My Best Furry Friends

It's been a month since I last updated my blog, due to some busy schedules and 2 newcomers in my family :). I'd like to start from the early days of September, when I got my first newcomer in my family.

Let me introduce you to my first four-legged member, Cheryl:

She's my little sweet mini poodle and only barks when necessary. This sweet girl was rescued from the streets by my neighbour, which possibly means that she was abandoned  away by her previous owner. But my neighbour needs space for her business, so she's been looking for someone to adopt her dogs (she's only got 2 left now).

These cases of abandoned dogs are very common, sometimes with unreasonable reasons. I couldn't imagine anyone abandoning Cheryl . She's such a darling and is very smart (although she's a picky eater).

There are a lot of reasons for people to abandon their dogs:

- People buy only because they want it. They see the cute puppy on the windows of the pet shop then buying it, before even learning about the dog breed or considering whether they'll be able to raise it. Will they be able to keep their dogs for their whole life? Will they move to somewhere where dogs aren't welcomed? etc. Pets are for a lifetime, it's really cruel to just abandon them.

- They breed their dogs, then abandon them when they're deemed "undesirable" for them. You're the one who decide to bring them to this world in the first place.

- People only buy them according to the trending breed, then abandon them once it's not trending anymore. Like the Siberian Husky, we can find lots of them in shelters, due to them being the trend in previous years.This year I've seen a lot of red toy poodles, they seem to be the trend this year.

- They were bought just for fame and glory. Their owners bought and raised them without love (although it's not always the case) and enrolled them into dog competitions just for prize or money. But once the dog becomes too old, or doesn't win many competitions they will just abandon or sell them, where it's unsure whether the one who buys it will treat the dog well.

- They are gifts/presents. Never give a dog as a present, as the one who gets it might not always be ready for the responsibility of taking the dog until it dies, especially a child.

- They were given without the one who receives' consent.

- There are many more reasons that I might not know.

Who could ever abandon this sweet girl?

I first saw her roaming the streets, and I immediately felt a connection with her. She's very sweet and quiet, just like a doll, and was a rare sight to see. The dogs that roam my neighbourhood are usually mongrels, and none of them are mostly white like Cheryl.

I had been following her for several days around the neighbourhood when I finally met her owner on one late afternoon. She was a friendly woman and was considering to give Cheryl to me as she needs space for her business. At first I refused as I thought she was just being nice to me, but she kept on offering Cheryl whenever I met her. Once I knew the reason, I decided to adopt Cheryl. After getting agreement from my dad, Cheryl was brought to my house to adapt to it first. Although my neighbour wants to give Cheryl away, she's sad to part with Cheryl. But finally she feels relieved when she saw that I take care of Cheryl well.

I didn't immediately keep Cheryl, I just brought and introduced her to my house first. I let her go back to my neighbour in the evening to sleep there. I did this for several days, to let her gradually adapt to my house. All she did in our house was roam the front porch and laid down on her new bed my neighbour gave to me inside. And once I think she's ready to settle down in her new home, I take her permanently.

The first few days were a bit hard as I still don't have a leash for Cheryl. Whenever I took her out to walk, she would always run to my neighbour's house. She would just dash there without caring about the vehicles on the road, which makes it dangerous. Once she got to my neighbour's house, she didn't want to go back, so I had to carry her home.

When the leash arrived, the problem above was solved, although it was still hard to bring Cheryl home. Gradually, though, she came to know that my house is her home. Even without leash, Cheryl will always stick with me.

Since I adopted Cheryl, I've been immersed into the dog world. I wanted to save one of my relative's dog which was given to them; not as a present, but because they wanted to move house and cannot bring their dog to their new house.

First my relative's dog was really spoiled. It was bathed in warm water, was bought clothes, and was taught tricks. But after some time, as my relatives were often on the go, there was rarely anyone to play with the dog (it's a lapdog). Slowly the lapdog was just kept in the backyard and only given limited food once a day. This resulted the dog to be malnourished that even minor wounds couldn't recover and became infected. His fur became matted as he was rarely given a bath. He also never went out so he lacks social skills. 

Then there was a Chihuahua not far from my house which I saw was always locked up in its cage. I wanted to take him out for a walk but I didn't know the owner so I still don't dare to ask. Although my mom has met him once or twice and said that he was kind. However, I was unsure whether I'll be able to take the Chihuahua for a walk. Because usually I was exhausted after just walking Cheryl.

To get some experience in walking more than 1 dog, I decided to take my relative's dog out for a walk. Then my mom asked my relative if I can take their dog out, they asked if I would like to adopt the dog instead. That results in:

Meet Chiko!

 All those wounds and infections were due to malnutrition.

He's a cheerful, playful, and energetic bichon frise with an alpha behaviour. Alpha behaviour means that he was born with a leader attitude.

We guessed that he was an alpha because he acts dominant. When we just got him, he insisted on sleeping on the sofa, unlike Cheryl who went down immediately when we asked her to. It is said that alphas like to sleep in a higher position so they can keep an eye over their territory.

There are many more examples but it will be too long to tell all of them here.

After we picked him up, we immediately brought him to the vet to be vaccinated. The vet said to put him in a cage for 1 week so he can rest. Once we got home, we put him into the cage. It was a big cage and we didn't have any space for the cage inside. He started crying and barking as he didn't want to be left outside but we had no choice.

A week has passed and we decided to castrate him, so he won't have the desire to mate with any dog. I disagree on breeding more dogs as there are already a lot of dogs with sad fates like him waiting in shelters to be taken home. After the castration, we allowed him to stay inside but he wasn't allowed to move around too much during his process of healing, which was hard as he was a very active dog.

This was Chiko "playing" the piano.

How could anyone ignore/abandon these 2 dogs?

Unlike Cheryl who just smiles politely, Chiko expresses his feelings really clearly on his face. He's very expressive.

In the beginning it was hard settling down with these two, even though we settled down with them one by one. First we had to get used to their new behaviours, then there's their vaccination, new rules for them, etc.

From adopting these two, I learned a lot of things about caring for dogs. Once you get a dog, you are responsible for it for the rest of the dog's life. So consider carefully before getting one. Even if there is a sudden change in your life, you must be able to fit your dog into the change, not abandon or leave it.

It's not easy to keep a dog ( if you really want to keep them properly).They must be vaccinated, brought to vet when sick (which isn't cheap), potty trained, manner trained, etc. I also suggest castrating them so there will be no more dogs that might end up with sad fates.

If you'd like to own a dog, I suggest you go to a shelter and give them a chance for a forever home.  Of course you must pass their terms and conditions before you can bring them home. One of the shelter that I know is Shelter Melati in Tangerang. You can check their instagram .