Treasure of our life...: February 2011

Amber,Snowy and Dawn

AVA prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan had urged District Judge Eugene Teo to impose the maximum fine to send a strong signal to others that Singapore would not tolerate anyone who may inadvertently bring the dreadful disease into the country. -- PHOTO: ST FILE PHOTO

A MAN who smuggled in a female golden retriever puppy from Malaysia was given the maximum fine of $10,000 on Wednesday.

Eugene Yeo Jie Dong, 29, a scuba diving instructor, pleaded guilty to importing the puppy at Tuas checkpoint on Nov 16 last year (2010).

A court heard that he took the four-month-old puppy to Mount Pleasant Veterinary Clinic for a check-up on Dec 7 (2010) as the puppy was having frequent diarrhoea. When the veterinarian learnt that he had imported the puppy in without a licence, she explained the seriousness of the offence, and that it could cause rabies epidemic.

Dr Boon Chia Yun advised Yeo to own up to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority within a week. She said that if he did not do so, she would report the matter. Dr Boon did so on Dec 17.

AVA prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan had urged District Judge Eugene Teo to impose the maximum fine to send a strong signal to others that Singapore would not tolerate anyone who may inadvertently bring the dreadful disease into the country.

Yeo could have been jailed for up to 12 months.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_637981.html

Amber,Snowy and Dawn


	A dog groomer at work

SINGAPORE : The Dog Groomers Association of Singapore (DGA) is launching an internationally recognised certification programme for dog groomers.

It will assess a groomer's competence in three key areas - safety handling of dog and equipment, neatness of the dog's trimming, and skills & techniques.

This is to ensure that professionals are equipped to handle the various aspects of dog grooming, ethics and basic first-aid skills.

The association said there are currently no industry standards as to how groomers should be certified.

Hence by certifying them, it will raise their level of competency and enhance the credibility of the profession.

Alex Ang, president of DGA said: "With the DGA International Groomers Certification, we will see more dog groomers take responsibility and ownership of the pets in their hands. Hence, it is of paramount importance to have competent professionalism of the industry."

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1083889/1/.html

Amber,Snowy and Dawn

With no public bus services in this area, taxi drivers shun the place even if a booking was made. The nearest canteen is about 10km from here. This is an abandoned worksite somewhere in remote Jurong Island.

I am Pebbles. This is where I was born and where I spent my puppyhood. Life was difficult as we could hardly find food and fresh water. Every day was a struggle as my tummy was constantly rumbling and my throat always dry. There were days that I was just too weak to walk and search for food.

"I often have to walk for hours with an empty stomach. If I am lucky, I’d find a pack of leftover lunch that the humans nearby left behind. I’m ever so grateful to them.

But there are days where there is just no food to be found :("

Despite the hunger and long dreary days, I tried to keep my spirits up as there was a nice uncle who looked out for me ever since my mummy disappeared. I often looked forward to his arrival. (Pebbles’ rescuer happened to be posted to Jurong island for work). Uncle thought I looked skinny and his compassion took over. Though he was not accustomed to feeding the strays, he made it a point to bring whatever leftovers he could find for me and my neighbours. I was eternally grateful.

Pebbles with a pack of emancipated dogs, scouring for whatever little scraps there is on the road. As the dogs are constantly hungry, food fights are common. Pebbles, being the smallest of them all, often doesn’t get much to eat.

One day during a food fight, a bigger dog accidentally scratched my eye. I knew he didn’t do it on purpose; we were all delirious from the hunger. My eye throbbed and everything looked blurry on my right eye.

It was not for another week before Uncle visited me. I was happy to see him but I sensed his horror when he saw me. He lovingly sat down and inspected my eye. The next day he returned with some eye cleaning solution and fed me antibiotics. I was touched by his concern for me (I told myself that I’ll be very friendly and sweet towards humans from that day on) and felt a sense of warmth inside. See how a small loving gesture can mean so much to us street animals!

Pebbles’ horrific eye injury

A few days later, Uncle checked on me again. Seeing that my eye condition had worsened, he put on a leash for me and drove me to the vet.

Seeing the advanced stage of infection that my eye was in,

the vet advised that my right eye be removed

After I woke up from the surgery, I was happy to see Uncle; I wagged my tail as forcefully as I possibly could in my drowsy state.

That’s me after my eye was removed!

Aunty vet did a fantastic job on me and my wound healed completely in no time.

Uncle’s intention was to bring me back to Jurong Island once I had recovered but he couldn’t bear to leave me to my own devices, fearing that I would be injured in future food fights.

Uncle tried contacting animal welfare organisations, hoping that I could be put in a shelter but they were all full. There are just too many abandoned animals in Singapore.

Some friends of Uncle found out about my plight and co-sponsored me to stay in a kennel temporarily.

I’m still hoping to find a home and the good people at Zeus are paying for my temporary boarding, with some of their rescued dogs. I am much too young to live in the kennels for the rest of my life and do really long for a family to love me and give me a real home. I am now 7 months old and I won’t grow very much more, so if you do live in a HDB apartment, you still can consider adopting me. I promise that I’ll be a really good girl and I’ll be a loyal and affectionate companion.

Love,

Pebbles

To adopt Pebbles, please contact Nancy at 9488 6419

source: http://zeuscommunications.blogspot.com/2011/02/pebbles-pain.html

ADS: we put in our little strength by posting pebble's story on our blog, wishing and hoping to help pebbles to go to a good perm home with lotsa TLC soon...

She deserves a good home with love and care from family like us!

Amber,Snowy and Dawn

From dog parks, beaches and doggie cafes, CNNGo reader Shirley Ngo guides us to the best dog-friendly spots in Singapore

He'll sleep well tonight. The dog will be tired, too.

As a dog owner, I always try to include Alphy, my toy poodle, in all our weekend activities.

Here are the places we visit together where Alphy and friends are more than welcome and we can have a meal altogether.

Sentosa Beach

While Sentosa requires dogs to be leashed on most parts of the beach, the payoff is you'll meet many fellow dog owners from all over the world bringing their pooches here for a swim. By the time you are ready to go home, your dog is guaranteed a good night’s sleep.

Tip: Get there early. The best time to swim and relax is by 11 a.m., before the beach gets crowded and the sun blazing hot. Aim to be in the water by 9 a.m. and then spend the rest of the morning relaxing and resting until lunchtime.

Fees: There is a gantry charge for all vehicles to enter Sentosa which ranges from S$2-$7 depending on the time and day you enter.

Tanjong Beach Club
The restaurant/bar which sits on Tanjong beach is dog-friendly and it's not unusual to see dogs and owners sharing beach chairs and enjoying the view together. They have a menu of food and drinks and at times can be pricey, especially if it is a day bed you're after, where there is a minimum charge of S$200.

120 Tanjong Beach Walk; Open Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-midnight; tel +65 6270 1355

Coastes
We usually finish swimming at Tanjong Beach and take our dog for a 15-minute walk to Siloso Beach and stop by Coastes for a break.

Dogs are welcome to sit with their owners and even given comfortable bean bags to rest in as the humans fill their tummies up with hot dogs and nachos and enjoy a beer.

#01-05/06 Sentosa 50 Siloso Beach Walk; tel +65 6274 9668; Open Sunday-Thursday and public holidays, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday and eve of public holidays, 9 a.m.-1 a.m.

Urban Pooch

Barkday party for two.

A dog and human cafe, daycare, grooming center and also a retailer of pet goods, Urban Pooch is popular for dog gatherings and hosts “barkday” parties.

Alphy's pal Mambo recently had his first barkday party at Urban Pooch and both human and doggie guests enjoyed tasty home cooked meals. Main courses for humans are priced under S$15 and doggie meals are under S$5.

A small birthday cake for dogs starts from S$20 and drinks kept reasonably priced. The dogs not only enjoyed their treats, but had a great time playing and working up their appetites in the daycare area before lunch.

#01-07, Monville Mansion, 530 Balestier Road; tel +65 6252 5046; Open Monday-Friday, 2-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-9:30 p.m.; urbanpooch.com.sg

Bishan Park Dog Park

"I'm not saying it's you. I'm just saying, someone here smells like durian."

Alphy loves the freedom to run and sniff as he pleases, so we enjoy taking him to the Bishan Dog Park.

There are two large enclosed fenced areas where dogs of all sizes get to run off leash and play ball. Usually you’ll see the big breeds grouped together in one of the fenced areas and the smaller breeds in the other area (to prevent bullying of the smaller dogs).

Humans have to stay outside the fence while their dogs play. Some bring their own portable chairs and sit inside the enclosed area. Dog owners are also very friendly and happy to exchange stories of their dogs with you.

Hungry? Bishan Park also includes several dog friendly cafes and restaurants which are five minutes walking distance from the Dog Run.

1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave. 1; tel +65 6556 1533

The Canopy @ Aramsa: tapas, wines, brunch, Western dining

The Middle Rock Garden Bar: tapas, wine, cocktails

Green Room Café: vegetarian cafe, smoothies, fresh fruit juices with a wide selection of pizza, pasta and sandwiches

K9 Kulture

If you really love your dog, you'll swim with her friends.

This is a dog’s version of a theme park.

K9 Kulture has been around since 2005, but we visited for the first time recently and had a great time with our dog. There is a swimming pool for dogs, a large grassy area for games and dog training classes, a cafe and diner for dogs and humans, plus a grooming and daycare center.

We visited on a Saturday and there were easily 30-plus dogs hanging out and having fun.

We returned this past weekend for the annual Doggy Christmas party. It was a great show for us with multiple activities for the pooches and food from K9 Kafe and their Doggy Diner.

The dog pool was a big hit. If you are interested in a safe and controlled area for your dog to go swimming (you can go in with them, too), the pool at K9 Kulture is open during the weekends from 1:30-5:30 p.m.

110 Turf Club Road, tel +65 6314 9363. Swimming pool rates: small dog S$12/hr or $38/half day; medium dog $14/hr or $44/half day; big dog $16/hr or $54/half day

K9 Kafe (tel. +65 6462 3736) and Doggy Diner (tel. +65 64625756): Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Find out more about dog friendly places

Pet forums such as www.petschannel.com are extremely popular with dog lovers. Activities and get-togethers are formed by forum members and they meet up at one of the many dog friendly cafes.

Singapore Kennel Club: catch the latest dog show or enroll your dog in one.

Facebook: It seems like every pet business out there has a Facebook page and would love to be your Facebook friend. Some of the popular pet companies in Singapore have an active Facebook page and regularly update their status with promotions, activities and also include information on their products and services.

Call and ask: We’ve brought our dog with us to many restaurants that aren’t known to be dog friendly. On many occasions, if they have outdoor seating, they are willing to accommodate.

About the author: Originally from Canada, Shirley Ngo moved to Singapore three years ago. Her passions include blogging about her dog, Alphy, at www.superpetmodel.com. Most recently, she was one of the TV hosts of “Singapore Discovered!” and loves to write shop, eat and enjoy life to the fullest in Singapore.

Shirley submitted this piece as part of CNNGo’s CityPulse section. To find out what other stories we are looking for, go to our CityPulse page.

Read more: The best dog-friendly spots in Singapore | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/play/citypulse/dogs-world-places-singapore-designed-both-you-and-your-dog-720754#ixzz1DSnJVNYf

Amber,Snowy and Dawn

Today is Renri (Chinese:人日, literally Human Day) refers specially to the 7th day of zhengyue (正月, the first month in the Chinese calendar). According to Chinese customs, renri was the day human beings were created.

Our humans family members still on-going had steamboat for dinner...

while we had..

Nature's Harvest Dog Adult Tripe & Brown Rice with country vegetables

other ingredients added in are Celery, rice, carrots and long beans

Yummy!

Besides today being the Human day,it's also a day for...

Yusheng!

Yusheng-鱼生 (also spelt Yu Sheng) meaning "raw fish" is a Chinese New Year dish, served traditionally on the seventh day of Chinese New Year or Ren Ri ("Everyman's Birthday"). It is a salad dish made of thin slices of raw fish and various spices, mixed with tossing actions by diners. A play on Chinese homonyms links the ingredients and tossing actions to prosperity and longevity, all adding to the good wishes for the new year.

This year, we had Abalone Yu Sheng!
(Sponsored by big jie jie, Sharon)

3 of us get to have a mouthful taste of yu sheng too!

PS: although feeding us yu sheng aka human food aren't good for our health but well.. once in a while... let's just enjoy for a little bit since we take very little bite of it and it's not a "everyday" or "every time" food...

Amber,Snowy and Dawn

Yeah! Finally it's Lunar New Year!
We had our reunion dinner together with our mummy, daddy, our 2 jies jies and gor gor!
Our Humans had...
STEAMBOAT!
looks Delicious!

Then for us, the four-legged family members...

Our human family brought...

TASTE OF THE WILD canned food for us!
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/taste-of-the-wild-dog-food-canned/

It's mixed in with rice, celery, carrots and long beans..

Our shares...(Top: Dawn's, Left: Amber's, Right: Snowy's)

Yummy!!!!