Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The one that got away

Do you believe in fate?

Daddy said that they are fated to have me in their lives. When Mummy wanted a Chow Chow very badly after the visit to the pet farm, she found a Chow pup (me!) up for adoption in an online post two days later. And I followed them home the very night they came to see me. My previous owner just handed the leash to them and I simply follow my parents into the car. No fuss at all. Perhaps I was glad to be out and about, having being cooped up at home and in the cage all day long.

I can still remember the night in Daddy's car. I was in the backseat and lying on Mummy's lap. I was drooling all over her lap and she didn't mind at all. She was stroking my fur, enjoying the softness and fluffiness of my puppy coat and my weight on her lap. When I reached my new home, I realised what had just happened! I am at a strange new place. There was no familiar sight, sound or smell. I tried to run away when they lead me inside the house. While Daddy popped out to buy me some food, I peed and pooped in the living room, to Mummy's horror! When she groaned out loud, I got scared and ran around the house while she tried to get hold of me. It was chaotic and I bet Mummy had a bit of regret in getting me.

I know Mummy feels guilty for entertaining thoughts of giving me up sometimes. Especially when I was naughty and throwing tantrums, jumping up on her and biting her. And when her eczema has gotten from bad to worst. The doctor said I could be one of the factors in triggering her eczema flare-up. Her palms are all red, raw and itchy like never before. Even her soles are affected for the very first time. I hope her skin gets better for I hate to see her suffer like this, even losing her sleep to the stupid itchy skin.

When Huskee and Hershey's mummy posted a comment on my blog, telling us that she wanted to get me initially, we got really excited! I mean, I could be leading Hershey's life right now! This also got Mummy thinking. She feels that I did not have a very good start in life. My previous owner wanted to give me up just weeks after he got me! And while he waited for someone to respond to his sale / adoption posts, I was kept in the cage all day and only let out to pee and poop and exercise when he is home at night. I don't blame my previous owner. He tried his best for my sake. I just wished things were a little different. But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?

Huskee and Hershey are very lucky to have their wonderful parents who love them so much. My parents love me too though Mummy thinks she is still far from being a great Mummy to me. Here's why:

1. Even though she is at home all day, she stays in the study surfing the web (updating my blog, looking for jobs, reading dog forums, etc). This means there is no interaction between us except for the petting whenever she pops out for a drink or to check on me.

2. When she goes around the house doing chores, she would talk to me as if I can understand what she is saying. Normally, I would either ignore her or follow her around the house and see what she is up to. She feels that she needs to play with me but she doesn't know how to. Sometimes she will throw me a ball but I don't feel like chasing it. On a few occasions she tried to play hide and seek with me, but I gave up looking for her after three tries. She can only engage me when she offers me a treat.

3. She is rather persistent and tough when she is training me outdoors. She will pretend she didn't hear me whining when I didn't want to walk anymore. Or she will dragged me away when I wanna rush over to the birds/cats/dogs across the street to say hi. I know she feels bad for "torturing" me like this cos she told me after each training session that this is for my own good. I still don't see her point.

4. She doesn't allow me to go onto the sofa, much less the bed! I couldn't access the rooms untill recently when my parents relax the rules. They are trying to be the alpha dogs here. But I feel so excluded, especially at night when they go to the room to sleep while I had to stay in the living room. Why is it that other dogs can sleep with their parents?!

5. Mummy suffers from Separation Anxiety, not me. She would be wondering what I am doing while she is out of the house. She is worried that I may get lonely so she will try to rush home as soon as she can. C'mon Mummy, I'm an independent boy! How many times did I turned the house upside down while you were out? Never! And the few times I pooped in the balcony doesn't count cos I was having the runs.

And the list goes on... My parents feel the need to show me tough love since I'm a big doggie and need rules and control. That's not fair! Coco the Shih Tzu need not go through all that I have to go through, just because she is one-third my weight.

I bet Hershey is having a better life than me too. But hey, I'm not complaining! Mummy is just being her silly old self when she told Daddy that I could be living a happier life if Hershey's mummy bought me from the pet shop two days earlier.

Mummy and Daddy, I am a happy boy! Can't you tell from the way I wagged my tail when you pet me, the way I sniffed excitably when you come home, the way I jumped joyfully when you bring me food? Of course I could be a lot more happier if you give me MORE yummy food. But that's ok, I still love you guys though you may not be smart enough to tell. My good life didn't got away. It came into existence the day you brought me home. So keep loving me the way you do if you want me to feel happy, healthy, contended and safe.

Lots of loving bites, wet licks and shedded fur,
Chow Chow

8 comments:

i said...

You are meant to be with your parents, Chow Chow! And I'm sure you all know how much you love each other despite the ups and downs :-)

I guess it's only normal that our humans get cranky at times. They don't do it deliberately. I'm sure they know that to forgive is canine :-) I know I get cranky at times too oops ;-)

The Musketeers said...

CHOW ! you look like you have grown a lot from the first time i saw you on the picture ! Handsome boy !

xoxo,
CODY

Huskee and Hershey said...

Hi Chow Chow,
We certainly believe in fate now! Mom was incredulous when she discovered you are the pup she almost brought him and as fate would have it, she 'found' you via the blog of a dog in the US!! (She's got a soft spot for Chows and Shar Peis, so she always checks out their blogs).
She told dad about it last night and he was amazed too.. He'd never seen you cos by the time he went, you were already brought home by your 1st owner. So she showed him your blog and he said you are one handsome boy!!
Mom still finds it hard to believe that the world is so big, yet so small.. and she's so glad your mommi created a blog for you!!

Love,
Huskee
*************************

To Chow Chow's mommi,
Please don't feel bad for entertaining thoughts of 'giving up' Chow Chow.. Those thoughts run through my head all the time too with Hershey, especially when she chewed up all my BRAND NEW furniture! Heehee.. but I know deep down, both you and I will never give up those pups, no matter what they do. Cos they are already our 'family'.
And uhh.. what makes you think Hershey is leading a good life? Heehee.. she is also cooped up in the cage while we are at work (tried letting her out a few days but she chewed on too many things.. check out our Blog for Crime Scene #6). While you are there, you may want to read Crime Scenes 1-5 as well.. :P
She is soooo different from Huskee when he was a puppy, so I was not prepared for her naughtiness initially (now I am resigned to it).
Hey, if you don't mind, you can email me at huskeeboy@gmail.com I'd love to be in contact with Chow Chow in some way or other. Somehow when I first saw him, I just felt that we had some 'connection'. (mind you, there were no sparks when I saw Hershey.. but my hubby was smitten).

Oh, and can you email us your address, we'd like to send you a Christmas card!

Huskee and Hershey's mom - Shane

Paco,Milo, Maya and mommy Simona said...

Hi Chow Chow,
We certainly believe in fate now! Mom was incredulous when she discovered you are the pup she almost brought him and as fate would have it, she 'found' you via the blog of a dog in the US!!
you're great family!!!!!!
we love you and your story!!!!
kisses!!!!!!!

Molly the Airedale said...

We can tell that your mommy loves you to pieces, Chow Chow! Our mom has separation anxiety from us too and that's a good thing, right? And we're not allowed on the sofa either and never will be! That's why we have so many beds all over the house! You're in for the best life ever right where you are! We just know this for sure!

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

Anonymous said...

Aw Chow Chow - tell your human that she is fantastic!! She shouldn't feel guilty about anything - all the rules that you have, I have them too: like I am also not allowed on any furniture - in fact, I'm not even allowed in the kitchen (coz I'm so tall I can counter surf) and my humans are also really tough about my training and always expect good manners from me all the time, even when I'm excited. I always have to sit and wait for permission before I can eat my meals, I have to sit politely by the front door when visitors come and I can't get up to greet them until I get my release word, I have learnt to only toilet in one corner of my garden...the list goes on! But because I have such good manners, it means that I can go to a lot more places and enjoy more experiencs than many other dogs.

I think it is a human mistake to think that dogs like to be cuddled and pampered all the time - not true!! A dog needs boundaries and rules to be happy - and training and leadership from our pack leaders. Dogs that just get spoiled are actually very anxious and neurotic because they don't have any leadership.
And I know it's really unfair that small dogs seem to get away with a lot more because they can - but you know, that isn't really right either! Small dogs should be trained and have good manners too! My humans always say that if they had a small dog, they would be strict and expect good manners from it too, even if it only weighed a few kilos and looked very cute! A dog is a dog!

And tell your human don't worry if she isn't entertaining you all the time - she isn't meant to! My human works from home and so she is on the computer all day too - and so after giving me my breakfast, she goes into her study and doesn't really come out except for lunch or for drinks or a few chores...and I just snooze on my bed or laze around in the sun outside in the garden...that's what us dogs would do in the wild anyway - it is natural! My human is a pet writer and she has interviewed a lot of canine behavioursits and they say it is fine for your dog to learn to be by themselves most of the time - nothing to feel guilty about!

Even if my human goes out sometimes, I hardly stir - I don't mind, I am secure and happy in my own home and my humans have taught me to be independent from a young puppy, so I am happy with my own company. That is a good thing! People who are always fussing their dogs and letting them be with them all the time often cause separation anxiety problems - they think it is very cute when their dogs follow them everywhere and they think it means their dogs love them more but actually, it just means that their dogs feel insecure and unbalanced. It is really good to teach a bit of independence!

I think your humans sound wonderful and that they are doing a LOT with you already, with your walks and your training ( that's fantastic - a lot of poor dogs never get the mental stimulation from regular training and socialisation) - you couldn't have had a better life, really! They shouldn't feel guilty in the least!

And hey - my human waited her WHOLE life for a dog - I was her first, after 30 yrs of waiting - and I was so terrible as a puppy, my human was in tears and wanted to give me back to the breeder after 3 weeks!! (well, of course, she didn't really - but she was just in despair from cleaning up after me and supervising me and trying to train me all the time...) - but it all passed very quickly and now she regrets that she didn't enjoy my puppyhood more.

Tell your human that it all seems like a lot of hard work now but soon you will be a lovely adult dog and a wonderful ambassador for your breed and your humans will be so proud of you and of what they have achieved. They are just the kind of responsible dog owners that the world needs!!

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

Anonymous said...

Hey Chow Chow,

Sorry - another long message but forgot to add - it's actually really good what your humans are doing about not letting you roam all over the house. A lot of dog trainers say that puppies learn faster and better behaviour quicker if they are supervised as much as possible and so they should only stay in certain rooms in the beginning, where the humans can watch them, and then as they get older, they "earn the privilege" of being allowed in other rooms in the house.

A lot of people make the mistake of letting their puppy run around everywhere and get into trouble chewing things in bedrooms, peeing, etc...dogs learn by association and repetition so everytime we are allowed to do something, it reinforces that behaviour in us - so if we don't get to do it in the first place, we never learn to do it! Simple! :)

So it's not mean that your humans don't let you have access to all parts of the house yet - they're doing the best thing for you! I was only allowed into the bedrooms after I turned 1 yr old and learnt all the different ways I had to behave in the human world ( so hard for us dogs to understand!). Now I can go anywhere I like because my humans trust me and know that I understand the rules.

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

duo_disaster said...

Chowchow...

In ALL the rules you've listed...
We ... sorta broke them ALL!

Yeah. It takes time, of course.. Play your cards well. You wont wanna be caught red-pawed on the sofa, pooping 'artistically' away. *hints somedog* Be patient, who knows someday you'll find yourself from the floor to the sofa, then migrate your bed from the hall to the room & to where else?

To Chow's Mum
(Sorry, I didnt get your name)

Dont feel bad entertaining such thoughts, I had a worse time than you when I first had those 2 rascals. Goofy NEVER failed to give me presents everyday after work. The feeling of going home, makes my leg feels so heavy...

Its like... Those pup-hood days are supposed to be "sweet" and memorable but they always turn out disasterous! But honestly, Dad & Mum are missing those days. (But of course, they wont want those days back into reality!)

Looking back, there were REALLY many times, both D&M wanna give us up. So if you are guilty, then she ought to feel condemmed right?

If your M need to vent her frustrations, do feel free to do it on our M... We're most willing to lend a helping paw in anyways we can!

Till then,
Rudolf & Goofy

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