Undoing shoelaces with finesse

I usually put away my shoes into the cabinet just to avoid it from Max and Jon. Especially Max. He does not fancy things made of rubber. Jon prefers things made of rubber. So, slippers will be the target of Jon, while shoes, and clothes, will be the target of Max.

Last week, I forgot to take away my shoes, and went out to do errands for about an hour. When I got back, one of the shoes was at the outer part of the compound, with the shoelaces taken out of its holes. It would be entertaining to see how Max intricately executed this "job".

Max releases gas again!

One thing which Max does - like a human - and which Jon does not do, is to release gas. A few days ago, it was the fart. Today, in the midst of continuously jumping on me to play, he gave a human-like burp and immediately made another jump. It has to be noted that he just had his meal. Max- he never ceases to amaze me.

I can sniff you, but you can't sniff me

This is what Jon always tell Max. And if Max insists on doing sniffing his butt, he gets a snap from Jon. So Max has to resort to opportunistic methods to sniff Jon. The only time the opportunity arises is when, during their twice daily walks,  Jon pees and poos. Jon will be in full concentration of eliminating that he just ignores what's happening behind him for that short moment. Sniffing Jon when he pees seems acceptable from my point of observation, but sniffing when he poos? That is disgusting, Max.

Candle in the Dark

I am going off the tangent for this post, but still related to dogs.
In the Chinese customs belief, when someone in the house-hold passes away, a candle is lit up at corners of junctions leading to the home. All the while I thought it is meant for well-wishers to easily find their way to the house to pay their respects. Last night there was such a candle in my neighbourhood. I only realised a few months ago that the candle is actually meant to show the way for the spirit of the dead to find his/her way home.
This morning when it was still dark, as I was out with the dogs for them to eliminate and for our exercise, we came across another candle at another junction. Jon was looking at it while walking pass it.
I know he has not seen this before, hence his curiosity. But I wondered at that time - and the thought brought my hair in my upper torso to stand - was it actually the candle or something lurking at that corner that piqued his curiosity.

Mean people at the lowest level

Everytime after I go to USJ 8 to see my client's dogs, I will drop by at USJ 5 to feed some stray dogs and cats. Actually it is the request of my client whose dogs and cats I pet sit for. On days when she is not out of town, she will go over there to feed the strays.
The food is served in two separate containers at a small spot of a dry 1 feet-deep drain. This morning when I was walking to the spot, there were feces in the drain, on one spot near the containers, and some traces of it in the containers. The feces belongs to that of a dog. I spoke to my client about this incident and she said that this is not the first time that this is has happened.
I do notice that I get very hostile stares by maids and residences when I leave food for them. And I do get paranoid feelings that after I leave, someone will throw away the kibbles I had left behind. Today, however, I never expected to see the result of such a demeaning action. Thinking back, I should have taken some photo shots, but was disgusted at that time to think of anything else. It is not that I am only feeding dogs. Cats are also the beneficiary. And I don't give leftover food which creates a mess. It's kibbles.
This residential area demographically comprises the middle to upper income group. Majority are Chinese. If they are the culprits - and not possibly the maids - I will hypothesise that people who are cruel to animals has no profile segmentation. It is just the unique behaviour and attitude of the Malaysian citizens.
There is much hype and outrage in response to animal cruelty. Responses like making police reports, collecting signatures as petitions to be given to the Prime Minister. Frankly, it is a waste of effort. It is just the nature of these minority people to behave that way. They cannot be changed.

How do dogs know that showing the puppy-look softens us?

Or the question should be "Do dogs know that showing us the puppy look softens us?". The first time I noticed a dog giving a puppy-look was when I was playing with a neighbour's dog when he came over to my house. The kind of look that resembles that of the picture of Max below. This dog did it many times to ask for food. And at the same spot at the entrance of the house.

When I took Jon in, he too behaves like this, though he does not lie his chin on the ground but put his paws on the gate. He does this to ask for food. Then came Max. He does this immediately every time after I come home. He knows what routinely will happen next is a walk for him and Jon. I wonder why he does this? Is it a universal dog body language to request for things? Do they know that they are extremely adorable that will soften anyone; and that it will take a considerable amount of self-restrain on our part not to give in to their requests/demands - especially when it comes to food.

I welcome any comments on this doggish behaviour.

Cold weather that makes dogs "lazy"

During the recent extremely hot tropical weather, the arrival of rain after a scorching day is always a  welcoming event. Especially if it happens at night, or one which lasts till the night. For me, I like things natural. If it is cold enough, I will not switch on the aircon/fan, but open up the bedroom windows, and relish the natural coolness.
Jon and Max seem to relish the cool period too. During a rainy period, they will be in their usual welcoming behaviour when I arrive home at night, but after their walks, they will not even look inside the house at me looking for attention. Instead they prefer to curl up and sleep. This will last till the next morning, when it is time to walk. Even then, I have to prod them to move on.
This morning was one example: Max - always preferring to be inside the cage when it is cold - slowly got up, put two front legs out, stretches the limbs, then out comes the hind legs. He stayed still while I put on the leash. I left him at his spot while I approach Jon. Jon was still curled up when I tied him. Now, both dogs are not moving. They are 5 meters apart. So I tugged Jon a few times for him to stand up. He got up reluctantly. I still needed to tug him to get him to walk. He does so reluctantly. Finally we got back to Max.
Once out of the house, they had no urgency to sniff and pee. I compare them to children, when they are woken up early in the morning to get ready to go for a car holiday trip. Despite the prospect of an exciting trip, with their state of drowsiness, they do things with all of their mind still on bed. Anyway, with the occasional sniffing and peeing, these two boys were mostly walking with their head at mid-level. They did not let out their first pant until after 500 meters.
Usually after reaching home on a cold morning, the boys will immediately settle down to rest. But today, Max acted differently. While Jon went off to rest, Max went right back in the cage with the leash still on him. He was already on his belly when I took off the leash.

Jon's Vaccination

Jon has gotten his vaccination booster shots! This sounds like an exaggerated achievement, but when you know Jon's background and experiences he had gone through you will understand why this is an achievement.

It has been two years since Jon had his vaccination shots. I skipped the shots last year because I dido not know how to control him when he was about to be administered. This is because of two traumatic incidents that he had gone through, which I don't want him to go through again.
The first one was related to his first vaccination. It was one year after I adopted him from the streets. At that time, I thought why not also neuter him. Being out in the wild for at least two years of his life, Jon won't want to be leashed -, let alone have a collar on him. So the vet had to be called over. That day was our lucky day or something. We managed to leash him, put him in a cage, and finally anaesthetise him.
Second incident: This was a year later when I wanted to seek help from a trainer to make Jon accept the collar and leash. It took the trainer two trips;1 week of having Jon chained to the gate (for conditioning purposes); and the ultimate option of anaesthetising him, before he could be sent to the training center. The whole process was traumatising for him, and it hurt me to see him go through it.

So now to the present: For two months , I brought Jon to the vet to have him get used to the place and the vet. During the visits he was still nervous; avoiding the vet; and always at the door wanting to get out of the vet. On Saturday, I asked the vet if there is some kind of oral anaesthetic available. To my surprise, he said yes. I bought 5 tablets of Calmivet to be served with Jon's food the next day.

On Sunday, the sedatives were mixed with the food, and Jon left one tablet uneaten. I then mixed it with some wet food, and he took it in. Time to go to the vet! Over there, he just would not lie down and concede defeat to the sedatives. But he was groggy. The vet gave me a towel to cover Jon's eyes, while he quickly jabbed him. Thankfully Jon could not even respond.

Back home, Jon was groggy for over 8 hours. And he was moody, with Max at the receiving end.






In a state of grogginess

 

Jon taking it out on Max. I am refraining and reprimanding him.

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                         





Call of the Crows

At 7pm this evening, I was going over to feed stray dogs some  leftover chicken bones. I usually leave it by the sidewalk, and by the next morning at 6am, the bones would be gone.
During this time of the year when the day is longer than night, it was still bright at 7pm. I left the bones on the floor. The crows were still flying around and cawing. I waited for a while to see if they would come for the food. There was this single caw sound from a crow above me somewhere in the trees. He kept on and on cawing. I knew he was sounding out for the others. Soon, a second crow responded.
I decided to step further away. I was merely 10 meters from the food. In a blink of an eye, three crows came swooping down to the ground. I quickly chased them away. I realised there were many more flying aound me. Most landed on the branches to monitor me. I said I will be damned if I let you guys have these food. So I went back to my car and waited. At 7.23pm, the call of Muslim prayers from a mosque came on. It was either because of this noise that the crows took the cue to fly off, or that the visibility at this time is the least they can endure. The sky was completely clear of any crows.

Nacho

The story of Nacho had been one of full of adventure and misadventure. Rescued in March 2009; sent to shelter; adopted in June; returned back to shelter in September; had low white blood count and treated at vet for a month; sent back to shelter after recovery; adopted again in March 2010.
Being so attached to him, I traced (yes it was not right) the address of the adopter to Jalan Gasing. Whenever I pass by the place - at least 5 times - Nacho is not to be seen. Had my doubts whether he is still there.
So today, I took time off to distribute flyers of my pet sitting services in that area. As I approached the mailbox of this house, I was hoping for a bark. What I heard when I inserted the flyer into the mailbox was a rushing dog growling. I was not taken aback, but very happy to hear the sound. As I scanned for a four-legged animal between the railings of the gate, there he is looking at me! He looked so trim. Not the overweight pup. I whispered "Nacho", "Nacho". He seemed to recognise the name and jumped at the gate.
Then the maid came out and called his name. Couldn't catch the name. I proceeded to talk to the maid explaining briefly the services I provide to pet owners. As I walked away to look at him - probably for the last time - Nacho was still looking at me. He was motionless and rooted to the ground. And he was puzzled. He must be wondering why I am here, calling his old name. I realise immediately it was not fair to him to confuse him this way.
I decided today will be the last time I will "stalk" Nacho. Partly because I am relieved that he is still there, and well taken of by a good family. I know they are good - at least from their demographic description.
Nacho, I wish you well.
FYI, the profile picture of me and the dog - the dog is Nacho. No...was Nacho.

Barking behaviours and neighbours who can't tolerate barking noise.

It is said that when a pet dog misbehaves, it is the fault of the owner.
If there is one behaviour that I am not able to correct, it is the barking. Specifically Jon's barking.
Is it bad behaviour that a dog barks at postmen, garbage men, flyer distributors, cats and dogs walking past? I want to control Jon, but it is not possible to check him on this behaviour as I am not at home during the day from Mon-Fri.
However, if there is one funny barking behaviour that Jon exhibits, it is when:
1) I enter the car - which is parked outside of the house - and start the engine.
2) When I come home with the car.
3) My immediate neighbour starts his car engine.
4) My immediate neighbour comes back home.
The tone of the bark for 1), 3) and 4) are similar. It is intermittent, 3-4 quick barks every 5 seconds, lasting in total up to 20 seconds. For 2), it is more excitable sounding. Is it a welcome home message?
Jon rarely barks at night, except when a cat passes by.

Because of this, especially for the said instances related to 3) and 4), my neighbour (lets call him by his acronym FKK) is irritated by it. He has done nasty things to Jon ie spitting and throwing pebbles. And this pisses me off too. And as a result there is a feud between both of us.
Just last week, I got a warning letter from the local council - MPSJ - to inform me that someone had lodged a complaint, and advised (not insist) that I put a muzzle on Jon. I went to see the person who handled this complaint, and explained my situation to him. He agreed that it is normal for dogs to bark at postmen etc. I told him that every one of these neighbours here has stayed here no less than three years. Reading between the lines, this complainant had decided to lodge a complain after keeping quiet for so long. Never once had I been approached by any neighbour about the barking issue. Hence I hypothetically conclude that this person has made this issue a personal agenda.

Socialising Max and Jon

When Max first joined the family when he was two months old, Jon simply could not accept him. He would snarl and was ever ready to tear him apart. So, for 1 month I had to keep Max in the cage, and situated it in the house. After that period, the cage was put outside, with Max still in it while we are away at work. Jon was happy, as long as Max does not come out to the open.

After 1 one more month, Max was ready to be let loose in the open. Jon was quite accepting of him, but only if there were separate territories for each of them within the area of the house porch and garden. And so their life went on with Jon claiming one side of the house, and Max - with no choice - the other side.

Then I realised that Jon would not tolerate Max looking at him, even though Max posed no threatening body language. Max is actually a naive and playful angel. Aggression does not exist in his vocabulary. Whenever Max happened to look at him, Jon would growl and snap. The first two weeks was seriously dangerous as Jon never gave any warning before pouncing on him. On one occasion, Max had been bitten on the ear and nose. Luckily, Jon is not the type of dog which wants to severely injure a dog. So, on that occasion, the bites were actually just small "snap" marks. I accepted that this is part of a learning process of social hierarchy. And Max learnt it fast. No more looking at Jon in the eyes.

Recently, Jon has been more accommodating. Max can sleep anywhere he wants, except under the backside of the car. That is the coolest area, and Jon will not relinquish that area. In fact, he used to rest under cars when he was a stray. During activities where there is a common interest - usually when they are anxiously looking inside the house waiting for their main meal, or when they are walking near each other during their daily on-leash walks - Jon will tolerate him a little more, provided that Max don't touch him. These two guys are always excited to smell a scent on the ground that they lose sense of other things around them. In effect, there are higher chances of them bumping into each other. In this instance, I have to pull either one of them away from each other whenever they are too close for comfort. I just can't take the risk.

During meal times when both of them are fed at the same time - but with Jon served first - I have to wait for Max to finish before I can leave them out of my sight. Otherwise Jon will walk over, raise a little growl - which will frighten Max away - and eat his food. Same goes with chewy bone treats. Personally, I regard this behaviour as bullying.

During petting and belly rubbing time when both of them invite me for a rub, I have to be careful not to let them be close to each other. Especially their heads. Usually I will gently push Max away, but when Jon raises his lips a little to scare off Max, I will clamp his mouth and say "Enough!"

GloFish - StarFire Red

One of the two remaining StarFire Red fish was dead last night. It was already two years old. I liked this particular one as all of its fins are especially long. It wavers elegantly when it moves around.
There is one more of this type of fish left. It is separated from the rest as it is a big bully. The aquarium is 2 1/2 feet in length, with only 15 fish. But it wants to rule the place, and eat as much as possible.

A banana diet for my Buddies

Just yesterday Jon and Max was introduced each to a banana as part of their meal. I cut the banana into small pieces and mixed it with rice, blended vegetables and carrots and kibbles.
Jon is known to dislike anything that is not meat-based. Max will consume practically anything. So when the food was served, it was not surprising to see Jon curiously sniffing the contents. He was eating the so slowly; whereas Max just took it in with the normal gusto. In fact, it was the first time that Max finished eating first - with a 3-minute difference. Even then, Jon left a lot of the bananas uneaten. Well, that was Max's gain.