The More the Merrier … or not quite

The last few days have seen quite a few dogs gathering in our usual feeding place. At one sighting there were 8 new dogs, of varying size and colour, and a young one seen limping. At another sighting a group of 4. Shadow is seen with them sometimes mingling, once leading the pack out and once wandering on his own. He doesn't look like he is with the pack, not quite in but not quite out too, and we speculate he is adopting a wait and see attitude.

We are worried and concerned, especially for Shadow. The bigger the pack or the more dogs sighted in a group will throw a panic among the residents here for dogs in a pack are most often mistaken for a wild pack. We fear that they have become noticeable. All this while, the dogs we are feeding have kept a low profile, preferring to keep behind safe nooks and in the forest, and they do not roam the streets or make themselves conspicious. This explains how they have remained safe, and Blackie was an exceptional leader and strategist knowing instinctively how to hide during the busy day and only coming out during the evenings or at night. Our old pack, the RATSpack would take her lead and in turn led to their survival. But with this new pack and from our observation of their behaviour, clumsy new strays with no survival instinct, they have become obvious and will surely catch the eyes of passersby, thereby endangering not just themselves but our beloved Shadow and our few straggler dogs whom we leave food for but have no names as they do not appear as consistent.

Our dear Alsie will also be affected as she still likes to steal out of her home for her usual gallop and visits to her old friends and our feeder.

We believe these dogs came transported together and dumped. They do not look at all familiar to us nor do they know their way around. They look too clean, too fat and too boisterous for a life in the wild. Yes these poor dogs are newly abandoned and they know next to nothing about survival.

This also means we need to leave more food so that the regular older dogs get enough to eat. Sigh. How much more do we or can we leave? We are already leaving more than they need because of the birds in the hope the dogs are left with some but eight more means a whole lot more food. Our feeders are very stretched but we will do what we can in the best ability.

Poor Shadow looks forlorn. We still see him sometimes alone, sitting in the field. Even with the new arrivals, Shadow still remains alone. He looks sad and who can blame him. In the space of a few short months, he has lost his little Ebony puppies especially Indy who he was very attached to, he has lost Blackie, his faithful friend, the first one who took him into the fold. Just like Blackie and the pups, Shadow is always seen when there is a slight drizzle in the evenings. He has probably learnt from Blackie the joys of enjoying a refreshing shower. When we last saw him in the slight drizzle , alone stretched out on the hump in the field frequented by Blackie and her pups, we wonder what is going through his mind.

Was he like us thinking of her and wondering where she has gone? Does he know she is gone. Does he miss her as much as we do. Are dogs like humans in that they remember friendships? We do not know enough of Shadow for all this while since he first arrived, he has been under the care of Blackie but because he is Blackie’s friend and her charge, our hearts go out to him. Poor Shadow. What do stray dogs think when they are alone. We wish we could approach him to give him a hug and a pat, and bring him to safety but even if we could catch him, where would we place him.

As he sat alone in the field where once happier memories lingered, our eyes are filled with tears as we are reminiscent of happier times when there were 2 big black dogs and four small ones happily playing in the rain. But, no we cannot ask for more. We should not. We are thankful.

Yes, we are, our three Ebony pups are in good homes and one is in the kennel but she is safe, we cannot ask for more. God has helped us find great happy homes for them and we know they are cherished by the families who took them in. For the one in the kennel, we know her time will come to go to a good home where she doesn't have to leave again. But even if she does stay in kennel it will be a life far better than her mother's. Blackie never had a chance like that and if she or even Shadow could understand, we are sure they would have given us their blessings.

We have not seen Blackie in a long time. She is probably gone from us but since we have not seen her body we still live in hope she might be sighted again.

You may note that with Shadow, we use the term "he" when all along we had said 'it". Yes it has been confirmed that Shadow is a male. One of our feeder managed to see him up close the other day and this was her note to us that morning : "Yesterday was my first time seeing Shadow face to face. He has small eyes - looks the same as Junior, (one of our RATSpack rescued last year and now staying in a kennel), he was looked lost while wandering along the street. I called out “Shadow” but he did not respond. When I clapped and called out “Blackie” he stopped and sat on the pavement and waited. But when I got nearer to him, he ran to the feeding area where we leave our food. He waited for me to come over. But I didn’t have food with me as I was on my way home. He is big and bony.”

This is Junior. Shadow looks like him.

Now that we know that Shadow is a male, we wonder if Blackie had disappeared because she was pregnant. The last time during her early pregnancy, she had disappeared for a while too, to appear again a few weeks later. Like Shadow, we have adopted a wait and see attitude. It is improbable but not impossible.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE...
Priority has been adopted. We met her during the Fort Canning event when she came by for a visit. She does look lovely and very happy. Her new name is MUGII. Here is an email update from her mommy and daddy and some photos of new addition.

Quote from Mugii's new mommy, C on her email to us June 6, 2009
Me and my hubby have named her MUGII and she is responding to the name too =)

Mugii loves her chewies

… her towel

… and her bed

She is really a sweetie... Always like us to sayang her... Her docile nature makes her really lovable.. She is very smart but can be stubborn at times but I guess that is the nature of beagles... =) Initially she gets a bit insecure when both me and my hubby go out to work but now she's much better and adjusted to our routine...

She also loves lots of cuddles

We feed her twice a day, morning and evening, and she only poos when we bring her down for walks after her meal... She drinks a lot of water so she pees a lot too.. but now she knows how to pee in the toilet at a particular spot... =) So can say she is kinda home-trained already... =) hehe

We have brought her to a vet near to our place and she is undergoing oral heartworm treatment now cos the vet did another heartworm test for her and she is only mildly positive so he recommended that we just give her the oralmedication and she dun need to undergo the injections! We took that option cos we thought it would be less stress for her... And she is doing very good now! =)

Yes, and I do love you so Daddy

Oh and she loves to chew on bones and she loves the little doggie soft toy I bought for her... =) She has her own "bed" and towel which she needs to have when she sleeps... =) She loves to wrestle with my hubby too... hehe.. =p

At the end of the day, this is a dream that all our rescued
dogs want - a place to lay their head.
It seems they ask for very little, but then again it appears to be an awful lot.

Oh haha the name Mugii came about cos we wanted to give her a Japanese name that is more unique... Initially we tot of MUMU but tot it is difficult to call and we happen to like a husky we saw from another Shelter whose name is GIGI... so we put them both together and form MUGII with the additional "I" behind to make it more different... hehe =pOh btw her crippled leg seemed to be better now with regular exercise and also glucosamine everyday, as recommended by the vet... we will also be sending her for an xray to see what is the problem later on when we solved her heartworm... =)

We are very happy that for Mugii, her journey has finally ended on an extremely happy note thanks to C and her husband who believed in adopting and not buying a new pet.

Now we are left with Bean, the last beagle from the farm rescue. Bean is recovering very well from her malnourishment but she still has to undergo heartworm treatment to eventually sterilisation for her.

We are conducting viewings for Bean and we know if an adopter is serious about Bean, they will wait for her recovery. Call us if you wish to view Bean. Truly she will be worth the wait.

We have always maintained we believe there is a home out there amongst one of you, a special one to every dog we rescue. That home cannot be rushed because God has a plan for each of them. We know somewhere out there, the home is waiting for Bean while she takes a longer time in her journey. She was the one who almost died being the most starved and emaciated of the lot and for her to survive and come this far is already a miracle in itself.

LAMBERT, SWEET LAMBY

Our little lamb has found a home. Hurray!!. Yes, Lambert has a new name too, Roy. He has gone home with S and K and we visited him a few days ago. He was happy to see us but appeared a little concerned that we were gong to take him away, the funny lamb, so he went to hide underneath the table while we were saying our goodbyes, probably hoping we wouldn't see him. That shows how much he loves his new home. He looked with adoring eyes at his adopter throughout our visit. According to S, he is such a well behaved and sweet little dog. He gets two long walks every day and after each walk will obediently follow to have his paws washed in the bathroom.

Roy who has always not been comfortable with being carried allows S to do it with no protests. In a short week or so, Roy is an integral part of S and K lives and we are very happy for them.

Roy went to a vet recently and was discovered to have a small growth beneath his chest. A surgery was done two days ago. Please keep Roy in your prayers as the test results will be known in 10 days time. S and K are a little concerned and so are we. But we also believe that after all this time, the happiness that has eluded Roy has finally come into fruition and it cannot be taken away from him now. Not when he finally has a family who love and cherish him. Yes, Roy deserves the happiness that is in his life now. We are sure that our God is merciful. We will update with a longer write up from S about Roy soon.

Thanks to J and J and family who fostered Roy while he waited for his turn at a new home and showering him with so much love that it made up for the lack in his earlier sad life. We know that Roy would not be what he is today without your kindness and compassion. Thanks also to the rest of his supporters who have encouraged us with your donations, support and emails. Things can only get better for Roy from now on.

CLOUD IS IN HIS HEAVEN

Yes, the skies have opened up for little Cloud, our tiny shivering dog from the middle of the road. He has gone to a new foster home, to a family with two children and they are seriously considering adopting him. The children adore him for Cloud after all, is a dog who is sweet, gentle and mild and all he wants is to "Go Home" and "Be Home".

When we visited a few days back, we were told of how Cloud loves to sleep in the aircon room in his little corner, what a far cry from the rough asphalt tarred road where he was found. We rejoice with Cloud at his new found happiness. Yes, let us hope together that the fluffy white cloud gets to stay forever in his beautiful blue sky.

Cloud owes much of his well being to E and her family for their care when he had nowhere to turn to. They took him in despite their difficulties and ensured that he would have the best to their ability. We owe them our gratitude for their ready support and care.

DOGS FOR ADOPTION

Darling Beauty Coco for Adoption

Name: Coco

Gender : Female

Age : 7 months+

Size : Mid, Lab Cross

Good with people & kids

Coco’s story

Coco is a beautiful jet black glossy coated 7 month old Labrador- cross female dog looking for a home. Loyal and faithful, Coco enjoys gallops and plays. She has been sterilised and healthy, very good with people and children. Is there a home where Coco can live forever and bask in love? She is much too young to stay in a Kennel forever. Regretfully, Coco would not be suitable for HDB dwelling.

Please contact us 98383820 or email to anaterry@singnet.com.sg and we can arrange for a viewing.

Energetic and Fiesty HOPE for Adoption

Breed: Jack Russell

Name: Hope

Gender: Male

Age: 4 years old

Color: Tan/White

Character: Very friendly with human & other dogs. Just like alll JRTs, he sheds due to his thick double coat.

Please contact Candy at mayeight1999@yahoo.com.sg if u can help him. Please help to spread the word if you know of someone who can.

Hope was paralysed more than a year ago and is adopted by a guy working in a vet clinic in Yishun. The previous owner dumped at the clinic to be put to sleep. Now the adopter's daughter has bad asthma so the dog is up for adoption. The guy actually designed the wheelchair himself and got a hardware shop to build it.

Please help him if you are able, he's still so energetic, so full of life. It would be a shame to have to put Hope down through no fault of his own. You can see this video on how well Hope moves around despite his disability, don't you think he deserves a chance : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY8TwVXrNs8 .

If there is a chance at life, there is always a hope.

DOGS FOR ADOPTION: Our RATS Pack

Our rescued dogs, The RATS Pack are up for Adoption

We have 6 wonderful dogs with great personalities and temperaments for adoption
Milo, Horlicks, Junior. Mama Brown, Cara and Coco our precious sweethearts

We invite you to view the individual dogs and their profile http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/
Please call us if you wish to view them or get to know them better.

Beautiful Coco for Adoption http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/2009/07/beautiful-beauty-coco-for-adoption.html

Playful Junior - Neutered male http://theratspackadoption.blogspot.com/2009/05/playful-junior-for-adoption.htm

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

ANIMAL LOVERS LEAGUE ONLINE SHOP

Animal Lovers League is very pleased to showcase beautiful pet products for your precious pets. Cute tee-shirts, uniquely hand crafted pet collars, comfortable beds and doggy carrier bags, among many other items are on sale at affordable prices. These items are not only nice to look at but they are of good quality, easy to maintain and washable. By purchasing one of our beautiful products you not only get a good quality item but you are also supporting us in our cause. Revenue from their sales are donated to the ALL kennel dogs and cats. Please visit http://animalloversleague-onlineshop.blogspot.com/ or ALL's web site under Merchandise for prices and more information on these products and how to order.

Help us spread the message,

Don't buy a pet, Please consider Adopting

There are many dogs and cats, and other pets looking for homes.