Jack's 11th Birthday

Hi,

We celebrated Jack's 11th birthday on Mon 27th April with some special treats for him.

Here is a slide show of the photos taken of the occasion :

Well, we are glad to say that Jack is still looking good though greying but still fit and strong so we look forward to many good years ahead with Jack.

Happy 11th Birthday, Jack our Beagle!

Mummy, Daddy and Jason Poh

Jack Broke His Dog Chain

Hi,

I have a dog chain hooked to a heavy duty hook screwed into a wall of my car porch for many years.

2 nights ago, Jack was tied to it as we have some visitors that evening.

As usual, there are many residents walking their dogs around that time and Jack like to bark at them and lunge forward since he was tied up else he would have rush to the gate and bark at them instead.

The heavy duty hook broke!

Now we know how strong Jack is despite his aging and coming to 12 this coming Monday.

Jack's Great Escape

Hi,

I was opening the gate outwards to talk to a neighbour yesterday morning and did not notice that Jack was nearby.

Jack ran out of the gate immediately and my dear wife was screaming at Jack to come back and started to go after him. I told her not to run after Jack as he would ran even faster.

I went to take some dog biscuits and his leach before I started to go after Jack too.

My wife managed to get Jack's attention by shouting his name and biscuit. Jack stopped and made a U-turn and ran back towards the house, passing her. Jack was running quite fast and passed me too but I threw a biscuit towards him on the road.

Jack again stopped running and came for the biscuit, I went to grab Jack's collar and guess what happened?

The collar came off as I tried to grapple to leach him.

My immediate thought was that there was no way I can catch Jack as I have no way of holding on to him.

However, I threw another biscuit and called out to Jack out of desperation!

My greedy Jack ran back again for the biscuit and this time he was so eager to have his treat again that he did not mind my climbing over him with legs holding on to his body and at the same time, putting the collar back on him and then leach him.

I must say that I was lucky and got him this time......sigh

Lesson learned :

- I should not have opened my gate outwards but inwards.

- Arm yourself with biscuit or dog treats to lure Jack back especially if your dog does not respond to the Come command unlike Ruby.

- Stay calm and not run after the dog as it will run even faster and away from you,

Wow...... if Jack has ran away and beyond our catching him back, I would be lost myself today, my family too!

We really need to be watchful and weary of our dogs.

Take care!

David

Attacked by Dog - What You Should Do

Hi,

So you know what to do when face with an attack by a dog?

There was this article published in My Paper on 31 March 2009:

There is a very low probability of a dog attacking a human, except in cases of outright provocation, like throwing stones at the animal, kicking it or taunting it; according to a veterinarian.

So be smart and just leave them alone when you see them on the streets, according to one dog owner.

Still, what should you do in the event of a dog attack?

One expert suggested that you should stand as still and upright as possible, and don't stare down on the dog. Running away is a definite no-no, too.

In the dog world, the size of their prey matters. By standing upright, you are towering over them, which is a sign of dominance and , thus, intimidation.

He further claimed that while standing still, though difficult, is the only way of telling the dog that you mean no harm.

If the dog persists, the most important area to protect is the face.

The vet said that you should cover your face and press your elbows to your sides. This way, if the dog bites you, your ears, eyes, rib cage and vital organs are protected.

Well, I still remember cycling to school when I was young and sometimes passed by a few houses that have not closed their gates and their dogs would rushed out barking at me. I would cycle very fast to get away as far as possible and the dogs would only run a short distance and then stopped. I do not think I have really out ran them but they have left their territory instead, I think!

I think it is important to remain calm and not panic; the above advice should be applicable but at times it also depends on the type of dog attacking you.

Anyway, take care and watch out for stray dogs as my brother was bitten by one many years ago and it took him a long time to get over it. But I am glad to say that he is now a dog owner, partly because of his kids though.

Take care!

David

An Evening With My Dogs - Earth Hour 2009

Hi,

We observed the Earth Hour in Singapore on Saturday 28 March from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.

After switching off all the lights and non-essential power points in the house, we spent the evening walking our Jack and Ruby around our estate and rested at the nearby park too.

Here is a slide show of how we spent the time in the park :

Well, we took it as bonding time within the family too.

We are happy to know that we have done a small part for the future of Earth.....!

David & family
Jack & Ruby

An Afternoon With Jack & Ruby

Hi,

Last Sunday, I decided to read my papers in the car porch while waiting for the delivery of my wife's new HP notebook.

At the same time, took the opportunity to spend some time with my Jack and Ruby too.

I started to take photos of them using my mobile phone and here is a compilation of them in a slide show :

Hope you enjoy spending that hour with us!

David
Jack & Ruby

Jack and Ruby Caught Napping

Hi,

Was checking on the dogs through the window and caught them napping.

The funny thing was that Jack was sleeping inside Ruby's cage with his head sticking out of it while Ruby was sleeping nearby.

Jack and Ruby look cute in this photo.....!

David

Ruby's 6th Birthday

Hi,

We just celebrated Ruby's 6th birthday on 12 March, together with Jason's birthday on 17th March.










Birthday Boy carrying the Birthday Girl.....

















Mum feeding Ruby some of her favourite treats.














Of course, we did not forget Jack.....









Ruby was jealous though when Jason carried Jack. Mummy has to restrain Ruby from jumping at them...ha..ha...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JASON & RUBY!

David

Pet Dumping - Rise In Lost Dogs

Hi,

With the new law requiring dogs to be licensed and implanted with microchips, SPCA received more lost dogs last year!

Most of the lost dogs had no microchip or identification on them and only a third was claimed by their owners, said SPCA.




It is sad when people buy pets like dogs without a long term commitment but on a spur of the moment. They then dump the pets when they grew tired of them or it became a burden either in terms of money spent or the time needed to look after them.

One of the culprits is the parents who would buy their children a pet just because they asked for it. This pet would get dumped once the novelty is over.

And sad to say, I know of such people and I tried so hard to influence them to do the right thing. Either not to get a pet in the first place or find another home for it and in the worst case, send it to SPCA. Some does not even bother to send the dog for vaccination, grooming etc as they want to save their money.

Very disappointed at their behaviour indeed, especially when they are your friends or relatives.

So please think twice about your time and money to be spent on owning a pet before you get any one for yourself or your family or your friends too.

David

Pet Owner Bitten By Dog In Park

Hi,

A man, whose dog was attacked by a golden retriever, was bitten on his thumb when it turned on him.

This was reported in the newspaper as follows :

There was no further details given on what could have provoked the dog attack but it is quite unusual as Golden Retriever dog is normally quite friendly.

In short, just need to be careful when you are walking your dog in public and hopefully, you will not have such an unpleasant accident.

Take care!

David

Would You Rent A Dog ?

Hi,

There is this newspaper article that reported that dogs are being rented out to people to see if they are ready to seriously own a dog as a pet.





I also read that in Japan, people rent pets like dogs for the weekend as their home may not be big enough to keep one.



When my friends told me that their children ask them for a dog as a pet, I always invite them to visit Jack and Ruby and get a feel of having dogs around them. I can also take the opportunity to educate them on the responsibilities of being a dog owner.



I am also OK if they drop by on weekends to play with Jack and Ruby.

Marley and Me

Hi,

My family and I went to see this movie, Marley and Me, over the weekend.

It was a great family movie and we shed some tears at the end of the movie when Marley died due to its illness and old age too, I suppose.

The movie is based on a true story and it is in print too, so either watch the movie or read the book.