Anna the dog

[PAG]

I have some good work coming up, so I'll say the same to you as I said to MalmoMike who also kindly offered funds... I got myself into this with Moodeng and will see it through, but if you want to make a difference, pay to get a local bitch speyed... a neighbour's dog or a stray. That is the only thing that will solve this problem long term.

We've become something of a refuge for strays and abandoned animals, particularly kittens, though over the last few years we've taken care and fostered them either back to health or found a home. I think some of the locals believe we're a soft touch and dump their unwanted on us. Of the 4 dogs and 4 cats we actually have, only one of each were actually bought, the remainder being rescues.

We have a project ongoing at the moment. A cat, very thin and looked pregnant, appeared in our garage a couple of months ago. She's quite feral and won't allow anyone near her (except a male cat at some stage obviously). M'Sahib made a couple of 'nests' for her, towel in a cardboard box, towel on a table shelf etc, and of course food and clean water. She disappeared for a while, we think having her kittens but God knows where. She would go out each day but return at some stage to sleep and eat.

Anyway, for the last week or so, we're trying to get her in a position of trapping and catching her, so we can get her to our vet to be sterilized, but it ain't easy. She lets me get reasonably close but not touch her. Any closer than a couple of feet and it's hissing and paw swiping time. We're getting fairly close now though, and she seems more comfortable seeing us. Hopefully in the next week or so the deed will be done.

When it's sunny, she likes to find a spot in the front garden, usually curling up in a plant pot to sleep.







If it's raining, usually somewhere in the garage.



Under one of the cars.



About to head into the garden.



Putting her food in one of our transit cages, in the hope of sneaking up and closing the wire door to trap her inside. Not worked so far.

[Mendip]

^ Great stuff PAG, although I don't quite know how another cat has appeared on Anna's thread. She wouldn't be happy at all about that, but I guess it's allowable under the circumstances.

I once had to rescue Anna out of a tree that she'd climbed trying to catch a cat... but then got stuck in. Dogs ain't great tree climbers.

I think some of the locals believe we're a soft touch and dump their unwanted on us.

Coca appeared from no-where at the back of our house three and a half years ago... I went out for half an hour, returned, and there she was, cowering against the back gate. I've often wondered if she was dumped, knowing that I'm a soft touch. She was in such bad condition and had so many wounds on her body that I hope not... but nothing really surprises me in this part of the world any more. I think that Coco had spent maybe six months on the street before finding us.



Coco is now a much loved member of the pack and is one of the few who has slept on my bed wearing the wife's underwear during her season... only Maya and Lola are also members of that club.

Apart from Coco and Anna, all of our other dogs have been rescued as puppies so have never experienced the horror of street life. Dan's passing allowed me to bring in Anna when I reckon she was around five years old. She would doubtless be dead now if we hadn't brought her in and this is something that makes me immensely happy, in a sad kind of way. Instead of sleeping in a wet hole, Anna now has a chair and whenever the Kommandant is away, Anna sneaks into the kitchen and watches me cook, with wonderment in her eyes.

Or maybe she just wants a treat?



It makes me so happy to see Anna experience a family after the awful start she had to life.

But all said and done, I sometimes wish I wasn't such a soft touch. Every dog I take on is another 'Thai' and at some point I plan to leave Korat... but it won't be so easy to up and leave with seven motley dogs in tow. I know that I could never desert them.



Another pair of sorrowful eyes for you, Cyrille!

[cyrille]

I posted 'soulful', I think.

I was mostly marveling at the restorative powers of cheese.

[Mendip]

^ My bad.

^^ Another pair of 'soulful' eyes for you, Cyrille.



Is it me... or should this pic be in Edmond's 'Portraits' thread?

[malmomike77]

Coca appeared from no-where at the back of our house three and a half years ago..



Coco is now a much loved member of the pack and is one of the few who has slept on my bed wearing the wife's underwear during her season... only Maya and Lola are also members of that club.
!

Good Lord, i forgot whet a sorry state Coco was in, she really lucked out alighting at your place. Where's coco?

[Looper]

There is a bit of a twinkle in her eye now.

How about yoghurt for calcium?

Is it too dairy for dogs?

I have found that the easiest way to eat whey protein is to stir it into fruit yoghurt.

You could pimp Moodengs yoghurt with whey to give her a protein boost as well as calcium.

[Reg Dingle]

I have found that the easiest way to eat whey protein is to stir it into fruit yoghurt.

You can just mix it with water or milk and drink it, you know?

There is a bit of a twinkle in her eye now.

Dogs are one of a few animals that signal all their emotions through their eyes, I do think too that Anna looks sorrow and not soulful...most likely just dropped another silent but deadly fart in the near vicinity possibly unnoticeable to someone who doesn't use fabric conditioner

[malmomike77]

You can just mix it with water or milk and drink it, you know?

Or do like i do and let the pigs eat the Whey and i eat the pigs Mmmmm belly pork

[Reg Dingle]

^ What are you pressing on that diet, bro?

[malmomike77]

^ What are you pressing on that diet, bro?

Nutin blud

[PAG]

To bring some hopefully closure to post #2676.

This morning, chilling in her cardboard box in the garage.



Just now, gave her some tinned tuna in the transit box.



M'Sahib, hiding behind a car, quickly closed the wire door.



Now, literally as I write, on her way to the vets to be sterilized.



Probably pick her up in a day or so, see if she still wants to live in our garage then.

[BLD]

How does the vet get the feral bugger out of the box? Chainmail gloves, I've had a few encounters with feral cats and always come of second best. I can't blame the cats though it's just there survival instinct

[PAG]

How does the vet get the feral bugger out of the box? Chainmail gloves, I've had a few encounters with feral cats and always come of second best. I can't blame the cats though it's just there survival instinct

Were it me, open the box in a small closed room (they have several in the surgery) I guess. I'm pretty sure she won't be the first feral cat they've handled. M'Sahib just back. Plan is for her to be operated on tomorrow morning, and no more food until then. A day or so for recovery, which means picking her up on maybe Monday evening.

[cyrille]

She'll be hating life in a cage, that's for sure.

Your time scale suggests she'll be ready to leave on Sunday.

[PAG]

She'll be hating life in a cage, that's for sure.

Your time scale suggests she'll be ready to leave on Sunday.

If she were an actual pet, and would let us look after her, then yes, Sunday would be OK. Problem is she won't be a happy camper when we pick her up, and might disappear once released. Hence get the healing process started for a day or so first.

[cyrille]

That makes sense.

Good luck with it.

[BLD]

If she were an actual pet, and would let us look after her, then yes, Sunday would be OK. Problem is she won't be a happy camper when we pick her up, and might disappear once released. Hence get the healing process started for a day or so first.

They say you've gotta be cruel to be kind sometimes, that's the best outcome a feral cat in Thailand can expect. Well done for trying to make a difference in that cats life, similar to mendy with his heart of gold and tribe of rescued dogs that are now pets.i take my hat of to both you guys , I truly don't think a feral cat can ever become a pet. That's the best outcome for that cat sadly

[Mendip]

How about yoghurt for calcium?

Is it too dairy for dogs?

Moodeng pees and poos in the same spot (on newspaper) in PJG's shop which is brilliant, but it still takes some cleaning up. I think if I take up a black cherry yoghurt she may draw the line. I think that cheese and milk is quite enough for Moodeng's stomach.


^^^ Nice one PAG.

I managed to get a few feral bitches speyed but we had to resort to using a rescue guy with a blowpipe and sedation darts to get the job done. It wasn't easy at all, although it did give me some ideas for when the wife plays up.

I've heard that when moving house it's a good idea to put butter on a cat's paw. It takes them so long to lick it all off that by the time they've finished, they feel at home. Maybe something to try when you get her back home, although I'm not sure it would work in the heat of Thailand?


^^ Nice to see you on this thread again Cyrille... you know, if you got a puppy you could really become involved...


The daughter started her half term holiday today so this afternoon we popped up to Pajama Girl's shop for one of her Caramel Slurpy Specials. That was for the daughter as my diet doesn't allow for such luxuries. We took Lola along, and it was too hot to sit outside...

I have had a plan to introduce Lola to Moodeng for some time. Lola has a great temperament and I was absolutely certain that she'd show no aggression and allow Moodeng to feel relaxed. I think it's important to gradually get Moodeng socialised with other dogs sooner rather than later. I kept Lola on a tight lead, not because I was worried about her attacking Moodeng, but to give Moodeng space to feel comfortable. The last thing I wanted was for Moodeng to get frightened and make any sudden movements that could injure her healing leg.



Incidentally, that box behind Moodeng contains the fully-charged cattle prod that I got for PJG should the b@stard pitbull from up the road come marauding again (sorry PAG).

Moodeng was certainly not frightened of Lola, maybe just wary, and I can see a relationship blossoming. You have to take these things slowly...



Moodeng stayed in her favourite position under the drinks counter and watched as I chatted to PJG, with Lola sitting next to me. After a while she actually came over to be closer to Lola and I... and Moodeng came as well!



I think this is great news. This was the first interaction Moodeng has had with another dog since her accident six weeks ago, since when she has spent all of her time either at the vet or with PJG, and it was clear to me that she wanted it.

This relationship will develop in the coming weeks, I am sure.



But anyway, as this is Anna's thread here's a picture of her drinking water this afternoon with one foot in the bowl... which she does every single time. This has been discussed before on this thread, and Maya also does this, but I still find it fascinating every time I see it.

[cyrille]

As I get older I get to rank humans lower and lower on the evolutionary scale, Mendy.

I would need a chunk of land to get a dog though. At least 1.5 rai.

I couldn't walk it around the vicinity here because of, guess what, dogs.

If I were to do it I'd do it right, like you and stumps and, doubtless, PAG.

[Mendip]

^ As the saying goes, 'the older I get, the more I love my dog', or something like that. I certainly prefer mine to any humans in Korat, with the obvious exception of the daughter, Pajama Girl, and possibly my Welsh mate (although the jury's out on that one).

Space is good, but you don't have to go into 'full pack mode'... believe me, at times I wish that I hadn't. A solitary dog in a house with a moderate garden is perfectly happy. It's alive and has a family.

But I would like to dispel one myth... I constantly see stories on the net about people who can't walk their dogs because of all the street dogs about in their neighbourhood. They recommend sticks, water pistols. BB guns, etc etc etc. All you have to do is keep a few treats in your pocket... before you know it all these 'nasty' dogs are coming up for their treat, tails wagging, and eating out of your hand, literally. Your dog on the lead has never been so popular.

It's as easy as that.

[PAG]

An update on our 'Feral Fighter', gatecrashing Mendip's excellent 'Anna the dog' thread again.

M'Sahib just been to our vet, checking on 'Mooky' (what I call her) after her sterilisation this morning. Apparently still slightly groggy, but otherwise OK.

M'Sahib took a tin of the tuna we have been feeding her for when she's able to eat again. In a cage at the vets.

[Mendip]

Edit, ^ Thanks PAG!

Where's coco?

Here she is mate, today. Coco is an absolutely adorable dog, loved by humans and canines alike.

A big pressure washing campaign is planned, once this never-ending wet season finally finishes, btw.



Some kind of flu thing went through the daughter's school last week, and she had three days off school, which is pretty unheard of. I got nailed by it yesterday and feel like absolute shite today... so I didn't go up to visit Pajama Girl, because I don't want to pass anything on to her...

Well, not the flu anyway, if you know what I mean.

Today has been binge-watching Netflix with medicinal whiskey... the wife is still away on one of these elongated Isaan funerals so it has been quite relaxing to be honest - I'm almost starting to wonder if she may have become incapacitated and been cremated by mistake. There must be a precedent for that, surely?

The daughter is enjoying not having me hassling her to 'do stuff', as I'm just not up to it. But we did try to get some family photos.

Six out of seven ain't bad.



Anna never joins in group photos as she's just not comfortable with the others in these formal settings. I had to join the pack to get Anna involved... so, the entire pack, seven canines and the human pack leader! How can people live without pets?

[Looper]

Wow, she is real beauty PAG. Look at those eyes. She looked a bit rough in those earlier photos.



Great family photo Mendip. They all look like their cups overfloweth!

How can people live without pets?

I would love nothing more than a cat to keep me company and to look after but the Good Lord in his wisdom gave me an allergy to cats as my cross in life.

[Mendip]

Wow, she is real beauty PAG. Look at those eyes. She looked a bit rough in those earlier photos.

Yeah, she brushed up well. I hope she's settling in back at home after the op, PAG.


I popped up to see Moodeng today... I've still got the lurgi but decided that keeping her supplied with cheese was worth the risk of passing something on to Pajama Girl.

There's an alertness and happiness about Moodeng that wasn't there before.



A friendship in the making, I hope. Moodeng grizzled at Lola a couple of times which I take as a good sign... she knows that she's vulnerable and has the strength of mind to warn Lola off from coming too close.



I didn't want to crowd Moodeng, so Lola and I went over to the other side of the shop... and Moodeng followed! Lola greeted her in the only way she knows how.



Moodeng started to follow Lola around, which is great.



This is Moodeng's toilet until she's strong enough to go out to the back garden on her own. The best thing about this photo is that you can clearly see her putting weight on that left rear leg. I think it will be OK.



And there she is having a wee. She goes to exactly the same spot every single time and house-training her will be no problem, when the time comes. It hasn't escaped my notice that Pajama Girl seems pretty cool with cleaning up wet beds. It's not an issue at the moment thankfully, but I ain't getting any younger.



Aawwww...



And meanwhile... Anna definitely ain't English so it looks like she must be mad.

[PAG]

Yeah, she brushed up well. I hope she's settling in back at home after the op, PAG.

M'Sahib is just back from the vets. Got to say, it's not really her home (Mooky that is, not M'Sahib!) though we'll provide shelter, food and health care whenever and for as long as she needs it. Adoption is not on the cards, as we're both now clear on not housing any more animals, recognising that neither of us are getting younger, and even M'Sahib starting to think 'what if.....?' when either or both of us pass away, who's going to take care of the animals?

Anyway, back to Mooky. What we didn't know, and the vet discovered whilst she was under the general for her op, is that she has a wound on her chest, probably caused by her 'boyfriend'. That's been cleaned also, but adds to the level of care she needs for recuperation. She's in a cage at the moment, with a litter tray for her toilet needs, and is eating which is a good sign. That cage will be coming with her in it back to our place on a temporary basis either tonight or tomorrow morning rather than using a transit box. We'll probably keep her in that cage for a few more days recovery.



Another purpose of the vet visit today was getting Barby, our 5 year old female pit bull, left eye checked. She developed an infection in it a couple of weeks ago, with the eye nearly closing up. Off to the vets, with a course of eye drops and antibiotics. When the eye started to fully open again after about a week, it had turned blue. Back to the vets then, with more eye drops prescribed. It's not know if her sight in that eye is affected, but it seems to be improving every day. Another couple of weeks of eye drops prescribed. Trying to take photos of her just now is difficult as me calling her name and getting near her, she thinks she's getting more eye drops, which doesn't amuse her.