Tag / pets

by findingbackroads

We have a (temporary) dog!

batsee and dog

I am not a dog person (so maybe that is not my son over there – but it is my son). Come to think about it, maybe I have not held a dog in my arms. EVER. Don’t get me wrong, I do not hate dogs and in fact, I do have a dream dog to have as a pet – the Labrador. Dogs are awesome and I believe that sometimes, they are better than human beings. They’re not called “man’s best friend” for nothing.

But I am scared of dogs. When you grow up in a place with lots of stray dogs in the street, some just chase you out of nowhere and it’s either fight or flight, trauma builds up. When you hear horror stories of people dying after being bitten by stray dogs, you get paranoid. That stuff is scary.

Fast forward, I left that place and lived in places where dogs are not stray – they are actually PETS who live inside the house, *only* eat dog food (and not morsels of garbage they can find), go to for vaccines like human babies or visit an animal doctor regularly! But still – I can prove to you that childhood trauma can linger way well into adulthood. Once we visited a house with a small dog who ran around, barking and had a habit of licking visitor’s heels…I had to put up my feet in the sofa all the time. (I hate hyperactive dogs!)

dog

My children on the other hand are not afraid of dogs. This and so many other characters/behaviors that make me question if they are indeed my children.

Maybe because they have not seen vicious stray dogs and the only dogs they know are tame and cute ones as pets? They would readily stroke a dog whenever they see one – I always have mini heart attacks when I see them doing that.

dog fostering

Now, we have a dog in our house. He is our friend’s dog we could be fostering for about 3 months. They are going back to Japan soon but their dog is with us now “on trial” because of dog travel related stuff, Chataro (the Shiba dog) is not allowed to enter Japan yet.

Why did I agree to this arrangement, being dog-phobic that I am?

The dog is unbelievably tame. He never even barks and do not have that fetish to lick human feet. It’s because he is already 13 years old, almost 14 so if he is human, he is between 68 to 72 years old! He moves slow but still engage in short play sessions of throw-and-fetch which the children loves.

It’s been 4 days since Chataro came to live with us and it looks like he can stay with us longer. Our children are very hands on with the dog (one almost don’t know how to keep his hands off!)…Pristine wakes up earlier than usual in the morning to take Chataro out for a walk before she goes to school and Benjamin is always keen to go with us when we take the dog out in the evening.

As for me, I am still very cautious with the dog around…there’s still that fear that he might lick my heels and I might scream…and the old dog will die of heart attack! *knock on wood*

by findingbackroads

Another day, another abandoned pet

Yesterday as we were heading out for dinner, we saw a cat lying outside our building door, conveniently positioning herself near the small gap between the floor and the glass door. What a smart kitty. In this  hot weather, she found respite from that small gap where cool air from inside of the building ‘leaks’.

A stray cat – not uncommon scene here in Dubai. In fact, we have picked up a few and homed one through social media in 2009.

But by the looks of this one, we knew this was not an ordinary stray cat bred on the streets. The body is round and healthy (fat if you may put it), fur is clean and most of all, it was obviously very used to people touching it.

The cat was new on the street. If our speculation is true, this cat has just been abandoned and thrown by its owner.

Of course Pristine immediately asked if we could keep the cat, forgetting the fact that we are all allergic to fur. And that cats have the smelliest poo in the animal kingdom!

Update:

(1) I looked for the cat again this morning but I couldn’t find it.

(2) When I came home at 5pm after work, I found the cat with dirtier fur and with a hint of exhaustion in its eyes!

 

 

by findingbackroads

dogs or cats, take your pick

For so many people, well, 80% of the Dubai population, Dubai is just a temporary place. One day, every expat would go back to their home countries or go somewhere else. As a result, people leave furnitures, properties and sometimes, pets too.

We have taken two rabbits last year but had to give them to some family because they (the rabbits) were unhappy with us. We live in an apartment and keeping them in our small balcony outside was unfair. The floor would become unbearably hot during summer, scalding their paws. We don’t want them to be kept on a cage either. It was a wrong decision to accept the furries in the first place so we promised not to have any pets anymore.

It was heart breaking to see our little girl cry when she had to part with her furry friends.

There has been lots of ads in the expat community billboard (online) lately of cats and dogs up for adoption. Expats asking people to take in their cats and/or dogs when they repatriate. A cocker spaniel, bulldog and persian tabby cats were available for adoption. Now, these breed of cats and dogs (except the bulldog!) are really adorable.

*sigh*

But I have restrained myself. No pets for us unless we live in a house with some backyard. I hope the pets advertised will find a loving home soon.

*****

Stop by An Island Life. My second guest post is up while the beautiful Kailani is still somehere enjoying some snow in Lake Tahoe with her family.