Tuesday 2 March 2010

Lost dogs

I have a soft spot for dogs. I can spot them from miles away. To me, all dogs are adorable. If a cute guy walks by with his dog, I would notice the dog first. I make friends with all the doggies in my neighbourhood but I can never remember their owners.

I walk my dog twice a day, so I come across alot of them, even lost ones. There are two lost mongrels in the neighbourhood. One is a shy young dog with a black and white furry coat. He lives behind a large school yard. He looks happy and healthy but I have never gotten close enough because Rusty doesn't like him very much.

The other is a handsome spotted one who wears a collar and looks well fed. I've seen him wandering around looking for food. I hope he can find his way home like the other big brown dog hanging around outside the condo last week.

The first time I found a lost dog, I brought it home without thinking very hard. It was a mistake of course. Our apartment is too small to house two dogs, even temporarily. Rusty didn't like him invading his territory. Both dogs started peeing all over the house. I kept the lost dog in the patio and he barked so much, it annoyed the neighbours. I let him in and he jumped on the sofa and the bed. The kids wanted it out of the house.

Luckily my neighbour took over. It was sent to the police station and then to SPCA where he was reunited with the owner. Phew.

I've heard that dogs sent to SPCA will be put up for adoption. If no one claims them after a period of time, they will be put to sleep.

That explains why I am not calling the SPCA. I certainly don't wish to be the one giving them a death sentence. I think the dogs are better off living in our neighbourhood for now. Maybe some compassionate person will take them in. Afterall, we have lots of kind hearted people feeding the stray cats everyday.

5 comments:

auntielucia said...

Ting, I understand yr reluctance to send the stray doggies to their death; probably that's the reason y owners abandon their dogs, rather than call the SPCA.

But look at it this way: is it better for the dogs to wander around unwanted, unloved, starving and mebbe running into cruel people for perhaps a couple of years, dying slowly but painfully? Or is it better that they are despatched as humanely as possible?

Sure, there is the possibility that some kind soul out there wld take the stray in from the streets but what's the probability? One in a 100, 1000?

Blur Ting said...

Auntie Lucia - They seem healthy and happy now with enough to eat and they're shy, so they stay out of people's way during the day. I only see them when it is dark.

My family has adopted many stray dogs before. My other dog Cookie was once wandering around in Serangoon Gardens. CH was given a puppy from a litter given birth by a stray and he has kept it for many years. So I'm hoping the dogs will find a home soon.

WaterLearner said...

Hallo Ting,

It's been quite sometime since I popped by. Sorry.

I had a strange dream last night! I dreamt of you and CH! We went on a road trip to some strange place that seem to belong to the past. We travelled by bus. You were happy just looking out of the window and enjoying the scenery. CH was just having a good time smiling away. He seemed to be happy with the book that he was reading. We did not know where we were heading. But the journey was fun.

Here's my thanks .. for the companion in the roadtrip... in my dream.

Blur Ting said...

Water - Woah, it sounds like real, and so much like something we would do. Me thinks we could make that happen one day :-)

WaterLearner said...

Ting,

The dream was so vivid I could draw it out. You were humming to yourself and looking out. And CH took two seats, lying back totally immersed in his book.

Oh yah. We did not talk much during the trip. But all were at eased and happy in the quiet company.

Chowmahalla Palace

During our week in Hyderabad, some of the places we visited include the Mecca Mosque, the Charminar (the icon of Hyderabad), Sufi Shrine, Bi...