A Visit to an Infamous Place

On Saturday afternoon, Hubby and I, together with Rossi visited the infamous farmway that most of us were so familiar with. As mentioned in one of my earlier blog entries, Rossi was born in one of the many breeding grounds there. We went to the place where we got Rossi. Before we even stepped into the display area, an unpleasant stench welcomed our arrival. Despite this, we blocked off the smell in our minds and marched in.

It was a pathetic sight. The puppies there looked so sad and lethargic, seemingly not interested in their surrounding. Most cuddled together with their fellow cage mates and slept their time away. Some laid on all fours staring at the viewing public with uninterested, half-lidded eyes, while some others simply sniffed around their cage mates in the tiny cages, lost in their own little world. They didn't behave as what puppies rightfully should. It seemed to me that they have either lost their puppylike-ness with the stressful, interminable hours trapped in the tiny spaces or they might be sick in some way.

Poor pups.Their very reason for existence was simply to wait and get sold, in order to earn profits for the greedy, unscrupulous breeders. No one cared about them, as long as they served their purpose. But for those that didn't fulfil their appointed mission, I shuddered to think what fate the heartless people had in store for them. There were so many of them and more new ones were also coming in to fill in the empty slots, it was really quite impossible for every one of them to get sold.

We also saw some Papillon pups for sale. Same with the other pups there, they looked tired and probably sick in some way. One particular male papillon was mindlessly chewing on his paw non-stop for as long as we were there. His paw was all red and he looked very uncomfortable. We also noticed that all the Papillons had patches of skin peeling off their noses. It looked like some kind of contagious infection and this was very disturbing. What disgusted us further was the exorbitant price tags on these pups!

But the people there couldnt care less about any of the pups there, as long as they generate the income to feed their greedy, twisted minds! These bunch of fools! Do they honestly think we consumers are idiots or what? Do they really think everyone would be cheated into spending such money on sickly looking pups?

Witnessing this reminded me of the time when I first took Rossi home and saw her furless little face. They told me its a common symptom and she might even lose more fur somewhere else later on. But I have 3 different vets telling me this was definitely uncommon. One of them did a test and Rossi was diagnosed with Bacteria Infection.

One male assistant there even had the audacity to come up to Rossi and tried to play with her. My hubby immediately turned her away from the guy. Then I followed up with a firm and loud "NO" in Rossi's direction, but was actually meant for him. He seemed to take the cue and backed off quickly. No way would I let his filthy hands that are covered in innocent blood touch a strand of fur on my baby gal! Absoutely No Way!

What was comforting to me and hubby was the fact that Rossi was very alert and active when we first saw her. She was also very responsive and had a good appetite when we saw her eat during her meal time. She was very different from the Papillons we saw that day. Other than the kennel cough and bacteria infection she had when she first came back, she was a tough little cookie. Her issues were resolved in a short time too.

My heart goes out to all the pitiful pups I saw there, but at the same time, I am very relieved that Rossi is safely with us, in our care and the comfort of our small, cosy home, which has also become her permanent home for the rest of her life.                                                      

The "BottomLess Pit"

Yeah, it's Rossi, The "BottomLess Pit". She is 24-7 ready for food. Even if she has just eaten her dinner less than one minute ago, when she smells food, she pants and whines like she has not eaten a single thing all day! She can just keep eating and eating and eating all the time!

We have tested this..When she is already sleeping soundly from all the vigorous exercise, just a soft whisper of "mom mom" (it means food) to her, her big ears stand up straight, her nose starts sniffing the air and she will leap from her bed and make a mad dash for the kitchen, her tail wagging and mouth watering while she sits in front of the kitchen door, guarding it like a vigilant soldier. If she gets impatient from the waiting, she would emit little pitiful whines to hurry us.

She has an amazingly voracious appetite that belies her lean frame. Despite gobbling on so much food, she remains so slim. Her tummy is practically flat and we could feel her ribs beneath a sturdy layer of flesh when we touch her body. However, she is perfectly healthy and has an ideal weight. No idea where all the food has gone to.

We could only attribute her slimness to her high power activity level everyday, helping her to lose all the calories.(*So that she can eat some more! What a strategy!)

A Small Gal with a Very Big HEART

Rossi, my daughter..my sweetheart..my love, you are always there for mummy and daddy, especially when we need you.

However, many times, it is always our personal commitments that left us with no choice and have to leave you to stay alone in your little home during these times. I do feel bad whenever I have to leave you at home for long hours due to my work. At times, I do think it is in some way, unfair to you, because to us, you are a very essential part of our lives, but to you, we are your whole world. Regardless of this, you give us your love so unconditionally and generously. In return, all you ask of us, is just some of our time and attention.

Every morning, when you know I have to leave for work, you would let me cuddle you in my arms and watch me quietly as I pass you your toys and walk out of the door. Then you patiently wait for me to come home to you. When I am finally home, your face brightens up like the shimmering christmas lights, as you warmly welcome me home. I love the way you smile as you look up at me. To me, your smile is the sweetest and most angelic one I have ever seen. I guess no body can smile as sincerely and beautifully like you do.

Whenever daddy or mummy is down, you would always try your very best to cheer us up in your own little ways. Your little innocent ways would always touch our hearts and lighten up our burdens. Then you would stay close to us and assure us that we are not alone. You are always so sensitve to our feelings and thoughtful towards us during our dull moments. (*Though you can be very playful and notti at times, we understand that you just want to have fun with us. Sometimes, you do get a little overboard with your playing, but that's ok, we know it's unintentional.)

In the past, whenever I came across other furkid owners relate touching stories of their special bonds with their furkids, I could not understand and did not truly believe that such bonds could be possible, at least, not in my case, as I was insanely terrified of all furry kids, big and small. I was so sure then, that in my heart and my household, there will never, ever be any room for a furkid.

But evidently, I am so very wrong! A special baby gal, small as you are, has miraculously found your way into the depths of my heart and etched your place strongly and permanently there. Now, I cannot imagine gettting through each day without you by my side.

Some time back, I read somewhere that furkids have a shorter lifespan than us, as they have to be furkids for 10 lives before they can become a human in their next lifetime. Thus, due to their shorter lifespan, each year of their lives is equivalent to an average of 7 years. Their average lifespan is about 15 years. Though 15 years itself is not a short time period, it is not sufficient for me.

Rossi Darling, how mummy wish you could be with me as long as I live! I want to grow old together with you by my side! In my heart, I know this is not possible, so for as long as we live, we will make our lives together fruitful and worthwhile. No matter where we may be, mummy knows our hearts will always be together.

Mummy's only wish for you now, is to grow up healthily and happily.

And one more thing... Smile for mummy everyday.

It's been a long long time coming...An Update Finally

Hello...its been a long long while since I last updated my blog. .Cos my hands are full with my naughty baby gal, ROSSI !

She has just turned 9 months old and is turning into a little terror at home! Well, she can be really sweet too...Like how my hubby likes to describe her, she is just like a "little gremlin" in the movie, who transform into a little devil when it touches water. (*By the way, she also hates Water, except the the water meant for drinking. She hates to bathe. Every week, when she hears the running water flow into her bathtub, she whines. Every night, when she sees the pink container filled with water meant for cleaning her body,she runs for her dear life! )

Just Last Tuesday, she nearly gave me and hubby a heart attack! We got her a new Alligator squeaker toy(*as shown in the left picture). She has always loved to play with squeaky toys and we bought various types for her to play since she was with us. There was never an issue at all, until Mr Alligator came along. In the morning, before we left for work, I gave her Mr Alligator,which she happily accpeted. In the afternoon, my hubby went back home during his lunch hour and to his utter horror, Rossi chewed on to Mr Alligator's head and place it in front of him proudly, like she won a trophy! Poor Mr Alligator! He was ruthlessly "mutilated"and "bodyless". Hubby searched high and low for the remains of his body,but he couldnt find them at all. Solemnly, he informed me that the body must have been "eaten up"by our Rossi.

Perhaps, Rossi hates the "Buaya". That's why she destroyed him.

I saw the head of Mr Alligator and got the shock of my life! Just imagine by looking at the picture, only the head is left...the whole body, including the 4 legs, tail and eyebrows are swallowed by Rossi!! OH MY GOD! I didnt manage to take a picture of the leftover head, even though I had wanted to, cos it was all too traumatic for me. I was so worried that the swallowed pieces would pierce through her intestines and cause internal bleeding! Both me and hubby were wild with worry the whole time. We closely monitored her for any signs of discomfort, but she was still as active and greedy.

At last, at 2plus am on Wednesday morning, she started vommitting pieces of Mr.Alligator out. There were really alot of big orange pieces! It was watching a horror movie. Then for the next few days, every round of her poo and vomit consisted of Mr.Alligator's destroyed remains. We took her to the vet on Saturday Morning to have her checked up. Luckily for her, the vet said she should be alright, as she managed to purge out ingested objects from her system, but he sternly told us, NO MORE SQUEAKY TOYS for her.

Today is exactly 1 week from her ingestion. I still see a couple of orange bits in her poo. I really hope Rossi has learnt her lesson from this incident, though the vet did warn us that they will NEVER learn and will DO it again!