Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Remembering Soo, the service dog

Farewell Soo, loyal companion and dear friend.

THERE was great sadness in my home last week. Soolam, my senior service dog, was put down. He was 13. The decision to euthanise Soo, as my other dogs and I fondly knew him, was not at all easy.

The move was quickly reached when the Golden Retriever could no longer stand or walk. He could not even eat his meals without throwing up.

However, everything about Soo’s final journey on earth turned out to be as intriguing and uncanny as the day when he first arrived.

He was barely two months old then. The pup was a gift from a couple who were doctors. The purpose was to see if a retriever could make a good service dog.

Friend for life: The writer spending precious moments with Soo before he was euthanised.

He needed to be fed as many as four times a day. I had to clean up after a dog that seemed to have an endless supply of poo.

The most difficult part, however, was to grab the pup and put him back in his crate. Fortunately, his senior canine partners literally lent their paws to solve the problem.

Soo had a knack of chasing the big dogs around the house. One of them would cleverly use the situation to dash back to me so that I could grab Soo.

The experience of raising and training Soo helped to psyche me up. And as for Soo, he went on to become a service dog that was parallel to none.

He was the perfect companion to attend meetings with. He’d been to church numerous times and even stayed completely unnoticed at government meetings. Some of the chairpersons discovered his presence only after the event.

He has helped me in unusual places, too. These include in the toilet at the United Nations building in Kuala Lumpur (when my shoe was out of reach and the soap fell on the floor).

He also sat through a serious discussion with people with AIDS at the Malaysian AIDS Council.

On top of all these, Soo had appeared scores of times in the media which included newspapers, TV and radio. He was the main star of a special video which featured my service dogs.

Once when I was caught in a 30-minute thunderstorm in a forest, Soo chose to get drenched with me in the heavy downpour rather than seek shelter elsewhere.

In his more than a decade of service, Soo relished his car rides the most – so much so that I became his private chauffeur. We must have travelled thousands of kilometres over the decade and only once, in all those years, did he throw up in the back seat.

Once our adventure led us all the way to Penang on a gruelling 24-hour trip where Soo performed and wowed several hundred people at a dog event with his service dog skills.

On that fateful Sunday morning, an extremely feeble Soo looked straight into my eyes. It was as if he was telling me to be strong for him and do the right thing to painlessly end his suffering.

He never once whimpered or flinched. He took every opportunity to lay his head on my shoulder or hands whenever I was by his side.

Despite the pain, Soo remained resolute and dignified in the back seat of my car during his final journey to the veterinarian. He was on my lap with his head held high as I wheeled into the clinic.

I made sure that my hero fell asleep before he entered into eternal sleep. The clinic didn’t charge me anything for putting a great dog down.

Another doctor, who is an expert in dog show winning breeds, offered to bury Soo in his yard at home.

My king, I’m proud to say, is now privileged to be the only retriever laid to rest with other national and international champion Doberman and German Shepherd Dog breeds that have crossed over the rainbow bridge before him.

Even more amazing is the fact that Soo is buried in the home of the mother of my latest and youngest service dog candidate, Dobe Ace Zhar the Doberman.

Last Saturday, Zhar and I were at an international dog show in KL with more than 200 dogs from all over Asia. And although I was the only person in a wheelchair there, Zhar stuck close to me much like Soo used to do during happier days.

And by a very strange coincidence, Zhar kept climbing up on my lap several times as if to say: “Don’t worry, you’re safe now. I’m with you.”

Angels don’t always come with wings; sometimes they have tails, even if it happens to be a rather short one.

Feedback can be sent to star2@thestar.com.my
Source: The Star Maalaysia

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Dog with the longest ears


BOULDER, Colorado (AP) - Harbor has over two feet (60 centimeters) of ears.

On Tuesday, the black-and-tan coonhound from Boulder, Colorado, gets the 2012 Guinness World Records title for "longest ears on a living dog."

His left ear is 12.25 inches (31.12 centimeters) long and his right is 13.5 inches (34.29 centimeters) long.

Owner Jennifer Wert says when her 8-year-old was a puppy, he would trip on his ears and roll down stairs.

These days, Wert says people often stop them to ask questions, take photos or tug on his ears.

Tigger, a bloodhound from Illinois who died in 2009, still holds the record for longest ears ever. One was 13.5 inches (34.29 centimeters) long, the other 13.75 inches (34.92 centimeters) long.

Coonhounds use their ears to help with scent.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Boo-The World 's Cutest Dog

This is BOO- The World's Cutest Dog.....What do you think?



Tuesday, July 05, 2011

World's Smartest Dog Jesse

Watch World's Smartest Dog Jesse performs Amazing Dog Tricks


Sunday, June 12, 2011

50 dogs put their best paw forward as they vie for top honours at speciality show

GERMAN Shepherd lovers gathered at the SJK (C) Peng Bin in Bukit Tengah, Bukit Mertajam, Penang, for the speciality show organised by the German Shepherd Dog Club of Malaysia.

The show, held for the second time by the club, attracted about 50 German Shepherds from various parts of the country.

The dogs were evaluated under various classes — puppy (six to 12 months), junior (12 to 18 months), youth (18 to 24 months), adult (24 months and above) and Malaysian bred (above six months whelped locally).

They were divided into male and female categories.

The show was judged by Louis Donald, specially flown in from Australia, who has been involved in German Shepherd dog shows for 48 years.

Donald has been a judge for such shows in England, South Africa, India, Italy, Singapore, the Philippines, New Zealand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong.

Sinus Vom Eichemplatz, at 25 months, was judged the best male German Shepherd.

Its owner Chong Lee Leong, 38, a businessman from Bukit Mertajam, said he was very happy that his canine had again come in first. It had previously won twice in other shows.

In the female category, 20-month-old Famy was declared champion.

Its owner Chee Ang Seang, 54, a businessman from Tanjung Bungah, said Famy had also won twice previously in other shows.

“I was confident she would make it based on her performance,” he added.

Club president Lawrance Lee said there was an increased interest in German Shepherds in the country.

“This can be seen in the quality of dogs in our Malaysian show rings today, and the feedback and participation on our online web pages,” he said.

Donald said the show was very well organised and luckily the rain stopped after an hour of heavy downpour during the recent event.

“Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the dogs and the number which took part in the show. The breed is going on well here in Malaysia.

“I was in Malaysia 30 years ago and saw tremendous increase of the breed here then,” he added.

He said it was his second time here on the club’s invitation as judge.

Sources: The Star Malaysia

Monday, April 11, 2011

Dog Day-Bring Your Dog For Cruise


Bring your dogs to the Mines Shopping Mall in Seri Kembangan on April 16 & 17. You can take your canine companion on a boat ride while enjoying a foot massage at the same time. Snacks will be served during this hour-long cruise. (Pre-book at www.petzunleashed.com)

“Only the massage cruise is pre-booked. The normal 30-minute ride called the Greenery Cruise can be boarded anytime throughout the day at Petz PowWow@The Mines,” said Steven Lee, Wonder Snow Sdn


Bhd assistant operations manager. The company is co-organiser of Petz PowWow@The Mines 2011.

Royal Canin pet food suppliers is the main sponsor, while the Aeroline luxury bus liner will be giving away free bus tickets to Singapore and Penang for the contests organised during the two-day event.

Other booth vendors include Q-Net (M) Sdn Bhd, Starbucks, Canadian Pizza, A&W and Da Vinci Creative Kids. Headshot Media Production will also be at hand at the jetty to take professional shots of those boarding the boats with their dogs.

“We will also be coming up with special IDs cards for pets which can be used later for special purchases, discounts and other services available on www.petzunleashed.com,” said Sam Teng Jian, founder of Headshots, a company specialising in photography and videography.

Shape magazine will also be running Best Dressed Pet Contest, Most Photogenic Pet(s) & Owner Contest and Best Pet & Owner Lookalike Contest.

The Malaysia Cat Club will also be present with cat exhibitions and fashion shows. Doggie fashion shows will be presented by Pet Fashion.

There will be interesting talks given by vets on grooming, as well as diet tips for cats and dogs. A canine myofunctional therapist and animal communicator, whose booth is called Happy Dogz, will also be giving a talk on the healing benefits of reiki for animals.

Dog demonstrations will also be held, apart from workshops on topics such as Getting To Know Your Pet’s Behaviour and Baking For Your Pets.

As part of their CSR programme, Petz Unleashed is providing booths for free to animal rescue organisation Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better, and shelters such as H.O.P.E Johor.

Among one of the many contests Petz Unleashed ran onwww.petzunleashed.com was for the most innovative idea to raise funds from a booth. The winner, S. Kogila Vani, 30, proposed to use her booth as a pet bakery, selling a range of dog biscuits, cakes and cookies made of wholesome ingredients for both cats and dogs such as Apple Crunch Pupcakes, Peanutty Pupsicles, Bad Breath Banishers, Banana Biscotti and Carob Loaf, just to name a few.

To help the NGOs with their adoption drive, Vani is also offering people who adopt animals coupons that will entitle them to freebies and discounts when they show proof of adoption.

Cats included

Cat lovers won’t feel left out at the Petz Pow Wow. Malaysia Cat Club or Kelab Kuching Malaysia will also be participating.

Kelab Kucing Malaysia (KKM), founded in 1979, is a non-profit organisation that aims to protect the uniqueness of the cat breeds and create a loving and caring environment for all cats.

Exciting features lined up for cat lovers include a Cat Fancy Dress contest and Best Decorated Cat Cage contest.

“In keeping with our objectives to promote animal welfare, we will be holding a cat adoption drive, and will be giving talks on proper diet for cats, grooming and conducting a vaccination programme,” said Kelab Kucing Malaysia president Khalid Rashid.

Also check out the categories in the fun cat show: Heaviest Cat, Most Lyrical Eyes, Most Purring Cat, Most Unique Pattern, Cat with Attitude.

Source: The Star


Monday, February 28, 2011

Cops unable to identify man in dog abuse video

This is a follow up blog post from last blog that show a a guy abuse Poddle.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have reached a dead end in their investigations into the man who was caught on tape using brute force on a poodle

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said they were not able to identify the man in the video.

He added that unless police received new leads or tip-off from the public, they might not be able to identify the man.


The Bukit Aman CID was tasked to investigate the case.

A video of the man abusing the dog raised the ire of canine lovers who began a nationwide hunt to identify him.

In the widely-circulated video, the unidentified man, believed to be a Malaysian, is seen using brutal force on a poodle to get the dog to stand up on its hind legs.

The Facebook user who uploaded the 15-minute video said she had discovered it in a thumbdrive which she had found in a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall.

Wonder how come Police can't identify this guy? all the evidence is very obvious

Tell me what is your personal opinion.

Source: The Star Malaysia

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Dog Abuse

PETALING JAYA: A video of a man abusing a dog has sparked a heated response from canine lovers on social networking site Facebook and triggered a nationwide hunt for him.

In the widely-circulated video, the unidentified man, believed to be a Malaysian, is seen using brutal force on a poodle in his attempt to get the dog to stand up on its hind legs.

Some of those who viewed the video have said the man is a Malaysian.

Several people also claimed to know his close friends.

Harsh lessons: The poodle being abused by the unidentified man in the video.

In one scene, when the dog returned to standing on its four legs, the man in frustration gave it a violent smack, sending the poodle flying.

The Facebook user who uploaded the 15-minute video last Friday said she had discovered it in a thumbdrive which she had found in a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall.

Thousands of animal lovers, shocked and angered by the man’s act, immediately called for his arrest.

“This is an outrage! Swift action ought to be taken on this man,” one Facebook user commented.

“The guy in the video is crazy to have done such a thing to the helpless animal,” another said. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is getting complaints and leads from callers.

“We have been receiving a lot of calls on the matter but we have no confirmation on the man’s identity,” SPCA office manager M. Shelvy said.

She also asked those with information to call the SPCA at 03-42565312 or 03-42535179.

Source: The Star, Malaysia