The lull after the storm

Thanks for everyone's concern. The family is slowly coming to terms that the fat black one isn't around any more.

I still find myself keeping an eye out for him trying to sneak out of the house. Everyone continues to latch the gate immediately after we've stepped out. It's just something we've done for seven years and to break it now just feels wierd.

Coming home isn't what it used to be without the flurry of tail and fur, and me calling him a noisy dog amidst his happy barks. Now, when the neighbour's dog barks, we catch ourselves assuming it's him.

It's really strange to see his usual corners devoid of their occupant, and the living room window empty of a certain hairy face.

My mom said Chassard was more like a naughty little boy than a dog. And like any little boy, he was one-of-a-kind, irreplacable and loved in spite of everything.

As for the question of whether we are going to get another dog, the answer is yes, eventually. We'll be taking our time with this though, but hopefully before the year is out, there'll be another four-legged rascal creating a ruckus in the house.

God bless.

He really was a watchdog afterall!

If there is anything good that came out of him biting the neighbour, it was that I gained a certain respect for the dog.

You see, despite his size, he was always such an attention slut. And because of his size, he was hard to ignore. He would go from person to person, pawing, jumping, clawing, pushing, rubbing and nosing his way into getting some lurve. Even if the reward for all his efforts was a finger prodding the back of his head, it was well worth it.

I always thought that if a stranger were to enter the house, his only attack strategy would be to lick him to death. Death by slobber.

Boy, did he prove me wrong. That boy was impressively quick on his feet. And this was with a dislocated hind leg too.

We really spent 7 years worrying for nothing.

Dog on duty

Eulogy

Chassard

January 2002 ~ April 2009

My first memory of Chassard was of a sad mopey little thing peeking round the toilet door at me. The fat pudgy puppy was all black except for his paws and had a typical ordinary mongrel look. I was totally unimpressed.

I didn't want to keep him, especially after he kept half the neighbourhood awake with his puppy howls. But by the time he had to be put down, I couldn't let go.

That was the story of his life. Despite his ordinary appearance, he was able to endear himself to the people around him. His reputation of a big black dog was enough to keep strangers at bay and new visitors to the house always asked for him to be chained up. But when they left, he had become a friend.

And Chassard never forgot a friend. People could come back a year later to be greeted by an enthusiastic dog, falling over himself to welcome them. As such, I often felt Chassard was more popular than me. One of the first comments upon meeting friends is "how's Chassard?" or "I miss your dog." The "how are you?" comes much later.

To friends, he was a lovable dog with kind eyes. He was such that people who were afraid of dogs liked him.

To family, he was loving, affectionate and playful. He poured out his heart to us, and received ours in return. In some way, I think he loved us so much, we couldn't help but love him back. He showed us what it meant to love unconditionally.

He would demand attention and readily accept it in whatever form. Because of that, he was my mom's favourite stress ball. She would scold him, pinch his fats and scratch his ears, and the gian dog would ask for more.

He was my bro's sleeping buddy. On the nights when he was so tired, he slept on the living room sofa. Chassard would snuggle into a corner and keep him company throughout the night.

He was my dad's fourth child that he spoilt absolutely rotten and both loved every minute of it.

For me, he was the light at the end of a long hard day. On days when I returned home to a dark house with all the occupants fast asleep, he would be the one, struggling to shake the sleep from his eyes to give me a proper welcome.

When the nurse at the vet's office asked if we wanted his ashes, we said no. Chassard's legacy doesn't lie in an ash-filled tin; it lies in our hearts and minds. Every time we see a fat black dog running free or hear a deep booming bark, we will think of him.

He's a hard one to forget, and I don't think we ever will.

The final car ride

We did it. It was the most heart-renching decision but in the end, all things considered, it was for the best. My bro wasn't responding well to the medication and had to be hospitalised today. We couldn't afford something like this happening to someone else.

We tried to make his last few hours as happy as possible. For the first time in 2 weeks, he was once again the beloved pampered family dog he had always been. We let him roam around the house without telling him to go out, fussed him, gave him an extra egg in his breakfast ... my mom even added his antibiotics and rash meds into his food, as if it were just another day.

But it wasn't.

I kept looking at the clock as the minutes went by. I ran through all the reasons why this was the only way out. But looking at his eager, trusting face, I couldn't help but feel that I was betraying a friend.

When the time came, I took his leash and told him we were going for a walk. For the first time ever, he refused to let me put his muzzle on. No growling, no biting, just a sad face turning aside at every attempt. After a few tries, we let him jump into the car without it.

Chass had always loved car rides and today was no exception. He whined and panted as he went from window to window, watching cars pass by.

The vet was thankfully empty. Chass was the first patient of the afternoon. I thought I was holding it together pretty well, until the nurse asked why we brought him in. I said we were putting him down and that was all I could manage.

We entered the vet's office. My mom and hubby proceeded to tell him our concerns and reasons. All this while, Chass was whining and walking about, occasionally pushing his head into my hand for a pat.

The vet was very kind. He listened patiently to everything we had to say and said that the only thing that could help him was training, but even then, he had seen dogs get better with training and then suddenly snap. He asked us if we wanted to think it through or if we were sure. Everyone was silent.

Eventually, I said we had exhausted all possible options. Even if we kept him, no one dares to pet him, bathe him or put his meds on him. Even something as simple as tying him up had become a challenge.

He let us go out to spend our last moments with Chassard. My one consolation is that I don't think Chass had any inkling of what was to come. He went from person to person, resting his head on our laps or pawing our hands for attention.

I rubbed his head and body so hard the ground was littered with his fur. Then I took out his favourite snacks. One by one, I gave them to him until they were all gone. He gobbled them all up and then came back asking for more.

When we were ready, we put a special leash on him for them to lead him behind. He didn't want to go but with some coaxing he trotted quite happily towards the door.

Once the door closed, the tears began to flowed hard. I didn't mean it to. It just happened. Hubby signed the necessary documents and we waited.

I heard a couple of yelps and then there was silence. In 15 minutes, the vet came out to say we could go in to see him.

He looked like he was sleeping. I rubbed his paw and his silly head one last time.

When we reached home, I instinctively looked to the living room window, expecting to see his happy, hairy face looking at me, welcoming me home. But he wasn't there. Gone too was the familiar banging on the door which indicated an excited dog on the other side.

The house just seemed so, so void. Even now it feels like a bad dream, and that I'll wake up tomorrow to have him sidle up to me at breakfast and lean his hairy frame against my leg as he settles down to sleep.

I miss him, I really do. I've missed him since Wednesday when I knew we had no other choice. I've been saying goodbye since then. But the truth is no matter how many times you say it, nothing quite prepares you for the final farewell and the inevitable void.

I'm sorry too. I sorry I couldn't save him. I'm sorry I couldn't make him a better dog. I can't help but feel like I've failed him somehow. He had already lived 7 years and had another 3 to 4 more good ones. And I couldn't give him that.

I just wish so hard that it didn't have to be this way...

And the jury's still out

Two days ago something happened and now, we are faced with the very real possibility that we will have to put Chassard down. You see, 97% of the time, he is the sweetest, most affectionate dog who would do anything for a pat from both friends and family. The other 3% is his wild side seen by the vet, the postman and neighbours with big dogs.

In the last few weeks he has been getting increasingly aggressive. Two weeks ago, he bit a neighbour who was standing unaccompanied by family in our porch. I think he thought he was a stranger on his territory, but even so, he attacked without so much as a warning growl. We pulled him off and called in a professional trainer.

However two days ago, he bit my brother. He was trying to leash him up for a bath when he growled and finally bit. We brought my bro to the A&E department to get cleaned up and he has been on MC for the last 3 days.

When he was younger, Chass used to escape the house and on occasion would fight with big dogs. We eventually got quite good at checking him and minimising such instances. We hadn't had a complaint in the last 2-3 years.

The attack on the neighbour was something his vet termed as "doing his job". Of course the neighbour doesn't quite see it that way and has been gunning for Chassard's demise since. He has been making threats and even called the trainer without our knowledge to educate him on how Chassard = Satan.

We have since arranged for a separate gate to be built so we can confine him further when necessary in addition to chaining him.

The thing is this. If he attacks other dogs and unaccompanied strangers, there are things we can do to keep them safe from him. But now that he has bitten family, is it possible to keep us safe?

My mom is 69 and is at home often. Is it fair to risk her getting bitten if she has to chain him? My maid bathes him. Can I in good conscience ask her to do something I am now afraid to do myself?

Lance, the trainer, believes that once we achieve a certain level of control, it is not a problem, but it will take time. Chassard can be trained. He is the most trainable of all the dogs I've ever had. The question is: Do we have time...time before he bites again?

We thought of placing him with Noah's Ark's retirement programme but they are full. Other kennels charge a high price and he will be constantly in a cage which really isn't a good option - he'd go completely starkers.

Then there's also the consideration of his health. Chass has been having a bad rash around his neck for a good 8 months which has not gotten better despite repeat visits to the vet. He has also been losing fur on his underside until now, he is almost bald there except for some short hairs.

Most of all, his dislocated leg from the car accident has been acting up. He is limping a lot more, has trouble getting up and sometimes will just run on 3 legs. The vet said he is in pain and that there's nothing that can be done for him except to give him painkillers. Again, pain meds for the rest of his life? Not exactly a great option.

Basically, he is both constantly itchy and in pain. I guess that could be why he's been getting more aggressive recently.

Our last hope is a trip to the vet. If he says that Chass is having pain aggression and can offer us a plausible solution, we will take it.

My dad called this morning to ask me to beg Noah's Ark to take him in. They really can't especially with all his problems. Dad was never like this with the previous dogs. My bro doesn't dare touch him now but even then he prefers paying for his stay at a sanctuary to putting him down.

I guess it's a sign of how much the silly dog has wormed his way into our hearts. And now, it's only fair that we try all possible avenues before the last resort.

Afterall, he's family, right?

Curing the reculcitrant butt-sniffer

All dogs sniff butts. But in this department, Chassard was in a class of his own. While most dogs would take a polite sniff and move on, Chassard would shove his cold, hairy snout right in your butt cheeks and hold it there.

Pushing him away would result in a repeat assult. We had several visitors jump with a "Gaaaah!" when he snuck up behind them.

He loved it best when I wore skirts. His whole head would go under the skirt, giving him about a second before I moved aside. Flare skirts were even better - more room to manuvre.

All the pushing, scolding and smacks in the world weren't making him stop.
Then one prayer-answering day, I had diarhea. I was peering into the medicine cupboard when I felt some gas coming. I was about to close the cupboard and head for the loo when I felt something nosing about in an all too familiar region.

It surpised me and I let it fly.

When I turned around, Chassard had leaped a few feet away and was staring at me with a look of raw shock and absolute disgust. He sneazed, snorted and then shot out of the house.

It was the last time he tried that on me again.

Doggie Boot Camp

(Warning: Long post. Left handphone in office, so no photos)

We finally decided that for the sake of the nieghbourhood and the family, some of Chassard's ...er... less endearing habits had to go. Top of his list of sins was fighting with other dogs, jumping on people, pulling on the leash and food thieving (I really need to blog about this one day).

He's 7-years-old, mind you, and finding a trainer that would take him on was ridiculously difficult. As a neighbour very kindly told me, "Your dog is beyond help." Anyhow I managed to find a trainer who promptly told me that with a bit of work, he could still be trained. It was really a big relief as compliants about him have been mounting.

And training begins...
Chassard generally likes people once he knows they are welcomed by the family. Lance was no exception. I guess Chassie boy didn't know he would be spending the next hour in hard labour.

As a dog's bad behaviour stems from bad training, the rest of the family had to fall in as well. I soon realised that reversing Chass' habits of 7 years, meant reversing my habits of 30 years. Gulp! HELP!

This means no more giving in to his "pet me" face, no more free snacks, no more fussing if I accidentally step on his tail, and above all, no more asking him to hug me. You see, I've trained him to jump up, wrap his fore legs around my waist and rest his head on my tummy.

Cute, yes? But my mom's friends don't think so. So out that goes.

All in all, the first session consisted of making him take a snack only when we say he can (with a LEAVE command), jerking a coin-filled bottle when he jumps (with an OFF command), making him wait for everyone to walk through the door before he does (WAIT), and getting him to walk at our pace with SLOW.

The result?
Especially considering its the first lesson, I think it went really well. By the end, he was walking nicely by our side and didn't even need one correction! This morning, he was tugging on his leash and I used WAIT, and he stopped immediately and sat by my side.

OFF works a bit too well. I took Chass to the vet today who wanted to see how he stands on his hind legs. I tried my best to get him to jump on he and he absolutely refused! He even had the "this is a trick, right?" look.

He still needs some work on LEAVE, but once he gets it, we'll be able to use that whenever he is distracted by other dogs on walks. Yay!

AND...throughout the whole session he didn't even growl once or show any displeasure at being disciplined!!! Double yay!!!

Trainer's verdict?
The trainer, as it turns out, specialises in behavioural problems especially in aggressive dogs. He takes on dogs who bite and lunge at their owners or have killed other dogs in a fight. He said Singapore has a lot of really aggressive dogs.

After he heard the list of greviences against the black one and spent 1.5 hours with him, he said that Chassie is fine (woohoo!) and that I should see some of the other dogs he trains. He also said that I made him sound really bad on the phone. Aiyah, trying not to be blinded to his flaws mah.

Chassard may be just another mongrel but he's proving that old dogs can learn new tricks. He does have all his flaws but I'm still proud to say that he's my dog and the family's fuzziest loved member.

His Saddest Day Ever...

Chassard did something really naughty on Friday evening. Everyone was so angry with him, we completely ignored him the whole of Saturday. For an extremely manja, attention-seeking dog, it was pure torture.

Thinking everything was fine, he happily popped into the house on Saturday morning as usual and got ordered out in two seconds flat. Puzzled, he tried again. He even tried going from person to person hoping to find a friend. Still no luck.

He looked absolutely bewildered. From pampered pooch he was suddenly downgraded to rubbish dog. It was as if he suddenly got fleas.

Eventually, he figured he wasn't wanted in the house and spent most of the day moping around the porch. He curled up in corners with his ears down and chin on the floor, lifting his head only if anyone walked past in the hope he might be forgiven. He was the poster dog for misery.

He managed to sneak in nearing evening though...

...and got promptly tossed out again.

His dinner was an hour late (not on purpose) and he didn't even make a peep. When I opened the door with his food, his look was of "Er...am I going to get fed at all?"

The next day, when everyone had left, he crept into the house and slinked round the breakfast table where I was sitting. (He thought I didn't see him but the dead give-away was the tip of his tail that moved along the table's edge like some wierd periscope.) When he got to the corner, he stopped and peeked at me.

I didn't have the heart to keep it up. I called him over and rubbed his silly head. It took a whole morning of fussing but by afternoon, he was back to his usual audacious self.

Sigh...dog....

Breakfast at My House

A typical lazy morning...

...On top of the table...

...Beneath the table...

"Huh...What???"

"Oh...go awaaaay..."

Me: "Ah boy, come!"

"Aww...why did you wake me?"

The end.

URGENT! HUSKY FOR ADOPTION!

FINAL (HOPEFULLY) UPDATE: Another person took him in but it didn't work out either. He is now back with his original owner who decided to take him back. Let's all hope that he'll take better care of him this time. Fingers crossed, everyone!

NEW UPDATE: Someone adopted the husky. However, he doesn't get along with her dog. She is now looking for another home for him but unfortunately I don't have the details. Will try to find out more.

UPDATE: A few people have offered to adopt the husky. The kind lady who found him is now following up. Hopefully he will have a good home soon. If I can, I'll post a follow up on this. Thanks to everyone who helped pass this around. You guys are the best!!

An abandoned husky was found in Pasir Ris on Tuesday evening. The dog had a microchip and by scanning it they found the owner who basically said he didn't want the dog any more. His friend, whom he had given it to, abandoned it.

The dog is temporarily placed in a pet farm but is in desperate need of a kind, dog-loving owner who won't abandon him for a third time.

Here's some details:

Age: Slightly over 2 years old
Sex: Male
Behaviour (based on 1 day's observation): Understands and obeys simple commands; appears to be very mild mannered; did not pee/poo where he should not, doesn't do marking too.

If you would like to adopt him or know of someone who can, please drop me a line at xeneviere@gmail.com. Appreciate anything that can be done for him.

Thanks in advance!

Almost a toothless dog...

Recently, I needed to check Chassard's teeth. Last year, he had some pretty bad build up. Over the years, using a mixture of pathetic whines and looks of desperation, he succeeded in guilting my dad into adding a whole array of foods to his diet. At his peak, he was downing cheese, ice-cream, cake, cookies, durian...yes even durian!!

When I took him to get nutered (that's a whole other story), I signed him up for a dental as well. It added a good $150 to the bill but not smelling his breath any more was well worth it.

After that, I figured I should check his teeth once in a while, just in case. Which brings me back to "recently".

He was cosying up to a chair leg when I decided to make my move. I thought I was acting perfectly normal but he smelt a rat.

"Er...can someone help me, please? Anyone???"

Honestly! What happened to trusting the owner?

Anyway, I was carefully checking both the upper and lower teeth when I saw something that totally freaked me out!

His bottom two teeth were missing! I was having fleeting images of spoon-feeding baby food to a toothless dog when he wriggled free. I made another grab and pulled his lower lip down to make sure.

And...

They're all there! Phew! But isn't it wierd? Those two teeth are so much shorter than the rest. It's like he needs braces or something.

In any case, I checked it out. For the record, as of today, there is no such thing as dog dentures!

Chovin Blix Ong: Ms Personality and Hot Mama of the Year

I know this blog is supposed to be all about Chassard. But I just had to blog about Ms Chovin Blix Ong's appearance at the My Paper Executive Look of the Year competition in Vivo City. Woohoo!!!!

Right off the bat, Chovin was already a winner. Friends and colleagues turned up in full force armed with flags, banners and a whole array of whistles. We were the biggest, noisest bunch in the crowd... you couldn't miss us even if you tried.

The gals! Note: Sample number only!!!

The guys. Note: Full strength

Cho's Cricket Club Colleagues

Fran and David who totally pulled a Fran on us! We love you guys!

And her youngest and cutest supporter! If you look closely, Shine's wearing the cutest T-Shirt that says it all: "She's my mommy"!


And of course what's the gang without the ammo? Kudos to Jason, Cho's hubby, Felicia and Donna who took care of the arsenal.

Banners. Note: banner on the right was designed and specially crafted by the one and only Donna! (If you haven't already, you should seriously check out her art on shoes.) She and Felicia took a whole Sunday afternoon to paint it up. (Eh? How did the extra head get in the way???)

Flags. So fun!

(Thomas and Jess camwhoring with flags.)

And flowers - the crowning touch. Er...this one I need to say sorry to Felicia. I was supposed to get the flowers... went to have dinner and forgot. *blush* Came back, got reminded then busy taking photos...forgot again... *double blush* The next thing I knew, she passed this lovely bouquet to Jason. I really didn't know where to hide my face. Paiseh, paiseh...)

Then the music started and the show began.

Chovin posing...

Chovin strutting her stuff.

And the crowd goes wild! Okay, okay. It was just us. But still a crowd, right?

Then came the time for the contestants to say something about themselves. Most kept it short and sweet, some took....a little longer. Cho was gorgeous, confident and super professional. Not used to her being so formal. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't have known it was her. keke!)

After some la-di-da stuff came the announcement that they would be shortlisting 10 peeps to go into the next round.

Eeep!

And I was happily thinking we could keep screaming ourselves hoarse right till the end. I mean, she's a hot mama (read the banner, judges!!!), they wouldn't toss her out, right??? RIGHT????

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Of course not! And the cheers, they just kept coming!

Part two kicked off with a jazzy song and dance (Ka Lic and Ryan: she sounded good, okay, GOOD!!!)

Then up came the debate section. The final 10 were divided into two groups. Cho was in the second group who had to discuss the topic:

Personally, I think many people gave mostly standard PC answers. But Cho spoke from the heart, displaying her personality and principles. For the record, I totally agree with you, gal - if that's what it takes to get promoted, it's time to pack your bags and ship out. Courageous? Maybe, but I think it takes even more courage to abandon what you believe in cos that determines what you become.

Cho was the last contestant to speak, and then we were side-tracked with the appearance of Jess' new hottie!

...which just as quickly became an ex-hottie once we found out he was married. Poor Jess... Talk about a 2-minute stand.

Anyway, ex-hottie was soon flushed out of our minds with the arrival of the MOMENT OF TRUTH. The MCs came out and in typical fashion, they announced winner of...

.... most stylish ....

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(no Cho...)

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.... readers' choice ....

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(still no Cho....)

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.... second runner-up ....

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(...pleeeease...)

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.... first runner-up ....

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(...pweeease! I'll be a really good girl I promise....)

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...... And the winner of

Executive Look of the Year is ........

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(Drumroll......)

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SOMEONE ELSE!

(sorry lah, I suck at names!)

At the end of it all, the truth is Chovin didn't need a title to prove anything. It would have been nice, but definately not necessary. She has friends and family who went out of their way to prepare for the event. She has colleagues and ex-colleagues who rushed down at the end of a mad work week just to show their support. Groups of people who didn't know each other banded together in one defining moment because of a pint-sized hot mama.

Actions speak louder than any award. If there was a trophy for personality, it would have been hers.

Even then, I doubt she'd need it... You rock gal!

The Angmoh and the Dog

For the last year or so we've been having a temporary-permanent house guest. Ross is an Englishman - Cambridge law grad at that - who is a missionary to China. Since he shifted his base to Taiwan from Singapore, he needed a place to stay for his occasional trips back here.

The thing is that although he's only back here for like 4-5 times a year, he gets along famously with Chassard.

Case in point: Last night, the black, hairy one was so sleepy nothing I did could nudge him out of his corner. All Ross did was to enter the living room, and immediately the dog got up to greet him with full tail-wag and all.

What kind of rubbish loyalty is that?!?!!! I think I need a new dog. *sulk*

Ross is here right now actually, which is how I managed to snap these shots:




Ross even has his own nickname for him: TEETH.

Weird name? Not really. You see, Chassard thinks he's human and likes to greet people with a doggie smile. It actually looks like a snarl, cos he bares all his teeth and snorts at the same time.

It freaked my aunts out the first time they saw him do that. They're not exactly dog people so they thought he was going to have a chomp on them or something.

I had a good laugh though. :D