20th February 1999 : Blackie goes to his new Home.

Alvin writes

21st February 1999

"I know, everybody must be really excited to find out how our little boy is adjusting. Frankly, I have been fussing over him so much so that I haven't had much time on my own - hence not even an email.
With some spare time, I thot I better update you guys now. As I told SY, Blackie is accommodating really well!! The past 24hrs has been great just watching him exploring his new home, feeding, playing.....i think he has brought the family much joy already.
When we were about to leave the kennel yesterday, i was really impressed when he, without hesitation or coaxing, jumped straight into the rear seat. And he was just wonderful during the ride back.....in fact, I have a hunch that he likes car rides alot. On several occasions yesterday, whenever I opened the car door at the garage, he jumps in. But he is ok.....he responses when u call him out. I will try bringing him out on car rides next time - my guess is that he will enjoy it.
He seems to have accommodated to his new home real well. We keep him in the front porch, next to the garage.... lots of space for him to run around and play. And there is a covered verandah for him to rest. So far, he hasn't been chewing on the shoes or potted plants.. .much to the joy of my mum:) He seems to know those are NO-NOs.
I just got him a cow-hides bone and it has become HIS!! No way you can play dog and bone with him - each time you approach the bone, he grabs it in his mouth. Any attempt to take it from him, he growls, even bites! Almost got snapped by him the first time round. He's quite fond of it, really.
Blackie is feeding well too. In fact, he has quite a big appetite for his size. I feed him twice daily, each time about one large rice-bowl of Pedigree Chicken Dry Dog Food. And he likes it! For treats, i give him Good Boy chocolate drops....wow, he'll do anything for those. He seems to drink a lot too... got to top up his water bowl quite frequently.
Gave him his first bath yesterday.... he surprised everyone by being so cooperative. He was a bit tensed initially but later just kept still while I scrubbed/hosed him. Well, he smells quite good now. Have tried to comb/brush him....seems to be a bit edgy with that, even when I tried to be gentle. Probably have to get out the chocolate drops the next time round :) Will be putting the Frontline on him tomorrow..... but I havent found any ticks on him yet.
He hasnt found a spot to do his big business yet...... seems to be a picky guy. Brought him out for a walk yesterday (he was thrilled) but he didn't do his business. Will try again later. He has, however, kind of found his spot for urinating...so that's good. Of all the dogs I have owned thus far, Blackie has been one of the most well-behaved dogs. Food seems to motivate him alot...what to do, Singaporean, what :)
And i think he is beginning to grow quite attached to me.... he whines each time I leave the house and gets really excited when he sees me arriving home. In fact, my mum was complaining he isn't as excited to see her or dad as to seeing me :))
Well, I should be bringing him to the vet this coming week to get a check-up and perhaps some jabs. Thinking also of getting him registered with PPD.... u think that is necessary? If so, any ideas how to go about doing that? Will continue to observe him and update you guys regularly. Oh, will also try to get some pics of him taken at home and emailed to you guys too! That's quite a bit of update for now. See ya! "

22nd February 1999

"Blackie just did his big business yesterday nite....finally, after 2 days! Was worried he didn't get used to my place long enough to ease himself - hope he does it again at the same place next time. He was spot on where I wanted it!"

"Just got back from a walk with Blackie.....he just loves walks, even though it is the middle of the nite (had a dinner appt, so got back home late...no choice). He's quite an inquisitive little fellow.....always sniffing at anything interesting and stopping to stare. Seems to me he's pondering about something each time he stops to stare. He knows his limits about staying out too - he knows its time to go back home when I walk towards the gate. Oh, just found out something about him today. My mum was commenting that he hasn't been eating well, leaving food unfinished whenever she or dad feeds him. They were even suggesting he didn't like what we are feeding him. Well, when I got home in the evening, true enough, his bowl was still half-full. But when I called him over and watched him, guess what - he started eating again. And i discovered that as long as I stayed and stare at him, he would eat...and he finished everything!! Seems to me he needs a lot of att ention. On another occasion, I tried to get him to play with the hide-bone. He did come to take it and seems to show lots of interest in the bone, chewing it and even prone down to enjoy it, and of course ignoring me......all while I'm around and staring. But once I turned to go into the house, he loses interest in the bone and goes after me. When i pretended to change my mind and stayed to watch him, back he went to his chewing, ignoring me again. Perhaps he wanted me to see how good he was at chewing....who knows? Anyway, it's quite obvious he wants attention...esp mine.

Well, things have definitely change quite a bit since Blackie came into my life. Much of the conversation in the house now centres around him eg. have we fed him, who's going to bring him for his walk (me of course!!), don't forget to top up his bowl, etc. He has also brought some joy to my parents too...something I'm glad :) "

"Ok, here's some update about our boy. Brought him to the vet on Tue nite....yup, to Dr Sulyni Tan as recommended by SY. Had no problems driving him over and he was his usual friendly self, even during the check-up, alth I could sense he was a bit apprehensive when i lifted him up to the table. Hey, finally got to weigh him today...guess what, he's 15kg!! No joke, even Dr Tan was surprised at that. Then again, it could be the weighing machine....had a bit of a problem trying to "zero" it. Will confirm - but he sure feels heavy :) Dr Tan did quite a thorough check-up and here are some new discoveries. Judging from some slight cataract problem, she was commenting that Blackie might be older than we thot (ie 2yr old). In fact, he could be about 6yrs old. I was telling her that i noticed he seems to have a ferocious appetite and drinks lots of water. Well, the comment was that there is a possibility our boy has a bit of a diabetic problem. No way to judge at this point. But she was suggesting I keep a check on his water intake. The average vol. consumed for a normal dog should be about 100ml/kg/day. So for Blackie, that works out to about 1.5L per day. Anything more over a period of time might spell trouble. Will be monitoring him closely. She will take some fasting blood samples from Blackie the next time round. Blackie got his 6 in 1 jab too....and surprisingly, he didnt fidget or snap during the jab. But I think that was the last draw. When Dr Tan decided to take some blood samples (she wanted to check him for heart worms), he snapped. I got slightly gnawed on the thumb while holding him and when she attempted to put a muzzle on him, he snapped at her - good thing it was a close shave. But we both took that as the cue that he had enough stress and excitement for the nite. Had to postpone the blood sampling till next time. I think i really need to consider sending him to that obedience school CW was telling me about. So that was it, his first trip to the vet. Not too bad, really. Will update u guys with more developments soon. Thinking of bringing him to the park this wkend....might take some pics of him there. See ya"

"....a lot of time to play with Blackie. Another new discovery today....he wants to be played with, at least a few good strokings and patting, after dinner. Or else, he would be whining and scratching at the house gate. We've got an attention seeker here....but I'm ok with that :) "

"Work has been a bit hectic lately.... especially with the first quarter coming to an end soon. Must admit I haven't had that much time to spend with Blackie as I wanted e.g. bringing him out for walks. But I usually make up for that each evening with a good "man to dog" session. Short but quality time, definitely. He simply loves to be scratched and massaged. And he shows it by lying down on his back on top of my feet! I think those are just great bonding sessions which we both treasure. BTW, another discovery. Seems that Blackie is beginning to show some good guard dog behaviour. He barks ferociously at the postman and the cooking gas delivery guy each time they come over. And mind you, it can be quite intimidating. He recognises family members of course but occasionally, he does get friend and foe mixed up. Especially so in the night. Slightly impaired night vision? It's anybody's guess but he has been ok with me.....the bonding sessions helped, I suppose :) "

"Blackie is doing well now. He was sick about 2mths ago with some GI problems - didnt eat well for a few days and was quite lifeless. Brought him to the vet and after an antibiotic jab and some antacids, he bounced right back! During the period when he was sick, he didnt take his dry feeds well. My dad went through ways and means to get him to eat, including letting him have some Pedigree can food. He was hooked on it!! In fact, after he regained his strength, we had difficulties trying to switch him back to his normal feeds. Tasted the forbidden fruit,eh? Anyway, with some attention and effort, he is back to his normal self now.
He still gets the occasional crusting on his left eye which takes a bit of effort to clean as he doesnt allow me to do it. But unlike last time, it doesnt seem to bother him much. "

"Anyway, Blackie is doing just fine. He had a bad attack of ticks last month so we had to start him on Frontline again....garlic didnt work in the long-run. But he's ok now. Still has that ferocious appetite. Apparently when all fails, food is the only thing that gets his attention :) We still keep our daily "appointment" whenever i get home from work....he comes over to my feet and eases himself on me, waiting for that much anticipated scratch on his belly. Cute, right? I would luv to bring him out again...last time round to the beach was like 3mths ago...just have to squeeze out time. "