Urge to lift legs to pee?

Max had been neutered when he was 5 months old.. It was difficult for me to decide when was the best time to do it. If it was done at too young an age, he might lose out on some of his physical developments; and also will not be able to grow intellectually into an adult dog. Hence, he is now at below-medium sized, and still behaves like a puppy. On the other hand, I don't want him to begin acquiring his leg-lifting instincts - especially when he sees Jon do it every day.

This morning while walking Max - only him - he was so indulged in sniffing a tree trunk. He later acted in a way what any other unneutered dog does before marking their territory. Max stood beside the tree (on his right) - almost touching it - and appeared to wanting to lift his right leg. He stood there for 3 seconds, and then left it and peed on the ground female-style.

Is it possible for neutered male dogs to still have the leg-lifting instinct in them?

Lavish of frogs during the raining season

For numerous mornings during this wet season, while searching for dog poo with a torch light in a vast garden at a client's place, I notice many frogs. Managed to put the them in a spotlight.

Witnessing of a dog being hunted down by Malaysian Malay boys.

On November 25, at 12am, I was awoken by sounds of motorbikes and my dogs barking. As I got up from my bed, my neighbours dog at the end of the cul-de-sac road where we stay were starting to bark furiously.

As I looked out the window on my left, I saw two motorbikes with 2 Malay boys on each of them. What I am subsequently describing is what you see on the CCTV images. You wont be able to see the motorbikes on the left because they are covered by the trees.

The first motorbike goes over to the right (where the dead-end road is), and turns back to the opposite direction. A lot of commotion in Malay language was being made. Then one of the boys walk over to the end road, and quickly runs back. At this point in time, I do not have any idea what they were up to. Neither could I see the end of the road because it was not lighted up enough by the lamp post for good visibility. After a lot of loud talking among them, another boy took a long stick and runs over to the dead -end road. 

It took a lot of squinting to notice a black dog running at the opposite row of houses to the opposite direction of the road. The boy with the stick gave chase, followed by another boy. As the dog sprinted to an open escape, the other two boys on the motorbike revved off to chase the dog, while their two friends got on the second motorbike.

I stood at the window for 5 minutes in disbelief at what I witnessed. I was waiting to hear any sound of the dog yelping. I have seen this dog before while walking my dogs in the morning. It is a female and she is very afraid of humans. As I was still peering out the window, I realised how well coordinated these 4 boys were. They were hell bent on not letting this dog escape. I wondered how much the dog had to suffer before reaching the road where I stayed, and how much longer she had to endure after that.

I went back to my bed hoping at least these Malay boys will get immediate karma. As they were not wearing any helmets, I was hoping they would get knocked by a car.

A long time ago, I have posted a blog entry about little Malay boys verbally abusing my dogs while I was walking pass their house. In fact, just last night, these two boys from this house were making "woofing" sounds. I just don't comprehend  why are Malays the only race who abuse dogs whenever they see these creatures on the streets. It is almost like an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). They will taunt, stamp their feet to scare them, chase them( if they have a weapon), throw stones. This is in spite of them being so religious. And also in spite of the followers claiming that their religion does not condone violence. In fact, just about two weeks ago, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, made a statement in the media reiterating that Islam does not condone violence. That statement was made in reference to violence towards other human beings. I get this feeling that the word "violence' and "non-violence" does not apply to animals.

I believe in karma, and I believe people like these four boys will get an emotional and physical treatment - either in their remaining existing lives, or in the afterlife.

P.S; This video clip can also be viewed on You Tube. The link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYlynBaHNE0

Ailurophobia - Fear of Cats

Phobia of certain types of creatures is common among some people. Just like any other type of phobias, we just have to respect that behaviour, and not make fun of the person who is having it. Some people just let that fear remain in them, while some try to overcome it - either due to some circumstances, or as a personal achievement. For me, I am afraid of rats and cockroaches. It is mainly because they are filthy. I will only touch them only when they are lifeless, and even then there has to be a protective layer between them and my hands ie tissue paper, plastic bag.

I have met people whose phobia of animals extend to the level of what I can describe as irrational fear. I had a female friend who actually shrieked and jumped sideways when a cat walked on its side of the pavement toward her from the opposite direction. Then there was this neighbour whose mother and children screamed when my friendly dog approached them. Well, it was my fault of not leashing him when I moved my car out, resulting in him running out.

However, there is one incident which overwhelms both these examples in terms of irrational fear. When you view the videos below, you will say it is a pampered girl crying for attention. I did not manage to capture a video of what actually initiated this behaviour, because the source of it had already walked away. Walked away? Let me explain:

I was at a Muslim restaurant in my neighbourhood having my lunch. I noticed a family had just arrived and got their table. I also noticed a kitten walking around. It was in between my table and theirs. It was more than 10 feet from behind their table.For no reason, the mother got up from her chair and chased away the kitten. I have been told that stray cats carry disease, so that was the first thought which came across my mind of why this woman was shooing the kitten away. What annoyed me was how persistent she was in chasing it while the kitten was already walking away. I quickly got ready my cellphone to record this incident, but just as the kitten disappeared, the daughter started crying. I mean really crying. Not one of crocodile tears. She had noticed the kitten. Ahhh...so the mother wanted to scare it away before the daughter saw it.

The rest of the story is described in the video. Nearly ten minutes later when I left the restaurant, the girl was still clinging to her mother.

Update on Teri's Pups - Week 4

This female pup is the smallest of the lot. And the most daring. By the way, the container was clean.

Update on Teri's Pups- Week 3

The puppies are growing tremendously fast every week. They move faster too, and I have to be really quick in handling them. It is not possible to clean the cage they are in without putting them in a box. As soon as I open the gate, they rush out simultaneously, and even after dropping to the floor, they just continue on.

The pups are beginning to feed on soft kibbles even after having had their milk. I wonder if Teri is producing enough milk for them. It must be very taxing for Teri because she weighs a mere 8 kg. She looks malnourished as a result of feeding her babies. It is not noticeable due to her long fur. However, the spine can be felt easily. Otherwise, she is full of energy.

I always joke about her when she resists going into the cage when I send her back in after walking with her. I say that she doesn't love her children, and that she prefer to be outside than to attend to them.

This is the biggest sibling, and he hasn't had enough

Feasting on kibbles

Feels good to empty the bladder after a satisfying meal.

Doesn't it look like a hamster?

Using Dominance to Bully

Lately I have realised that Max's life - having to live with Jon - is oppressed and restricted. Jon is indeed the Alpha, though I don't think he deserves that title. One of many reasons for this is that he is afraid of thunder and fireworks.

Anyway, since I am not at home in the daytime to observe the dogs, I occasionally view footage from the CCTV. Just by viewing a day's events, Max was rarely seen in the footage. That means he is subjected to a smaller area to rest and roam- the area which the CCTV does not cover. On the other hand, Jon is always in restless mode - looking out for passers-by and cats.

It is the same situation during weekends and weekday evenings. When I am at home, I see that Max seldom walks about the house. Whenever he is alerted to passersby - before Jon gets to - and goes to the gate to bark, Jon will join in. Max will then immediately back off and walk away.

Take a look at the picture and video below. It shows me stroking Jon. But before this, I was doing the same for Max, and Jon simply barged in to seek for the same treatment. Max politely moved away. He appears to be looking at something in front but actually is avoiding eye contact with Jon. Max practically relinquished his playtime rights to Jon.

Another similar incident happened this morning. Upon waking up, I saw Max already having woken up. I decided to invite Max for a stroke. He came over enthusiastically and put his head to my belly and snuggled there. I barely belly rubbed him for 20 seconds before Jon appeared and came over and also put his head to my belly. This act by Jon was unprecedented. Max promptly moved away. It was the fluency of the way Jon shoved his head and Max moveing away that amazed me. There were no "go away" warning signals by Jon. Both dogs used their instincts and a bit of body language. I immediately got up and said "No!" to Jon and left. If he wanted me to stroke him, he should walk over slowly - like he always does - and I will stroke both of them simultaneously.

If I was Max, I would surely feel very depressed. He can't play with Jon and share living spaces with him; can't roam freely around the compound of the house; gets "pushed" away during play time with me. I do see his cautiousness and fear in him when Jon is near him. I guess he just have to put up with Jon, because Jon will never change.

Scent of a Dog

If "nosy" humans are not enough, I have to put up with my "nosy" dogs. It is just fortunate that humans don't have two hundred million nasal olfactory receptors. Every weekend, whenever I come home after a visit to an animal shelter or after a pet sitting session, Max and Jon will sniff my legs and upper torso. I can practically stand still for an infinite period of time and these two will just sniff and sniff. Well, currently, Max still has the inquisitive mind and spends long periods of time checking out the invisible multitude of scent. On the other hand, Jon has been through this for over two years, and now sniffs me for a short while. Sometimes he never sniffs at all. I always believed Jon was jealous that I went to see other dogs. This is because he is very possessive and is hostile and not sociable with other dogs.

 This video of Jon was taken before Max's arrival. Back then I always go to animal shelters during weekends. He did not get a chance to sniff my body on the day the video was taken, but the traces of over 100 dogs' on the shoes were sufficient for him to be so absorbed and inquisitive. I liked the way he turned back to glare at me - as if unhappy of where I went - at the end of this video.

Jon does not spend as much time as before in sniffing. He has smelled all there is to smell. Max is like a child who is still learning new things.

There is a difference between how Jon and Max sniff. Jon is the cautious type, and he probes slowly, without touching the surface of the object he is smelling. Max is the type who is really "nosy", to the point of being intrusive. He will poke his nose onto the surface of the object and probes it fast and repeats the probe on the same surface at least twice. So, whenever he sniffs me, my skin will always be wet. I am very sure that if I were to lie down on the floor, he will smell every part of my body.

After recording this, Max took another 1 minute to complete his probe

Incidentally, these  last three videos were taken after I went to see female dogs at a vet and a client's place. I would like to record a moment after I get in contact with male dogs to observe if there is a difference in the way my dogs sniff.

Pupppies' eyes are open

These three are the biggest of the lot. This guy must be squinting at what I was holding, and decided that it was best to scamper away.

Sleeping after having fed by mummy

Update on Teri and puppies

This is the smallest pup, and the only one with a single color. The rest have white & brown

Practising at a young age to display puppy-look effectively when it is older

Teri at full alert of other dogs in the vet. She even snapped at an Alsation.

Rescuing Alpha

In my recent post, Canine Brotherhood, I mentioned that there were three dogs which are always together. I have taken Teri off the streets. She had just recently given birth to six pups.

Recently, me and a friend went to the same area I rescued Teri to look for Alpha. As it was the mating season, we were not surprised to see six other dogs together with her. One of the six male dogs was the third "buddy" of Teri and Alpha, GR. It became quickly clear which were the top competitors to consummate this year's round of the mating ritual. It was GR and the one in the picture below.  

In fact GR - even though much larger in size than the other dog - was not even close in being the alpha male. This other dog was more determined; he was the one more frequently trying to mount Alpha, while fending off GR. GR did not manage to even manage one attempt. GR and him will frequently square off with each other. Surprisingly, the fight was just baring of teeth and growling. Anyway, Golden Retriever are not aggressive? They are one of the most compassionate breeds. At one point, these two dogs were standing on their two feet with their front paws on each other. Just like how bears behave. They were merely growling at each other.

In the meantime, Alpha was running, sitting, putting her tail down. As the sun was setting, me and my friend decided to accomplish our mission quickly. And it was because of us that this alpha male successfully overcame Alpha's resistance. Initially, when I put the collar on her, she freaked out and ran away. We thought that she would never come back. Luck was on our side as she still came over hesitantly when we called for her. But once the leash was attached, Alpha went berserk. She stood up, and this caused her to forget to defend her back. With a blink of an eye, this alpha male mounted on her.

Truth to tell, that was my first encounter witnessing a complete process of dogs mating. I was both awed and emabarrassed - because people were gawking at us. As if it was to give us all the spotlight, this incident happened to occur under a lighted street lamp. My friend, though, had already seen this process many times.

The two dogs were subsequently locked to each other at the back. I was fortunate to bring my friend along, as she had advised me on the do's and dont's while copulation was in process. If I was on my own, I would have forced the two dogs away, which will risk injuring them and myself getting bitten.

While we were waiting, I noticed GR was looking from afar with a forlorn look. Finally the dogs were separated after 30 minutes. This alpha dog still had not had enough of Alpha while my friend carried her into the car. He kept obstructing her from moving Alpha. I told him to get lost and take a nap.

We quicly drove off to the vet before it closed. She was so exhausted that the car seat cover was wet with her saliva. Alpha was checked in, and was told by the vet she would be spayed in three days.

I went to see Alpha yesterday. She has been spayed. I was not surprised that she looked depressed. She had been a roaming dog , and now is caged in. I took her for a walk before I left.

Blowing Wind on a Dog's Face, Dog Bites and Phobias

There are many habits that I have that just never goes away. Even after a bad experience, the particular habit still stays within me. It is like an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Blowing air on a dog's face is one of them. I recall the first time I did this when I was about 6 years old. This dog was enjoying the cool air, and began licking it. From then on, I would do this to any friendly dog I came across.

One day during this innocent and mischievous childhood period, my father brought along to his friend's house. I remember there was this black dog which was staying indoor. It was resting on its belly under a chair. As my father and his friend were chatting, I squatted and poked my face near the dog's face. I blew my first few air, but it did not respond enthusiastically to them. It just looked at me, and must have made comments of how silly I was. I recall it did not show any signs of annoyance and imminent attack ie growling and baring of teeth. It literally did not flinch. So I continued blowing, and hoped that it would appreciate this cool air I was supplying to it. Suddenly the dog moved its head forward, and then back. It was like a knee-kerk reaction. I practically did not see that coming. I only moved when I felt a pain on my face. I can't remember which part of the face got bitten. "Bitten" is not the word to use. "Grazed" is an appropriate word, as it only took off the top part of the skin. Thus there was just a smudge of blood.

Before I could register any emotional response, my father and a few household members attended to me. I told them I blew onto the dog's face. Recalling their non-urgency to my "injury", I guessed they were said "serves you right for provoking it". But I knew it was because the injury was insignificant. Anyhow, my father cut short his meeting and rushed me to the doctor to have me jabbed.  I remember that I lied down with my butt facing up, and I kept looking back at the needle until I could not see it anymore before it came down into my skin.

The only other time I got bitten by a dog when I was 13 years old. That was more severe. I was hand feeding an Alsatian-mix in the dark through the gates. I remember during other times I threw over food for him, but cannot remember if I had fed it directly from my hand. While taking the food, it grazed my finger. This time there were blood coming out. I didn't blame it because it was dark, and it was so hungry that he hurriedly ate it.

I did not go to the doctor for a jab after the second incident. That was because I had developed a fear of needles. Till now, this phobia still exists. I would have expected for me to develop a fear of dogs too, but it never happened. While only psychologists will know the reasons, but from my point of view, could it be that the fondness of a particular thing - whether it is animated or not - overwhelms the fear of an unpleasant situation related to, or as a result of indulging into that thing? Furthermore, I was at an age when I was psychologically very vulnerable to extreme events - be it unpleasant or pleasant.

Teri's Puppies

Yesterday evening I got a call from the vet - where Teri is currently boarding - that the dog had given birth to six puppies. There were four females and two males.

Not one of these puppies looked like Teri. Well, except for the white color composition. I wonder if the father is actually one of her buddies - GR - which was featured in Canine Brotherhood.

As for Teri, she was healthy. She appeared longer and was aggressive toward other dogs. While she was tied outside the cage while the cage was being cleaned, she keeps looking into the empty cage to look for her babies. The vet assistant and me dare not show her that the pups were in a box.

A question for animal rescuers.

The question is: "What is your role as an animal rescuer?" This question came about after I came across three incidents, and they made me wonder if the rescuers like me  - particularly in Malaysia - are saving animals the right way. The first one was this:

Last week I helped a fellow dog rescuer to put up an adoption advertisement on http://www.petfinder.com.my/ for two female dogs she had rescued. Two days later, I got a missed call from a landline telephone, and immediately followed by a sms which read "I am interested to view the dogs, Sally and Brownie - Mak". This sms and the previous call are related, as you will later know.

I then called the handphone number and this Mak asked to see the dogs. He said these dogs will be taken in as guard dogs for a factory. He asked how old they were. Did Mr Chia call me earlier? (which explains the missed call). He said Mr Chia asked him to "look into it". I concluded that Mr Chia was the boss. The instruction for someone to "look into it" made me put out a red flag. I then mentioned something which immediately put him off. It was said in a matter-of-fact way. I said that the dogs are spayed. "Oh, then I don't want to view them. We actually want them to mate with a male dog that we have here. He is kind of unique in its color composition. We thought we could breed some puppies out of them".

Another incident is actually related to this dog rescuer. She has been doing it regularly - including vaccination, spaying / neutering - but the issue is that if she can't find homes for these dogs, she releases them back to their original habitat. She acknowledges that the only danger the dogs face are the dog catchers. But at least there is less reproduction of dogs.

The third example involves all animal rescuers. After looking at Petfinder and some websites of the dog rescuers, I see that - in a desperation to get the dogs adopted - puppies below ages of 5 months old are advertised as ready to be adopted even before they are  vaccinated and spayed/neutered. However, my concern is the spaying / neutering because sterilization keeps new strays off the streets. These individuals will say that they follow up with the owners to make sure the dogs are sterilized once they reach a suitable age ie 5 months and above. I would like to know how successful are these rescuers in achieving this objective.

I understand the rescuers' noble intentions of giving homes to the dogs. They will say that even if they can't get the owners to sterilize the dogs, at least they have a home. What if the owners decide to give up on the dog? I experienced such a scenario. Nacho -one of five pups I found two years ago - was adopted by a middle-class family from Kuantan (300 km from Kuala Lumpur). It was fated that I happened to be at PAWS on the day the family came to look for a pet dog. They took a liking to Nacho, who was 4 months old at that time. And it was a coincidence that I would be going to Kuantan for a business trip in two weeks. I told them of my trip, and asked if I could drop by to see Nacho. They didn't mind, and in two weeks, I got to see Nacho. In addition, I forged a new friendship with this family. However, three months later I got a call from them that they were going to drive down to PAWS to return Nacho. He has been too mischievous and uncontrollable in the house, and has destroyed everything in sight. To cut to the chase, this is one of many examples of owners returning a dog. Out of these quantity, how many actually return the dog back to where they adopted it from. In my case, it was to PAWS - a distance of 300km. And it was plain fortunate that the family and I know each other that they took the initiative to inform me. For the record, Nacho was already neutered before he was adopted. And that was because animal shelters have a strict policy of sterilizing dogs and cats before they are adopted.

I would really like to receive comments from all animal rescuers on your role as an animal rescuer. What are your objectives? Do you release puppies for adoption before they are sterilized? Also, do you release adult cats and dogs back to the streets after all the medical attention were given to them?

I do ask myself: "When the puppies are ready for adoption at ages 5 months above - with so much competition to be adopted - will people still be interested in them, or more inclined to get a younger pup? I would then let a chance pass by for these pups." " Am I only providing half of the solution by returning adult dogs back to the streets - even after they are sterilized? I am stopping reproduction, but they are still exposed to roadkill and dog cathers."

Teri the Wire-Haired Terrier

In a recent post Canine Brotherhood, I mentioned that there were three dogs which were always together. However, during this mating season, the terrier was nowhere to be seen. I thought this could be due to her being on heat. During my next visit, I spotted her roaming around at one of the roads. She was pregnant. That explains her disappearance.

I had always wanted to rescue these three dogs, but only after they fully get used to my  presence. Besides, I will be holding a leash and a collar, and they will definitely freak out upon seeing it. But the terrier's pregnancy accelerated the need to take her off the streets. A few days later, the intent of my visit was clear. Get the terrier. After work, I went over at 6pm to look for her. She was not around. I took my chance to  just wait for her at an area of 50 meter radius. It was 45 minutes later that I saw her rummaging for food at a garbage disposal bin. I attracted her attention and waved a bag of kibbles. I made sure that when she came over, we will be near my car. She did come over and I let her eat. Since she had an old collar on her, it was easy for me to attach the leash. She was not surprised and did not struggle to free herself when she realised that she had been leashed. Nevertheless, she refused to budge when I pulled the leash. She just remained seated. Not sure if she will bite me if I carried her to my car, I patiently nudged her seated rump toward the car. Every nudge moved her for about 6 inches. When she was about 1 foot from the car, I decided to carry  her. I was ready to risk getting bitten. I would have waited longer if she had been larger. She did not resist and I thanked her for her cooperation.

I drove to the vet and asked if he could take care of the dog and her soon-to-be-delivered pups. The vet measured her weight (10kg), and did some blood tests. He said she could be around 2-3 years old, and that she is a Wire-Haired Terrier. She could be due to deliver in about 2 weeks.

I had decided to name this dog Teri. I have put her up for adoption on http://www.petfinder.com.my/, and will do the same for her puppies. In the meantime, I feed her eggs and chicken wings whenever I visit her. I hope her delivery turns out well, and shall see what is the next course of action. In the meantime, I plan to get the other two remaining dogs.

Be Vigilant During Mating Season

When I walk my dogs, I don't bring along a long object to protect against stray dogs. The strays in the neighbourhood may be afraid of humans, but seeing an outsider dog is another matter. With the ongoing mating season, their hostile response to other dogs is now more intense. During other periods of the year, we have been barked and chased by stray dogs, but they always stop when they see me stamping my feet and pretending to take something (on one occasion I actually took a stone and hurled at them when they didn't retreat) to throw at them.

This morning I decided to bring a metal rod because I wanted to let Max run off-leash. When a dog attack happens, Jon will know whether to face them or run away. He has been on the streets before he was adopted. As for Max, I am sure he will not be able to avoid being harmed. This is based on two facts: First, he is much smaller in size. Second, he is too inclined to be friendly. I am sure he will actually approach these dogs, and they will perceive it as a challenge. Initially - when he was younger - I thought he was naive, inquisitive, and not able to differentiate between friend and foe; and between what is safe and dangerous. For example, he learnt that Jon is not friendly after getting pounced upon with bite marks. Until now, I still don't know what is behind Max's gung ho behaviour. I think he likes to face challenges presented by humans, dogs and inanimate objects. And this morning's incident somehow affirmed my conclusion.

We were taking a different route to a playground so that I could release Max to run. Just before reaching the place, two dogs appeared very quickly toward us. One of them seemed to have an owner because he had a collar on him. The other larger one - which was an alpha - appeared to be a stray. I stood my ground and shouted at them, but the alpha did not retreat. I then waved the metal rod and moved forward by two steps. He still walked on, albeit slower. I then frantically waved the rod, and this made him stop. We quickly walked away, leaving the two of them trailing us. It was not so much as to shoo us away, but more of sniffing on the ground for any scents left behind by my two dogs.

As I regained my senses, I recalled the incident and realised how differently Max and Jon dealt with the situation. Upon seeing the dogs, Jon quickly ran off. Max didn't move but looked at them. When I faced-off with them, Jon got back his courage and came to my side (not in front) and growled. Max lunged forward, but did not make any sound. I am sure if the leash was off, Max would not fight the dogs, but will actually enthusiastically greet them. Both of them respond to their own kind in opposite ways. Jon being hostile and fearful, while Max is too friendly.

All said, I will always be bringing the rod during our walks until this mating season is over. The hostility displayed by the males are too intense.

Vomiting in Dogs. Is he actually vomiting?

This is the title of a post from the blog Dawg Business. This post caught my interest as Jon occasionally vomits. One part of this post that - "Respiratory symptoms and vomiting" - closely described what Jon is experiencing. His output has always been "white and frothy".

I posed a question if this is the result of him pulling on the leash during his walk. I will have to observe at which point in time that he vomits. Health-wise, Jon does not wheeze or cough. I have not been concerned with him vomiting because it only happens about once a week; and thinking it was merely due to indigestion.

A Crocked Toad.

While I was walking two dogs yesterday evening, we came across a toad. I wondered what it was doing out there at 6pm. Despite one of the dogs very near it, and wanting to check it out, it did not hop away. I used my foot to nudge it. It did not move. Obviously knowing it was dead, I wanted to know for how long already. I put some pressure on it with my toes. Still soft. If it was scorching hot yesterday, it would have been rock hard. I wonder what caused its passing, because of the still-upright position and original physical form. At least it died happy.

Teaching Chance to walk on-leash

Chance has pulled through from the parvovirus. She is back to her playful, submissive behaviour. She is still waiting to be adopted. Anyhow, I shall wait until after this upcoming long holidays for enquiries about her before putting her into an animal shelter. In the meantime, for the past three visits, I have been conditioning her to accept the leash and collar; and ultimately to obediently walk on-leash. This will give the potential adopter a head start in getting her to walk on-leash.

In my first post about Chance, I mentioned that she likes to go into submissive belly-up posture. Well, on the first training day, she did exactly that when I pulled her with the leash. So I deferred this step, and just let the leash twist around her body, with the intention of letting her feel the presence of it. Initially, she was eager to follow me, and didn't mind the leash being around her. 

 



After awhile, Chance began to roll over when I looked back at her. I ignored her and continued to walk. Being the kind who is sticky to me, she had no choice but to follow me. I worked on this first phase of the process for remaining of the walk for the day.

 

On our next meeting, I repeated the previous step for a while before proceeding to hold the leash. She again rolled over. I dropped the leash and walked on. She followed. I picked up the leash again. I repeated this step whenever she rolled over, until she was willing to walk while I held the leash.

It was natural for her now to call the shots. This time she stood her ground - sometimes she sat down - and resisted from moving. I pulled her, but realised it was not effective and correct to do so, so I dropped the leash and walked away. This time she did not follow me until I was quite far ahead. On ocassions when I see cars approaching, I have to squat down and call her over. I will again hold the leash and proceed to walk. She will again resist. This process repeated several times for the remaining of our walk.

On the third visit, she was more obliging to walk beside me, though occasionally - but not as frequent - she resisted from moving. I was confident she would fully cooperate in future. One of her favorite place - and mine - for us to relax is at a gazebo at a nearby park. This was the first place I brought her to while waiting for the vet to open. For ten minutes, she gets a to enjoy a belly rub.

Canine Brotherhood

I came across these three dogs in the same area I found Chance.  Subsequent visits confirmed that the three of them go about in a team. Two of them - a male Retriever-mix, and a  female Terrier-mix - had a worn-out collar attached to them. The third one was a female mongrel. All three were cautious with my presence and stayed within arms length from me. But they were friendly, hoping that I have food for them. I had some kibbles in the car, and they ate it half-heartedly. Guess they were used to human food to fully appreciate the kibbles.

The mongrel was the most friendly. On that first meeting, I managed to touch her wet nose with my stretched arms. The other two were less enthusiastic, especially the Retriever. I later realised that this mongrel is the alpha. Her closest follower is the terrier. Whenever I want to get close to the terrier, this mongrel will intervene between us, while placing her foot on her body. There was an instance of affection demonstrated by this alpha. It could be the terrier was not well, because the alpha was licking the area beneath her right eye. The Retriever was, and is still always by himself.

I had given these three dogs simple, unimaginative nicknames: The mongrel is called Alpha Girl; terrier is Terrier Girl; and Retriever is called GR. The first two videos below are ones which shows the first and third meeting with them. All three were apprehensive during the first meet. Alpha Girl was the friendliest, with her licking my fingers and always offering her "hand" to me.  Though this is a sign - I later learnt - of dominance, it would be easy to train her to give "hand".  On the third meet up, I could pet her, while Terrier Girl started licking my hands. GR still stayed away. However on the sixth meet up, as shown in the last picture, GR began to sniff my hand, and I managed to pet him gently.

Being in a commercial area with many restaurants, these dogs will not have a problem getting food. In fact, these pack of three are among 4 or 5 packs who have staked a claim at different spots within a one-kilometer radius- with at least a restaurant nearby. I have not seen such a profound example of "territorial settlement" in a canine world. In spite of this, Alpha and Terrier Girl still eats the kibbles that I give them. GR doesn't eat it at all.

Thoughts of rescuing them have come across my mind. But who is going to take them in? Besides, no one is to be left behind because I reckon the one left behind will be lonely and depressed. On the other hand, these dogs here seem safe from the dog catchers. That's the benefit of living in areas where the humans are a majority non-Malays, where
the presence of dogs are not only tolerated, but accepted in the community.

There is one area I would like to share, where canine senses are concerned. There were times when they were not around their favourite spot when I stop by in the car.  But before I can even switch off the car engine, these dogs are seen running happily toward the car. Canine senses always intrigue me.