Ash The Husky

2010-09-29T10:27:00.000+08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T10:00:00.001+08:00

MeowMeow's new food!

2010-09-27T13:54:00.001+08:00

I was thinking of changing Meowmeow's food to Sanabelle instead of Max Kat. Although I don't own her, but I figured if I can afford a better brand of food for her, why not.

I went down to WOP again on a mission to get new food(partly because they brought in Marukan treats and I wanted to buy some for Ash!).

Anyway, back to our topic, so I bought 2 packs as they were on Promo: 2 for SGD$10 (400g per pack). I bought their new range, Sanabelle Adult with Fine Trout. (pictured above)

And I can't stop feeding meowmeow, I find her sitting at the same little drain, waiting for dinner everyday when I get home. Imagine if I'm not around, what would happen to her? What if she have nothing to eat, what if she starves and gets bullied again by ignorant humans/other animals?

When I first saw her she was so skinny, I could see her bones sticking out when she moves.

I've been feeding her Max Kat / Sanabelle Adult with Fresh Poultry mixed with Tiki Cat- Tuna & Mackerel (pictured below). I bought a whole tray (12) of Tiki Cat to fatten her up.And I'm pleased to find more than 70% real fish meat in the can instead of minced garbage, and they smell good.

Actually I'm pretty lucky because Meowmeow is not picky with food, or maybe due to the fact that she cannot afford to choose. But whatever I've put out for her up to this date, she finished them all. Sometimes I really really wish I could bring her home, but due to the fact that I'm 80% not home, and it'll probably be mum taking care of her, plus dad isn't really excited about anything with fur, I decided to just do whatever I can for her.

Ingredient list for Tiki Cat- Tuna & Mackerel:

Tuna, Mackerel, Tuna Broth, Sunflower Seed Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate Heptahydrate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Manganese Sulfate Mono-Hydrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Ferrous Sulfate Monohydrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate, Folic Acid, Vitamin K3, Vitamin B12 Supplement

Ingredient list for Sanabelle Adult with Fine Trout:

Fresh poultry meat meal,maize, barley, animal fat,trout meal (min. 5 %),liver (dehydrated), hydrolysed meat, greaves (dehydrated), fresh meat meal, powdered egg (dehydrated), cellulose fibres, beet pulp (sugar removed), linseed, fish oil, yeast (dehydrated), potassium chloride, cranberry (dehydrated), bilberry (dehydrated), mussel powder (NZ) green lipped mussel extract max. 0.25 % (nutritionally supports formation and function of cartilage), chicoree powder, blooms of marigold (dehydrated), yucca extracts (dehydrated).

Ash and the raspberry cake

2010-09-23T15:32:00.000+08:00

Ash [ ooohhhh~ smells good! ]

Daddy [ Ash, you can't eat cake. ]
Ash [ pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ]

Daddy [ ...just one raspberry. NO cake. ]
Ash [ nyomnyomnyom ]

Wordless Wednesday - Meow always do this after she eats

2010-09-22T17:20:00.001+08:00

Xiao Meow Meow

2010-09-20T14:50:00.001+08:00

Here's a photo of the kitty I've been feeding recently.

My first encounter with her was 2 weeks ago:

She was repeatedly bullied by a boy staying at my block who sprays at her with a water bottle. It wasn't enough for him to just chase her away, he waited near the drain where she was hiding for her to come out so he could spray at her again.

When he ran out of patience, he passed his bottle to his maid and ran off to play. The moment meowmeow comes out, he immediately ran to the maid asking for his bottle to spray at her again.

So orbigoot for him, my sister saw him doing that and gave him a long scolding and lecture about bullying defenseless animals and now when he sees my sister, he walks the other way or hide somewhere without coming near meowmeow.

And since then, we've been feeding meowmeow.

I bought that bowl for her so I won't be caught littering (haha!).

I bought it from Wizard of Paws, and it's ant-proof, elevated from the ground.

to this PET shop: STOP your nonsense.

2010-09-17T10:21:00.002+08:00

I presume, everyone has their fair share of encounters with bad groomers.

The severity usually range from a wrong fur-cut, to ill advices, and even the most jialat I've experienced was groomers nicking the dog accidentally and drew blood.

This case which I am going to share, brings the severity list to a new high. Cutting off 1/3 of a dog's tongue. Can you even imagine it? It's unthinkable!

Wapi - Before grooming

Wapi - After grooming on 28 August 2010

The best part is, the groomer delayed the veterinary report from Wapi's owner for 10 days before releasing it to them at their insistence. Please see below for the SMS conversation shared between the groomer (also the owner of the shop) and Wapi's owner.

Note the dates.

The reason why they couldn't retrieve the report straight from the Vet is because they (vet) are affiliated with the shop, and due to uncertain reasons, Wapi's owner HAD to go through the groomer to receive the report.

From Wapi Aware:

We called the Vet on 31 Aug 2010

2nd sept 2010 - We asked again! - they say the scanner is down

4th sept 2010 - We ASKED AGAIN! - they r out of town. How convenient.

6th Sept 2010 - we find out the report was just WRITTEN ON THAT DAY ITSELF!

Vet report. Notice the date.

From Wapi Aware:

The Vet, can refuse to release the veterinary Report to the rightful owners of the pet.

Because the groomer was the one, that registered with them. Even if the groomer was the one that caused the injury?

We had to wait so many days 28th aug 2010 - 6th Sept 2010. Just to receive this.

We needed this information when seeking a 2nd opinion from another vet. But the delay was unacceptable... 10 days!!

When we called the vet, he said that the report needs to be "TYPED". And they will release the report to the groomer only.

10 days later we collected this "PIECE OF TOILET PAPER" from the groomer.

Up till today, there were no action taken against that groomer/owner of the PET shop who should STOP their nonsense.

From Wapi Aware:

CASE - " The best outcome you can hope for is contract compensation."

SPCA - " Unfortunately,there is no jurisdiction in Singapore on groomers causing grievous hurt to pets. We can only refer you to AVA".
...
AVA - HAVE STOPPED INVESTIGATION!

I have since decided to BOYCOTT this pet shop and never visit them again. Not just based on this, but because of my own experiences with them.

Remember this post on Ash's bad grooming? It was done by them.

Remember in 2009 there was a mini bull terrier case - Xena? It was they who sold Xena away for $150 (without proper screening) all the while still receiving payment from the couple who boarded her there while looking for potential adopters for Xena. - from what I understood

And in early 2009 when I was still patronizing them because of convenience, I ever found BUGS crawling around in their rawhides. Can you imagine how long the stock has been lying there without anyone checking it? I've also received a huge pack of avoderm before with not 1 or 2, but many many worms and bugs crawling in it. (but that can be the supplier's and not their fault).

Too many too many bad reviews heard and experienced from them which caused me to feel that they're in it purely for the money. Disgusted. Utterly disgusted.

For Wapi's facebook page dedicated to this case -- Wapi Aware

Last but not least, for information on the petshop:

PET shop, please STOP your unethical ways.

The groomer (also the owner) is called Eric as seen in the SMS conversation.

They have 3 branches in Singapore, I can only name 2 from published info & personal experience:

Serangoon (Wapi's case)
East Wood (My case)

Update on 20 September 2010

I walked by the Eastwood branch on 17 September 2010, and I peeped in through their glass doors. I spotted another bug inside the packaging of the milk bone treats. I seriously thought they wouldn't commit this kind of mistake again until I saw the Greenish-black spot move around in the packaging.

Disappointed.

Disclaimer: All photo credits goes to Wapi Aware.

Rehome: Tiger

2010-09-15T10:30:00.005+08:00

Hi friends, I am posting on behalf of Wizard of Paws.

This sweet little boy here, Tiger, is up for rehoming.

Name: Tiger

Gender: Male

Breed: Golden Retriever

Not HDB approved.

From my understanding, Tiger was abandoned at WOP after the (ex)owners decided to go MIA after weeks of 'boarding'.

This is not the 1st time this has happened. The first time round, they mentioned they wanted to re-home Tiger, but decided to take him back. Then after a month or two, Tiger is back again for 'boarding'.

He's such a sweet fella, always happy to receive attention and hugs, tail wagging happily.

However, he needs medical attention to his weak hind legs as he chews on them which causes him to limp.

(his previous owners said this is 'normal' wtf)

It's really sad to see him lying there alone with really sad eyes, and I'm not exaggerating when I say his eyes light up when you approach. It's literal!

~~Please spread this news around and contact Wizard of Paws if you're interested!~~

~~WOP Facebook~~

~~Contact no: 64403297~~

Update on 20 September 2010:

Tiger was brought back by his owners as they've found a new home for him. Hope you are blessed wherever you go Tiger boy.

Update on 21 September 2010

Tiger is up for rehoming again. The reason they gave was: Couple broke up, so dog given up for adoption. Please see here and contact the person mentioned if you can give Tiger a good home.

Chester Day!

2010-08-31T10:06:00.000+08:00

Today I want to introduce an adorable boy to everyone. Call him 'Chester'

I've never liked dogs with folds in their faces, like shar pei, pugs, bulldogs..etc, but he, Chester, was the one who made me fall head over heels for him. He is a French Bull Dog.

However we think that he has a mix of Boston Terrier in his blood due to his appearance.

It was the first of the many meetings I had with Chester and co. at WOP. I was a sales intern then, trying to get his owners on-board. I failed in that aspect, but I gained so much more in terms of friendship and priceless memories.

He is the Boss in WOP, the 老大 (when Chewbacca the mini Maltese isn't there). He guards his territory with fervent vigor and scares 80% of unwitting humans who walks in. Many assumes that he is aggressive and because Chester is so manly and hunky looking, and he has a deep and loud voice when he 'speaks'.

But you know, this hunky guy here has a soft spot for girls. He loves to curl up by your leg once he knows you better. He goes crazy with men though, jumps up and down because he knows that females should be treated gently, but not men.

He has a sad history of being abused, which involves bloody paws. Nevertheless, he's in a very nice place now, with many hugs from his new family members. He guards their 3 month old baby very diligently too. How sweet is that!

Look at his paws! <3

I go crazy when I see his paws because I can't stop pressing them! So cushion-y!

Such an adorable sleeping face. :)

He actually loves being pat (a lot) by anyone.

If you new to WOP and hear him barking, just walk slowly towards him.

Squat down, stretch out your hand towards him and let him sniff you.

I shall leave you guys with one last photo of him:

"BANG!"

Body Language.

2010-08-23T16:29:00.000+08:00

Ash to the beach!

2010-08-17T17:49:00.000+08:00

On our way there...

We reached Sentosa around 12nn and met up with the guys who already 'chope' an area for us.

Ash staring at a leashed Shi Tzu. But his posture looks alert but not aggressive leh... tail down, ears perked, but no growling or snarling.

Rabbit family shot

Fave past time, playing with Ash's furry ears.

"Mummy, no more photos please......"

Distract him with something... and he wakes up again! hee!

And for people who follow me on twitter/facebook, you will already know that Ash met with an accident at Tanjong Beach that day.

INCIDENT ONE

After we set up our spot, bf and me brought Ash (leashed) for a quick dip in the waters before other dogs come by. However on our way there, an unleashed Labrador puppy made a bee-line dash (not aggressive,should be just wanting to make friends) towards Ash while I was trying to pull him in the opposite direction. But I was too late and a dog-fight ensued.

It was pretty one-sided because of the huge size difference, and all I could hear was the puppy crying out (more like screaming). My mind went totally blank at that point of time and all I could remember doing was to pull Ash in the opposite direction and bf running over to stop Ash. Apparently from witnesses (bf and friends), Ash grabbed the pup by her waist and tossed her in the air.

The puppy had no puncture wounds and appeared to be unharmed except for the shock. But I wouldn't know because I had no contact with her. However she (the pup) was running around as though nothing was wrong 10 minutes later.

But at that point, I felt so terrible. After that first meeting with the unleashed pup, another unleashed mini Schnauzer 不怕死 ran over and stood between us and our 'spot'. That was my last straw and I broke down crying while hugging Ash tightly to me until the mini Schnauzer ran off.

The feeling of the whole incident was so terrible, because of the guilt I felt for the Labpup - the mental repercussions it might have on her, and the pain I had to inflict on Ash by choking him so he will stop.

It was so horrible. I can't imagine people who let their dogs run around biting other dogs/humans, don't they feel ANYTHING?

I wrote this in PC forum:

By posting this here, my main motive is to share my point of view with everyone. There are some who might feel that their dogs are too small to cause any harm, too friendly to cause any dog-fight, but it happens. Because not all dogs are friendly, and you cannot ban such dogs (like us) to frequent the beach just because of this.

I fulfilled my responsibility by leashing Ash everywhere, and I keep a distance from other dogs/animals because I know what will happen.

A lot of heart-ache and pain could be saved if everyone does their part.

If you cannot ensure your dog will come back to you under any circumstances (excited with a new 'friend' / incoming vehicle), please keep a close watch on him/her and do not assume that other dogs are as friendly and welcoming.

P.S.
And please, if you ever encounter people coming up to you giving a warning, "Please try to keep your dogs away from mine as he's not very welcoming towards other dogs" don't treat it personally and reply with ,"We have no intention of going near your dogs", because we are not referring to your intentions, but your dog's.

INCIDENT TWO
After that first incident, we moved to a bigger shelter where we tied Ash to one of the pillar. Along came a Pug and Silky Terrier and I was praying they won't be unleashed. But surprise! They unleashed the 2 dogs and I got bf to go over and warn them just in case the same tossing accident happens.

But they were so defensive and I got so pissed off. Accidents happen for a reason. I definitely did not want any dogs coming near Ash, and I doubt the Labpup's owner had the intention to bring their pup over to meet Ash. It's always the dog's intention, not the human's.

All I can say is, at least the Labpup escaped in one piece because of Ash's bite inhibition.

Stopping him from chasing another unleashed mini Schnauzer with no owners in sight.

INCIDENT THREE
We finally went back after seeing a Golden R, Rottie, Mongrel, and German Shepard, all unleashed at the beach.

While walking to the car, we stopped by a showering area and tried to clean Ash a little. I saw a Mongrel from the corner of my eyes and told Bf to hold Ash firmly. Both of us practically pinned Ash to the wall, while he was staring intently at the Mongrel.

Oh did I mention the Mongrel was unleashed? Yes. It was unleashed. And the blonde caucasian lady (presumed to be its owner) pushed the tap and gathered water in her cupped palms and slowly walked over to her dog and tried feeding it, which it didn't want.

She did this twice. All while bf and I was pinning Ash to the wall. And it's not like we were very far apart. It was a close proximity and dangerously close at that.

Sigh, seriously. It would be a much better place if everyone were more cautious and sensitive of their surroundings.

I want fooooooooood~

2010-08-10T20:50:00.000+08:00

Time for Om Nyom Nyom! :D

Feline + 1 Canine Friends at WOP

2010-08-08T12:00:00.000+08:00

Went to Wizard of Paws last weekend and snapped photos of their resident kitties.

This is Baby #2 (B2), a male British Shorthair and very affectionate. :3

He is very cute and chubby and looks like a little Siberian tiger! My secondary school friend recently got a British Shorthair kitten and he looks just like a miniature of B2. They are very affectionate, likes attention, and love to be petted (excerpt from wikipedia)

This is Didi (弟弟/Little Brother)

A funny guy who loves catnips and playing with toys.

He used to be very timid and always hid in the cupboard (did I mention he can open cupboards by himself, and close them after he jumps in?). I'm so glad he's more at ease at WOP and is venturing all around the shop front!

And I met the scariest GR I've seen in my life.

He's a sweet boy, but doesn't trust humans easily.

I approached and he snarled. Bf swung his hands near him and he got into his aggressive pose, crouching and

ready to bite. Kinda scary to see a breed like Golden Retrievers snarling. It's probably not well socialised, but at least when I offered him treats (a very long one), he took it gently enough.

Hope his owner will be bringing him home soon and give him lots of love! Poor boy.

Does it look... familiar?

2010-08-06T12:00:00.001+08:00

Can you remember where you've seen these action of his?

Heh, Click for the answer!

Top Left:

I call this the super fat pose.

Center:

Complaining when I am baking.

超不爽的脸 .

Bottom left:

Neutral Pose.

I'm actually in the process of creating something for Ash's blog.. but it's a secret for now! Hehe! So excited! :D

Black and White Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T12:00:00.001+08:00

A post from Ash's Daddy.

2010-08-03T10:14:00.001+08:00

I have be with ash for a year and 6 months. There are many ups and down. My first time with a dog many people wouldn't want to keep a dog as it is a lot of hard work, cleaning the house and feeding him and walking him all these isn't fun it's responsibilities for caring a dog but i do admit there are fun time walking him and playing with him.

When i'm happy, ash is happy and run around me. When i'm sad he will come sit with me and give me his paw he is a great friend and a family member to me. Ash can't speak but his action alone speaks a thousand words. Like they say action speak louder than words.

He always want to sleep with me, in the same room because he is afraid of being alone just like me and he would sleep below my bed and guard me while i'm asleep. If anyone rings my doorbell he would bark out loud to notify me and if the intruder has bad intention , he would run away the moment ash barked.

I do admit his fur is ~~crazy~~ insane and always in the house,my clothes and on my cpu but it's a small price to pay to have a great friend like this. Never once i come home without him greeting me and pouncing on me and never once he would growl at me even if i accidentally stepped on him while getting out of bed. He would just stare at me and go back to sleep and i would say sorry while patting his head.

When comes to feeding the word 'MUM MUM' would wake the sleepiest moment of his and come rushing towards me it is more effective than his name when i call for him.

I would like to thank my friends and officer back in camp to allow me to keep ash and taught me how to raise a dog. Ash is 9 years old this year but he is ever hyper when comes to walk. People had kept asking me to train him well to walk slowly but i prefer him to pull me to get me moving. It might be harsh on my girlfriend to walk him cause shes small sized but nevertheless i always enjoy walking with him. And no matter how late or early he would be glad to go for a ~~walk~~ drag me.

I love my dog, ash. To me he is a family member and a great friend. If only he can start going to school for me. Sigh... Just kidding . Almost forgotten the most important details of all.. without ash my darling wouldn't like me ! Cause at first sight somehow i pissed her off and she hated me but ash manage to clam her down and she saw my good side! Love you darling.

Apple & Cheese Doggy Treats

2010-08-02T15:28:00.002+08:00

Thank you Rossi mummy for sharing the recipe with me.

I think the type of flour really change the texture of the treats. I couldn't get wheat flour at my cold storage, so had to use what I have -- unbleached all purpose flour.

Plus I think the water content from the applesauce was so much that the treats were not able to dry out completely. (I followed the amount of flour exactly on the recipe).Good for doggies who have few / weak teeth because it's soft and chewy.

I piped it into braids instead of adding more flour to roll it out and sent it into the oven to bake. The dark circles you see on the 2nd pic are actually cheddar cheese which melted during baking. This is one doggy treat which drove Ash crazy from the smell.

Ash is very food motivated, I realised. When he was getting his nails + pawpad fur clipped, he struggled a lot. But once I threw these to him, he stopped his struggling and started to focus on his chewing. HAHA!

But I'm so happy because his paw-pads are now clean, nails short, and the fur in between his paw-pads are trimmed nicely. :) Thank you Wizard of Paws!

Lovey Dovey

2010-07-31T13:28:00.001+08:00

Some old photos of Ash and me. I particularly like this picture a lot because of the eye contact between us, and the way my hand is resting on his head, nice flow which continues all the way to the flick of his tail. The only thing I wished I could have changed is probably the messy background.

More photos from this set after the cut:

Short update on Ash

2010-07-26T11:31:00.000+08:00

On a typical walk, Ash is the sled dog, and we are the sled.

Shaving your Husky...

2010-07-23T11:19:00.001+08:00

may be a very wrong choice.

For people like me, who are first time owner of Siberian Huskies or any double-coat breed, and was stupid enough to fully trust a groomer who said, "...shaving a husky keeps them cool." , and not do research beforehand, please think twice.

I was one of those who shaved my husky and I am not proud of it.

BEFORE

Proud, Majestic, Beautiful Coat

AFTER GROOMING

It wasn't a clean shave, he got cut at least 5 times. And it was plain ugly and torturous for him.

We could not bring him out for walks until late at night for fear he would get sun burnt.

Ash hid in the laundry room for weeks and he refused to be in front of any reflective surfaces.

After around 4-5 months

Now he's a white lamb with the exception of his facial markings.

I don't love Ash any less because of his markings/coat, but I really regret putting him through the torture of the bad grooming experience, especially after seeing his cuts.

So fellow dog lovers, mummys/daddys, please don't go down my path.

Double coated breeds should only be shaved only for medical reasons because their coat protects them from various elements like temperature, and sun burns.

Do you know their coat keeps them warm when its cold and cold when it's warm? That's why they are very adaptable to extreme temperatures, be it arctic or tropical like Singapore.

Peanut Butter with Oats Treats

2010-07-13T10:03:00.001+08:00

It didn't turn out dry and hard, but Ash loves it nevertheless. :D

And he'll be extra gentle if I dip this in applesauce. So adorable!!!

Ash cannot be a food taster if I ever want to do doggy treats business... he eats everything I bake!
Hahaha!

Baking baking baking!

2010-07-08T10:17:00.001+08:00

Remember I mentioned I'm baking Apple Pie last weekend?

I baked Earl Grey Tea Cookies instead.

and as for Ash...

He contributed by singing to me while I baked.

And seriously, he stayed right outside the kitchen like that until he fell asleep. HAHA!!!

He got spanked on his butt for ah-wooing late at night by Daddy and scolded by me. ):

I made it up to him after seeing him reflecting on his mistakes by making Peanut Butter Biscuits!

I tried one of his and... its tasteless because of zero sugar but smells of peanut butter!

...but I think I screwed up somewhere cos the recipe said it's supposed to be very hard biscuits... and mine is more like.. rubbery chewy texture leh.

Gonna try again this weekend!

Exciting Weekend

2010-07-06T11:56:00.000+08:00

I thought he was reacting to my camera shutter... but I realise it cannot be, because I've been shooting him for the past 15 minutes.

Less than 1 min later he got even more excited than the 2nd pic and that's when I saw a....

flew past my head...

I screaaaaammmmed and ran into Bf's room and shut the door.

Then I looked at Bf, "Oh shit. Ash is still outside trying to catch the bee! HOWHOWHOW!!!"

Bf, *Opens door* "Ash! Come here"

Ash came bounding in happily, oblivious of the danger.

And that's how we spent 1 hour hiding in the room with all windows and doors closed. ):

Vote for me!

2010-06-30T00:33:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone! I've submitted this photo of Ash for Chic Magazine's competition!!!

The winner will get published on the cover and a bigger picture in the magazine. ((:

Vote for Ash by 'liking' the Chic Magazine's fan page first, then like his photo.

If you know of anyone who likes Huskies / Ash, please get them to vote for him too!! :D

Vote for ASH THE HUSKY here!

Note:
30 'likes' would get him published in the Magazine, but smaller image.

Hi Paw, Hi Feet

2010-06-29T23:02:00.000+08:00

Mini Apple Pie Idea!

2010-06-28T15:53:00.003+08:00

[via]

I am going to bake some mini apple pies this weekend...

...and I bet Ash will give me his never-ending puppy eyes as per below:

He's been doing this for the past 2 weeks ever since I put him on weekends raw diet.

The moment he's done with his raw meal he would look at me (in the kitchen) with this face until I tell him,

"No more! Go find papa."

And he'll trot off to find bf...

...only to head back to the kitchen 2min later to check whether I'm serious about my 'No more.'

Unleash!

2010-06-25T12:00:00.003+08:00

Daddyyyy~ Where are you going?

More pics after cut

Yup yup, walking in the right direction.

Roaming his territory.

Hmmm?

Oh yea, forgot to mark this side :D

PETS Mag

2010-06-23T12:00:00.004+08:00

The new issue of PETS magazine is out now!

There's a beautiful bi-colour eyes Husky in this issue, and do you know how much a Tibetan Mastiff cost?

3k?

6k?

Wrong!! It's freaking SGD$30k!!!! :0

====

I love reading about things I like. For example: Pets, Illustration, Baking, Fashion.

For now, I've put aside my illustrations and baking to concentrate on pets (ASHYYY *snuggles*). As for fashion, well, part of my job is to practically read all the local mags cover to cover. haha!

I wonder how well the pets magazine industry is doing. There's so few of them out there, and the pet shop I frequent only carry PETS and that's how I got to know about it.

I will post an illustration of Ash if I ever did it. I'm rusty at the art now.

Well, anyway, catch a copy if you can! It's $5 for a mag filled with info (they even have first-aid info like CPR for your dogs in case of emergencies)!

Would be good if they have a section for shelter updates or past stories on puppy mills, to create awareness about the homeless/abandoned dogs in sg and their stories.

Weekend Menu

2010-06-21T21:53:00.001+08:00

Breakfast:

1 Addiction (Canned)
Herbed Duck Confit & Sweet Potatoes

Place: Pet Shop
Price: approx $5 - 6

1 Raw Egg

Place: Any Supermarket / Wet Market
Size: Medium
Price: $2 for a pack of 10

I placed the whole egg into his bowl but he didn't know how to crack it, so I did the job and he ate everything up :DD

Eggs shells are good sources of calcium.

Dinner:

2 Sutchi Fillets
PANGASIUS HYPOPHTHALMUS

Place: Cold Storage
Price: $5 for a frozen pack of 5

Taken out from the freezer and thawed overnight in the fridge before feeding.

Notes:
Ash finally pooped after that 2 days, the stools were compact and not watery at all. Hardens and becomes chalk-like if left in the air for awhile.

Amount of poop decreased.

His fur definitely feels better (soft) and I see him with better energy! He used to be sleeping/lying around the whole day, granted that he's senior (9), but it's good to see him with more life nowadays. :)

Dog Mill Rehomers Adoption Drive

2010-06-21T15:15:00.001+08:00

This group of dog rescuers pooled their resources together in April 2010 to save 85 breeding dogs from a breeder (puppy-mill) in Pasir Ris.

As time passes, some were adopted, some unfortunately passed on due to in-breeding problems, some are fostered and recovering from their sicknesses, and some are waiting for their perfect human to bring them home.

Now they are holding an adoption drive this weekend to find perfect homes for these ex-breeding dogs who deserve to be part of a loving family!

If you have a home and heart big enough for them, please come down and take a look! See you guys there!

Adoption Drive
Venue: Mutt and Mittens 11 Pasir Ris Farmway 2.
Area: Front Carpark Area, Opposite the Pet Hotel.

Time: 11:00am - 5:30pm
Date: 26 & 27 June 2010 (Weekend)

Requests:

Please do not bring your dogs
Please park along the road

Please click HERE for their official FB event page.

*Disclaimer- Information taken from Dogmillrehomers FB page and Blog*

Kuning

2010-06-18T18:00:00.020+08:00

Ash swallowed the raw snapper fillets whole though, didn't see him chew at all, but he chewed the Kuning well before swallowing them.

The first fish he tried flopped all over the floor cus they keep slipping out of his mouth. My guess is that he has never tried raw fishes before, but he soon solved that. The subsequent 4 fishes I fed him the next day went down very well.

I fed him yoghurt before I tried any raw diet to prep his digestive track, and I've not seen any watery stools. On the contary, he hasn't pooped for 2 days. -_-

Is it the 'maximum digestion' from raw food or I'm not feeding him enough?

Menu for the Day

4 Yellowstripe Scad / Kuning

Selaroides leptolepis (Cuvier)

Place: Shop n Save
Length: Approx 12 cm each
Price: $1.97 for a pack of 9

1 Raw Egg

Place: Any Supermarket / Wet Market
Size: Medium
Price: $2 for a pack of 10

Keeping Track of Food

2010-06-18T17:31:00.000+08:00

I've decided to keep track of what I feed Ash from now on for reference as I really hope to migrate him to BARF diet instead of commercial dog food. Or if bf cannot keep up, at least a half half.

As of now, he is still on Avoderm Lamb & Rice, which I decided to totally boycott after reading about Copper Sulphate from Genevieve's. Gonna change his kibbles, but that's a post for another day. haha!

Therefore, I'll post his progress on his diet on this blog and what he had for that day.

I will try to video Ash eating them, but it's kinda hard when he nyoms through them in record time.

Every post that is on his diet will be labelled with 'Food Intake'.
And also with the various other categories like:

Raw Fishes
Raw Meat
Treats
Food-others (for things like probiotics/supplements/eggs/kibbles if any)

Raw Fish

2010-06-16T17:12:00.002+08:00

Been thinking of feeding fish to Ash for quite awhile for their nutrients (eg. Omega 3, 6).

I wasn't too sure on how Ash would take to raw fish as he has been on kibbles for as long as I know (with the exception of the occasional eggs/hcf).

First I had the problem of choosing the 'correct' fish. I went to the nearest Cold Storage near bf's place when he was out. I intended to buy Sardines packed in water, but they are either packed in brine(which has oil in their ingredients list) or packed in spring water but costs about $15 for one small can.

As I walked around, I saw salmon, sutchi fillets, snapper fillets, cod fish.. etc.

Then I had the fear of buying something that might potentially kill him.

I went back home, googled, read forum topics, and I concluded that basically we can feed any type of fish.

The main reason why I want to feed raw fish is because Ash has skin sensitivity (which basically most dogs have due to the humidity in Singapore), and his vet sold me this Skin X Coat supplement which is firstly, expensive and secondly, if I can feed him natural food which provides these nutrients and more, why not?

====

So I tried feeding Ash raw Snapper fillets last Sunday. He took to it immediately! I cut it into slices and he just gobbled them up in less than a minute!

Apparently he likes raw fish fillets haha! No pics here as he's just too fast!

I don't know if the yoghurt that I put him on 2 days before actually helped, but no loose stools, and actually less stools!

Therefore we promoted him to whole fish. Bf drove us to this 24 hour supermarket to source for fish. I spotted Kuning fish, the one we always see in nasi lemak, or the universal name is 'Yellow-Stripe Scad".

I washed the fish, but with the innards intact, and Ash was standing right outside the kitchen looking very excited. He couldn't bite through the fish initially, maybe he has never tried raw fish before. Haha!

Be forewarned though, it definitely smells very very fishy (pun not intended), and don't look too closely if you know you'd get grossed out by the innards spilling out of your dog's mouth.

Neck exercise

2010-06-16T14:17:00.001+08:00

YouTube Video

キ-フア
Blogpress from my iPhone

Tumblr page for photos

2010-06-09T09:57:00.001+08:00

Hi everyone, I've recently set up a TUMBLR page for Ash.

I find it easy to use, especially when I want to post photos from my Iphone, Tumblr actually optimises the resolution to fit their border width, which makes it a pleasure to read/browse through.

Unlike blogger where I have to select 'large', 'x-large', and I can't do all that on my iphone. If I tweeked the size of the photos (for blogger) in my iphone, it will come out pixelated on screen. Bah.

This blog is still here to stay, but I don't really have the time to craft a proper blog post everyday/ frequently. I'll get down to it and post more once time permits.

Meanwhile, if you guys want more of Ash's photos (which I can post easily on the go), please head to:

http://ashandme.tumblr.com/

2010-06-08T22:34:00.001+08:00

COME

K9 kulture a-dog-tion drive

2010-06-05T23:53:00.005+08:00

K9 KULTURE at Turf Club Rd (right beside the entrance signboard of Turf City)

Ash couldn't go cause of his behavioral issues . The last image is of him whining at the balcony when we set off. He poked his head in between the bars. Sorry Ashy. ):

Recommendation Request:

We are looking for boarding options for Ash for 3 days in early October.

We would board him at wop, unless they are unable to take him in due to his behavioural issues. Therefore we're looking for 2nd options in case.

Readers do you have any recommendations?

キ-フア
Blogpress from my iPhone

New treats!!

2010-06-05T23:36:00.002+08:00

Bought new treats for ash today. Wanted to get the usual dehydrated fish for him, but it's still out of stock.

So I got another type of dehydrated fish. 3 types in fact, since they are on promo. As usual, Ash likes them.

I got him this chicken flavoured bone, Ash loves it. But they stain his fur and teeth so I'm limiting his consumption of it.

Good thing Ash isn't food aggresive at all. Although he does try to move his bone away if I try to grab it, but no growling or biting.

YouTube Video

キ-フア
Blogpress from my iPhone

Watermelon

2010-06-01T14:10:00.002+08:00

Have I told you guys before? Ash loves fruit/ food. He never once rejected any food we gave him.

I can't find the video of him chasing the watermelon and nipping at the flesh, but that what's left of the fruit when he was done with it.

He had his whole head in the watermelon and being a round fruit, it turned into a rolling game. Haha!

====

[UPDATE on 03 June 10] 

I FOUND THE VIDEO HEHEHEHHEHEHE!!!
Sadly, it is no longer on boyfriend's phone, and can only be found on facebook. If anyone knows of a way to insert videos from facebook as an embedded object in blogger, please let me know alright! Much thanks.

Click HERE to view the video.
Or if you're a fan of ASH in facebook, it's on his wall too.

====

キ-フア
Blogpress from my iPhone

Doggy Treats: HOW I GET EM

2010-05-18T22:27:00.000+08:00

Daddy's home!

Approach.Greet daddy.Read Body Language.

Greaaaat! Daddy's giving me positive body language.
Next step, ask nicely. But being me, I'm always too excited or, gan chiong, so I gave two paws in the hope that it will up my chances.

It will normally work at this point.

BUT NOT TODAY! ):

But it's alright. I have my secret weapon (which is an innate ability to all doggy friends).

PUPPY EYES!

No human I know is immune to this!

Now can I haz treats?

Operation Treats - SUCCESS!

15.05.2010

2010-05-16T22:58:00.001+08:00

Yawwn~

Zzzz

2010-05-11T22:20:00.000+08:00

Zzzzzzz

Close-up

Zzzzz *Flick ears*

Whatttttt!

'Daddy haven't you heard of, Let a sleeping dog lie???'

btw check out Ash's spanking new name tag! :D

Grooming!

2010-05-05T22:22:00.000+08:00

Look at our floor, it's never cleared of fur even if we vacuum every single day. So moral of the story, if you're a cleanliness freak, DO NOT get a dog that sheds perpetually every second (read: Siberian Husky).

For us, it's more like this:

*Fur flies past*

Kifa: " EH ASH! SEE! That's your fur! :D"
Ash: "...??"

That's only 10 minutes and he's still not done blowing his coat totally.

Anyway, we scheduled Ash for a grooming session at Wizard of Paws last Saturday. Hahahah! Ash was so excited on the way there, he couldn't sit still in Adam's car.

After his (very long) shower, waiting to be blow-dried

In the midst of grooming, Ash wasn't very cooperative and he broke their shaver, head of the blower (or whatever it's called), and the door lock.

Just the shaver alone is 3 digits! Good thing Adam laoban was very understanding if not my pocket is going to hate me. Sob sob.

And he almost bit another customer's Goldie when I stepped out for lunch across the road. Which of course he didn't because... right... ADAM saves the day, stopped him in time. Haha!

But side-tracking, really need to get him exposed and socialised with other dogs and animals, but not sure how long it will take. But meanwhile, Calvin and I will be keeping an 2 pairs of eyes on him! O_O o_o

Okay, back to grooming:

Excited!!

Super super soft coat after grooming.
Clipped off the rough part of his fur, but letting it grow out after this, and...

UNDERCOAT BEGONE~!Heheheheh!

Kpo other doggies' water bowl (provided by WOP)

Hahahahah! And last but not least...

Here's Ash's hind leg waving 'byebye' to you!

BACK...

2010-05-02T23:07:00.001+08:00

with pictures!

Ash got groomed, and we visited his possible sister-to-be!

Wednesday

2010-04-28T20:53:00.001+08:00

Nutri Vet: Healthy Coat

2010-04-27T23:40:00.004+08:00

Treats for sharing with...

1st May 2010, Saturday:

2nd May 2010, Sunday:

Photo credit for Doris goes to Shan, and Chewbacca goes to Sheena :D

Nutri Vet Healthy Coat... well, promotes healthy coat with Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Have to do some research on whether this brand is good, Ash likes the one for Hip & Joints but its only 133mg of Glucosamine per wafer.

For his weight, he probably needs 3 X 500g Glucosamine. Considering getting him the Glucosamine for his hind legs!

Durian Sunday

2010-04-26T00:24:00.000+08:00

I got nipped by Ash today!

We were having Durian (Ash's a big fan of that, his eyes will sparkle when he sees/smell durian ), and I peeled a piece of flesh for Ash to lick... and got myself nipped on my index finger.

Haha! Could see internal blood welling inside. I totally don't want to be a squirrel being chased (and caught) by ANY dogs next lifetime. Just look at his incisors man!

After that nip, I changed my feeding method. I put them on my palm and let him lick it off. hahaha! Now as I'm blogging, that nip became a pimple-ish looking thing.

Gonna send Ash for grooming very soon! Deshed all his undercoat + hopefully groomer can remedy the horrible cut. AND...hopefully Ash will behave himself! *fingers crossed*

Friends at Wizard of Paw

2010-04-22T22:33:00.000+08:00

Chester

Super attention seeking French Bulldog, and he will always walk over to your side and sit down. Damn manja. In the past, I've found that I shun bulldogs because of their short snout appearance. But ever since I've met Chester, he just won my heart over.

Soooo affectionate, though if you ever visit Wizard of Paw, don't feel intimidated by his barks. He just want to get your attention. haha!

Poor boy got bitten by ants recently and didn't even scratch himself, only found out when Adam saw the red dots on his butt and body. ): MUST SAYANG when you visit!

PR manager: Chewbacca

He's a 7-8 year old Maltese that Adam adopted. If I'm not wrong, he had some heart condition which caused him to be abandoned. Tsk.

Anyway, he's super small sized but has the guts of a great dane. Greets anyone who comes through the door. But please be careful not to let him out accidentally when you're there!

One thing I know, he loves belly rubs. And will look like the above picture when you attempt to rub his belly! hehehehe!

Lastly, Jamie's pride and joy.
[It's actually a HE cat. My mistake :x]

Misconception on Artic Breeds in Singapore

2010-04-22T22:15:00.001+08:00

This article serves as an education for the general public about the common misconceptions about arctic breeds(i.e Husky, Malamute, St. Bernard, Samoyeds) kept in SG. A lot of ppl will tell u that its cruel to keep the arctic breeds in our hot n humid weather but in fact its totally untrue. Take some time to read thru this arcticle to find out why.......
[be prepared for a lot of blah, if you don't like reading, just scroll down to the red highlighted paragraph for a summary.]

This article is taken from the March, 1971 issue of "Northern Dog News"- although it first appeared in the January, 1971 issue of the Newsletter of the Samoyed Club of Colorado.

Submitted to me by Jim Baker Temperature -Adaptation in Northern Dogs Ted Greenlee.
Since we left the Pacific Northwest and moved to Florida with our Samoyeds, I have frequently been asked how they tolerated the heat in this climate. The question usually produced my "five minute lecture" on Northern Dogs in the South. When I repeated this just of this lecture to Doris and Harold McLaughlin recently, they requested that I write a short paper discussing how Northern dogs adapt to varying temperatures.

This discussion actually revolves around at least two scientific works on the ability of arctic animals - seals, whales and Northern dogs among others - to stand exceedingly low temperatures, and on the methods of heat exchange in dogs. I was specifically asked to write this discussion in lay terms "as I spoke them". Since most of my writing activities are related to writing for scientific literature, I find this a very difficult task, but I shall make an attempt. In general, in attempting to discuss work of a scientific nature in lay terms one either talks over the heads of some readers or beneath the knowledge of others and never quite finds the individual who has exactly the right amount of information as you write the article.

To begin with, I would like to review a little basic information in relation to temperature control that I am sure most people have been exposed to at some time. The main consideration is that the dog, similar to man, will not tolerate significant variation of his body temperature. Also, most of the reactions taking place in the body, energy producing reactions much like the reactions in an automobile engine, produce heat. In temperate climates, where the outside
temperature is fairly close to body temperature, the primary concern for the animal is to get rid of the excess heat produced. In the case of the automobile, one circulates water through the engine and then passes it through a radiator that has a relatively high degree of efficiency at transferring the heat from the water to, in this case, the air. In general, this is not a terribly efficient method, though it is adequate in the case of the automobile. In the case of man, the radiator, for all practical purposes, is his exposed skin.

In order to enhance the loss of heat, man uses the simple principle of evaporation. In general, the amount of heat loss by the evaporation of a certain volume of water from the skin is some five-hundred and forty times greater than the raising of the same amount of water one degree in temperature. This principle of evaporation is very important in many cooling systems and particularly in the cooling of the body.

If, however, the major problem ceases to be that of getting rid of excess heat, but rather maintaining what heat is produced in the chemical reactions in the body, one has to look to different techniques.

In general, this only becomes necessary if an animal is forced to live in a climate where the temperature is much, much lower than body temperature. This, of course, is the case of the Northern dog. The best way to conserve heat is the well-known method of insulation. The arctics dog's coat is so constructed that it is a very efficient insulator. Therefore, little of the heat produced by the body is lost by means of contact with the outside air through the skin. This, of course, is very good in the winter; but fortunately, Arctic areas in summer can reach very high temperatures, somewhere in the 70's and 80's or even higher for short periods of time. So, therefore, the animal must also be able to adapt to this increase in temperature. It so happens that the insulation principle is still of use to the animal. If one lives in warmer climates, it is much easier to air-condition a well insulated home than it is to air-condition one that is not insulated. In the case of the animal, the only requirement is that there be some relatively efficient mechanism that the animal can turn on to dissipate his own heat.

With a well-insulated body, he will be very little effected by the outside temperature once this mechanism is established. The animal then can maintain his body temperature with changes in outside temperature.

Animals that have not adapted this type of mechanism, that is an insulated mechanism, not only will be susceptible to cold, but will also be very susceptible to an abnormal increase in the outside temperature as compared with what he is used to. Therefore, the Northern dog in southern climates will do as well or better in excessive heat that the short-haired dog who is very susceptible to heat stroke.

I would now like to discuss two mechanisms of heat control, one which is utilized specifically in the case of Northern animals, and one which is utilized by dogs in general.

I would first like to discuss the problems of severe cold and how the animal protects his body temperature in addition to his insulation.

It is not possible to totally insulate the dog and in general, the areas not adequately insulated are the areas that are in contact with his snowy world. Those areas are, of course, his feet and legs. Problems of the feet and legs, or in the case of man, the hands and feet, are frequently noted in cold exposure. Man, who is not well insulated, to protect his body temperature and vital organs, will literally shut off blood supply to the feet and hands.

When one goes out in the cold and is not properly dressed, one's feet and hands become extremely cold and frostbite or freezing of the fingers and toes is a common occurrence. If this process was followed in the case of a dog in his 60 to 70 degree below zero weather, he would of course be in very bad straits. Therefore, instead of stopping the blood supply to the extremeties so the blood does not become chilled, what occurs is that the warm, oxygen carrying arterial blood going into the limb runs right next to the cold, unoxygenated blood leaving the limb. Since they are right next to each other, the warm blood gives up its heat to the cold blood, preventing the loss of this heat as it gets down to the exposed part of the dog's foot. The oxygenated blood can get to the vital parts of the foot to maintain their nutrition, but at the same time does not allow a loss of body heat to the cold air.

The ability of the animal's foot and lower leg to live at very low temperatures requires addition adaptation of the tissue, some of which is not well understood. There is one example though that is well understood and noted, and that is the difference in the melting (or freezing, Ed.) temperature of the fat associated with the foot and leg as compared to the melting temperature of body fat. The best example of this noted in the case of neatsfoot oil which is the fat from the foot of a cow as compared to the tallow which is the fat from the body of the cow. As you remember, neatsfoot oil is a liquid at normal room
temperature, whereas tallow is solid. Therefore, the fat is adapted in the foot of the animal to keep it from becoming solid at these low temperatures and becoming brittle and breaking. I am sure there are other changes in the cells in the tissues of these parts which allow them to tolerate this lower temperature and still function for the animal, but the heat exchange mechanism between the arterial and venous blood in the limbs of cold adapted animals is absolutely essential to their survival.

It is possible that a reverse heat exchange takes place in hotter weather. In this instance, blood going to the feet would pick up excess heat in the blood leaving the feet and carry it away from the body, thus preventing a dangerous increase in the animal's body temperature.

I doubt, however, if this reverse mechanism plays as important a part in the loss of body heat during hot weather as the heat exchange mechanism does in the protection of the animal in the cold.

Now, since the total animal is covered with an insulated coating, perspiring for the loss of heat through the large area of the skin of the body as in man is not practical. Therefore, the animal must have another means of heat loss. Anyone who has dealt with dogs knows that the dog pants when he is hot.

It is his panting mechanism that allows the dog to lose heat he does not need when the weather is hot. The mechanism functions on the principle of evaporation.

As I have said before, evaporation is extremely effective because you can lose almost five-hundred and forty times as much heat without changing the temperature of the air at all. This evaporation takes place in the dog's nose and is enhanced by the fact that there are many folds of tissue in the nose which increase the surface area that the air is in contact with. In addition, this tissue actually perspires and has a large blood supply, thereby acting muchlike the radiator in the car.

This makes a good mechanism of heat loss, but one needs some way in which to shut it off when one does not want to lose heat. Since the animal must breathe and must take in a pretty constant volume of air at all times, because varying this volume of air would interfere with other bodily functions, people have often been concerned as to how this is controlled.

A recent study, just published, has looked into this problem and has come to this conclusion. The air is brought in through the dog's nose and in the case of panting is exhaled through the mouth. In doing this, the air picks up much moisture and heat from the nose, this cooling the nose and drying it.

When it is exhaled, it is exhaled through the mouth and since there is much less blood supply to the area around the mouth and the surface area is much less, almost all of the moisture is absorbed and the heat will leave the dog's mouth and be lost. When the dog does not wish to lose body heat, he simply exhales the air that he has brought in through the nose back out the nose, in which case a great proportion of the moisture and heat will be returned to the large surface area and the membranes in the nose thus minimizing the loss of heat. Therefore, when an animal is hot, the hotter the animal is the more of the air he brings in through his nose will be exhaled through the mouth, thus the wide open, tongue out position.

If he does not wish to lose heat when it is cold out, he will breathe in and out through his nose and keep his mouth closed. The provides a quite sensitive means of temperature control, particularly in the case of the animal who has other means of protecting himself from the cold and from the outside temperature as do the long-haired Northern breeds. The animal, therefore, in general has developed enough capacity of heat loss through his panting mechanism to compensate for the very wide swings in temperature.

In the case of man, the removal of clothing during hot weather increases the ability to lose heat by evaporation of moisture. The dog does not have this ability and therefore his insulation is a protection to him during hot weather. If the animal loses his insulation during very hot weather, by having his coat clipped for instance, he runs the risk of not being able to maintain his body temperature. His skin temperature loss probably is not only inefficient but, since he does not prespire, he will probably increase the temperature of his skin and his body temperature as well.

Anything that would interfere with a dog's ability to pant efficiently can also be a great danger to him in hot weather. It is not uncommon to hear of animals who have died of heat stroke after having been given an anesthetic for some minor surgical procedure and then left in a hot car.

If the animal is not wide awake or has had an anesthetic, he is not able to compensate for the increased temperature by increased panting.

The animal locked in a hot car does not have the ability to open the window as do people and is, of course, very susceptible to heat stroke and death. The dogs in our experience that are most susceptible to hot weather and to sickness from heat are those that have a poor panting mechanism, i.e., the short-nosed dogs such as bulldogs, Pugs, etc.

They are extremely susceptible to high temperature and tolerate Southern climates such as ours very poorly unless they are kept in an air-conditioned house.

I think the important point to remember in relation to Arctic breed, is that these breeds were able to survive in the Arctic not only because they could tolerate cold but because more precisely, they could tolerate extremely wide swings of temperature in relation to their body temperature. Therefore, they are also, it appears, better adapted for severely high temperatures. The animal that was selected by living in a temperate climate, that is, one in which the temperature stayed very close to the animal's body temperature throughout the year, is not only going to be very susceptible to cold weather, but also is going to be more susceptible to severely hot weather which is well over the dog's body temperature.

The final point I'd like to make to in my "Five Minute Lecture" on Northern Dogs in the South is that the Arctic breeds are probably the best heat adaptable dogs one could find, so therefore, I would not be fearful of their presence in a hot climate. However, I might add, there are other problems associated with hot climates such as increase parasites and skin problems that do cause the long-haired Northern dogs to have greater problems than do some of the short-haired breeds.

SAY NO to Puppy Mills.

2010-04-22T09:45:00.000+08:00

It's not the first time I've heard of puppy mills. But I'm sure being human, when we're at the pet store, we would tell ourselves, " Cannot be la, cannot be from puppy mills one, they look so cute." But the truth is, how do you know?

An AKC cert doesn't prove anything. They will say, and it's true, that their puppies are AKC certified, he has papers. But the thing is, 'SO?' It doesn't mean anything! It doesn't guarantee that the puppy in your hands are not from puppy mills! It just mean that the suspected puppy mills paid AKC top dollars for that cert.

I get very agitated at ignorant people who insist on BUYING puppies after I explained to them about puppy mills and suggested that they adopt. And their reason is, " I want to watch the cute puppy grow up. "

Think your puppy is cute? Did his/her mum look like this?

[http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/]

For people who are not sure about Puppy Mills, it's normally a huge warehouse where they 'produce' puppies like commercial products. The dogs are never socialised, no veterinarian care, limited space and food, and their sole purpose in life is to give birth to puppies. When it comes to the time where they can no longer do so, they will be killed, and who knows if it's even a humane method like animal euthanasia or ....

They are never cared for, even if they are down with diseases.

[http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/]

Those people don't care about the diseases, as long as the bitch can still produce puppies for them to earn profits.

Puppies inherit much of their parent's genetic condition, health problems, temperament problems.
Lucky ones are in heaven at birth, some go shortly after, and the unlucky ones live with all the health problems for the rest of their lives. Some genetic problems can be solved with money and kind owners, some are fatal.

For more reading on Puppy Mills:
http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/
http://milwaukeepetstoreprotest.webs.com/information.htm
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/puppy_mill_like_204219.html (for suspected SG puppy mill thread)

Lastly, THE TRUTH:

People, please adopt.

More often than not, you will be able to find the breed that you want up for rehoming in forums, shelters. I've seen breeds like huskies, golden retrievers, and german shepards frequently in the shelters. And even if they are not purebreeds, it's fine. I've seen many adorable and affectionate mongrels in shelters who are more than happy to share their life with you.

If you need more info just drop me a comment, I'm always willing to share what information I have.

The adorable lamb

2010-04-20T22:33:00.000+08:00

Awwwwwww! Ashy is just too cute at times! Don't you agree!?!?!

Today Ash let me massage his two front paws.
In the past, the scenario was:

Me/Cal: *grabs paw*
Ash: *flick paw back and hides it underneath body*

-repeat for the other paw-

He actually allowed me hold on to both his front paw and massage them! :3
Weeehehehehehheeh!

And his hind leg is recovering faster this week after giving him glucosamine supplement treats (NutriVet). But he still limps after the exercise though he's better after 2 days, in comparison to the last time which was 3 -4 days before he got his energy back. :D

Beach Weekend!

2010-04-18T20:41:00.000+08:00

Ash's footsteps! :D

Nic and Cal. Haha, I think they get along fine.

Distracted by a border collie over at the far end.

Ash decided to lie down and get his tummy fur all full of sand. hahah!

Changed location cus it's getting sunny at the beach.

The Brushtail, or what's left of it.

Me grooming him, but decided to stop after a while cus Calvin says, " Later u kena stomp ah!" Hahahhahah!

Went home after a few hours cus it looked like its gonna rain.

Enjoying the cool shower.

Ash look like some atas dog here.

SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!!!

Heh heh.

Well, that's it for today folks. Ash is off sleeping and resting his tired body, likewise for Calvin. Hahah!

2010-04-17T22:54:00.000+08:00

I may have to change Ash's blog title to Ash-the-Malamute (again).

Hahahaha! Adam from Wizard of Paws delivered Ash's food over and got to meet Ash for the first time! No pics of the first meeting cus I wasn't around, but it's alright...

Because I'm planning to send Ash for grooming there next month. So there'll be 2nd meetings, and cus they are such awesome people (as providing service and as a friend), I'm sure there'll be 3rd, 4th, and many times la! hahaha!

(and hopefully their groomer can help me determine he's a malamute / husky )

Canned food for Beach trip tomorrow!

New Zealand Brushtail. Squirrels. hmm... I shouldn't think so much.

To the Beach!

2010-04-12T23:03:00.000+08:00

We bought canned food in preparation for our beach trip with Ash today!
Ash looks kind of -_- in this pic, I think he's giving me the eye cos I keep taking pictures of him. hahaha!

After an extremely long walk to the beach...

We are there! (FINALLY!)

Didn't let Ash into the water as the coastline is quite unstable during high tide.
Hahah! But he enjoyed himself with the cooling wind... food... and company!

That's Ash looking all high and mighty here after his filling dinner.

Ahhhhh~ super long walk through nature. (:
And I'm so happy to see Ash's satisfied and smiley face.

2010-04-10T11:01:00.000+08:00

Hello! *beams*
Hide and Seek anyone?

Vet Day

2010-04-04T17:20:00.000+08:00

Ash eyes have been looking really red ):

And we have not brought him for a vet visit since Cal adopted him. So, I scheduled an appointment on Friday (no work on good friday! yay!) at Companion Animal Surgery.

On the way there...

Ash refuse to leave Calvin's face.

Gave me a kiss when I asked for it tho.

Ash sitting straight on the back seat! Taller than me!

Vet said that Ash has skin sensitivity, and his left hing leg is less muscular, which after physical check-up, he inferred that, that particular limb has some problem. The ligaments which holds the joints together is torn, that's why its a lot less muscular than the other hind leg (from what I understood).

The only way to cure this once and for all is surgery because it's not a new injury and has been that way for quite awhile for the other hind leg to be so much more muscular. But of course there's risk to every surgery due to anesthesia, therefore Cal and I decided not to go for it unless absolute necessary.

We also did a heartworm check for him, negative. So we had him under 2 vaccines. Heartworm and another one.

The heartworm prevention has 2 types, the pills which has to be administered monthly, or the jab, which is yearly by the vet. We opted for the jab, and the needle was bigger! Was worried Ash might struggle, but surprisingly he's good with jabs.

Vet explained why Ash eyes were red. It was due to dandruff, from the top of his head which dropped into his eyes and caused irritation; also because of his skin sensitivity (which is common for many dogs in Singapore weather). So Ash has vitamins to eat, which taste like meat and has Omega 3 / 6 which is good for him! (:

Bill came up to 300+ plus drugs and vitamins for Ash. Haha! Cal shared half with me.

Meanwhile, Ash has to be at home ): No walks for 2 weeks due to vaccine / weakened immune system.

And I shall end of with a short video of Ash in the car enjoying the wind. (:

Almost

2010-03-30T11:58:00.000+08:00

Almost became our LAST grooming session together. But it didn't. (:
The butt in red is HelloVera, fellow 500D enthusiast.

I like the first pic, we look so romantic together! <3

Update on the Temporary Quarters: Ash destroyed the bed, and pee-ed on it.
Okay Ashy, we understand that you hate the mattress now. ):

Temporary Quarters!

2010-03-28T02:55:00.000+08:00

A temporary 'bed' for Ash!

Not sure if he'll attack it tonight, but... hopefully he doesn't!

He seems super excited by it just now though.

Now that we've cleared everything (ugly) into the make-shift store room, the living room is larger and much more spacious!

I think Ash is happy at the changes, albeit confused but we'll get used to space quickly! :D

Grrrrrroooooommm~

2010-03-27T15:07:00.000+08:00

Ash's enjoying his grooming session.

If you are wondering how much a husky sheds, that's about 30% of it.

The loose bunch of fur on the right was removed by the FURminator! :D