I have been so caught up with blogging about the activities of the shelter that I realised I have neglected to take the time to introduce our newer members of the shelter to readers who have yet to come down to meet them and are getting to know them through this very page on cyberspace. So without further ado, let me cut to the chase and officially introduce you to our dearest MooMoo, Big Girl, Small Girl and Green, born to a stray roaming one of the industrial areas in Singapore. Big Girl and Small Girl hail from an earlier litter, while MooMoo and Green, though looking as different as night and day, come from a later one. I am glad to inform you that their mom, who tends to give birth to large litters of up to ten to fourteen puppies each time, has since been sterilised.
First up, we have MooMoo.
He was the first one to join the Gentle Paws family. I suspect he was christened thus because of the exotic brown patches on his white body.
Apparently, MooMoo wasn't well-liked by his littermates. He was brought home by his rescuer as a puppy and grew... and grew... He just turned one and he is big and strong for his age! When MooMoo came, we were warned that he would be slightly aggressive to strangers. Armed with that knowledge, I recall being quite cautious during my initial interactions with him. But fast forward a few months, MooMoo has become quite the friendly guy whom you can cuddle any way you want.
Like one of our other dogs, Xiaobai, I firmly believe that MooMoo belongs to the club of dogs otherwise known as Dogs with Extremely Cute Faces. Perhaps it is the tilt of his head. Perhaps it is the light in his eyes. Perhaps it is his exuberant manner. I can't quite put a finger on what makes MooMoo adorable but... he just is. Come meet him for yourself.
Next, there is Big Girl, otherwise known as our gentle giant.
When Big Girl jumps on her hind legs, her fore legs can rest on my shoulder. It makes hugging her such a delight. I really love big dogs. While I know full well that small dogs can give you as much love and loyalty as big dogs do, I have a soft spot for the big ones. There is more of them... more to hold, more to hug... it makes it feel like they're really a friend, not a pet. Amongst the three sisters, Big Girl took the shortest time to warm up to us. Whenever I enter their compound, Big Girl would come trotting towards me to greet me. After a hug and a quick ear rub, she would trot back to her usual position in front of their room. Don't let her size intimidate you. Big Girl is a joy to walk. I discovered this while holding on to her during our last furry day. She made a wonderful companion for a good tour about the park, never tugging, never resisting, never stopping for a break.
And here is Small Girl.
Small Girl is the more barky one of the lot. She is always alert, always patrolling up and down the compound, always ready to bark back at other dogs that walk past their compound.
I remember when I first met them, I sat about with Big Girl and Green. Small Girl was too busy running about in front to bother about me. As their names suggest, Small Girl is quite a bit smaller than Big Girl. Their rescuer informed us that there were too many dogs in the industrial area where they were found to name all of them. Big Girl and Small Girl because they were just that. Green was Green because they gave her a green collar.
And lastly, we have Green.
Green is the shyest one of them all. She took the longest to warm up to me. It could be an environmental shock or her inherent nature. But at first, she would jump a little whenever I lay a hand on her body to touch her. Now, after one whole month, Green appears much happier and in turn, is much friendlier. She would walk towards me in greeting whenever I enter the compound. When I give her a good rub down, she would happily receive it with a wag of the tail. Green also has the trademark one ear up, one ear down look about her. When she tilts her head and looks at you, this slightly shy former industrial dog is bound to capture your heart just like she did mine! While they look nothing alike, Green is dear MooMoo's direct sister from the same litter. Because they had two separate rescuers and boarded with us at two different times, we had no idea they were related until informed by Green's rescuer who noted MooMoo's unique coat. This was later verified by MooMoo's rescuer herself!
So there you go! Here are four of our newest additions to the shelter, all sterilised, vaccinated and microchipped and currently on long term boarding. They are all fantastic dogs in their own way and we really need someone to see that, to offer a home. Yes they are mongrels, yes they are former industrial dogs, but in the spirit of elections and all, let me just say that they are also quintessentially Singaporean. I love mongrels and I am certain that many of you out there do too. So if you feel the same way as I do, and if you have a ready home and a ready heart, do think about these four. They are as good as it gets.
The Water Dish campaign has just two more months to go. Don't forget to like their page. Each like earns $0.50 worth of supplies for Gentle Paws and Friends!
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