Hi all, another fortnight has gone by and it’s time for our sixth blogpost in the “Friends of the Animals” blog series. Today, Rika, the pet dog of Dr Joanna Debby Khoo from the Veterinary Section, “writes” about her human and feline friends.

Hi! My name is Rika. I’m a 3.5 year old Maltese and Shih Tzu mix and I’m originally from Perth, Australia.

Hmm… writing is tough work.

My human and I first met when I was about 8 weeks old. She adopted me from a family which had had a litter of puppies. She was at the house visiting us and was actually going to pick my meek, quiet sister, but I quickly grabbed her attention by going forward and nibbling on her toes!

Now, I must tell you something. My human is a veterinarian! She gave me my core and non-core vaccinations, ensured I was de-wormed, and sterilised me when I was 5 months old to reduce my chances of developing reproductive tract diseases. She also trained me to be accustomed to nail trims and ear cleaning from young, so I don’t freak out now as a grown-up.

What I miss most about Perth were the twice-daily walks to the parks near our home with my human. Back then, she worked shifts at a vet clinic and had the time to bring me for 30-minute walks in the morning and in the evening. I have fond memories of rolling around in the grass, running freely catching balls, playing with the other dogs… Yes, I’ve definitely chased a big dog or two around in my life… The daily exercise was really beneficial in keeping my energy levels and mood balanced. It was also in these parks that I graduated from my Puppy Socialisation Programme!

Me and my human at the park, with my water bowl and leash.

Of course, I didn’t just have canine friends. Let me tell you about my feline friends! Many are shocked that I have feline friends. To be honest, I sometimes think I’m a cat myself. I first lived with a big scary fluffy cat called Zoe in Perth. Zoe tolerated me but much preferred to be left alone grooming herself.

This was as close as I got to Zoe, by sneaking up on her!

My human brought me to the clinic every day. My best friend at the clinic was Nigel, a silver tabby. He lived there and we used to have great fun chasing each other up and down the clinic corridors. Well, clearly Nigel wasn’t afraid of me even though I’m a dog (cat!). The secret is, as my human says, to have dogs and cats interact from young.

Playing at the bottom of the prep table.

No I don’t know who stole the persimmon!

I still remember my toilet-training sessions when I was just a wee pup. My human would take me out to the backyard in our house in Perth every hour and after each meal and go “Toilet! Toilet”! I would just look at her and roll my eyes and then roll around on the grass to scratch my back. I am proud to declare that I am fully toilet-trained.

In fact, when my human and I relocated to Singapore in 2009, I was so well-trained that I refused to pee in my carrier! When my human came to collect me from the Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine Station, I dashed out (on my leash) to the nearest plot of grass where she swears I peed for 5 minutes straight. An exaggeration…

Now I live with 3 other cats that my human rescued when they were just 2 – 3 weeks old. They had been surrendered for humane euthanasia but my human intervened. Let me introduce Kat (top right), Kitler with a moustache (bottom right) and Kow, who has cow spots (left). Clearly, my human ran out of names because who calls a cat a cow right?

The kittens when they were babies.

As grown-ups, Kat is the meek scaredy one, Kow is the big fat greedy one, and Kitler is the most manja (seeking attention and affection) of the lot. All three live entirely at home. I’ve asked them if they mind being cooped up at home since I get to go out for walks. But they’ve assured me that they’re very happy to be indoors where they have constant access to food (greedy things), leather sofas and water.

Kow and I lazing on my human’s bed watching TV.

Even though my human is much busier now, she still spends time with me. Some Sundays we wake up extra early for a 6km run/walk. I usually get tired halfway so she has to carry me for a while. She says it helps train her biceps. I’m not that fat!

Alright, time for a snooze. Talk to you guys later!

Name: King
Gender: Male
Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Size: Small (HDB approved)
Health: Good
Age: 8 yrs 11 mths
Vaccinated: Yes
Sterilized: Yes
Paper Trained: No
Basic Commands: Partial
Good with Children: Yes
Good with Pets: Yes
History: King was abandoned with his buddy Charles.

Personality: King is a nice little boy and is easy to manage. However, he needs someone to be around with him or another animals. He cannot be alone as he gets really anxious. We hope that they are lucky enough and someone will look beyond their ages and offer them homes!

Name: Charles
Gender: Male
Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Size: Small (HDB approved)
Health: Good
Age: 8 yrs 11 mths
Vaccinated: Yes
Sterilized: Yes
Paper Trained: No
Basic Commands: Partial
Good with Children: Yes
Good with Pets: Yes
History – Charles was abandoned with his buddy King

Personality – Charles is excellent with people and kids. He also gets along with cats and dogs. He loves to go on walks too.

Special Needs – Charles needs eye drops daily for his cataract problem He also has a slight heart murmur and will need a safe quiet home to retire in.

Enquiry – Please contact Christine @ 97937162 or Marcus @ 96973491 or send us an email at general@animalloversleague.com should you be keen to adopt King and/or Charles.

To visit ALL’s website, please visit http://www.animalloversleague.com/.

This information is also available on our A Pet is for Life Facebook Group. Join us now!

SOSD Adoption Drive

Venue: Torte Cafe
Address: 96, Waterloo Street, Singapore 187967
Date and Time: May 20th 2012, 11am to 3pm
Activities: 30-minute dog handling demo sessions conducted by Happy Paws. Doggie merchandise for sale to help raise funds for our street dogs.
Participants: Team SOSD, Happy Paws, The Barkery Singapore, Sharon, and Sue Ann.

Guess what? Save Our Street Dogs is holding an adoption drive this Sunday! And yes, this would be a perfect opportunity for you to meet SOSD’s adorable dogs and pups from all walks of Singapore! You may also adopt one or two if you have what it takes to care for these sweet and affectionate canines.

Most of them have been through unimaginable hardships, and all they need from you now is a loving home and a compassionate heart. If you’ve always wanted a dog for life, here is your chance!

Expect lots of fun and activities during the event too, for SOSD has lined up quite a treat for you throughout the afternoon! Clueless on how to handle a mutt? Fret not, there will be 30-minute dog handling sessions conducted by our friends from Happy Paws.

And on top of the free dog training, SOSD is also setting up a merchandise booth with all sorts of doggie knick-knacks for sale. The Barkery will donate 500 grams of treats for every SOSD dog adopted! Isn’t that wonderful? So, please remember to mark your calendars, and do bring your doggie-loving friends and family along! Woof!

For more information, please visit SOSD’s website http://www.saveourstreetdogs.com/.

Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce that the registration for SPCA Fun Run 2012 is now open1!

Your donation of $38 will help us continue our animal welfare programmes.

Spend a Saturday morning with your loved ones for a good cause, and please help us spread the word!

Register your participation at - http://www.digitalracesolutions.com.sg/cgi-bin/registration/spca2012/prereg.cgi

Retrieve your confirmation slip (after registration) at - http://www.digitalracesolutions.com.sg/cgi-bin/registration/spca2012/showconfirmation.cgi

For more details, please email Edith at fundraising@spca.org.sg

Thank you very much for your support.

We hope you had a great time celebrating Mother’s Day yesterday! Since many of us are still in the festive mood, let’s continue the celebration with this very sweet video of a mother cat hugging her dreaming kitten.

If you forgot to wish your mother yesterday, fret not. Why not take the opportunity to show her this video and let her know how much she means to you? (:

We’re now on Facebook too! Click here to join us!

“Pet Adoption Friday” is a new series which features different animals, from different Animal Welfare Groups (AWGs) every Friday. Through this, we hope to encourage the adoption of animals!

Today, we are featuring Ivory and Ebony from Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD)! No prizes for guessing who’s who!

These two lovely sisters were found in Lim Chu Kang and are only 2 1/2 months old!

Here’s a summary of the both of them:

Gender: Female

Breed: Local Cross

Size (Full Grown): Medium (Not suitable for HDB flats unfortunately)

Personality:

Ivory: Playful and affectionate girl who loves food!

Ebony: A happy and friendly puppy with a sweet disposition.

Characteristics:

Good with children: Yes

Good with other dog: Yes

Good with cats: Yes

Toilet trained: Outdoors only

Understands basic commands: In progress

Health: Good

Vaccinated: Yes

Sterilized: Not yet

Special Needs: None

Aren’t they just the sweetest pair? (:

If you would like more info on them or want to see other lovely dogs who are waiting to be given a new home, you may visit ASD’s dog adoption page.