Over the Rainbow

Over The Rainbow, sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole

I seemed to have disappeared from blogging for a while. Too much heartbreaks and work and with a new maid, I was wearing so many hats in a week that I thought I could pull it through.

When my niece Tricia was still in her late teens, her boyfriend, Michael brought her a puppy. It was a long coated Chihuahua.



Tricia stayed with my parents, her parents in the same house. In our family, every new pet that comes into the house is treated as one of the family. We invite them with open arms, tender love and we have parties at home to gather our extended family, our best friends to welcome them(the pets).

Tricia named him Bambi. Because he was adorably cute. Aren't all babies cute?



He grew up in that household, loved and adored..then Tricia went to Australia for 2 years for her studies. Michael would come over and took care of Bambi..to shower him with love and kisses because Bambi missed Tricia terribly. He use to sleep in her room, on her bed, next to her face.

Whenever I visit my parents, I would go and look out for Bambi. And I would call his name " Bambi, Bambi". He would dash out from where he is at...and jump up and down with delight asking for a cuddle. Which I would do all the time. I would hold him, cuddle him for 10 to 15 mins. Sometimes I would talk to him as if I was talking to a child. Because I have never treated him as an animal..but more of an extended family member.


And without fail, all the years that have passed, whenever I visited my parents, I would always do the same thing..after greeting my parents, I would go and seek him out first..then followed by all the other pets in the house. Because Bambi knows his packing order..He was the first pet..followed by the cat..then came Winter, the Bull Mastiff dog which Tricia rescued from the Puppy mill. Winter was used for breeding only. She never saw the lights of things outside her cage. Only saw the handler who took care of her when she was pregnant or when her puppies were born.

Tricia loved animals..all creatures big and small. From the tiniest of insect to the creepy crawlies to the scaly snake and down the furry animals. Even the cat was an abandoned feline..she would bring him home and loved him.


This is Winter, the Bull Mastiff. Also loved and adored in our homes.



This is Summer, the cat that was abandoned and also rehomed with Tricia. Its me carrying Summer.

In the last couple of 2 years on..Bambi became ill. First he went blind. Tricia was working late almost every night and my sister took it upon herself to care for Bambi in his last days. Michael would come and visit and help to tend to Bambi every weekend.

Poor little Bambi, gone blind but tearing each time..so they had to put the cone on him all the time. Even so, being blind, I would still visit him and would still call his name. And he would listen to my voice and navigate his way around and find me. But he could no longer jumped like before but his tail never stop wagging and I know in my heart I just need to hug him, to cuddle him and to show him I am here. And I still loved him all the time.


When his eyes went blind, the vet told my sister that his days are numbered. Through a scan, they found a tumour in his tiny brain. The doctor gave him only 6 months or less..but he survived for a year..completely blind.

Then he became extremely ill, frail and either vomit every other day or had diarrhea. My girls never grew up to like him. Because Bambi is terrorised everyone at home. He doesn't like children or adults. He doesn't like my mom or my dad. He definitely didn't like my brother in law who is Tricia's dad. In his last days being ill, he didn't like Tricia anymore. If she would to come close to him, he will snarl and snap at her.

You may think that Bambi is ungrateful for the love Tricia had for him or doesn't know what is right or wrong. Who feeds you, who loves you, who doesn't?

But if you put yourself in Bambi's eyes and life, you would understand how he felt. When he was well and happy go lucky dog, no one respected him or gave him a pat on his head or cuddled him. Tricia worked day and night..sometimes she would just come home to change, sleep. My mom used to joke to us that although they all lived in the same house, she doesn't know if Tricia is home or not..! much less Bambi.

Then last month, sometime in May 22, my sister sms me to say that Bambi is in the animal hospital at Sunset Way. That's like the other end of Singapore! She said he may not survive the night and she hopes that he dies peacefully in his sleep than for them to give him the jab to end his suffering. He was found to have kidney failure and the kidneys are failing..one dead, the other was also failing. He was unable to eat or drink and was put on a drip for days.

I had to go and see him. Just to say goodbye and to tell him things again. And so I did...I ask the nursing staff at the hospital to take a photo of me holding him...


When I look at this photo, it tears me badly..he was struggling with all that is left in him to sit up..and putting his head resting on my chest.


When I entered the cage, I call his name again : Bambi, Bambi.
And though he was sleeping, he heard me calling him..And he tried so hard to lift up his head and I slided my palm under his chin..





I whispered to his ears and said to him :

Bambi, Wait for everyone to come and see you, then go..Go in peace. And know that I always have a special spot in my heart for you.!

Then I put him back into the cage, I stroked him and planted kisses on him. And I told him I had to go. But my thoughts are always with him.

The next day, he passed away peacefully, in the arms of Michael and Tricia. They wept bitterly for him.

And for a week, I couldn't get things done at home or at work. And started to think..

This is not my dog. He's Tricia's. And he doesn't live with me. And I don't see him often. So why should it tear me just as much as my own pet's dying on me? Then I realised that all these while, all these years, I have given him a part of me. A love from afar.

I shared with a friend of mine..and then she said to me..:

"Gina, even a dog knows you are sincere. You give everyone, human or animal the same kind of respect and the same kind of love. So its only natural that should one leave, the other hurts."

And then I realised that my extended family are like me too..in this context. When my Beauty(shetland sheepdog) was ill and dying, sms was sent out to all. I remembered my cousin ringing me and crying on the phone. I remember my Aunty Aileen sms me and comforting me.

This is FAMILY, this is LOVE.

Treat everyone, every living thing with love, with respect and in return, the world seems a happier place.

Rest in Peace, Bambi..until that day comes, meet me at the gates of Heaven.

You are my Hiding Place...

In His time, He taught me to release, to let go and to forget. I cannot believe that it really happened. Today is Thursday, March 18 2010. To forget Beauty which I thought I would never forget her. She passed away on March 7th, 2007.

I don't think of her anymore. But I still loved her from my heart. I don't see her in the things I used to do with her in it. In the void, I found her in another pet we had in the house.

I remembered crying my heart out for Beauty when she passed away in my arms. Thank God for good friends and a good Vet like Dr Lee who understands what I was going through. He shared my tears with me. Because he watched and took care of her throughout her puppy days till she breathed her last.

Thank God for families who understands that pets are family too. Although many think that as pet lovers we are over reacting.
It is through Beauty's passing, I met many people whom I thought were strangers. One such person was the late Billy Cotton. With whom I never met personally. But a chef and a friend who was in USA. Who used to write to me and consoled me and comfort me.

As now I look back, I realised that God provided me with friends here, there and everywhere. With the strength to carry on each day. There will be always be hurt as long as we live, but to have God, is knowing that there is hope, there is love and there is peace.

A beautiful hymn, "You are my hiding place" I shared this with you...
AMEN!

An Elephant never forgets

And I would like to think that a Dog too. Especially with mine. Jing Jing, our female shetland sheepdog. Yesterday after dinner, while playing with her, I noticed that her collar was loose. So I removed it to tighten it. Her collar is like a belt with a clip that you can adjust to shorten it or to lengthen it.

She was most upset. She sat there whinning at me. Poking her muzzle into my hands. Then Melody said it may reminded her of her past. It was then, I remembered. Jing Jing was a puppy with very sad eyes. A forlorn look. When we took her home with us, I got into a taxi. She was whinning inside the taxi too. I thought she was car-sick. I rang up the ex owner and she said Jing Jing don't like car rides and don't like her collar removed. We had to remove her collar when the owner sold it to us.




That action meant that she was going away...AGAIN!

In all, she has came and went into 5 homes excluding the last one which is us. She was only a 7 month old puppy but she has been from her first home to the pet shop. Then to a man for his wife..which later was given away to the man's secretary because she was grieving over the death of her dog. Who in turn was taken away from her because she couldn't care for her and ended up in another house.



Jing Jing had no name. Was often called as "Hey" or "A" or "ah girl". She had a collar that was removed time and again whenever she moved into a new home. And that accompanied with a car ride.

So she remembered : a car ride or collar removed is bad news. Means nobody wants her. She will be sent away again.

this was Jing Jing when she first came to our place. She loved the girls and would sit on Natasha's lap all the time. She has this fear that nobody wants her. So she stayed very closely to all of us.


Over time, with lots of love and assurance, she knew we are always here for her. She is happier now. But she still remembers. So it is also for this reason that Dr Lennie Lee(the vet who also treated my past pets) visits her for her annual medical checkup and her vaccinations.

Jing Jing is now 3 years old. How time has just flew by.

To Love and Be Loved

Yesterday, my sister sms me to say that Simba has passed away. I heard that he was ill for some days and was hospitalised in an animal hospital near my sister's home. I didn't expect it to be so sudden that a mere flu could kill a cat. Like Melody said, "he's old, old cats cannot be sick."

The last time I saw Simba was some months back. I think it was almost last March or so. Ever since we open shop, I didn't go to my sister's home for quite a while.

Simba is a mixed Persian cat. He was 'discovered' and rescued by my niece Tricia and her close friend, Michael. And found in the monsoon drains near their home. Together with 2 other female cats that look like Simba. The 3 cats were cleaned up and the 2 females were rehomed by the Singapore Cats Welfare Society while Tricia decided to keep the male cat. He was given the name of Simba..as in Disney's animated movie "The Lion King".

He was skinny when he first came. And all he could think of was to go out and find his girlfriends. We suspected that the 2 females may be his wives or concubines. And he may have been someone's pets until they have to moved out and left the cats behind to fend for themselves.

But if you are a Cat person, you will know that while you may like to move to a new area to stay, your cat thinks otherwise. He may still think that home is not where your heart is, its where he grew up in or where he finds comfort in. And most likely, that will be the place he spends all his days at.

So Simba stayed put with his felines. Then a rainstorm came and he ended up in the drains. Cold, wet and almost dehydrated and very hungry, he was just too weak to move.

When my niece found him, he was all too please to be handled. My niece Tricia, is an animal lover. If she has her own place, we all knew that there will cats and dogs in every inch of her house! Simba was brought home, cleaned up and sent to the Vet for a full medical check up.

He stayed with the family. And was loved and adored by everyone in the family. My sis had parties to welcome Simba. All of us came to dine and also to play with the cat.

In return, Simba returned his love for the family. And was very much our family's pet and family member too. He ruled the house over the dog. Yes, there is a dog in the house too. They got on pretty well. No cat n dog fights.

I always believe in one simple thing about Love and that is :

If you love someone, what you get is more love in return. Just like Nat King Cole used to sing that song "Nature Boy". One of the verses to that song said " The Greatest thing, you will ever learn, is just To Love and Be Loved in return"

This post is dedicated to Simba, the cat that rules us. May he rest in peace, knowing that he will be greatly missed and still have a special place in our hearts and mind.

Here's Melody hugging and loving Simba who doesn't look very pleased, though!



First early photos of Simba during one of the parties for him.



Living in a house with dog has turned Simba to behave like a dog to sit up and beg for food




More pictures of him



Clearly shows he Rules the house, the couch and us!

My world of dogs

I always have dogs since young. My late grandparents kept dogs to watch their little farm of chickens and ducks. I grew up in this homely environment of pets in the house. There was always at least 1 dog in the house, a couple more outside the house and a few cats too. Every animal was in harmony and in peace with each other. There was never a cat and dog fight.

Then we grew up, got married, had our own homes and we got a few dogs along the way. My cousins have dogs in their homes. My relatives had dogs or cats too.

My niece and sister had a cat(which they adopted from the street outside their home) and a dog too.

Here's a post for all dog lovers..my pets past and present.

My current pet dog, Jing Jing. She's a shetland sheepdog.



She's focusing on the cheese slices I am removing to give her


In her own way, this is how she tells me its yummy!


This was my ex pet, Beauty. Also a Shetland Sheepdog. She's 5 years old in this photo. Taken together with Natasha's pet dragon


When Melody was only 3 years old, she spent much of her time playing and telling Beauty all her secrets. A wonderful photo of them in their yak-yak session


Natasha at 4 years old, with Beauty. Beauty was only 2 years old then. Natasha is now 19 years old..how time has flown by.


I had a Tri coloured Shetland Sheepdog which my hubby gave me when we first moved into our first nuptial home. Seen here, he was named Fable and nestling with his siblings. He's the only pup that was black.



Fable, at his prime. 3 years old.



Here's Fable, fully grown..trying to herd a small rabbit. Rabbit was my niece's pet.


This is Bambi, the long coated Chihuahua that is owned by my niece.





These 2 pups are a mixed with Dobermann and a local stray. They were considered as bad luck due to an old chinese belief that dogs with black fur cannot have white patches or the family will have bad luck. They were given away soon after they turn 4 weeks ago. My brother in law took them home. It was my mom who nursed them and fed them like her babies.

Pee Gee is the white dog with black patches. And Sunny Boy is the almost Dobermann coloured pup.


Sunny Boy is a grouchy, selfish pup.


Pee Gee was given away when she was 3 months old to a family who loves dogs. But she died young due to a birth defect. I learn from this, never to breed dogs just because the doggy parents look good on the outside. There are so many genetic defects unseen, undetectable! Poor PG.

Sunny Boy at 6 months old..still considered a puppy but look how huge he grew up to be.



This was my very first dog, a Pomeranian. He was a Stud dog and very tiny. We got him at his prime when he was 5 years old. We never bred him after that. He became our pet dog to love and cherish.


This was Shoby, my very first Shetland Sheepdog which hubby gave me as a present. He was also born with a birth defect. He had a heart murmur. He died when he was only 4 months old, on Valentines' Day.

Remembering Raya

Some years back, when hubby took the girls out for jogging, they came home with a kitten. Knowing that I am allergic to cat's fur, my hubby said I should just feed it and then let him go. Because it meowed and meowed non stop and seem to be sick. He cannot seem to see where he is going and knocking into walls and shoe cases which our neighbours had in their front yards.

My hubby also feared that the kitten may walk into the neighbour's flat which had big dogs in there.

So I took a look and check it out. Then I found this poor kitten...that was abused. My heart just broke in several places that day.



He is blind..! But I can that he wasn't born blind. There was blood stains in the empty eye socket and it look like he was abused and somehow someone dug out his eye????




His tiny tail also had rubber bands tied around it. Natasha and Melody calmed him down while painstakingly removed one by one. It was swollen and bruised..so I had it cleaned with antisepic Dettol and water..and applied some cream to let it healed.

My girls said maybe he had wandered away from his mommy and hurt himself in the eye. I told them that a Mother Cat will teach her young kittens to stay away from humans and other strange animals that are not their kind. If a kitten is extremely friendly to any human, it means that he grew up knowing humans are his family members.

But though he didn't feared us, he hissed and run away from sweet old Beauty, our old Sheltie..the Matriach in the house! But Beauty is gentle and sweet. She mothered him as if he was her little one. Slowly and surely, he warmed up to her love.

We named him Raya because he was found on Hari Raya Puasa in the year 2004. I couldn't keep him for long and SPCA was closed during the Hari Raya holidays. 3 days later, we rang up SPCA to pick him up.

It was to me, the BIGGEST mistake I have made on saving animals. Soon after he was picked up, Natasha's friend managed to get her parents to say YES to adopting RAYA. The next day, the family drove to SPCA, all ready to adopt Raya. But found out that they have already put him to sleep!!!

Why?

The answer was "He was sick. And had some feline virus and we do not want him to spread the illness to the other cats here"

I thought they had an area for quarantine??

Our girls cried bitterly when they found out. We should have kept Raya with us just for another day and give to anyone who wants him.



Thankfully, we had keep beautiful photos of Raya during his last 3 days with us and Beauty. We wished that he rest in peace, away from pain and suffering in his short life on earth.

From that day onwards, we learn that if we wanna help anyone or any creature, we must see it through the process and make sure all is well.

So this post is for Raya..remembering him

That doggie in the window

Everyone who knows me offline and online, knows I am a dog lover. But since I had a retail shop that opens to the public, I had to restrict people with pets coming into the store. However, if you are shopping in my store and your pet is in a crate or pooch bag or in your arms, you can come in and shop. As long as your pet do not have a free run in the shop or even on a leash.

So a light hearted song by Doris Day "How much is that Doggie in the window" is something you won't see in my shop. Well, anything close to it will be just a cookie cutter.



Here's the latest pictorial view of the shop.