Having a dog is more challenging than having our own children. Unlike children who can tell us how they feel esp when they are sick, our dogs can only whine or look mournfully at us. Over the weekend, Tiger had been very ill as I had stupidly changed his kibble diet for 3 consecutive days. I forgot he is a dog and thought he would enjoy variety in his meals.
He started vomiting once on Friday then twice on Saturday. By Sunday morning, his condition worsened. The poor darling scratched the sofa to let me know he threw up there. By 9 p.m., he had thrown up four times and was so weak. Yet, he stuck close to me never letting me out of his sight. Even when I went to the bathroom, he waited outside the shower cubicle patiently. Seeing his delicate condition, I prayed and interceded like I never had for four consecutive hours, crying to God to have mercy on Tiger and to comfort and heal him.
Watching him lie on his side yearning to be close to me and for me to caress and comfort him melted my heart. Looking most helpless, his eyes still shone with so much ♥ as if to say...hey mum...thanks for being here for me. I just laid hands on his tummy and prayed and prayed...through it all, my husband was steadfastly believing Tiger would be ok. By 2.30a.m, Tiger zzz but woke up at 3.30a.m. and scratched the door - his usual let-me-out-of-the-bedroom signal. The minute i opened the door, pooooooi...turbo vomit and splat..
Another puddle of greenish brownish puke pudding.
Head hung low, Tiger turned to me as if to say, 'I'm sorry, mum. You have to clean up my puke pudding again. Soon after cleaning up, i sat beside him as he lay on his side on his doggy bed in the sitting room. After a while, his breathing stabilised. I got up, turned to him and said, 'Tiger, let's sleep in mummy's room.' Slowly, he followed me upstairs and this time, slept in his little corner with his teddy bear. Still, I prayed till I fell asleep. This morning, Tiger seems to be back to his normal self. God is good and listens to the cries from our heart because all creatures great and small, the Lord God loves us all.
Special thanks to Poh Ai and Eric, Tiger's groomer for their invaluable advice! I thank God He healed Tiger and am sure Tiger has forgiven repentant and forgetful mum for changing the kibbles without the 50:50 combo. Truly, Tiger has touched my life and changed me for the better in so many ways because canine lessons from him last forever. I ♥♥♥ you, Tiger!!!
I confess I am biased. About my dog. :-)
Take a look at Tiger looking at me when I was driving...He is the most manja dog I know!!!
This was Tiger's reaction when he first met my older boy last week.
At my cry, he stiffened as his ears cocked up and he turned his head towards the stairs as though to see if my husband would come downstairs. When he heard the bedroom door creak, he quickly sat down on the dining table and did not bat an eyelid!
By the time my husband entered the kitchen, Tiger acted nonchalantly as though he had been up to no mischief and had been behaving himself! Then he sat down in his roast piglet position and acted so innocently. :-)
This morning, I surfed the net to discover the ranking of West Highland terriers.
Sadly, it is not listed as amongst the top ten most intelligent dogs...I doth protest!!!!
The smartest dog is the Border Collie whereas the Afghan Hound is supposedly the dumbest (#100) according to this site.
This site says more about West Highland Terriers (Westies)
Lifespan: 9-17 years
General Physical Description
West Highland White Terriers are one of the most attractive of the Terrier breeds. They have always been an all-white breed. This breed has a very sharp, intelligent look. Westies have a topcoat and a thick undercoat. Westies have erect ears, short legs, and a chunky body. They have a domed skull with dark, widely spread apart eyes.
Weight/Height Range
Height at Withers: Male 10-11"; Female 9-10". Weight: 14 to 22 pounds.
Ears and tail
The pointed erect ears are natural, not altered. The short tail is natural, not docked.
Origin of Country
Scotland
General Character and Temperament
West Highland White Terriers are among the most charming, loyal, affectionate, and intelligent dogs of the terrier family. They are a small breed, seldom growing to over 22 lbs. Our Westies range from 14-21 pounds. Westies are extremely active and playful, with puppy-like characteristics carried over into maturity. They will announce all visitors with a bark, but seldom become vicious. Westies are quite sociable, and the most cheerful of Scotland's terriers, having a pronounced optimistic outlook on life. They have the endurance of a much larger dog and owners need not pamper them or carry them home from a long walk. Originally bred for chasing down vermin, Westies make excellent companion dogs. They love their power hugs, but never sit still for long. Their bright and inquisitive nature is a delight to behold. The Westie is outgoing and friendly.
Sociability
Somewhat pugnacious around strange dogs and small animals, the Westie is generally sociable with friendly dogs and family cats, but this little dog with the big attitude isn't likely to be intimidated by the barking of the neighbor's Great Dane. A Westie will not back down from any dog. Socialization should begin early as a pup.
Grooming
A Westie's hard dry coat requires grooming on a regular basis and most look forward to the attention of brushing, and haircuts. Westie skin tends to be drier than that of most dogs, which is why they have very little doggy odor. Westies are white as their name indicates. Wheaten color along the dorsal stripe in early puppyhood usually disappears with maturity and some darker hair on the muzzle and around the eyes is not uncommon. The breed standard calls for a double coat with wiry straight outer coat and a soft undercoat. Introduce your puppy to grooming as early as possible and follow the standard for Westie grooming for best results. Hand stripping is usually done for show dogs. We do not clipper groom our Westies because it causes the coat to become softer and sometimes wavy as the top hair grows out. We use a Mars Coat King which we have found over the years to be a great way to groom your Westie...
Westies shed very little! Some say they are non-shedding. If you compare them to a Lab, that is true. The truth is, they do shed a little! If you brush out your Westie daily (3 minutes) you will have very little shedding.
These wonderful characteristics make Westies the ideal pet.
I agree wholeheartedly!!!
Here's Tiger in one of his pensive moments:
When I decided to adopt Tiger, a West Highland terrier, I did not know that it would so challenging. After all, from 1973 to 1984, I had had the experience of keeping six dogs. Nevertheless, it is amazing how Tiger has transformed our lives.
Having a dog is like having a member of our family. We love him to bits and yet are at a loss in grooming him.
Yesterday, the vet taught me how to brush his coat. But the truth is, since the day Tiger entered our lives, my daily reading has largely been about pets, dogs, westies, grooming, obedience school, etc.
Today, I learnt how to groom his face because Nick and I are so worried as to why his face and beard is getting yellowish even though we are using the correct shampoo for white coats.
According to THIS SITE:
The West Highland White terrier, or Westie, is a member of the terrier group recognised by the AKC in 1908. The breed is originally from Poltalloch, Scotland, which is why it was initially known as the Poltalloch terrier. The breed received its current name in 1909 and is best known for the bright-white coat. Regular overall grooming is mandatory if you own a Westie, and you need to pay special attention to the face. Grooming a Westie's face is a delicate task mainly because of the long hair and beard.
To know how to groom the face of a West Highland terrier, CLICK HERE.
To know more about the characteristics of Westies, CLICK HERE.
Apart from grooming his face and body, we also have to brush his teeth. No kidding. The vet said that dogs are smelly for three reasons: bad breath from dental decay/plague, the coat if it is dirty and also if we do not clean him with a wet cotton bud after he has done his business. I will spare you the details but the vet instructed us to squeeze his glands there around his you know where and to clean it thoroughly.
*faints*
One of my friends swore that he will not sit on the sofa when he visits us when he saw photos of Tiger sitting on my sofas. The first question he asked was whether we cleaned him thoroughly after he did his business.
To me, the worst thing about having babies is not childbirth. Er...it is cleaning their poo. I am quite ashamed to say that for both my boys, I was very terrified of their poo. No kidding lah. My daily prayer was, "Dear God, please let them pang sai when hubby is at home before he goes to work or after he has come home from work or when he is at grandpa's place." God is good for He answered my prayers most of the time.
Mind you, being environment-conscious, I did not want to use disposable diapers and used cotton diapers with nappy liners which I recycled if unsoiled. I am proud to say that my two boys used the same set of diapers and I am sure my grandchildren will get to use them as well...only about six are not so ok and even then, those were the hand-me-downs. I had two dozens of brand new ones for Jon. Sorry for the digression but I thought that was necessary to let you know why it is challenging.
Then I must tell you about his dental snacks. They are called Oradental COLLAGEN strips. You read it correctly!! COLLAGEN strips? Oh man...I don't even use or consume anything that has collagen!
Tiger's eye lotion is three times more expensive than my eye make-up remover! :-)
Today, I gave Tiger my boys' baby pillow. I tried to wrap it with a thick towel but he sniffed his way through and got to the pillow and sniffed all around it. Finally, he slept on it right at my feet.
This is how Tiger looks after lunch each day. He knows Nick will be coming home soon. In fact, he is like Nick's shadow but when the young master is not around, then I am the preferred choice :-).
No matter how tough, I will not give up on Tiger. It is loving in spite of, despite, even though...and he still chews and chews tissue paper.
Tiger loves to sit/sleep on our sofas and one particular chair. However there is ONE chair that he had not conquered. That is the one where I placed my soft toys. Yes, this old woman loves soft toys :-). (You should see the collection I have in my car - Ty toys, Sesame Street toys, Pokemon and one Woodstock stuffed toy which has now become Tiger's play pal.)Well, last night, he dislodged all of them - the Westcliff bear, the cat, the raccoon (whose nose has been bitten off by Tiger whom I believe seriously thinks is a real raccoon) and the rabbit all came tumbling down - dethroned and Tiger sat there looking quite pleased with himself. :-)
Later in the evening, we all thought one of us had taken him out for his walks but actually, none of us did. Tiger came up to each one of us after dinner and made overtures to tell us that he wanted something. I thought he wanted to play. Nick thought he wanted to sit with him. Hubby thought he wanted attention. Seeing that none of us knew it, he could not hold it any more and peed on the carpet. :-( Yours truly had to scrub the carpet and also mopped the sitting room again...
I applied citronella oil on all my furniture after I cleaned up the place and so far, there has been no accident today. Well, he did pee on a towel rack in Jon's bathroom but it is ok. At least it was in the bathroom and none of us taught him to do that so that was a good start...Actually, I am quite sure he had done that a few times at night for each morning, I can smell his urine in that bathroom and have had to scrub the whole bathroom not knowing where he pee-ed.
While writing this post, I was also reading my usual dose of websites on Westies. Then I came across this site which suggested ways to train Westies to jump through hula hoops. Straight away, I went to get my hoop and also a bracelet which I dangled in front of Tiger. Oh well, he looked at me strangely again and sniffed the hoop. Oh well, I gave up but will try again tomorrow! :-)
That is life for the moment. No matter how difficult, we will weather the storms, pick up the tissues and teach him what is chewable and what is not, take him out for walks, give him our love, time, devotion and conversation...and indeed, Tiger is our best friend! Am sure your pet is the same to you. Do share your pet experiences. Have a lovely evening!
It is not easy to have a dog. The last time I had a dog was 27 years ago, a beautiful Golden Retriever who died tragically when she ran across the road. Then, I was up in Genting Highlands with my aunt. It was my husband who was looking after Goldie then. Needless to say, it was a very painful experience and my husband never allowed me to have another dog till Tiger came into our lives.
So far, Tiger has brought so much laughter, joy and love into our lives. I admit it has been quite challenging. Being quite an OCD character (although not a full-blown one), I have been sweeping and mopping my house a few times a day. Sometimes - six times. It was seven times yesterday and none today cos I am so tired. Then there are the walks and daily exercise we have had to give him, not forgetting talking to him, giving him body massage lovingly when he sits with us .
We took Tiger for his jabs today. Before we reached the vet's clinic, he knew. And he tugged at his leash. However, the docile darling walked in gingerly after coaxing him. The vet gave us many tips after he examined Tiger.
1. We opted for the ten in one vaccination package
2. The vet gave him a heart guard blood test and Tiger has a clean bill of health.
3. Tiger was de-wormed.
4. We bought the following stuff for him:
- toothpaste
- dental snacks
- talcum powder
- Eye lotion
- anti fungus/anti tick fur treatment as Dr Goh said must make sure his skin problem does not recur
- Chewy leather bones cos he does nor like the one we bought from another pet shop
- A new toy ball cos he destroyed his favorite ball yesterday...that belonged to my sons (a colourful soft ball with a bell inside)
- Talcum powder n dry cleaning powder so he is not smelly.
He will be back next month for booster shots n for Dr to clean his ears.
In March he will have to go for scaling.
The bill was a bomb but it is OK cos we want to give Tiger the best because we love him. He was flat out in the car on the way home. What a darling he is!
In March he will undergo scaling as he does have bad breath. My husband has been commissioned to brush his teeth every morning!
The bill was a bomb and more than what we can afford but it is OK because we want to give Tiger the best because we love him.
Tiger is very precious to us and I cannot begin to describe we much we really love him. My son brushes his coat everyday and he get to enjoy gives walks five to six times a day. Thanks to my constant sweeping and mopping, my back injury has resurfaced and I have been in pain for two days.
Tiger loves to chew - paper and books. He pinched a book from a friend's bag a few days ago and chewed the cover. Then he loves to chew tissue boxes but I managed to solve the problem by spraying citronella oil on the tissue box and tissue box cover. So far, he seems to have developed a distaste for tissues now :-).
My beloved is a very sensitive and emotional dog. On Sunday..we were out for four hours with Nicholas' piano teacher and his wife. When we came back, Tiger had pee-ed on my favorite chair and after we took him for his walk, he ignored us the whole night!!!!
Whilst writing this mail, a courier man came to deliver a package from Poh Ai who had sent me two books on dogs and a list of toxic substances that dogs must not eat. Tiger was left standing at the main door when I went to collect it. By the time I returned three minutes later...he had pee-ed on the floor ..His way of showing his displeasure. :-(
Other than his 'tantrums'...tiger is the most adorable dog.
My son, hubby n myself love him very much n are always trying to assess who tiger loves most. He can play politics very well for in the absence if others... he is on his ultra super-duper 'I am a canine angel' behaviour.
He loves to be cuddled and massaged in the evenings n sits beside one of us on the sofa, head in the lap.
Every morning when I wake up, I am so thankful for the way Tiger entered our lives. Certainly, he has helped us to love, to care for him and most of all, he has drawn the family together.
Please leave a comment if you have any stories to share about your pets.
Please excuse me now for it is time to give Tiger his tummy tickles and massage :-).
Have a pleasant evening!
This post is dedicated to four persons:
1. Kong Loke who arranged for the adoption. Thank you!!
2. Bernard, who let us have Tiger. Thank you!
3. Poh Ai, my dear friend who has been such an inspiration guiding me along and for her gift of two books that arrived via courier service today. Thank you for being an angel!
4. Dr. Goh - who is really the best veterinarian I have ever seen in Penang! From 1973 to 1985, my dogs were under the care of four different vets. Dr. Goh is sincere, thorough and a very practical, caring vet. Thank you for the way you have taught us to give Tiger better care and love.
