‘Fur kids’ were referred to in an article in The Globe and Mail (14/12/12) by Peter Scowen.  He was  discussing just how “gaga” society is over their ‘pet kids’:

• They eat nothing but the priciest, organic foods.
• If their ‘pet parents’ work- they attend high-end day cares with check-up webcams.
• They travel everywhere with their family (often First Class) and receive routine spa treatments to keep them looking their best.
• Costuming is big (In the USA, 350 million dollars were spent on Halloween costumes in 2012). Who knows what those holiday outfits, Santa suits, and raincoats added up to over the holiday season!
• Photo shoots for family portraits and X’mas Cards are a must.
• And ‘pet parents” receive commissioned portraits of their ‘fur kids’ as wedding and anniversary gifts.
• You can even receive invitations to ‘fur kids” birthday parties and weddings (I’m serious!)

The truth is, as a dog-sitting grandma of my sons’ Frenchies; I’m no different than anyone else. And let’s face it, the inspiration of my Frenchie Series came about as an amusing spoof on this “gaga” phenomenon for our ‘fur kids’!

Which brings me back to my question about whether ‘fur kids’ make New Year’s Resolutions. Honestly, it didn’t surprise me when I perused Amazon’s holiday deals, that pet treadmills were advertised for your canine friends who over-indulged on their gourmet holiday fare and need to shed a couple of pounds.  Feel free ‘pet parents’ to click on the link below to order your gym/treadmill equipment for your out-of-shape ‘fur kid’. After all, ‘pet kids’ are expected to keep their New Year’s Resolutions just like their ‘pet parents’, right?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B001M7U92Y/ref=nosim?tag=twbo-20

Yup, as the title suggests =)

Unfortunately, Mogu is now put to rest because I found holes in it causing the contents inside to spill out.

So until i find time to stitch it up and after our newcomer Coco is gone, Mogu will not be at their mercy =P

Here’s a few shots of lil Colbie lying on it.

Cooper: Move over and let me have Mogu….

Colbie: No, first come first served =P

Resting after a night’s play.

I have left the corporate world and took up dog grooming courses. It was a huge step for me but it’s either I do it now or never. Hence the reason for lack in posts because I think I’m even busier now than when I was working lol

I shall end my post with a few shots of the duo posing for the camera. Perhaps not for the camera, but doing it with the treats we enticed them with =P

]]> http://furrybums.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/colbies-1st-grooming-and-some-of-their-daily-fun-times/ Sat, 02 Jun 2012 12:14:28 +0000 furrybums http://furrybums.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/colbies-1st-grooming-and-some-of-their-daily-fun-times/ Colbie’s 1st grooming session!

Here’s the before and after =)

Looks so much neater yah? Here’s a pic of them after grooming..

And I’ve complied some of the nice shots I’ve taken of them so far….

Here’s a pic of daddy training both of them. Cooper’s been such a dear when we try to train Colbie, he just sits nearby and watch daddy train Colbie =)

Naughty lil Cooper, pulled down the small towel (hung by the baby gate) that is used to wipe their ‘beards’ after they drink water. Check out his innocent look as I was scolding him!

And here’s a ‘pretty please’ look and he was standing there for the 10 mins I was sitting at the bar stool,as I was eating grapes. Of cos, dogs aren’t allowed to eat grapes so he got none in the end

Colbie with the toy named Jingles around her neck. She’s got a ‘huh’ look LOL

And as she gets used to living with here, we also see some of  uber cute character =)….. Like this…..

  I cracked up so hard when I turned around and saw her sleeping in this position HAHAHAHA!! My little kungfu Colbie…..

This is 1 of her favourite resting spots by the way……

Can you spot her?

And this is her favourite resting spot when she’s up on the sofa…

Some shots of them playing…

Cooper chewing on a ‘key’ toy that we actually bought for Colbie because she was teething. Cooper turned out to be the only one chewing on it =.=

Cooper watching lil Colbie play with his favourite tennis ball =) He’s such a good brother!

And he sleeps near Colbie these days, which goes to show he’s really comfortable with her =)

And finally a last shot of them waiting on the sofa as daddy mops the floor

Enjoy your weekend! =)

Also, I reckon it’s largely due to the amount of Malays Muslims that are residing in Singapore. I learnt from my Muslim friend that there is a section in a Quran that talk about dogs being unclean animals. I never really ask in depth as it’s quite a sensitive topic, as much as how they do not like pigs (hence do not eat pork) but if you are interested, there is short description of it, I found on Wikipedia.

Anyways, there is a suburb in the far east of Singapore where alot of pet farms are located and 1 of the pet farms, named Pet Movers has an enclosed piece of land where the public can bring their fur kids there to run off leash and also interact with other dogs.

This is the 1st time we visited Pet Movers ever since we got Colbie, we didn’t want to take the risk previously because she was too young and haven’t had all her necessary injections.

Here are a few shots of them running free!

We were looking forward to letting Colbie interact with many dogs but sadly, there was only 1 young labrador when we got there.

Cooper interacting with the young labrador. We were actually surprise to see him run along and interact with the lab because he used to be a very shy boy. Looks like Colbie did help in desensitizing him =)

*Pardon for the blur shot, it’s hard to capture a nice shot when they are all moving around

A lady with a Maltese (I think) dropped by for a bit, Colbie is so adventurous! She just runs up and smells anyone!

Where’s my Cooper bro?

 A shaggy looking pic of Colbie. Time for a hair cut!!

Once last shot of them before we head back…

And of cos, we managed to get this nice shot with the use of treats! LOL

Washing up time, Daddy washing them up while Mummy snaps more pics  =p

She has (more or less) learnt to control her bowels and instead of sharing the bed with Cooper or sleeping on the cushion as seen above, we order a new bed for her! =)

Colbie posing in her new pink bed!

And Cooper has to get his fair share of the plush new bed…

Getting them to pose with each sitting in their own bed was quite a task. So finally we brought out the ultimatum, TREATS!! And voila!!

Guess what are they doing….???

PLAY!!

Another tug of war session with Cooper.

And finally a very tired Colbie sleeping in her bed.

Goodnight peeps!

We’ve been busy with work on weekdays and family/friend’s gathering on weekends that we hardly even have time to sit down and watch some tv =(

Oh well, here’s some updates on my 2 furry bums.

They’ve been getting along pretty well… … …

Errmm.. from the picture, very well in fact

This is one of the rare pics where you see them playing tug of war. Most of the times they are just carrying toys and chasing each other around the house. And of cos up till now, Cooper wins most of the time LOL but he does give in to his lil sister =)

This toy is called ‘Foxy’ and it makes a squeaky noise when it’s pressed at each end. When Cooper was younger, enjoys using his paw or his mouth to press so that Foxy squeaks non stop! Kinda annoying after a while but when you look at him doing it, it’s darn cute you can’t bear to ask him to stop doing it! Haha.

Puppies are really cute when they sleep too, many poses and positions that will either make you go LOL or Awwwww…. So here are a few of Colbie’s cute poses =)

Squashed between my knee and Cooper’s bed…

Sleeping with her nose resting between the play pen’s grills…

Sleeping with her paw supporting her head… lol

Half asleep on mummy’s legs….

And slowly rolling off mummy’s legs… LOL

And here are some nice snapshots of the duo resting =)

Isn’t Cooper such a gentleman? =)

Head on!

Same sleeping position.. ..

And lastly, a picture of them I really love!!

]]> http://furrybums.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/how-to-properly-care-for-your-dogs-teeth-whole-dog-journal-article/ Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:37:00 +0000 furrybums http://furrybums.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/how-to-properly-care-for-your-dogs-teeth-whole-dog-journal-article/ Something worth sharing as I have noticed a lot of dogs with bad teeth issues.. .. Which may result in them losing some to all of their teeth..

How to Properly Care for Your Dog’s Teeth – Whole Dog Journal Article.

It is time to officially introduce Colbie to everyone.

TA-DA!! Here’s Colbie the latest member in the family. An adventurous, easy-going, lovely, adorable, FURRY, little Mini Schnauzer with that distinctive PUPPY odor. LOL

Here’s a close up shot of Colbie.

You thought that was it?

It could have been as this was an introduction to Colbie. LOL LOL Anyways, do read on. Bringing her back to our home was somewhat like a deja-vu but it was not. It never came across that we would have another fur kid in the family till we had her in the car driving back home. The feeling was indescribable, we cannot wait to see her grow and live her life with Cooper and us.

Here is Colbie’s first evening back at our place. New environment, new scents, new Mommy and Daddy, everything is new to her. So the exploration and acclimatization phase begins!

Like all puppies, she’s extremely curious with her new environment and the good thing with her is that she’s extremely adventurous. It didn’t take her long (less than an hour) before she began exploring her new house, items belonging to Cooper and most importantly she was very comfortable with Cooper. And the feeling was mutual for Cooper too. Many a times, he would just watch over her as she explore around his bed and toys.

Here are some examples.

This is Colbie venturing onto Cooper’s bed and exploring his toys as Cooper watches on wondering what she’s up to.

Here’s another moment; Colbie and Cooper locked in a “Stare down” to see who will yield..

And the winner is… … …

COLBIE!

Cooper watching over Colbie chewing on his nylabone after taking over his bed.

And it’s time for her to sleep at her new place for the first time. New little cushion like what Cooper used to sleep on when he was a pup. Everything seems like yesterday when we had him as we embark on another “adventure” once again.

The “adventure” meaning toilet training, walking on leash, tricks, etiquette and so on and so forth.

I know we are in for the second ride of our lives and I’m so looking forward to the challenges she will bring into the family.

Saying that, good night everyone. Hope you have a great weekend ahead of you!

After the great fun and challenge being parents to Cooper for a couple of months, the thought of getting another dog to keep Cooper company at home came up as he’s alone most of the days while we are busy at work. Making him lonely and bored at home the whole time which we felt was rather unfair.

Another factor and eventually the decision was also the fact that he’s kinda poor at socializing with members of the same species. We had difficulty introducing him to older dogs from adoption centers and even other dogs at dog parks. He’s always skittish around other dogs, even after trying to mimic what Cesar Millan does most of the time (getting the dog to sit and letting the others smell). It took us yet another couple of months before deciding to move forward to get another puppy, preferably a female Mini Schnauzer (MS).

So the search for our next fur kid began, and we started off looking around pet shops and pet farms around the island (and we do mean around the island). Even though Singapore is miserably small, we did have to travel to the North, the East and the West.

Bye bye 2011, Hello 2012!

The hunt went on for a month before a little puppy caught our attention at a shop along Pasir Ris Farmway 2. She was so active and so friendly towards both of us and at that moment we almost took her but something held us back.. We were hesitant and told the staff that we need some time to rethink about it. We came back the following day after deciding to take the puppy. As we approached the shop, the staff who attended to us greeted us and told us that the puppy we were eyeing was taken immediately by another family after we left the previous day.

We were taken aback and you should be able to tell how disappointed we were.. ..

So then, the search continues.. ..

Soon after we fell upon this unit by chance which so call “specializes” in Mini Schnauzers and Westies (West Highland Terriers) also in Pasir Ris Farmway as the owner used to show Mini Schnauzers in competitions and has a couple of “Best In Show” under his belt with his stud. That’s where we met the puppy that soon became ours. She was in the play pen with her sister and among the two of them, she looked healthier, was definitely more active and responsive than her sibling. Her sibling was relatively smaller in size than she was and what turned us off was that she ate her defecation.. It’s pretty clear that the breeder was not given them enough nutrition hence the puppy is eating her own poop.. .. Goodness me.. What’s more, the breeder told us that it’s common for puppies to eat their poop and that it’s natural as they are “bitches” and it’s instilled in them and they will do so too after they have given birth to their offsprings. But that wasn’t the case and I was both appalled and disappointed with the answer coming from this particular breeder.

Saying that, we decided that she was the one we are going to bring home after we saw Cooper’s response even though we were not impressed with the way the puppies are treated by this breeder. Cooper kinda helped us with the selection process. He wasn’t afraid of her when she tried to play with him (which was a surprise) but we can tell that he was more interested in her than any other pups we tried to introduce from other shops, Somehow or rather Cooper was like telling us that she’s the one. Knowing that we should not patronize this kinda breeder, we somewhat couldn’t deny Cooper his furry companion and a life long friend.

We proceeded with the necessary and brought her home with us.

And as the end of the year approaches, the beginning of a brand new year and an adventure with the two furry bum bums awaits us.Guess this sums up 2011 for us as we performed the countdown together and ushered in 2012 in the comfort of our cozy home. Well, I did miss the countdown as I dozed off.. .. .. LOL, there’s always another countdown to look forward to.

Now we have ourselves a family of four, two fur kids, mummy and I. *Cross our fingers as we are hoping that the two bum bums would get along well and that we interpreted Cooper’s message correctly*

More pictures of Colbie and Cooper coming up soon so stay tuned for the next post!

Cooper & Colbie

I’m sure a lot of you have done so and guess what, I like the idea of a day care for dogs as they are pack animals. Even though our fur-kids are domesticated, we can’t change what Mother Nature has instilled in them. This is a topic that varies with different schools, animal behaviorists, vets, so on and so forth. What about you? Do you think that they are pack animals?

Anyways, here are a couple of shots I took in the wee hours of the morning just as I dropped Cooper off for his first Day Care Session just before I head off to work. When I got there, I was rather amazed to see the number of dogs at the centre. Really glad that there was that many dogs as I really believe that it would help Cooper learn to socialize and to feel at ease around other dogs in a controlled environment. While I stood outside to watch how Cooper behaved, I was greeted by a couple of dogs.

Before introducing Cooper to the pack, he was placed in a smaller holding area for a couple of minutes before he was then slowly introduced to the pack under the constant supervision of the handler.

Before introducing Cooper to the pack

This picture shows one of the handlers ‘presenting’ Cooper to the pack and you can see the pack have turned their attention to the “freshie”.

First Day @ K9 Kulture Day Care

Greetings

As I continued to watch Cooper behind the window panes, I could see that he was almost getting a panic attack. It was a sight to behold, watching him running away from other dogs and getting flanked in the process. It was cute and somehow or rather I felt that he fell into place rather quickly before I left for work as I’m running short on time. I left Cooper with the professional handlers at K9 Kulture.

When I picked Cooper up later in the afternoon, I was given a report on Cooper’s activities, behavior and highlights of the day which I was thought was fantastic. Apparently he was still a bit skittish around other dogs and  was looking for the handlers (for help and solace) most of the time… … Placed him in the passenger seat and he knocked out almost immediately…

K.O'ed during his car ride home

Even after getting home, he was too tired for anything else besides lying on his Mogu or his bed.

K.O'ed the moment he got home

"I'm soooooo tired"

Daddy.. I'm really exhausted...

Thanks to the handlers at K9 Kulture for reassuring him and giving him a good workout. I’m sure he loved the experience and would be looking forward to more day care sessions with K9 Kulture.

Till the next post.

The blue Mogu as seen in previous postings was actually Mummy’s birthday gift from my Aunt Cynthia. Which eventually became Cooper’s favourite!

It all began the 1st time we put Cooper up on our sofa to lie with us…..

He was about 3 months old then

And he got ‘hooked’ !!!

Resting on Mogu

Oopss!! Pardon the obscenity

Lazing on Mogu

So comfyyyyy

And as he grew older, we decided to give him Mogu so now it’s a permanent resident on the floor..

Resting on Mogu

Fast asleep on Mogu

And you can clearly see his bed behind, but yet he chooses sleeps on his beloved Mogu

Drooling on Mogu

I actually found stains on Mogu, Daddy and I both concluded it’s Cooper’s drool stains because no one uses it except him!! So we had Mogu washed and dried in  the sun almost every week!

And even while playing, he brings his toys back and rest on Mogu to chew on…

Playing Jingles on Mogu

And there are times when he’s so in love with Mogu, he digs his head in…

Digging into Mogu

 And there was once, he’s was sleeping on Mogu with his butt facing me, I called his name and he looked at me…

Yes..?

And I shall end this post with a few more pics with him on his beloved…. Mogu….

Tucking into Mogu

Too bright..!!

Sleeping like a baby

Happy Mid week and Goodnight peeps! =)

Did I mention that we were so captivated by the scenic views that we kinda forgot to take pictures of the scenery. Well, it was almost a wasted trip but luckily we did manage to get a couple of shots with Cooper and the view of Marina Bay Sands.

The place is so beautiful that I couldn’t help but just enjoy the views.

As you can seem the weather wasn’t really in our favor, so we had to rush back to the car before it starts to pour down on us (which it did)…

Speaking of which, I should arrange to have another trip down to the Gardens. Anyone else interested in joining us? Do let us know and we can make arrangements.

Here’s a shot of Cooper ‘smiling’ and posing for the camera. Till the next post!

Gardens by the Bay

It’s “Keep It Simple, Stupid…” and with his chest being silver against his black coat, he already looks like he’s got a tuxedo on. So a simple bow tie would suffice

Pimp my Cooper

Ain't I smart?

polky polky

Not too bad looking eh? LOL

Prior to my sister’s wedding in January of 2012. Here’s another picture of what he went through.. Well this is Cooper with a tu-tu around his shoulder.. wrong position but cute nevertheless, don’t you think so? And he does seem to enjoy that, ya?

Cooper with his Tu-Tu

Stay tuned for more coming your way!

Outings and so on

Cooper at the Beach – East Coast Park

I remembered the day when we brought him out to East Coast Park. He was extremely distracted with the sight, sounds and smell. Everything was so new to him. He was so curious with the plants, trees, people, lamp posts and of course the sand. When his paw landed on the sand, he retracted his paw and then went ahead after we urged him on. This was taken when we placed him on the stone bench for a break.

Cooper's first trip to East Coast Park

K9 Kulture

This is probably one of the places we like as we can let him run free and socialize with other dogs while we sit and dine in the cafe. K9 Kulture, lovely set-up and run by fabulous people. I really enjoy bringing Cooper there. Well, here are some pictures of him trying out the obstacles at the dog run.

Cooper's first trip to K9 Kulture

Cooper on the ramp

Cooper at the end of the ramp

When Cooper was approximately 10 months to 11 months old, I brought him down to the vet to have his tooth assessed as there was still a milk tooth that was stuck in his molar and I was worried that it would impede the growth of his adult tooth as he was already showing signs of discomfort. The vet assessed and told us that we would have to do the operation as soon as possible to ensure that the milk tooth is removed as soon as possible. Also that he recommends that we have his Hernia repaired as well and recommends that we neuter him in the process as he would be under anesthesia. Cooper was put through a blood test that day, to ensure that he’s blood will clot after the operation.

Post blood test

Never was there a dog in our family that was ever neutered and there were never any health problems associated with testicular cancer and so on and so forth but after reading so much about the pros from neutering and the advice from two vets, it makes sense that we should neuter him since we were not planning on breeding him even though he’s a pedigree.

Cooper's SKC Cert

We decided to hold back the operation to after his 1st birthday which was like just around the corner and perform it while mummy is on leave as the first few days are critical and either one of us will have to monitor him closely.

Cooper Turns One!!

His birthday was really a small event with only the three of us at a Pet Cafe along Balestier which mummy found. It was a Saturday afternoon and surprisingly it was a quiet day. We also had difficulty finding canine friends to celebrate his birthday with him and hence the three of us (including Cooper). It was only after that then did we manage to locate the Mini Schnauzer Crew Group on Facebook.

Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time even though there were only three of us. Cooper had a great meal and also made quite a couple of friends during our time there.

Cooper's 1st Birthday

Cooper waits for his birthday lunch, a bowl of cod fish. He loves fish just like his mummy.

Waiting for his bday lunch

May I?? Please...

Without a proper birthday party, we bought him a nylabone to chew on hoping that this would help to dislodge the milk tooth that been bothering him but to no avail.. The operation was still needed to extract that molar.

His bday prezzie - Nylabone

Nylabone, I LIKE!

Cooper’s Operations

Time has arrived for his operations… He’s gonna get all 3 + teeth scaling procedures done on him at one go.. .. Neutering, Hernia Repair and Molar Extraction plus Scaling.. .. You could imagine the amount of pain he would be suffering the time he awakes from the anesthesia… Yup and I was right.. .. He was whining and crying away when he saw both of us at the clinic when we went to pick him up. Dr. Brian Loon (Amber Vet) also mentioned that this little bum is the only dog he has met who whines the most… LOL

Time to bring him home and watch over this little one now.. Tears just flow out of my eyes when I saw him in that state.. The amount of sutures he had on his hernia.. .. *sob sob*.. .. Even till now, it hurts every time I look at these pictures.. 3 operations at a go.. How many pets can take three at the same time and be suffering the amount of pain from the mouth, the hernia and the groin area.. .. .. Guess he was really traumatized after the op..

bleeding wounds...

I'm in pain...

I want my tummy rub

tummy rub please...

I want my squeeky

Thank goodness he recovered pretty quick and as much as I know that the Elizabethan collar should be kept on for two weeks, I took it off before it even got to two weeks and it was off whenever anyone of us is around and under constant supervision. The two weeks were like forever. Looking back now, it just seemed like yesterday when we brought him to the vet for his operations.

A month post operation, we brought him to our favorite groomers, Mark & Chris @ Royal Pets Paradise (RPP) along East Coast Road. Awesome groomers, nice people and you never have to worry when you leave your fur kids with them as they take wonderful care of your fur kids. Chris was recommending the Pom Pom tail as Cooper’s fur was kinda long after the recovery period at home so it was ideal to try out the Pom Pom tail. We opted for Cooper to wear the puppy cut for easier maintenance. We told Chris to give it a go then and it turned out really good eh. The Pom Pom would look a lot nicer if the fur on his tail was longer.. And we did receive a lot of compliments on his new look. Friends and strangers were soooo intrigued with his tail and the way it moves when he wags his tail.

Presenting Cooper with his new look.

Cooper's new look! Check out his POM POM tail

another pose

close up of his pom

another close up of his pom

After recovering and along with his new look, we brought him out. Finally, after what seemed like forever we can finally bring him out again..

I love the wind in my face

Wind in my face

Pet Movers

I'm so happy!!!

Socializing

I'm a follower

I'm tired now but happy

too tired.. need to sleep

Guess that would be the end for this Episode. Let’s end it off with a greeting from Cooper. Thanks for reading!

Thank you for reading!

It is now 10:36am – Since 7:30am I have: shampooed the upstairs carpet corner twice more (one more re-pee incident); finally found the cat-door cover and blocked their access while moving a litter box and food dish downstairs; cleaned up dirt from the potted plant three more times while also trying to cover it with tin foil, plastic wrap, and now cardboard; soaked the cat-peed carpet area with odor-remover enzyme stuff and put two fans up there, one blowing on the area to help dry it, the other aimed out the open window to (hopefully) waft the stench out of the house and not down the stairwell into the laundry room; done two more loads of towels and a load of additional dog blankets; only managed to have one cup of coffee; cleaned up shredded toilet paper that Moo spread all over the hallway and dining room; and chased Bonnie across the backyard and partway down the hill before finally catching her (lost a flip-flop in the process) after she darted out the back door when I went to take Moo outside (again).

I am grumpy. I am tired. I have a massive headache from inhaling cat pee fumes, carpet shampoo scent, and enzyme smells. And now I have a ton of work to get done (like actual business work).

P.S. This afternoon both dogs are headed to the vet…I think one (or both) of them has a UTI. I’m pretty sure the cats were just being ornery.

Leo is my neighbor’s nine-week-old whippet. Isn’t he adorable?!?

He’s already twice as big as he was when they brought him home last week and has energy and speed that rival Sadie’s when she was that age. I got to check in on him today while his person was at work…he came over for a little playtime at my house with Sadie and Moo. Even Bonnie came out to meet him…unfortunately that photo didn’t turn out, but I am sure there will be more.

I adore his coloring! Brindle is my favorite mixed with the white patches. He is my step-fur-kid (just don’t tell his people).

P.S. I am also secretly in love with my neighbor’s kitchen paint color…it wouldn’t go with anything in my home, but I still think it is beautiful!

Here she is showing off her “place” on one of my dining room chairs. It is the first small area she’s done this in…she wasn’t entirely thrilled about it, but she did it!