820

APPEAL TO LOOK OUT FOR LOST DOG

This is an appeal for a lost dog from a co-rescuer. (We are still running this appeal. If the dog owner has not given up hope, we won't too.)

We are looking for our female Labrador Retriever. She's cream/beige colour and small built. She ran away from home (Kuo Chuan Ave, near Marine Parade) in Nov 2008. We are not even sure if she's still in the eastern part of Singapore anymore. She's microchipped and licensed. We've reported to SPCA, AVA, Petcall, pasted posters, written to the vets, ran around, peeped into neighbour's houses hoping for a sight of her, and so on. We are still searching for her. She may have been kept by someone who doesn't want to return, or sold to someone who ignorantly bought her..

Please, please help keep a lookout. Perhaps your neighbour just got a new but matured dog? Or has someone offered to sell you a similar looking dog? Please, if anyone sees a dog that resembles that in the pictures, please call us immediately. 9389 9896 / 9106 2928. Appreciate any help.

REWARD of S$5000 for information leading to the recovery of the lost dog. No questions asked.

Operation Ebony Pup - Indy

After three weeks of Saturday morning jogs under the hot sun and humid temperature looking for and chasing Indy, we were very low on hopes and possess little of positive attitude. Ever since Sissy was caught, Indy has not come to us and would instead play a game of 'catch me if you can' each time we approach her with our food. We can tell she really wants to be near us but perhaps Blackie's teaching has been so complete and thorough that Indy just can't bring herself to do that. With no other pups to boost her confidence and saddled instead with a timid and cautious mother and an even more terrified resident Shadow, Indy has no example to follow except "run away' from people, dogs and everything else that moves.

The week before, we were joined by some very good friends and when we could not catch her and later could not locate her when she went into hiding, they encouraged us not to give up. So the next Saturday, we mounted yet another search, the fourth week counting and with the same team of good friends who also brought more friends. Two of these friends are in the dog training division of their units. They came with zeal and passion and a very positive attitude which influenced us and gave us hope which was by now slowly dying.

The morning started worse than ever before because there were no dogs out in the field. Usually when we arrive, we would see Blackie and Indy and after running around trying to catch them and corner them, they go back to the forest to hide. At least we knew they were inside or a rough location where they are hiding. However that morning, there was no dog. Are they even around, we don't know and we have no one to ask because no workmen, no residents, no guards were around then. So where do we start? Which area marks the spot? Where and how do we even begin. sigh. In a vast area full of trees, foliage, tall lallang, thorny bushes, barbed wired, iguanas and cobras and what-have-yous, it was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Full of zeal and hope but slowly fading as the task was daunting - where to go next. Some of us went in to the forest from the left, some from the right and some midway. We used sticks to hit each lallang bush partly to scare snakes in case they startle us and partly to flush out a pup or a dog? After half and hour of fruitless looking and poking and shouting out Indy and Blackie's name, to be confronted by silence and nil movement except our own, some of us wondered whether the dogs were even around. Perhaps they had moved their location.

Some in the group persisted and carried on from mid point when suddenly one of our feeders shouted that he had spotted Indy. Perhaps there were just two people in that area as most of us had taken a break, Indy became brave and crept out and ran towards him as if in play as she recognised him. But as usual when she approached him, she would turn around and run away in her usual game of tag, then she reappeared to run away again. But this time, we had professionals with us who zoomed into near that location and everyone in the group cornered the area where we had seen her fled. The atmosphere became charged with a surge of adrenalin and now, finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Now we have a location, now we have a hope.

There were ten of us so we made a square but as we cornered the square, there is no dog to be seen and no sound and no movement. Now that we have a smaller area to target, we started using sticks again to poke all the bushes but still no dog. Strange. We checked with everyone in that 'square' but no one had seen any movement, where did she go. She couldn't have just disappeared and especially since she isn’t that small in size anymore. She has to be around, but where? This is like an episode from the Bermuda Triangle disappearing act. One of the dog unit guys then said he could smell a dog around, he looked at the bushes and started moving them. He discovered that beneath each bush, there are holes and not solid ground so he started moving all the bushes in our ‘squared’ area while the rest of us stood in our corners to make sure Indy does not run past us. After intense waiting and silence, there was a shout and yes in one of the holes under a big bush, right below in the darkness, trying to hide herself, with eyes staring up in fear, a little black pup crouched hiding – our darling Indy. One of our team members gently pulled her out by the scruff of her neck whereupon she yelped very loudly and struggled to free herself. Carefully, we placed her in a net and secured her with two leash. No, we cannot afford to lose her now, and carried her to safety, the whole time talking to her and assuring her that everything was ok. She was understandably frightened but she was not trembling, which is a good sign.

There was a let up of pent up emotions, eyes wet, tears of relief, joy, visible sighs, congratulatory pats on the backs of those who had sniffed and done the actual rescue and excitement that at last, finally we have rescued Indy puppy after so many weeks of worry and fear.

Photos of a young Indy and her antics. Notice her front and back left tippy tips of her toes are white, that's how you know which is Indy.

Some of us, then left to bring Indy to the vet to have her checked out and the others stayed back to see if they could find Blackie, now flushed with Indy's success, they might be fortunate again. But after another two hours search, Blackie could not be found. Much later when the group was packing to leave and leaving the site, one of them saw a black tail running off into the vastness of the forest. Yes, we speculate that unfortunately Blackie had witnessed everything. She had heard Indy yelp and she had seen us take Indy away and now she is even more frightened, sadly, even more terrified. She now knows that all her pups have been 'taken'. Poor Blackie. How do we explain to her it is for their good.

In the meantime, Indy has been declared healthy by the vet. We have seen her sister Isabella (formerly Friendie) and Indy is not smaller in comparison, in size or height. Thankfully, she has grown and developed at the same rate as her sister who is in a home environment. Her fur is not in the best of condition but it is understandable given the environment and condition she has been exposed to. With the right food and vitamins and proper care, Indy will be just like her three sisters who are reportedly doing very well.

Indy is now in a fosterer's home and beginning to appreciate and understand home life, pats and cuddles. She is still a little shy and cautious being the longest out in the wild and much influence from Blackie and Shadow but we know it will be a short matter of time she will open her heart to love and respond to human affections. We are so happy to announce that Indy has already been adopted by a marvellous couple who had contacted us a long time ago and indicated their interest, Long before Indy was caught, they have been in touch with us and been kept updated on the development of our operations. They have liked what they have been reading about Blackie, the ebony pups and Indy and were patiently waiting the whole time, even offering help with the capture as well as food. They had said they would wait for her even when we kept failing week after week. They have since visited her a few times and showered her with gifts and lots of love and touches.

Indy now wags her tail in happiness and excitement when she receives visitors although still cautious. She is not one for exuberance, just like Sissy, being the quieter of the litter but her tail has wagged wagged wagged, much to our joy. She is eating and drinking well. These are baby steps towards her domestication but we are so glad she is adjusting well and so quickly too. Unlike Sissy, she did not cry the first night away from her nest. Perhaps there is not much to miss other than Blackie. All her sisters have gone before her and the nest is empty and Blackie being the roamer she is, is hardly around. Shadow, we don't even know sleeps where. Sissy cried the first night as she missed Indy, we know for a fact as they were very close but Indy didn't have much to cry for as she has been alone ever since we took Sissy away. In other words, poor Indy has been left pretty much alone these past weeks to fend for herself. This is the reason why it was so urgent and important that we remove Indy as soon as possible as we knew that the longer she stayed out in the forest, the more unsocialised and timid she would be, and the danger she was in being unprotected in the midst of cobras, snakes and poachers..

The Ebony pups are now all safe and happy in their new homes. Indy will join her family very soon and she represents the last of the litter we thought we could not save. Initially, there were doubts we could help them. Even among ourselves we could not agree. Remember that at one time we had even thought of sending them to SPCA to let them be put down humanely rather than be food, since the Chinese New Year was approaching. That was the most difficult period for us. In our small circle, we had our own arguments but none of us could make the decision to send them to their deaths. But in that difficult time, many of you, readers emailed or smsed us offering your support, some gave ideas, some offered homes to foster them. Many of you encouraged us not to give up and we were heartened that all of you cared. The Ebony pups and their ordeal have touched your hearts too. And many of you helped to send emails or put up on forums that there were five little black pups looking for homes and look at the fruition of our combined efforts. Little Friendie, Whitie, Indy and Lil Sis are all now safe and sound in their new homes. They are no longer little but now almost four months, teenage pups. They are alive. They are happy and each have a family to call their own. They have come a long way from the thorny, cold, open and wet forest, unsocialised, unloved and untouched. Yes, their lives have changed but for the better. We are sad we lost White Tip along the way. We will never forget that little face staring at us the very first time we spotted them in their nest. It was the face of White Tip and will be forever imprinted in our memory and our blog. We wish we had manage to save all five but four out of five is a good number. This last rescue is for White Tip. This is our tribute.

Regretfully, we lost White Tip along the way. We never got a chance to find out if White Tip was a male or female. He/She would have made a great dog, companion and friend. The loss was ours, certainly. Poor White Tip.

Meanwhile, Blackie, on the other hand has been avoiding us. She does not come when we call her. We do not even know if she is still in the same location. Since Saturday, after the operation, we have only seen Blackie once but she ran even further when she saw the feeder, the same feeder who she has acknowledged more than the other feeders as this feeder has known her since she was just a teenage pup.

We still leave food for Blackie and Shadow everyday but we do not know who eats them. Is it the birds? for we see them by the flock or is it the dogs. Everyday we will sms each other "No dogs in sight" and we will all sigh and shake our heads. Where are you Blackie? You are always worrying us. Ever since we have known you, we have always been worried for you. When will be the day we can see you safe and secure and we can enjoy seeing you happy.

We pray that God keeps Blackie safe, safe till we can rescue her.

We may be wrong, and we hope we are wrong, but we wonder if Blackie is pregnant. She is either too afraid of us to appear or she is sick or she is pregnant. These can be the only reasons why she does not even appear for her food. The last time she was pregnant she also avoided us and didn't eat for a while. And by the time she came out for her feed, her tummy was already showing and much too late for us to do anything for her. We hope sincerely we are wrong. Now we do not even know what to do. How do we catch her when we can't even see her. Many people have told us not to leave the Mommy dog behind, yes we know that and we will not abandon her but she is avoiding us, perhaps it is she who has abandoned us.

Footnote:
We would not have been able to rescue and rehome Indy had not it been for the help and compassion of a very special group of people:

M our long suffering friend, mentor and guide who has always given us his support and aid towards the welfare and care of our efforts.

G and W who came consecutively two weeks in a row to help. They were the ones who helped to bring in their friends C and A who are the dog experts and who 'sniffed' out Indy. J who also came twice in a row to help out and roped in her friend J and we all made ten members to corner the 'square'.

Yes if not for your support and help, little Indy will still be out there in the wilds. On behalf of Blackie, thank you very much. You have given her last baby a hope for the future. We will rescue Blackie too, we will, just waiting for the timing and opportunity.

We have a series of thanks to extend :

Ms. A and her colleagues Ms. J, Ms. S and Mr. P who have very kindly donated towards purchase of food for our feeding and given us words of encouragement. We will carry with us, their support in our efforts. Ms. A has always been around to give us creative advice from Day 1 and this blog's name was founded with her ideas.

Ms. K and Ms. K who came from far away and visited the Rat Pack and brought them treats, along with pats and cuddles. The Pack enjoyed having visitors and getting out of their kennels. K and K are school going teenagers and came with a lot of heart and passion.

And again to Ms. A who has helped us purchase treats and kibbles at discounted prices for our feeding and also her kind donation of shampoo and biscuits. Your aid comes handy not just to us but to the feeders in other locations who we are in touch with.

PANDA

Panda is a lovely pup with beautiful markings, very mild, gentle and quiet. She has already been trained on paper by her fosterers in this short period. She gets along with people and children and is docile. She deserves a chance at love and at a family.

Panda is currently being fostered by Aunty S. and Uncle K. and enjoying cuddles and pets as well as friendship from their happy and playful dog. She is slowly discovering the joys of being a puppy all over again instead of being humped and chased by other adult dogs, she now has a kor-kor doggy to share with her toys and chewies. Instead of piteous whining, Panda will now woof and wuff in delight and excitment just as she should, yes, as she rightfully should.

Is there anyone out there who can give her that new life? Please contact trlytru@yahoo.com.sg or 98383820

THE RATS PACK FOR ADOPTION

We invite you to view the individual dogs and their profile- http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/

Please call us at 98383820 or anaterry@singnet.com or homelessinseletar@yahoo.com.sg if you wish to know more or to view them

APPEAL TO LOOK OUT FOR LOST DOG This is an appeal for a lost dog from a co-rescuer.

We are looking for our female Labrador Retriever. She's cream/beige colour and small built. She ran away from home (Kuo Chuan Ave, near Marine Parade) in Nov 2008. We are not even sure if she's still in the eastern part of Singapore anymore. She's microchipped and licensed. We've reported to SPCA, AVA, Petcall, pasted posters, written to the vets, ran around, peeped into neighbour's houses hoping for a sight of her, and so on. We are still searching for her. She may have been kept by someone who doesn't want to return, or sold to someone who ignorantly bought her..

Please, please help keep a lookout. Perhaps your neighbour just got a new but matured dog? Or has someone offered to sell you a similar looking dog? Please, if anyone sees a dog that resembles that in the pictures, please call us immediately. 9389 9896 / 9106 2928. Appreciate any help.

REWARD of S$5000 for information leading to the recovery of the lost dog. No questions asked.