Official Photographer - Bernard Wee
Offical Groomer: Awesome Pawsome
Fetch-Box Singapore
Knight - An American Making Singapore Home
Nine years. Almost a decade since
I first met Simo Kuar at the then Singapore Fashion Festival 2005. It is
surreal how we still keep in contact through the years, even when she went
along with her husband, Karam Singh to the United States.
Then came about Knight and Simo
says it was love at first sight back in August 2012.
“I was at PetSmart (a
huge warehouse for pet products) when I saw an attached animal shelter which had a couple of
puppies for adoption. That was when I saw Knight at eight weeks old who was
abandoned with his mother and sister at the state capital. We are not sure what
his bloodline was though he seems to have German Shephard, Bernese Mountain Dog
and probably a little Australia Shepherd. All this doesn’t matter as we love
him all the same,” she says.
When it was finally time for Simo
to return to Singapore, it was never a question whether Knight was to come back
to the little red dot with her. But transporting a pet via plane is no easy
task.
“There were tons of paper work
regarding his health and there those from EVA Air, which were all in Mandarin!
It was less of a headache when Karam’s colleagues rendered their help,” says
Simo.
But it was not paper work that
was their biggest problem but the flight home. “Knight was in a crate for
30-plus hours from Seattle, transiting in Taipei before reaching Singapore. We
even lined his crate as we didn’t think he could hold his bladder. But he
actually didn’t poop or pee till reaching Singapore’s quarantine centre where
he relived himself for a good 10 minutes,” says Simo.
It has been six months since
Knight has been in Singapore and he is slowly adjusting to life here. “He
obviously has issues with the heat! Also, he misses his friends back in the
States as he saw them almost every day. But he gets quite a bit of attention,
especially when he plays ‘fetch!’ at the field. People just stop and watch!”
Labels: american special, dog park, dog rescue, dogs, dogsofinstasg, knight, mixed breed, park, picture, portraits, singapore special, stories
When All Is Quiet...
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| Herbie the Siberian Husky |
“I love mingling with other pet owners. But Herbie my
Siberian Husky prefers it quiet. There was this one time where we visited on a busy weekend afternoon (the place was packed with dogs) where Herbie ran one round and came back with a bored look.
It is as if she insisted on leaving. Today, we tend to be at the dog park where
there is barely a single soul. It could be as early as 7am or 4pm on a weekday.
She just prefers it that way and tends to be more active with just one or two
canines running about with her.” – Herbie at Bishan Dog Park
Labels: bishan dog park, dogs, dogsofinstasg, photography, pictures, Siberian Husky, stories
A Positive Change: Cole And My Grandmother
My Nai Nai (grandmother) was never a dog lover. In fact, she
often recounted how my parents used to keep a beautiful Cocker Spaniel but gave
a host of behavioural issues before I was born. So you can imagine her reaction
when I first adopted Cole late last year. “So big! So black! Why are you
keeping another dog,” she berated. Fortunately, she does not stay with me.
“How do you find the black dog?”
“Very well-behaved, very manja and so handsome”
“Don’t you think he brings bad luck because of his colour?”
“Black dogs are good. They chase away 'dirty' stuff.”
Just a few days of being constantly around him (he being there for family gatherings as much as possible) and her initial
negative impressions have turned for the better.
Labels: dogs, dogsofinstasg, mixed breed, musings, pets, singapore special, stories, the wong dogs
Waiting By The Door
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“The amazing array of treats are good… The long hikes break
the monotony of mundane Singapore life… The gatherings bring laughter most of
the time… But sometimes, it really is the simplest of activities which you tend
to cherish and give you a couple of moments to ponder… These two pictures were
taken as I was watering the plants outside and just looking at how patient they
wait by the door is something only a pet owner can understand. Were they
expecting a meaty reward? Perhaps. But what they know they will get is tons of
hugs, tummy rubs and manja-ing sessions to come. ”
What are your special moments?
Labels: dogs, dogsofinstasg, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, musings, picture, singapore special, stories, the wong dogs
Race For A Cause - Sheffield Retired Greyhound Fund
"At a Greyhound race in Sheffield, England. I donated part of my winnings to the Retired Dog Fund. The money helps to finance their daily needs till they get adopted or pass on. The Greyhound above is currently seven years old and has completed almost 200 races!" - DennisFX on Instagram
Labels: dog rescue, dogs, greyhound, greyhound race, pets, pictures, stories
A Powerful Picture Speaks More Than A Thousand Words
When I first saw this on a friend's Instagram page, I jumped. I knew I had to write a blog entry while the words are still fresh in my mind.
You might think it is just a picture depicting a happy family unit with their pet. But what some people might not know... is the power of this photo and what it represents. Traditionally, Muslims have been taught that dogs are "unclean" animals and should they get in contact with one, they must perform a cleaning ritual seven times, one of which must be earth.
Yet in the light of the Hari Raya festivities happening, the appearance of such a picture tugs at one's heart strings and wonder if there is a change happening at our doorstep.
I am sure that there will be flak but for now, let's appreciate the fact that the love for Man's best friend is shown in the best of light in this instance.
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| Picture credit: @dinierhmn |
"As far as I'm concerned, people are more interested in giving God's creations a good home. In a time where there are bigger issues in Islam such as abortions, masturbations etc and someone taking care of a dog is NOT an issue. There is a popular story where I heard during Ramadhan where a female prostitute gave a thirsty dog the water in her shoes and she went to heaven for her good deeds. I still cannot see why loving something, in this case, a dog is a sin. I may not be the most well-versed in the Quran but I know promoting hate is wrong in Islam and it applies to canines too." - Dinie Rahman, @dinierhmn
Labels: dogs, dogsofinstasg, mixed breed, muslim, pets, picture, stories
TV-Surfing Schnauzer
"As a kid, I had less of an interest in computers but couldn't resist the television programmes at 5pm-6pm (Kids Central) and the 7pm and 9pm dramas (Channel 8) It seems Cory is no different and his favourite programmes include cartoons, Korean drama serials and Animal Planet."
Labels: dogs, miniature schnauzer, musings, pets, stories, tv
In His Last Days – Barabas The Senior Singapore Special
I still remember Save Our StreetDogs (SOSD) Siew Tuck Wah telling me the story of how he had come across a rescue case just before a Christmas party in 2012. As with any social media-attached person today, I had already noticed on my newsfeed that he had undertaken another rescue case during the public holiday.
Not just any
rescue case but a senior dog that had been badly abused by his previous owners
and sent to be put down (Who in their right frame of mind would want to put
down their dog during the Christmas period is beyond me!).
Also, Barabas came with a gaping wound at his head that was already heavily infested with maggots. To top it off, this senior dog was wary of strangers and would snap at anyone who came near him. Even the vet said that “this was the worst maggot wound she has ever seen”. With such an image flashing across the video, imagine how much worse it was whenever Barabas flicked his ear and maggots would be flung across the room?
Also, Barabas came with a gaping wound at his head that was already heavily infested with maggots. To top it off, this senior dog was wary of strangers and would snap at anyone who came near him. Even the vet said that “this was the worst maggot wound she has ever seen”. With such an image flashing across the video, imagine how much worse it was whenever Barabas flicked his ear and maggots would be flung across the room?
Barabas was the kind of case
which rescuers hope but deep down know it is not easy to find a home. There
were appeals for him to be adopted. But it was not easy and SOSD knew it.
Honestly, there were few who would have been capable of handling a senior
canine that needed so much medical and personal attention. Sensing it from the
get go, Siew went the extra mile and opened his home to yet another furry
friend. It took many months and from what I remembered, lots of quality kibble
and BARF meals before he was fit to live at the SOSD shelter.
In recent months, his health took
a turn for the worse and Siew decided that it is only right that Barabas be staying in a home setting during his last days. I could not help but shed a
couple of tears as Barabas moved uncomfortably from his many ailments while
being fed his daily meds. But Siew made sure his every waking moment was
comfortable and it was heartening to see the people gathered at his final send
off before being cremated.
“From the day he came to my home to recuperate, Barn Barn has always been my dog. I hoped I had acknowledged that earlier. If I had, I wouldn't send him back to shelter after he recovered, only bringing him back during his final days,” said Siew.
“From the day he came to my home to recuperate, Barn Barn has always been my dog. I hoped I had acknowledged that earlier. If I had, I wouldn't send him back to shelter after he recovered, only bringing him back during his final days,” said Siew.
The video ended with the
following quote:
“A pet is for life. Who are we to
take away the lives of such beautiful creatures, whose unbreakable spirits put
us the shame?”
Looking at Cory and Cole today, I dread the time when they might possibly go through any sort of illness. I do ask myself, "When the time comes, how ready will I be to let them go?" I do not have the answer yet. But one thing I am sure and all my pet-loving friends will agree - in our furkid’s last days, we would give our all to send them off in the most proper and meaningful way possible.
Labels: dog rescue, dogs, mixed breed, musings, singapore special, sosd, stories
A Trip Down Memory Lane - Their First Day
"When the Dogs Of Instagram Singapore introduced their very first hash tag photo theme, I found myself going through past pictures of the two boys. Besides finding the need to properly catalog most of the pictures, the little exercise brought me on a little trip down memory lane. When I first got Cory, a dear friend gave me some very sound advice, "Make sure you take as many pictures of him when he is still a pup. The months will fly past!" With that, one can definitely see the influx of puppy pictures on my personal Facebook profile and Instagram back in 2011 (and the later part of 2013 thanks to Cole).
Spend a little time and scroll through the number of pictures that you have taken with your furkids. A smile will definitely appear at some point. Imagine - if you have so much more material to scroll through?"
You can see more pictures of The Wong Dogs on the Facebook page and my Instagram feed.
Labels: dogs, dogsofinstasg, instagram, miniature schnauzer, pictures, puppy, singapore special, stories
Sam The Samoyed - My Happiest Moment
"What's your happiest moment?"
"When he caught a rat for the very first time. It reminded me he is not a toy but a dog."
"That is a very interesting view on Sam."
"I always feel like a VIP whenever I go out with Sam. He has such a positive draw and I remember this one time when we were at the beach and there was this crying pup with its owner. Sammy will always go and check on the little thing and leave to play with bigger dogs when it stops. But once it continues whining, he will drop whatever he is doing and return to comfort the puppy." - A conversation during lunch at W39 Bistro & Bakery
Labels: cafe, dining, dogs, dogsofinstasg, lunch, pets, samoyed, stories
Black and White Can Still Be Paradise
"I once read a quote by Milan Kundera that "dogs are our link to paradise. They know no evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit by them on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace."But with the Garden of Eden lost to Men forever, I would say life is a little less colourful. That won't stop me from enjoying each waking moment I have with Cory and Cole." - An outtake from our visit to the Jurong Eco Garden
Labels: dogs, musings, portraits, stories, the wong dogs
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