18. "Cockroach stepped on? What is your consultation fee and treatment?"

Sunday July 29, 2007

The 10-year-old girl suddenly asked me a question that blew my brains off: "If a cockroach has been stepped on, what is your consultation fee and treatment?"

I would expect nobody would ask a veterinarian such a question about cockroaches. I I replied: "My fee depends on how long what type of treatment is required and how long it takes to treat it." I needed to consult my professors as cockroach was never discussed during my lectures some 30 years ago and I had not come across a veterinary treatment of cockroaches book.

I wanted to meet Janet after her aunt told me that she loved writing and had won writing prizes. I wanted to know what stories primary school children read nowadays besides horror and suspense.

I rarely had an opportunity to meet child-writers. I would say most Singaporean children cannot write English very well since they seldom read widely. So, a prize-winning child writer of an old doggy client was a rare personality to meet.

Now we were having a late lunch at the Crystal Jade Restaurant in Toa Payoh at 1.30 p.m. although the father and daughter came to my surgery at 12 noon as agreed. There was a very unhappy puppy owner who wanted to raise hell for a puppy seller who had sold him a puppy illegally. He alleged that the government's veterinary A.V.A's website required 2 vaccinations before sale and micro-chipping after July 1, 2007 were implemented.

This person took up a lot of my time as I tried to help the puppy seller to resolve the problems of not giving him a receipt for sale of the puppy and no vaccination certificate. And no micro-chipping too as mandatory after July 1, 2007. His puppy ears were itchy with big scales on the ear flap and said that the seller used "Revolution" once instead of 3 times. He would complain to the authorities so that the the puppy sellers' certificate given by the AVA would be downgraded from whatever grade to a lower grade!

"Well," I advised him "You have to resolve your issues with the seller after I had talked to him. He had said that microchipping was not included in the selling price. As to downgrading his certification, I doubt this complaint would adversely affect his grading..." Maybe I was mistaken. I gave a second vaccination to the puppy although there was no vaccination certificate but the seller had said he had one. All those regulatory requirements took up at least 30 minutes of my consultation time.



I apologised to the father and drove them to lunch at the Toa Payoh Hub. I sat opposite the 10-year-old while she sat beside her father. Janet did not waste time scrutinising the menu and chose dry wantoon mee and a warm glass of soya bean milk which she offered to her Dad to drink.

I ordered porridge with century egg and her dad had something I could not remember.

The age gap between Janet and I was at least 50 years but she could carry a conversation much better than most adult who are graduates. She commented on interesting episodes of her school life, such as the teacher who insisted on the correct time to the last minute before dismissal of the class, thinking out of the box and that children ought to be seen but not heard.

She was a great communicator. She must be a good writer to win awards.

"What do you think of 'Mr Midnight' stories?" I asked about the local series which are well promoted by the writer in primary schools. They seem to sell like hot cakes.

"The stories are so-so," she shook her head. "I think not all are well written. I prefer to read the 'True Singapore Ghost Stories".

I thought Mr Midnight's stories were scary for 10-year-olds. She was able to evaluate the quality of horror stories written by adults. Now I wanted to read her ghost stories and asked: "Can you print out and let me read all 15 of your ghost-stories?"

"No," she solemnly shook her head a second time, adjusting her black rectanglar spectacle frames which fitted very well over her oval shaped fair face. Not a tinge of sun tan. She would grow up to be a beauty queen.

"Why not?" I asked.

"The stories belong to me."

I talked about other things as her Dad asked about my family. His shop was next door to my Surgery many years ago and he had prospered and moved to bigger premises while I was still stuck in the dumps.

I tried my luck again, "Is ther a reason you cannot let me read your ghost stories? Stories are written for readers to enjoy and share the experiences..."

Janet affirmed: "They are copyrighted."

"How do you know about copyrights?" I looked at her Dad.

"From television," she offered her soya bean milk to her Dad who shook his head. "At the beginning of a movie, there would be warnings about infringement of copyrights".

"Will you let your parents read?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "8 stories for Mum and 7 stories for Dad."

"Why not give both 15 stories to read?" I asked.

"The reason is to let them talk to each other after they read the stories. I will write another one so that Dad has 8 stories too."

"Are you not talking to your wife?" I teased her Dad.

"Yes," Dad nodded. We had known each other for over 20 years and I had met the Mum a more than a decade ago. She had accompanied the Dad to the Surgery so that their old mongrel could be treated for persistent ear infections.

I tried my luck for the 3rd time by asking the same question. Nothing venture, nothing gain.

"You can read one story," she decided. "Which one would you like?"

"Your daughter can be a lawyer," I told the Dad. "She will be able to win cases as she can put forth her points of view very well."

"No, I don't want to be a lawyer," Janet shook her head vigorously. "When the offender has been sentenced to death by hanging, his ghost will come to haunt me!" I never would have thought of the dire consequences.

I commented that she could practise in the other aspects of law such as conveyancing but she was not bothered. I asked: "Why not be a doctor?"

"I don't like blood," she said.

Back to my request for the story, I said, "I choose the 15th story".

"Oh, it is only about 200 words," she said. "It is not very interesting."

I thought for a while: "Let me read your favourite story. What is its title?"

"The armskotesman," she said. "It is around 200 words."

As I had served national service in the army, I knew what an armskotesman is. It had been over 30 years but I never forgot this term. I don't know whether I am spelling it correctly as it may be a Singaporean or regional term for a military person in charge of the room holding all the rifles and guns in the army.

"How does your child learn to be a writer?" I asked Dad.

"Lorna Whiston classes," Dad said. "She attended for 2 years and then told me to stop sending her as she did not learn anything new. She was taught story writing there. Later, I sent her to the British Council for English lessons. She said it was most boring. You know... the British Council emphasised on a different style of teaching the English language."

Actually I do not know what the British Council's style is. But I can see that she had been motivated to write at her most impressionable years and awards and someone had encouraged her to progress further.

"How's her academic performance?" I asked Dad, expecting a top student.

"She's in the top of the top 2 classes," Dad said.

"In Primary 5A?" I asked.

"Primary 5E. It is the top class, not Primary 5A."

"Are you the top 10 student in your school?" I expected her to be.

"The top girl scored 98% in Primary 4. She has around 90%. Only the top 5 in the standard are informed and awarded prizes. So, she does not know her position in the standard," this Dad sure kept track of her academic excellence.

"Being in the top class out of 11 classes at 40 students per class is not easy," I congratulated the Dad.

"Will she make it to Raffles Girls' Secondary School?" I asked Dad. This is the premier girls' school in Singapore.

"Usually the students in the top class can qualify," Dad said. "The best teachers are allotted to the 2 top classes. There is no homework for the students at all. Other schools have children doing homework at home!"

"I complete my homework in school," Janet corrected her father solemnly as she ate her mee. "My classmate does her homework at home."

Dad had discovered something new about this daughter who could complete her homework at school.

Dad continued: "Her school is not bothered to announce the percentage of passes at the Primary Six School Leaving Examination unlike other schools. Its glory is due to producing the top student in the whole of Singapore. There will be at least one per year. So, it is very difficult to get admitted into this school."

"How did your daughter get in?" I asked.

"I was a school volunteer," Dad said. "Volunteers need to spend at least 40 hours per year to serve the school. They can jump the queue. The principal picks and chooses volunteers as demand is extremely high. It is what you want to offer to the school. Keeping the school library clean is not in great demand. During my time, there was not such great demand and my services were uncommon."

In Singapore, money donations to get a child admitted to the top primary schools jumping the queue are not blatantly obvious. It is believed that such a practice does not exist.

After lunch, Dad asked me what project I had wanted her daughter to do.

"If she can do a survey of pet ownership in the school, it will be good," I said as I tried to write down the project scope.

But this school prefect wrote down herself the survey's questions as I spoke. She was used to writing the minutes of a meeting. No spoon feeding from me. She would be able to complete this project if it was interesting to her. This seemed to be her first visit to the veterinary surgery as she wanted to stay longer. But she had to visit her relatives on this Sunday afternoon.

17. Medical procedures for new puppy?

July 30, 2007 e-mail to Dr Sing:

In reply, see below.

....@singnet.com.sg> wrote:



Good day

This is Sylvester.

I would like to gather some information before I make an appointment with this clinic. I am about to acquire a Golden Retriever puppy of about 2-3 months. Therefore, I am aware that certain regulations of its medical status must be met for its well-being. Please enlighten me on the following.

What medical procedures must the puppy undergo since the day it was born?

There are some canine laws regarding medical procedures in the "nanny state" of Singapore.

You will need to check the government website, www.ava.gov.sg for the latest rules and regulations.

As far as I know, from July 1, 2007, all puppies to be sold by licensed puppy sellers (e.g. pet shops) need to be vaccinated at least 2 times before sale and that they must be microchipped before sale.

Below are some answers to your questions:

1. Ensure that you buy from a reputable breeder who has good breeding stock. Parents to be free from hip dysplasia and other hereditary diseases.

2. Vaccination advised by Toa Payoh Vets is :
6-8 weeks of age, then 2 more at 3-weekly intervals for puppies. Yearly vaccination.

3. Deworming is to be done after sale but this is my advice, not medical regulation. Each vet has his own recommendations.

4. Get a veterinary inspection of the new puppy within 24-48 hours after purchase. Some puppy sellers have a 24-hour return policy if the puppy fails the veterinary inspection.

5. Anti-heartworm prevention medication or injection.

6. Feed premium puppy food as advised by the puppy seller. Do not change to other brands immediately or change gradually within 2 weeks.
7. Water available at all times.

8. Tick prevention. Various products. Sometimes, just check all paws of your Golden Retriever puppy every day and after exercise is all you need to do to reduce the tick population in your garden.

Should those procedures be repetitive?
Vaccination against viral, bacterial and heartworm disease as advised by your vet is recoomended yearly.

Will there be certification?
Vaccination certificates are usually available from the seller if they do vaccinate.



How can I ensure its breed quality?
You need to do research. Find a reputable breeder in Singapore or from overseas. Check with the Singapore Kennel Club. I do not know if there there are breeders in Singapore with certification of the parental stock as being free from hip dysplasia and other eye diseases.


Any other issues that I need to be aware of?
Socialising the Golden Retriever early (people, crowds, traffic noises) yet avoiding other dogs before it has its 3 vaccinations is important. 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination before the puppy meets other canine species or go to areas where other dogs go (e.g. dog parks).


Puppy house-training starts on the first day you bring it home. This topic is extremely important and is beyond the scope of this e-mail reply. Some success stories of Singaporeans toilet-training their puppies are at www.toapayohvets.com.

"You are very heavy-handed," the vet was told.

July 26, 2007

You may have heard of a snapping turtle or a snapping alligator. But a snapping domestic cat?

Strong jaws "click-clack, click-clack, click-claw" whenever my hand gets near her mouth. She was wrapped up in a towel and the maid was holding her well. In any case, the cat had been sick for some time and was not eating. She had lost all her excess weight. No more energy to struggle and lift her front paws to swipe at her nemesis associated with pain.

She could meow and protest inside the wrapped towel. The maid wrapped the towel loosely but Nellie did not have the vigour to extend her front legs and prevent her mouth from being touched. Her pupils dilated. She looked as wild as a tiger.

"Coughing and bad breath" were the complaint of sister 2 who was the one who cared for this cat.

I knew what was she suffering from as this was not the first time. It would just be so easy to give her the usual injection and not risk of biting and clawing.

"You are always heavy-handed," sister 1 suddenly said to me as I tried to open the cat's mouth to examine it. Nellie's eyes followed my hand movement. Her jaws opened and closed, clacking her teeth together.

I was surprised about sister 1's comments. She had never commented about my animal restraint in the past 2 or 3 years I had treated Nellie. It was distressful to her, I think back retrospectively. It would not be good for the cat if her mouth was not examined before treatment as I would not know how effective the treatment would or how long it would last. Each animal reacts differently to steroid injections to suppress inflammation.

The dose must be sufficient but not too much. Too little and the owner would not be satisfied with the results. Too much and the cat might die.

I said to sister 1, "I had scheduled teeth scaling and examination on June 19,2007 and even phoned up sister 2. Decayed teeth would be one cause of stress, mouth ulcers, gingivitis and bad breadth. But the cat did not turn up."

Sister 1 said, "You warned that the cat might die during anaesthesia. So Sister 2 did not want to do it."

Around June 19, 2007, the ulcers had come back but had not caused severe pain. I examined the mouth with sister 2 holding the cat. Sister 2 knows how to handle Nellie firmly. The steroid effect had worn off. So, anaethesia would be less risky. I had to give this warning of risk because Nellie was around 10 years old. A senior citizen of Singapore. A history of recurrent mouth ulcers. I suspected "rodent ulcer". In this reportedly immune disease, there is no cure. The cause is unknown. Mouth ulcers develop after the steroid effects wore off.

But keeping the teeth clean is important. I saw a decaying grey molar tooth in Nellie and had timed the anaesthesia to give her the least risk of death.

I could not guarantee no risk. Sister 2 had told me an incredible story of Nellie's mother. She took Nellie's sick mother to a vet (Vet 1) one day. The nurse of Vet 1 advised her not to consult the vet but to go to Vet 2 as the cat would die under Vet 1. So, Sister 2 went to Vet 2. Vet 2 said that the cat would be all right. A few hours later, Nellie's mother was dead at Vet 2.

Now, why did the nurse of Vet 1 advised her against consulting her employer? It was a puzzle but we discovered that Vet 2 had employed her. As to why Nellie's mother died at Vet 2's place, it was not possible or ethical for me to comment as I did not know what happened.

As far as Sister 2 was concerned, the vet must be not good.

So I understand why she did not go for the teeth extraction and scaling appointment for Nellie.

"We picked up a tooth on the floor in Nellie's room," Sister 1 said to me during my house call. "It must be Nellie's." I did not think another cat would go to Nellie's room and dropped a tooth. I had seen the decayed molar and presumed this must have had dropped off.

Sister 1 wanted to open the mouth for me while I shone the big bright torch inside the mouth. Nellie snapped at her, eyes bright tracking her hand. What if Sister 1 get bitten and needed to go to the hospital? Cat bites are known to be infectious.

Was there another way? Should I just give the injection and go? The status quo cannot remain. A decision must be made. Sister 2 was busy at work.

"Get a spoon," I asked the maid. I opened the mouth with the spoon wedged between the front of the upper and lower jaws. Nellie snapped at the spoon. Sister 1 shone the torch. Bits of glimpses between the snapping jaw and a distressed Sister 1.

I saw a bright bloody red ulcer of 1.5x1.5 cm in the corner of the roof of the mouth on the right hand side. Gum ulcers under the teeth. The rodent ulcers were very active. Nellie's mouth was very painful. An injection behind her back under the skin was given.


PICTURE OF NELLIE'S MOUTH TAKEN PREVIOUSLY, ON APRIL 28, 2007

Peace returned. This was nearly 9 p.m on Wed Jul 25, 2007. Sister 2 was still at work. On day 2, I phoned Sister 2. Nellie was feeling so much better.

There is a need for dental check up. Would Sister 2 have time or be willing to take the risk? We live day by day.


FOLLOW UP ON SAT JULY 28, 2007
On day 2, Sister 2 said Nellie was eating but was too busy to talk.
Today is day 3, a Saturday. Managed to tel Sister 2.
She was very happy that Nellie was now eating. No bad breadth.

"Now, the cat needed not run away to hide when she sees us carrying a syringe. We had been syringing a high energy liquid (an expensive product for people unable to eat) for the past few days as she was not eating.

"We will take her for her dental examination when she is ready, as you advised," she said.

I said, "Sister 1 told me that Nellie's tooth had been found on the floor."

"I work late, so I was not aware of that," Sister 2 was in especially high spirits.

I advised her to get a tray, put Nellie on the tray and weigh her with the usual people bathroom scales.

"I can carry Nellie and subtract my weight from our total weight," Sister 2 said.

"The weight of Nellie might not be accurate," I replied. "As she is small and even a 1 kg change might not be too obvious compared to the total weight."

Sister 2 understood. She would weigh her weekly.

"Once the weight dropped back to normal, that means the steroid effect is gone and Nellie is less at risk of anaethetic death during dental scaling. It will occur in 4-6 weeks' time, but you have to keep written records of her weight and daily appetite.

"I am doing it," Sister 2 said. I don't know if she has the time to persevere. It is best to monitor Nellie carefully if we are going to put her under general anaesthetic for dental check up and treatment.

I was glad that Nellie's mouth pain had gone and was able to eat on her own. That also removed a lot of stress on her caregivers, esp. Sister 2 who works very hard and long hours.

Vet Studies in New Zealand 2007

Short report on costs of tuition and accommodation and what a new student from Singapore can expect when studying vet medicine in NZ

Why New Zealand?

New Zealand is a beautiful country that provides both a conducive study environment as well as countless breath-taking outdoor activities that many students will find enriching and fun. Natural beauties such as Lake Taupo and Fox Glacier are just some of the many popular vocation spots that are visited during study breaks by Kiwis and visitors alike. Many of the more adventurous students may even find themselves bungee jumping and white water rafting. Since the cost of education is also a priority among all students, one will be glad to know that the exchange rate is also more affordable than most countries (e.g. U.S.A, U.K. and Australia) that students go to for veterinary studies.

Why Massey University?

Besides being the only veterinary teaching school in New Zealand, Massey has become the hub for agricultural practice; providing students with a vast array of academic curriculum while keeping them up-to-date with the industry’s latest development in the veterinary field. Massey’s veterinary school has a 40-year track record of nurturing vets and is fully accredited by AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association), RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), New Zealand and Australia.

Massey University is also reputed to be one of the best Veterinary Schools in the Asia Pacific region and offers a good amount of hands-on practices. Unlike other veterinary schools, Massey’s Veterinary program ensures that students get comprehensive training in their field of interest by allowing them to choose their specialty track such as Small Animals or Equine in their final year.

Massey University is located in Palmerston North, a city within the Manawatu region that is a mere 2 hour drive north of Wellington (New Zealand’s Capital). The cost of living is lower than that in major cities such as Auckland and Wellington. Housing is cheap and transport for students via bus is also free. Other well-known features of the area include the windmills on mountains surrounding the city and the Manawatu River running through it.

Enrolling in the Veterinary Course:

Students who are interested can get into BVSc 1 via semester 1 or 2.
Semester 1 (Before selection):
8 places (Have to do well in four science papers with an equivalent STAT F score in ordered to be considered)
Semester 2 (After selection):
14 places (For people who have or are completing an appropriate undergraduate degree (minimum of 2 years completed) or postgraduate qualification in the biological sciences)

For more details about enrolment please email vet@massey.ac.nz for Massey University booklets to be sent to you. You could also visit http://vet-school.massey.ac.nz/

Costs of Tuition and Accomodation:

Tuition: Year 1 - $30,300 ($9,300 for the competitive 1st Semester)
Year 2-5 - $42,000 per year
Living expenses: Minimum of $12,000 per year

There are a number of hostels in campus and some university managed flats or apartments as well as home-stays off campus available. Most of the hostels provide meal plans but there are also some self-catering options available. Accommodation prices vary greatly depending on location. A campus hall may cost $120+ (without catering) and around $170-$210 per week (with catering). You could also choose to flat out with friends in town and costs for accommodation can be as low as $70+/- per week. However there is the consideration with cost of food, electricity and furniture.

Students under 18 years as of the start date of the course must live in university home-stay accommodation. Please contact the International Student Support staff (http://international.massey.ac.nz/) at Massey campus for more information.

Insurance

All international students are required by law to be covered by Medical Travel Insurance while they are in New Zealand. The insurance must meet the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students. After receiving a formal Offer of Place letter, students should complete and return the Accommodation Application Form to the university as soon as possible.

Visa Requirements

To apply for a student visa you will need:
- New Zealand Immigration Service application form
- A valid passport
- Your confirmed offer of place letter from Massey University (which includes confirmation of tuition fees paid and guarantee of accommodation)
- Proof of living funds. This is around $10.000 - $12,000 per year.

Related websites:

http://www.massey.ac.nz
http://international.massey.ac.nz/
http://ivabs.massey.ac.nz/
http://vet-school.massey.ac.nz/

What to expect as a new student

Expect culture shock, as new students may need some time to adjust to the food and the ways Kiwis work. You might find it strange to be the minority here but Kiwis are generally very friendly and helpful. It can get quite cold and windy here during winter months. There is also the Merlion club, which is comprised of friendly Singaporeans with different undergraduate studies such as Aviation and Horticulture. Being in the club makes it easier to bear through home-sick times.

Academic life is both challenging and enjoyable. While the average pace of life is much more relaxing than that in Singapore, students can expect enough workload to keep a vibrant brain sufficiently challenged.

Contact email:

General Enquiries: Mrs Sue Gribbin S.J.Gribbin@massey.ac.nz
Veterinary School Enquiries: Dr Eloise Jillings E.Jillings@massey.ac.nz

Alternatively, interested personnel may also contact Lim Chee Kia at wisefool83@hotmail.com or mobile no.: 9176-5256. He is a former Massey student and is currently helping with New Zealand International Student recruitment.

14. $70 to clip a Mini Schnauzer bald is too much?

July 26, 2007

A very interesting situation for a groomer. How the groomer handles this situation depends on his ability to negotiate.

I referred one dog with generalised skin diseases for the groomer to clip bald as my staff does not provide this service. I told the groomer to let the owner know about his fees first. The owner had not met him before.

"Your groomer charges $70.00 to shave the Miniature Schnauzer bald," the young man with the fair face phoned me. "He sms me to say that if I don't remove my dog from the surgery, I will have to pay $20 per day."

I spoke to the groomer.

"What you charge is none of my business," I said. "But you ought not to have to tell the owner to remove his dog or pay $20 per day. If your fee is not to his liking, just thank him."

But this groomer antagonised him. I don't know why he increase his fee from $60.00 which is considered "high" to $70.00.

I spoke to him.

"Owners come to me because they have had bad experience seeing other groomers beating their dogs during grooming," he said. "They don't mind paying my fees as I get repeat business."

"Such owners are not price conscious," I said. "They also want personalised services".

In my referral case, the owner had never met him or know his quality of work.

The angry-faced owner came to the surgery at around 9.30 a.m. today. He said, "I pay only $55.00 at (a petshop with several outlets). My friends will laugh at me if I pay $70.00."

I asked the groomer to justify why he charges $70.00. It was a time for him to be flexible too.

"I sterilise my clipper blades in between shavings so as not to get the dog infected. I clean their ears and bathed the dog in addition to clipping. It takes a long time to shave the dog. In fact,a Schnauzer cut will be faster."

In such a situation, this groomer ought to provide A LIST OF PROCEDURES in writing. I have had taught him to always provide a list.
It is more useful than talking as an angry prospect seldom listens.

There is rampant undercutting in grooming in Singapore. Some groomers do house-calls and grooming for $20.00. Some charge as low as $10.00. If a pet shop is willing to transport the dog and groom for $45.00, there are many cases.

After the groomer's explanation, I said to the owner: "You are a business-man. You can understand that you don't charge the same price as all your competitors. I don't charge the same veterinary fees as other vets for neutering a dog or doing Caesarean. No doubt you have had shopped around.

"If you feel that the fees of this groomer is not what you expect, you can always get another groomer to do the job."

The owner's tight facial features softened: "Maybe the price can be lower a bit. I prefer not to go elsewhere since my dog is here."

Now, this is the time for the groomer TO BE FLEXIBLE. I can't dictate the price for him. The groomer was silent.

"Maybe you can give a discount," I gave him a way out and still earn a livelihood.

He was not hungry. He shook his head. This is unfortunate.

"This prospect will be troublesome later," he explained to me later.

Later, I explained my situation of $70.00 to a pet shop operator in Outram as I was doing some vaccinations there.

"We charge $45.00" she said. "When we charge $20.00, we had a lot of cases."

When I had time, I tried to educate my groomer. But to educate him I read a lot about business. Some useful articles actually come from Harvard Business Review. I read one recently about Strategies to compete with low-pricing competitors and find it useful.

"Consumers go for the lowest cost," I explained to my groomer. "Do you read business articles?" I asked superfluously. He does not care to read about business matters. They can be quite boring and academic. A big yawn and chore. He has better things to spend his limited time on his hobbies.

"You also go to service providers who charge you less than competitors," I elaborated. "So do I. So, it is reasonable for some dog owners to bring down the price or compare fees of our competitors. If we can be flexible, we may match the price. Obviously, it is best to be consistent in pricing as our other customers will be upset.

"If you can give value-for-money services, the customer will not mind paying your fees."

"There is a tendency of some owners to quote the competitors' price to bring down your fees," I said. "We will like to say 'go to that competitor then'. It is best not to provide such services if we can't match the competitor's pricing."

Sometimes, one cannot be flexible to underprice one's services during negotiations. If one's fees are non-negotiable, there must be value-for-money added to compete with low-cost competitors. How to do it? More reading of the Harvard Business Review articles.

Unfortunately, this magazine is costly to subscribe and can only be borrowed from the Sengkang Community Library and not available there at most time.

Sengkang is a suburban library. It should be available at the National Library near the business district and a more central location.

Barking puppies - neighbours complain.

Best time to train is when the puppy is young. But you must know why the puppy barks. Below are the common situations:

1. Bark to ask you to wake up past midnight to change the soiled newspapers inside the crate during the first week. If you can't get up, the puppy may continue barking.

Some first-time owners get up and gave the puppy a spanking or shouting. They don't know that they have to change the soiled papers, thinking that the neighbours will be upset at this noise nuisance. Some owners change the papers and the barking stops. Do not play with the puppy. Just change and go to sleep. The tone of bark sounds different.

2. Boredom. The more he barks, the more attention he gets. So he barks more.

3. To let you know that someone or something is unusual.

4. Greeting you.

Train him not to bark when you are at home:

1. Find a situation where your dog will always bark. For example, a person knocks on the door or rings a door bell. Somebody walking past the apartment.

2. When your rushes to the door and bark loudly, go to your dog, grab his collar and give him the command “quiet” in a firm voice.

3. If he stops barking, praise and reward him with food treats and a pat.

4. If he continues barking, gently close his mouth with your hand, wrap your fingers around his muzzle and say “quiet”. Some owners spank their hand at the same time and it can be quite effective.

Praise and reward him with food treats if he stops. Most dogs will be able to learn the “quiet” command with repeated training as described above.

5. Get a friend to knock the door etc. and repeat the training for around 5-10 minutes. Praise and reward are important. Soon the puppy is trained.
For older or rescued dogs, it is very difficult in some cases. If you spend time training, chances of success are high.

The lady of the night loves dogs

Pencilled eyebrows greyish and thick, made-up face, red Lego-like tattoo in her left upper arm, tanned face, gaunt. Late forties and more prone to speak the Hokkien dialect now and then. Fortunately, I could speak Hokkien. She had brought her dog for a second vaccination.

"The breeder at 10 Pasir Ris permitted me to replace the Maltese with this Shih Tzu on payment of some money. At least this Shih Tzu did not have diarrhoea for the last 7 days. The puppy seller offered to transport my dog to Pasir Ris on a Wednesday on payment of $40 transport fee and $30 vaccination fee as his vet comes on a Wednesday. When I told him I would not be free to wait for my puppy to come back as I have to work at 7 p.m, he gave me his vet's address to go to get my puppy vaccinated."

This is a good example of a value-added service by this puppy seller in the face of underpricing. Provide a unique service after puppy sales.

"How come you have to work at night?" I asked her.

"I work from 7 p.m to 11 p.m for $38.00," she said. "I don't want to be tied down to full-time employment so that I have more time for my puppies."

I was wondering whether she was a dance hostess. She had the trim figure for her age.

"I am a beer promoter," she said. All the time I thought beer promoters for this famous beer company are nubile young girls with high heels and mini-skirts." Not grandmothers.

"I promote beer in hawker centres near my residence. I take a bus to work."

"$38.00 seems to be insufficient to make a living," I said.

"Well, full-time beer promoters earn $32.00. They get commissions on sale of beer and need to achieve a quota. In the end, they earn a similar amount but with lots of stress and being tied down."

"Why not $40.00?" I asked.

"The agent takes $2.00. The agent phones me. The places I serve can be accessed by direct bus."

What a hard life she must have.

"During my time, children don't study. I dropped out after Primary 5. I started to promote whiskey Mattel and Hennessy at the age of 19 and married at 20."

"Children do study during your time," I said. "I was still in school while you were becoming street smart. Did you work in the Golden Million NightClub and meet horse trainers, owners and jockeys? I had worked in the Turf Club as a vet before. I know some of them spent lots of money after the weekend racing at the night clubs," I asked. When she started working, it would be 1980. I would still be a government servant. And civil servants like me did not or could not afford to go to night clubs.

"Yes," she said. "I earned $2,000 to $3,000. I helped myself to the Hennessy. One day I felt sick. The doctor said I had liver problems."

"Were you in hospital?"

"For one month," she said. "Now, I don't even drink beer."

What an unusual life I thought. She was a lady of the night to earn a livelihood and to support her one son. The other son went to live with the father after the divorce. Now, she is still a lady of the night. The son has grown up and has a good military job. But the poor mum is still working. Maybe she enjoys her work.

"What happens if the agent does not call you and you have no work and no money?" I thought of the younger competitors in high heels and mascara.

"I am seldom jobless," she said. "Sometimes the agent has to beg me to work 7 days a week."

For $38.00 for 4 hours. She seems to have this "work-life balance which the Singapore Government is pushing hard as she spends time doing what she likes.

Suddenly she said, "You shouldn't permit James, your old receptionist to use the computer to check for my dog records," she advised me. "It is too stressful for the old man. He clicked here and there and could not locate my reference number. When he wrote my telephone number, he wrote one digit incorrectly..."

"I have had told James to let the client write," I said.

Each client has her own reference number from which James would find and take out the case card from the drawer.

"James may be over 70 years old, but he is not brain-dead," I said.

"You could just let James clean up the surgery and do some simple tasks," she replied.

"This is such a small surgery, around 600 sq. ft. Do you expect James to mop and sweep the floor ten times a day? It is better for him to do some mental work so that he will not be senile prematurely.

"The fault lies with the software Mark is writing for the surgery. It is not user friendly..." I looked at Mark who did the customised programming. "If James can use it, you will have a best seller."

Apparently, the beer promoter had seen James failing to find the reference number. I have again to ask Mark to write a user-friendly software but you can't bring a horse to the water and force him to drink.

As for James, his mind is alert and if he is retired to pasture, he will die early.

11. My French Bulldog barks at mum and dad daily

"I want to sell my French Bulldog," the slim young man with the fair complexion showed me the black and white dog in his mobile phone. "She has good pedigree. I bought her for S$2,500. He bites anyone who comes near her, sometimes when she is eating, sometimes for no reason. She barks at my parents every morning and then runs away. She will bite them if they go near her."


"She is a puppy and is just nibbling at your ankles in play," I said without knowing more about the age of the dog.

"She is starting to protect her food --- food aggression should be stopped." I continued.

"She is 9 months old," the young man laughed.

"This dog will be a danger to any family," I replied. "At 9 months, a dog breeder may be interested in her, but will not pay you anywhere close to $2,500." I phoned up one dog breeder.

The breeder asked first about the colour. Then he replied, "Black and white French bulldogs are not in demand."

"What makes her behave like that and how to stop the bite aggression?" I wondered.

I was treating his 9-year-old Miniature Schnauzer for hair loss and itchiness. This dog went to a new groomer and came back with skin itchiness. But it also had smelly brownish black anal sac oil. 2 large 3"x3" two circular grey thickened areas of the backside without hair indicated that this dog had rubbed and licked her backside for some time, causing hyperpigmentation of the skin.

At 9 years old, she has the heat and is now having false pregnancy. Her breast tissues were swollen noticeably and some clear brown milk was expressed from her nipple.

"No wonder she was hiding in a place some 6 weeks ago," the owner recalled.

The young man had also bought another Miniature Schnauzer for S$5,000 so as to get her into the dog show. This was a connoiseur of dogs, if there is such a term. Presently, the French Bulldog is staying with a friend.

"Does she bite him?" I asked.

"Yes," he said solemnly.

I had the stereotype that a biting aggressive dog is a male. I was mistaken when the owner said this dog was a female.

This could be an alpha. She must have more testosterone (male hormone).

Would removal of the ovaries or using anti-testosterone resolve this problem? The ovaries produces female hormones mostly. So will the surgery help? But I don't think the owner wants to spay her.

Dog training may help. Or may not. She will be very aggressive when she grows much older. She may be put to sleep unless she changes her "mindset".

10. Too wild a female to handle

DRAFT - TIPS FOR NEW VET SURGEONS.

"Don't grab him with your bare hands," I shouted to assistant, James. "Use a towel."
The cat was hissing and spreading her claws as she had waken up from the anaesthesia. The surgery took 30 minutes when normally I would take less than 10 minutes. The injectable anaesthesia usually lasted 60 minutes. However, the cat was alert at the 40th minute.

Normally I would just tape a plaster but this time, I put 3 and also an Elizabeth collar. This was the wildest domestic cat I had ever met in my past 20 years of practice. So, I was making sure that this cat would not come back to me with guts coming out of her operation wound as this was too wild a female to handle.

TIPS FOR NEW VETS

1. Caterwauling will usually be the main reason the owner wants to spay. A noise nuisance as apartment neighbours need to sleep at night while the cat meows a lot.

2. When the cat caterwauls, the uterine bodies are very fragile. So, this is the worst time to operate. The following are precautions to prevent bleeding to death after surgery or dying on the operating table.

RESTRAINT. Prepare the injectable general anaesthetic early. The owner had put the cat inside the carrier crate. The crate was then put inside a big crate. When I was ready, Mark, the cat catcher looped the fierce cat's hip area and slide her back towards one side of the crate. I asked James to talk to the cat to distract her while I injected IM the backside of right hind.

INJECTABLE GENERAL ANAESTHETIC. I use two types of injectable anaesthetic in one syringe: 0.2 ml plus 0.8 ml IM for the normal adult Singapore domestic shorthair cat from 2 kg - 6kg.

It was not possible to weight this wild cat but this formula worked. She should be around 2 - 4 kg. As to the name of the drugs, each vet will have his own favourite.

SPAY SITE. Cat's head facing left of op table. Raise hydraulic op table to level so that the surgeon needed not to hunch his back.

I note that 1 cm from the umbilical scar is best to start the skin incision. Make a 1-cm cut. This was done in this case.

For new vets, a 2.5-cm (1-inch) skin incision may be preferred.

Spay hook was angled at 45 deg to horizon with the curved tip facing right. It was inserted into abdomen and twisted upwards clockwise to hook up the uterine body near the ovaries.

Ovaries will be reddish and swollen about 0.8 cm in this case. Ovarian blood vessels 10 times the size. Pull up the ovaries by 1 c.m. Clamp. Ligate below the clamp. Ligate again when clamp is removed so that you have had 2 ligatures to be safe.

The left uterine body is now exposed. I asked James to loosen the string tying the front legs of the cat tautly to the op table. He puts his hand below the cat's shoulder blades to lift up the cat's front half.

This technique and the 1 cm from the umbilical scar seemed to make it easier for me to see the other uterine horn at the junction with the left uterine horn. Take artery forceps to pull it out.

Expose the ovaries and ligate as above.

UTERINE BLEEDING
Bleeding was non-stop in this case. Bright red blood. The uterine tissue was fragile as I clamped, breaking the uterine horn to pieces. More red blood filled the incision area which was around 1 cm. The gauze swab took away the blood and more blood filled the area. Where was the bleeding from and the uterine horns were clamped?

The bleeding was from a hole in the left uterine horn. Blood was coming out from the uterine wall as this cat was on heat. On clamping or during lifting of the uterine horn, it had lacerated. Just a 4 mm wound but blood was oozing out from the tissues.

Ligate the uterine horns two times each as for the ovaries. One below the clamp and one on the clamped area.

SKIN INCISION. Close muscle layer by 3/0 absorbable suture interrupted, one stitch. Close skin layer with same suture material with horizontal mattress.

TAPE. Tape 3 tapes. As this is a wild cat, 3 tapes may delay licking off by the cat.



ELIZABETH COLLAR. In case the owner can't handle this cat, I put on an Elizabeth collar. The cat seemed to hate it. It was taken off. The cat was calm when the owner came to bring her home. She was adopted from the picture in the internet. After e-mailing, the owner got a reply. Somebody checked her out before letting her adopt the cat.

"Was it the SPCA or the Cat Welfare Society?" I asked her.

"I can't remember," she said.


How do other places deal with numerous stray cat spays?

I phoned up an old contact dealing with stray cats.
He said that the vet used 4/0 subcuticular under the skin suture and 4/0 nylon (3 interrupted sutures).

"Or elephant glue to close up the skin incision and it looked as if there is no incision," he said. No need Elizabeth collar or plaster. No problem in all cases.

After talking to him, I wonder whether I have been too paranoid about guts spilling out after spay with so much protective layers in this case.

"The black colour (of the scrotum) is normal," my friend told me.

She was in her late twenties. From an internet generation of Singapore and has had much more knowledge of dogs than anyone from my baby-boomer generation.

Still it was difficult to talk about her need to clean up a specific part of her male dog's body in our tele-conversation. The private part of the male dog. Which part?
The part I called "scrotal bag" or "scrotum". This word meant nothing to her or she did not reveal her knowledge.

"The skin of the bag that holds the testes had not been washed for a long time," I said. "It had a big layer of black carbon-like dirt and I had to scrub it for several minutes to remove them before I could neuter the dog."

She might understand what I was talking about. To be sure, I said, "the bag holding the balls..."

"My friend told me that black is a normal colour," she replied.

"The colour is normal but the scrotum becomes blacker and blacker with dirt over the last months as it was not washed during bathing."

"OK," she said. I might or might not meet her during discharge of the Silkie from the surgery today. So, it was better I let her know.

Success story: Paper trained pups by 10 weeks of age

DRAFT

MARK
1. How to put tables in blogger.com? Write htm code? Is there a better way for adding rows other than code? Like copy and paste? See example of a table below. It is not practical for me to write htm all the time. Is there a better way?




Sunday July 15, 2007

As I had time, I record the experience of success in paper-training all 4 Shih Tzu pups. "They follow their mother to use the newspapers as toilet," the wife said.

A young couple in their 30s. One newborn baby. First-time home-breeder.
2 Shih Tzu, Male & Female around 2-3 years old.
10-week old Shih Tzus, 2M,2F, came for 2nd vaccination.
3 sold at $500/pup to screened customers as they are the wife's "babies".

Adults	Pups, 2M, 2F
2-3 years old	10 weeks old
7 p.m when owner home	Papers, unknown

"The Male Dog is a superclean dog!" the wife said. "At 2-3 am, he will bark to wake us up to cover up the soiled newspapers if he has had peed. The puppies are quite fussy about cleanliness as they grow up".


HOUSING - Kitchen only. Puppies are never allowed out of the kitchen or get into the bathroom near the kitchen. Wet bathroom floors dirty the puppy's feet too. So, kitchen is the only location.

1. During first 4 weeks. Puppies annd mum confined to the dam's playpen which consists of 2 panels of fences x 1 panel of fence. The sire's playpen is adjacent and has 1 x 1 panel of fence and towel.

2. Newspapers are to the left of the playpen in both cases. In the dam, the papers are spread out in 3 layers. The width of the papers will be 1.5 the paper width. That is, 1 paper's left half overlaps the other paper's right half. When soiled, simply cover up by folding the paper over the soiled area. Change when necessary.

2.1 2 toilet locations for puppies. Newspapers placed to the left of the dam's playpen and near the kitchen door which is barricaded by panel of playpen fences.



3. Wife has been full-time at home for last 10 weeks and able to train the puppies.
Initially puppies dirty the playpen but at 4 weeks, goto newspapers like mum. In first 2 weeks, mum cleaned them.

4. Feeding - mum 4-5X. Puppies 2X. Puppies weaned at 4th week onto milk powder, oats and dry puppy feed. Feeding bowl is taken away. It is kept near the right hand side (bed area).

5. Water bottle from front of playpen. No problem with water bowl too.

6. Elimination. Adult dogs wait till evening when husband come home. To eliminate on papers. If papers soiled, puppies rush to the 2nd toilet (newspapers near kitchen door). Eliminate overnight sometimes. Papers changed in the morning. Male will bark at 2-3 am to wake up owner to cover soiled papers.

6.1 Urine spraying by male dog. The owners "angled" the newspapers. One half is clipped to cover the side of the playpen fence (which separates the dam from the male pen. Cloth pegs tie up this partition so that the male dog can lift his leg and spray urine without dirtying the female bed (which is to the immediate left of the male playpen). This was a neat idea.

Adult dogs will eliminate only in the newspapers in the kitchen.


Yesterday, a buyer came. Puppy ran to newspaper under living area table to pee. This proves that it is successfully paper trained as puppies seek newspapers all the time.

Buyers will have NO problem. However, in my experience, when they bring the puppy home, buyers have their own housing floor plan, let puppy roam whole apartment as they deem it cruel to crate the puppy. Paper training and feed routine may not be explained to the buyer. So toilet training problems start for new owners in many cases.

Owner will e-mail me pictures. Need to follow up.

"The sire is a superclean dog," the wife who had just given birth to a baby said. "He would not dirty his paws by going into the playpen of the dam and puppies."
The puppies also are clean (by nature and instinct). In the morning, they rush to toilet location (B) as the papers have had been soiled in the playpen. Mum and Dad usually eliminate in the afternoon when they know that the papers would be changed immediately. Just cover one end over the soiled papers --- that would do.



Knowledge by reading on toilet training is also very important. This young couple had done lots of reading. Books such as "Puppy Parenting" were borrowed from the National Library and its branches. Is there such a book?

e-mail me!

Silkie Terrer passes slimy and soft stools for 1 month

LEARNING FROM OTHER CASES HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR DOG.

The Male Silkie Terrier BitesDr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets, www.toapayohvets.com

July 13, 2007

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIRST-TIME OWNERS
SOFT STOOLS FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH.

Silkie Terrier, Male, 3 months old.
Apartment puppy purchased 1 month ago. Came to vet for 3rd vaccination. Active and normal. Growls when ears are examined for a few times.

The mother can't resolve the loose stools for past month. Couple with 11-year-old boy went to the vet for 3rd vaccination. Puppy likes to shred newspapers and pees and poops all over the house.

Problems:
1. "Stools not well formed, so I can't pick them up. Sticky mess on the floor."
2. First-timer, does not know how to toilet-train the puppy.

Reasons for loose stools:
1. Change of feed formula and milk.
The pet shop had sold a brand not easily available. The owner bought a different brand as she was living far away from the pet shop. She gave canned food of different flavours. The son gave milk-treats.

1.1 "Do you have any feed to recommend?" the lady asked.
1.2 She has to stick to existing dry food. No canned food or milk treats.
1.3 Deworming tablets given.
1.4 Stools should be well formed after a few days.

Toilet training.
She needs proper toilet training advice too.



"What is neuter?" the boy kept asking. I said that this puppy may become quite aggressive and it is best to neuter at 6 months. It is very difficult for us to answer the boy's questions.

6. Swamp Dogs - Chapter 5. NANAS. Swamp Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections

Saving the Swamp Dogs From Lethal Injections
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets, toapayohvets.com

Chapter 1. Did the Animal Activist Fail in Her Mission?
Chapter 2. A Volunteer with Passion Is worth 40 Merely Interested.
Chapter 3. The Looters Attacked the Pack Leader.
Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...
Chapter 5. NANAS. Swamp Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections.


A text message

Hi Doc Sing,

Sorry I could not talk too long cause my side here is too noisy as I am at the old folk's home. I appreciate your news about Bobby. Now I am very happy :-).
From: Esther Seah, 2.43 pm 1 Aug 2007.



I had just phoned Esther to update her on Bobby who had survived a hacking of his tail and was now safely in the collection area of NANAS (Noah Ark's Natural Animal Sanctuary). She wanted to visit Bobby earlier but it was best to get proper appointments.

"Let Bobby settle down and make proper appointments," I advised. "Appointments are needed to visit dogs at NANAS as the people there have so many things to do. In any case, you are no longer the owner of Bobby..."

I could understand Esther's concerns. It was like giving up a child for adoption. Would the child be well looked after? How did the child fit in?

"Too much interference from the previous owner asking questions about the adopted dog would not be in the interest of Bobby and would affect the acceptance of other new cases by a charitable organisation," I said to Esther. "Concerns for the adopted dog may not be well accepted since the organisation is busy with so many things to do." She understood and waited for the right time to visit Bobby.

On that day, I had phoned Mr Raymund Wee, the founder of NANAS asking whether there is a business prospect of Malaysians being interested in a gadget to stop birds from eating the left over food at the hawker centre. He gave his views and then volunteered the information about the swamp dogs now at NANAS.

"There is a dog with a tail amputated and stitched," he said.

"Oh, that's Bobby," I knew this dog well, "Somebody hacked his tail off." Esther took him to the vet to get him treated.



"Did you do the surgery?" Raymund asked.

"No," I told him the name of the vet who did it. "How is he doing?"

"He is all right. Now he is at the collection area."

That was good news and I quickly let Esther know. Bobby was 6 weeks old when Esther had adopted him as his siblings disappeared one by one. In retrospect, the monitor lizards might have devoured them when they wandered around the fishing pond area.

However, Bobby was noisy for 3 days and Esther's neighbours complained about the noise nuisance. In Singapore, the authorities would come and evict Esther from her apartment as keeping an unapproved cross-bred that would grow above a certain approved weight was illegal.

So, Bobby was back at the fishing pond. For the past 2 years, Esther and her family saw Bobby as they went fishing in the Yishun Fish Pond and swamp lands in the north of Singapore.

In June 2007, the whole area was acquired by the military and all swamp dogs would have to be put to sleep by lethal injections or left to look after themselves if they remained in Singapore.

Fortunately Mr Wee accepted them in NANAS where they would live out their natural lives in freedom from August 2007. Lynda, the Animal Welfare Volunteer had accomplished her mission successfully.

P.S
Esther visited Bobby at NANAS on August 11, 2007 as scheduled by Lynda. Bobby was in good hands.

5. Swamp Dogs - Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...

Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...

Chapter 1. Did the Animal Activist Fail in Her Mission?
Chapter 2. A Volunteer with Passion Is worth 40 Merely Interested.
Chapter 3. The Looters Attacked the Pack Leader.
Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...
Chapter 5. NANAS. Swamp Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections.

Whining and noisy past midnight for 3 nights


If the first-time owner knew how to handle a whining puppy, life would be so much different and better for him to stay in Singapore, but...see story below...


Extracts from a letter to Dr Sing


Bobby was born on August 9th, 2005, the (Singapore) National Day in the side house facing the fishing pond. He was the only survivor out of 7 puppies. The rest of the puppies just disappear within weeks after they were born.

We first saw Bobby on August 21, 2005. That was our first trip to the fishing pond. We adopted Bobby when he was only 6 weeks old as this was the only way to save him. But at my apartment, he often cried and made a lot of noise for 3 nights until our neighbour complained. We had no choice but to return Bobby back to the fishing pond.

By June 2007, the military wanted the land and the fishing pond back by not renewing the tenancy. The old couple's daughter-in-law went to check with an animal shelter about rehoming the dogs. She was told that the dogs especially mongrels would not be put up for adoption. The animal shelter had limited kennel spaces and there were too many of these cross-bred dogs in Singapore. The solution is that animal shelter personnel would come and pick up 6 dogs at at time for a few times. The dogs would be put to sleep.

It was by chance that I only know about NANAS (Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary) on February 24, 2007 at the animal shelter. A Schnauzer Cross entered my apartment. My door was open. It was the first day Chinese New Year and my relatives were around. I asked neighbours upstairs, downstairs and nearby blocks but had no luck finding its owner.

February 24, 2007 was the day I surrendered the dog to the animal shelter. The dog was not friendly to the staff. It also peed and pooped on me as I was carrying it. The animal shelter staff said that this dog would be put to sleep within 24 hours or earlier if it bit any of the staff.

Some members of the public viewing the dogs for adoption there came to check why this Schnauzer Cross was howling away and struggling when the staff tried to scan it to detect a microchip. A couple heard my discussion about rehoming and mentioned NANAS. That was how I managed to find Lynda Goh for help.


(The write spent past 2 years with Bobby at the fishing pond. The family went there to fish. Bobby would rush to welcome them.

After Bobby's tail was hacked and then amputated, the writer took him home. But the Schnauzer Cross barked all the time when Bobby there. Another dog did not bother about Bobby. So, Bobby had to join his pack at NANAS).




HOW TO HANDLE WHINING PUPPIES FOR FIRST 3 NIGHTS?

As there is no way to turn back the clock for Bobby, I write the following for those who adopt or buy puppies and face noisy ones for the first few nights. The following tips may be useful:

1. Ignoring the puppy is one way. But that has to be done by all family members.
There should be nobody going to the puppy when it whines or barks.

2. Crate the puppy and put in your bedroom. Cover the crate with a blanket.

3. If not possible, switch on the light, radio or put a clock next to the puppy at night. This may or may not work.

4. Sleep beside the puppy at night for the first few nights.

5. Get a towel from previous owner/breeder for the puppy to smell and feel safe.

6. Cover up all sides of the crate so that the puppy feels safe.

7. Put the puppy in a boarding kennel for 3 - 7 nights. In many cases, the puppy quietens on returning home.

TIPS TO STOP PUPPIES BARKING

Best time to train is when the puppy is young. But you must know why the puppy barks. Below are the common situations:

1. Bark to ask you to wake up past midnight to change the soiled newspapers inside the crate during the first week. If you can't get up, the puppy may continue barking.

Some first-time owners get up and gave the puppy a spanking or shouting. They don't know that they have to change the soiled papers, thinking that the neighbours will be upset at this noise nuisance. Some owners change the papers and the barking stops. Do not play with the puppy. Just change and go to sleep. The tone of bark sounds different.

2. Boredom. The more he barks, the more attention he gets. So he barks more.

3. To let you know that someone or something is unusual.

4. Greeting you.

Train him not to bark when you are at home:

1. Find a situation where your dog will always bark. For example, a person knocks on the door or rings a door bell. Somebody walking past the apartment.

2. When your rushes to the door and bark loudly, go to your dog, grab his collar and give him the command “quiet” in a firm voice.

3. If he stops barking, praise and reward him with food treats and a pat.

4. If he continues barking, gently close his mouth with your hand, wrap your fingers around his muzzle and say “quiet”. Some owners spank their hand at the same time and it can be quite effective.

Praise and reward him with food treats if he stops. Most dogs will be able to learn the “quiet” command with repeated training as described above.

5. Get a friend to knock the door etc. and repeat the training for around 5-10 minutes. Praise and reward are important. Soon the puppy is trained.
For older or rescued dogs, it is very difficult in some cases. If you spend time training, chances of success are high.

4. Swamp Dogs - Chapter 3 - The Looters Attacked the Pack Leader

Saving the Swamp Dogs From Lethal Injections
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets, toapayohvets.com

Saving the Swamp Dogs From Lethal Injections
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets, toapayohvets.com
Chapter 1. Did the Animal Activist Fail in Her Mission?
Chapter 2. A Volunteer with Passion Is worth 40 Merely Interested.
Chapter 3. The Looters Attacked the Pack Leader.
Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...
Chapter 5. NANAS. Swamp Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections.

CHAPTER 3.

July 8,2007. 9 am. At a Singapore Veterinary Surgery.

How come a young and fit leader of a pack of swamp dogs would suffer injuries? I had to find out. I e-mailed Esther who was his care-giver, for details. Esther e-mailed me 2 handphone pictures of Bobby's truncated tail.



In the above picture, the veterinarian had shaved off the hair. You could see a sharp vertical sliced up tail of Bobby. Bobby lost around 3/4 of his tail. It was unlikely to be a monitor lizard's bite. Who could be so cruel?

I visited Bobby on the fine morning of July 8, 2007, a Sunday. His tail had been amputated on the previous day.

I e-mailed Esther as to ask her what had happened to Bobby. She and her two children still cared for them after the military deadline to vacate the land by June 24. Tenant 1 had vacated the land and was not residing in the house at night.

I had met Esther on June 14, 2007 when Lynda organised an expedition to get a vet (me) to vaccinate and microchip the swamp dogs.

Esther had contacted Lynda to help save the swamp dogs from lethal injections. If they could be relocated to NANAS (Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary), they would live to the end of their natural lives. If not, it would be death by lethal injections.

Only the 68-year-old man was living in the premises but he lived further up the track and the pack of dogs of Tenant 1 were not close to him. He had his own 8 dogs.



The the law of the concrete jungle applied to vacant properties. Looters who could be burglars and foreign construction workers invade vacant houses and apartments if they know nobody is watching.

Bobby, the leader of the pack of swamp dogs for Tenant 1 tried to guard the house from intruders.

Esther provided the history of what happened and 2 pictures. The story was as follows:


E-MAIL FROM ESTHER
July 9, 2007

<....@imode.sg> wrote:

Hi doctor sing,

This is the first picture that I took on Jul 2, 2007 (Monday) when he was sent to the veterinary surgery. I thought his tail was hacked off. What do you think? I hope the picture taken by my handphone is clear.

Regards.



E-MAIL REPLY TO ESTHER

July 8, 2007(Sun).

Hi Esther

From your mobile phone picture, Bobby's tail could be cut off with a short object.

I phoned the vet on July 6, 2007. He said that Bobby's tail was badly infected and gangrenous. Bobby's tail needed to be amputated. But he would not speculate how Bobby's tail got injured. Please answer the following questions:

1. When was Bobby's tail hacked?

Answer: A few days before 2nd July, 2007 (Monday). The old couple told me when
I asked them.



2. When you first saw him? Answer : 1st July (Sunday).

3. When was he sent to the veterinarian?

Answer: 2nd July 2007 night
Bobby would sit there waiting for the old couple. They do not stay there
anymore in the night since the 3rd wk of June.

(The military had acquired the premises and all tenants must vacate by June 24, 2007. Tenant 1 with the patriach and wife, described as the "old couple" below did not stay in the house at night after the deadline).



Bobby would "jaga" (Malay word for guard) the place. We know because when we went to
see the dogs in the evening time few times, we saw Bobby sitting where Lynda parked her car.

As we walked in and from quite a distance, Bobby would lift up his head to check on us. He would jump with joy when he recognised us. But when he saw strangers, he would charge at them followed by the rest of pack.

4. Was he the top dog in the pack?

Answer: Yes, he is the leader. He is a very loyal dog. Remember the area where Lynda from NANAS parked her car a few metres before the fishing pond on
June 14, 2007 when you vaccinated 21 dogs?





The old man's son-in-law told me that their tools are missing and that someone entered the old man's bedroom recently. I suspect Bobby got injured in his tail trying to protect a stupid empty house. In that area, foreign workers walked around with parangs (machetes) in their hands. They could be looking for durians and other things.





5. All dogs are frightened of Bobby?

Answer: I have not seen any dog fight with him at the old couple's fishing
pond every time we were there.

Vacant houses and apartments in Singapore have been burglarised. So, I was not surprised that Tenant 1's house was ransacked at night. The Looters from the concrete jungle had attacked the Leader of the Pack.

It was kind of Esther to get Bobby treated rather than abandoning him to die from septic wounds. We just hope that Bobby would recover and be in NANAS as soon as possible.

3. Swamp Dogs - Chapter 2 - One Person With Passion Is Better than 40 Merely Interested

Saving the Swamp Dogs From Lethal Injections
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets, toapayohvets.com

Chapter 1. Did the Animal Activist Fail in Her Mission?
Chapter 2. A Volunteer with Passion Is worth 40 Merely Interested.
Chapter 3. The Looters Attacked the Pack Leader.
Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...
Chapter 5. NANAS. Swamp Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections.

CHAPTER 2

Friday July 6, 2007. Yishun Swamp Land.


"The military had kindly given more time," Lynda said when I asked why the pack of swamp dogs had not been relocated to NANAS (Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary) by June 24, 2007. This was the deadline to vacate the premises including the fishing pond. "However, a batch of dogs is in NANAS," Lynda confirmed.

Today was surprisingly the same blue-sky bright sunshine and white-cottony clouded morning almost identical to the weather on June 24, when I came to vaccinate and microchip the swamp dogs.

At 11 a.m, Lynda drove the volunteers (Esther, myself, 2 second-year Melbourne University vet students and Mr Nick Lee, the dog photographer) from the Khatib subway to the Yishun Swamp Land to gather 16 dogs and 4 puppies to be transported to Pasir Ris boarding kennel, a 20-minute drive away.

Rick would transport the dogs to the Pasir Ris boarding kennels today. Another day, the NANAS driver would bring the dogs to NANAS.

Today's Khatib Bongsu River was dry. It was low tide and I could see the protruding roots of the mangrove trees in the sticky chocolate mud to our left.

A small group of around 6 men and women suddenly appeared 10 metres to our right as we turned the corner of the pot-holed track. "Look out," I pointed to the group.
"Are they bandits?" I asked Lynda.

One man appeared to be chopping an object on the granite slab and the others were eyeing us.

We were in danger? None of us had martial arts training to defend ourselves and definitely no weapons with us? Lynda should make a fast U-turn and speed back in such situations. But she slowed down instead as her SUV dipped into a pot hole.

A man waved his parang (machete) at us. He was a stout person. He looked intimidating. The jungle track curved her SUV closer to the group unavoidably.

"They are eating the durians, probably from the fallen durian trees," I sighed. The two young lady volunteer vet students' heart beats slowed back to normal.

We reached the fishing pond. The vacated house of Tenant 1 (the extended family with the patriarch) and the surrounding structures were run down. Some foreign workers had entered to remove metallic stuff for sale to scrape yards. Metal prices had shot up in the commodity market. There were reports of manholes and copper wires being stolen in Singapore.

Catching the dogs would be easy, I thought. Not like the previous expedition when we needed to entice them with food so that I could vaccinate them. There were the troublesome nursing dam Lynda finally caught and a wary suspcious male dog baring his teeth. Lynda decided to leave him to his fate in Singapore.

Today we seem to have more guns, I mean the manpower. Rick's big Mercedes van to transport the dogs. Esther, Lynda and the family members of the patriarch were in full force. The ladies would catch the dogs without any need for food bribery and put them in Rick's plastic dog carrier cages.



2 puppies inside one crate were fighting. One puppy yelled loudly as he was bitten painfully. This play-biting is normal developmental behaviour in the dog as the biter gets feedback of painful screams.

"These 2 puppies cannot be crated together," the matriarch's daughter advised.
A kind 2nd-year vet student separated the 2 puppies and put each in a different cage.

As many as 3 adult dogs were put inside the large big plastic dog carrier crate. However, there were many canine escapes.

As Lynda opened one door to put in the 3rd dog, the 2 inside dashed out at top speed. So, all ladies had to catch them again.

It seemed to be a back-breaking job for the ladies as Lynda and Esther lifted up the swamp dogs by the armpit, put them backside first into the upright plastic dog carrier crates. Soon, the crates were full. What to do now?


"Tie one dog inside the van," Lynda took out a brand new blue dog collar and leash from her fluorescent green plastic bag. This time she remembered to bring leashes unlike the previous expedition when she had to get one from the Tenant.

Esther held up the adult dog by the armpits as high above the ground as she could. With all her strength. Lynda looped the dog collar onto and round his neck as if she was lassoing wild horses at a rodeo. Expertly.



From my camera view finder, I knew she was doing it the wrong way. I shouted not too loudly: "The collar is too loose. The dog's neck is too small. He will run away when you put him down on the ground!"

I spoke from bitter experience as I had dogs escaping from the Surgery because my assistants put on loose collars when exercising the patients. Sometimes, they were confident as the collar had been fitting and was used by the dog owner for some time.

The dog then shakes his head and escapes out of my Surgery. It is extremely difficult to catch him and it makes the owner unhappy. A choke chain for restraining dogs would be the preferred collar rather than the nylon one Lynda was using.

Now Lynda had handled more dogs than anyone of us, I presume. She collared this dog. Esther put the dog down to let him walk to the van on a leash. The dog shook his head, the collar rolled out.

He bounced up, not giving one look of respect to the two-legged homo sapiens. He hunched his shoulders, head lowered and sprinted back to the house. A flurry of female legs were no match in speed to this four-legged canine. Now, the ladies were playing "police and thief" while the dog initiated the game of "hide and seek".

He sank low and dog-crawled under a wooden platform near the entrance of the house. Into a 6-inch gap and safety. I don't know whether to laugh out loud as I might offend the volunteers and they might go on strike. Then I would have to do the job. I wished I was a animal documentary movie expert as this episode would sell well and maybe contribute to the funds for NANAS.

Discretion is the better part of valour. I kept mum.




"Come out..." a second year vet student bent down and beckoned to him. With hands on her hips and then off, Lynda did not say anything.

All the dogs sensed something was wrong today. They rolled up their eyes and the short hairs on their spine were erect. Tails were down. But they were with the family they knew and loved. So they did not panic.




The matriarch persuaded the dog to come out, I think. There was so much commotion, confusion and noise that I don't know how the dog was captured.

It would be a dull boring dog-catching morning, I had thought.

But I had a rare chance to get out of my concrete jungle and visit Singapore's hidden Eden for the last time before the military acquisition. To smell the roses. To refresh my brain and get out from the daily routine.

This piece of paradise would be barred to everyone once the military staked its claim. Maybe I could spot a monitor lizard today?

I never expected dog catching day to be so eventful and fun.

As the dogs from Tenant 1 were crated, Lynda went with the volunteers further up the track to get the 2 dogs from Tenant 2, the 68-year-old man. I stayed behind to talk to Tenant 1's patriarch. How come he was still living here using generator to get electricity and bathing in rain water? Getting bitten by mosquitoes and risking denque viral fever which is now endemic in Singapore.

When most Singaporeans have been housed in apartments with water and electricity easily available at the touch of a switch, this patriarch and his younger wife lived in a rural area.

According to the patriarch's son-in-law who is in his fifties, it was around 50 years ago, that the patriarch reclaimed the swamp land. Bit by bit he dumped soil. He filled up the swamp to start a shrimp farming. As the years go by,the weather becomes hotter, perhaps due to global warming. The quality of water from the Khatib Bongsu River became poorer due to industries being set up nearby. Shhrimps started dying and the whole batch would perish.

He had converted to the fish farming and then he started a fishing pond. The government offered him short land leases. Tenant 2, the 68-year-old man had worked with him all these years and had stayed alone further up the track.

I was surprised that there were still old farmers around in Singapore. Soon Lynda trooped back with the volunteers and the photographer without dogs.

"The 68-year-old man needed to spend one more night with his 2 dogs," Lynda was sympathetic. "The dogs would be transported tomorrow."

For today, the 14 dogs and 4 pups were rounded up. As I did not bring my vaccine this time, I had to find time in the evening to drive to Pasir Ris to vaccinate a male dog and 4 puppies that Lynda could not find families to adopt.

"That's the suspicious and nervous male dog you did not vaccinate," Lynda told me. It was good that Lynda did not abandon him.

14 dogs and 4 puppies and 2 more dogs tomorrow would live their natural lives, hopefully to old age, in NANAS. Initially only 21 adult swamp dogs were selected. It was good luck to the others.

"Why don't you just transport the dogs directly from Yishun swamp land to NANAS?" I asked Lynda earlier as I thought it was a matter of vaccination, microchipping and putting them straight into a big truck to NANAS. "Like an army truck transporting soldiers?"

"I need to do lots of paperwork and make other arrangements. Some dogs would run away if the NANAS transport man come directly to the fishing pond." Lynda explained. 24 hours a day were never enough for Lynda as she had her own work to do and other commitments too.

"It is better to put them in the boarding kennels first. In this way, NANAS' transport man can take them at his convenience."

It appeared that all available adult swamp dogs and puppies were accounted for. Except for one. The leader of the pack called Bobby was a casualty. He had been warded in a veterinary surgery, apparently from a chopped tail around one week ago.

Animal volunteers play a big part in making life safer and better for animals that need help. They are usually youths. They are a significant help in animal welfare. Their interests usually do not sustain over time. There is a need to have a pack leader to guide them. This person must have passion to help animals.



Singapore does not have a no-kill animal shelters. So these cross-bred swamp dogs would pay the ulitmate price - death by lethal injections. By a veterinarian.

It was fortunate for the swamp dogs met a person with passion. He or she is better than 40 people merely interested.

2. Swamp Dogs - Chapter 1 - Did The Animal Activist Fail in Her Mission?

1. Swamp Dogs - Contents


Saving the Swamp Dogs From Lethal Injections
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets, toapayohvets.com

Chapter 1. Did the Animal Activist Fail in Her Mission?
Chapter 2. A Volunteer with Passion Is worth 40 Merely Interested.
Chapter 3. The Looters Attacked the Pack Leader.
Chapter 4. If Only We Can Turn Back the Clock for the Pack Leader...
Chapter 5. NANAS. Swamp Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections.

CHAPTER 1
Jun 14, 2007, Yishun, Singapore

"Why did you throw stones at the monitor lizard ?" I asked Esther Seah, as Lynda Goh bumped her Sports Utility Vehicle forward along the pot-holed and undulating jungle track, off Yishun Avenue 6 in the Northern part of Singapore.
Singapore Yishun swamp land - monitor lizard - Dog - Toa Payoh Vets



We ignored at least two bright red military warning signs with illustrations of soldiers carrying guns shooting trespassers, tall lallang grasses, fallen tree branches, thick vines, ferns, shrubs and roots of mangrove trees lining the sedate greyish-green KhatibBongsu River on our left. On our right was the secondary forests.
Mangrove trees lined the green-algae Khatib Bongsu River



A hidden Eden in the city-state of Singapore --- no high rises, no crowds, fresh air of with the fragrance of wild flowers, blue skies with white cotton-like clouds seen in landscape paintings.
Khatib Bongsu River and swamp land, Singapore, Toa Payoh Vets
A fish and crab trap set up by the 68-year-old man who lived by the Khatib Bongsu River.


Lynda, an animal activist had packed 5 volunteers into her SUVon a mission to get 21 swamp dogs caught, vaccinated and microchipped and relocated to NANAS (Noah's Ark and Animal Sanctuary) in 10 days' time.
A skier on the Khatib Bongsu River is seen from the fishing pond.

Should she fail in her mission, all dogs would be put to sleep by lethal injections by a veterinarian. If she succeeded, they would live out their lives in NANAS, a no-kill animal shelter in the Southern part of Malaysia.
Lynda, an animal activist for NANAS has just parked her SUV. Numerous cell phone queries on animal welfare needed to be answered.


The military had taken over the premises. The two tenants (a family and a 68-year-old man) must vacate the premises in 10 days' time as their lease to operate a fishing pond would expire. The fishing pond is a place where customers would rent the wooden chairs, throw in the fishing line with bait and hope to catch big fishes in safety. Without the risks of being captured by pirates if they fish at sea. Sometimes they smoked as they de-stress themselves.
Tenant 1 in front row with Lynda (left) and Esther (right). Back row: Esther's 2 children with the vet. Fish pond is in the background.
Tenant 2 is a 68-year-old man with Lynda (left), Esther's 2 children and Esther. Khatib Bongsu River is in the background.

Lynda was not familiar with the exact location and relied on Esther's directions to get us to the swamp land. Google Earth's 2006 satellite pictures showed me several big rectangular ponds carved out of the mangrove swamp land and wetland larger than 100,000 football fields. These pictures looked similar to those I saw in a recent National Geographic report about mangrove trees in South America being destroyed by business constructing shrimp farms.

Lynda's volunteers were a photographer, an animal activist Esther Seah with her two children and a veterinarian (myself). We met for the first time in the SUV.

On the way, Esther told us that the swamp land had gigantic monitor lizards. On one occasion she and her children were stoning one. It is out of a character of an animal activist to harm animals, especially wildlife. That was why I asked why she was stoning the gigantic monitor lizard in the swamp land.

"We threw stones at the monitor lizard away because he ate puppies," Esther elaborated. "When a puppy fell into the fish pond, the monitor lizard dived in and swallowed him. I know of two big monitor lizards living in burrows dug below the banks of the river."

Swamp land puppies were born free. Once they could walk, they could wander onto the planks at the fringe of the fish pond. Some would fall into the pond and drown. Predators like pythons, estaurine crocodiles, eagles and monitor lizards prey on them.

"It is survival of the fittest," I heard Lynda softly stating the laws of the jungle as she made sure that her SUV would not overturn as it hit a large pot hole.

Esther continued: "We were helping the swamp dogs to chase the monitor lizard away from the puppies by throwing pebbles at him. The monitor lizard hissed and puffed his throat to a large size. He tried to claw the dogs with his sharp claws. The dogs continued to assault from the flank. His slender muscular tail lashed out at some dogs. Suddenly he sprinted towards me and the children."

What a smart creature, I thought. Offence is the best form of defence.

"Why did he not just jump into the river?" I asked. Monitor lizards can swim and are said to be able to stay submerged in the water for 30 minutes.

"A fence was behind him. The swamp dogs were flanking him. My children and I were in front of him. He suddenly charged at us."

I would not believe her story. How could a monitor lizard frighten an adult woman of respectable size and one who would be at least 3 times bigger than him? I could not expect him to be a Godzilla or a Komodo Dragon.

"The four-legged snake (monitor lizard in the Hokkien dialect) was as big as me," Esther said.

"If you include his tail, he is about my size." Esther read my incredulous eyes and arched eyebrows. "I had a picture in my mobile phone to show you."

"What happened when the lizard charged towards you and your two children?" I asked.

"We scattered in all directions as fast as our legs could carry us. The monitor lizard leaped into the river behind us." What a smart creature! Withdraw when outnumbered. Live to fight another day.

The volunteer photographer, a young adult in his 2nd year of junior college was quiet. Could he be worried. Ferocious swamp dogs and big reptiles are seldom encountered by him as he lived in a developed area of high rise apartments. This sounded like a risky mission. Would all of us survive?

Fortunately, the swamp dogs were mostly easy to handle as the tenants were around. Fit, trim, good conditioned orange coat and well muscled limbs conditioned by lots of exercise and swimming in the river Most of them had snow-white strong canine teeth indicating that they were around 2 years old.

Esther focused on leashing the swamp dog while Tenant 1's matriarch offered some pork pieces. Photographer in the background.




"It is safer to put dogs on a table," I advised as Lynda and Esther caught the first dog and held one on the ground for me. The dogs were apprehensive as I saw their eye whites and alert eyes. We were at the premises of Tenant 1. The young-looking lady who was the matriarch provided Esther and her daughter with bread and pork to get close to the dogs.

I could see that Esther's pre-teen daughter was a proactive animal activist. She gave bread to some dogs so that they could be leashed by her mum. The mother had transmitted her love of and kindness to dogs in need of help to this primary school girl.

However, Esther's pre-teen son rested on the bench of the fish pond to appreciate the countryside. Let his mother lasso the dogs. Lynda found a squeaky wobbly greenish white circular stone table to place the dogs so that I could do a good job.
Esther's daughter is getting some bread for the dogs.


"It is safer to muzzle them," I advised Lynda as she grabbed the big dogs for me like a World Wrestling Federation wrestler. She had the weight advantage in canine wrestling, I thought. But the dogs had sharp fangs.

But we were handling a pack of swamp dogs used to freedom and swimming in the river and little contact with strangers.

All dogs had wrinkled faces, eyeballs showing more eye white than usual as if they were nervous. Stiff hairs stuck out of their back area and tails down when they were put on the table. One of these apprehensive dogs could sink the strong canine teeth into Lynda's face or hands while she restrained them.

"You never know when a dog is going to bite you while I inject." I noted that the young photographer simply came close to the dogs to take pictures for NANAS without fear. These were not the ordinary household pets!

Once a dog in a pack bites people, he transmits a 'smell and sound of fear'. The rest of the pack would sense the dangers and become uncontrollable. We would not accomplish the mission.



"Tell me how you do it?" Lynda asked after I had knotted the dogs' muzzle tightly with one end of the leash. She forgot to bring the commercial dog muzzle.

"Make a loop with one end of the leash as if you are tying up a present," I said. "Slip this loop over the muzzle and tighten the knot. In this way, the dog becomes submissive and cannot bite."

There were no mass hysteria. Lynda got raffia strings from the owner to tie round the neck of the dogs that had been tagged. A nursing dam and a young wary male dog were difficult to catch.

"I will bring the dam to your clinic another time," Lynda said. "We still had the 8 dogs of Tenant 2 to catch."

Spaying female dogs would reduce the number of unwanted puppies.



"I have cancelled all my morning appointments," I said. "Persevere to catch the 2 dogs". In my heart, I knew that the dogs and puppies that missed the vaccination today would pay the ultimate price - death by lethal injections.

Singapore is reported to have at least 10,000 - 20,000 unwanted pedigreed and cross-bred dogs a year euthanased. Therefore, the cross-bred swamp dogs have very little chance of being adopted.

Voluntary organisations are always short of money, time and resources. These are the realities of life. It was now or never for these swamp dogs.
The 68-year-old man loved all his 9 dogs. Only 7 dogs were vaccinated and microchipped.

I was glad the Lynda roped in the nursing dam for me to vaccinate and microchip.

"We have to abandon the suspicious male," Lynda told me. "The dog everted his lips and growled while he was cornered inside the house. We have to go to Tenant 2 to vaccinate his 8 dogs."

The wary male could not be enticed with food treats. He ran into the house as the volunteers came after him. He ran out. He would stand around 1 meter away from the food temptresses He was incorruptible. I should not anthropomorphise by attributing corruption which is a human value of ethics to ananimal such as a dog.
Lynda is trying to get the wary male dog (foreground) to go near to Esther.


Lynda and Esther led us to Tenant 2 nearby. The 68-year-old man simply caught and carried 7 out of his 8 dogs.

"The 8th dog is too shy when strangers are around," the old man with a thick crop of silvery hair said. His well defined biceps, flat abdominal muscles and lean weight made me feel that I needed to exercise to remove my excess weight. He was the poster 'boy' for the Health Promotion Board (HPB) of Singapore trying to educate Singaporeans to eat less fat, exercise and not get high blood pressure and diabetes. If only Singapore has a fitness club catering to oldies, he would earn a good living.

Esther continued writing down the description of the dogs on the piece of paper salvaged from the microchip package while Lynda helped put the dog on a make-shift table.




"Do you want to go to NANAS to visit your dogs?" I asked the 68-year-old man tenant who had lived alone close to nature for several decades. He never spoke much. He looked so sad. "There are buses in Jurong and a taxi service in Johore to get to NANAS."

He was silent. I repeated my question in the Hokkien dialect.

"Maybe some time later," he waved his left hand as if wiping a tear off his left eye and would not want to talk further about his losses of canine companionship.

"Do you have a place to live?" I asked him. He lifted the heavy water container with one hand while I could not lift it up 2 cm from the ground! He said in a whisper that he would live with his daughter in an apartment.

Tenant 1 was a closely knitted family with a much older man. The patriarch had reclaimed the land we stood on to start shrimp farming around 50 years ago. He told me he would live with his children.

By 12.30 p.m, 21 swamp dogs had been vaccinated. I hope all would live their natural lives in NANAS. .

"The dogs will adapt well to the communal living in NANAS," Lynda assured me "Unlike dogs that live in apartments alone."
Saving 21 dogs and 1 cat from euthanasia. Toa Payoh Vets
Lynda was fielding numerous animal welfare queries on her mobile phone. Fish pond (foreground).

"Would the monitor lizard survive now that contractors and the military come into the swamp land?" I asked a snow-white haired man in his fifties. He was a son-in-law of the patriarch of the Tenant 1 group.

For the last 2 years, he had been unemployed as his job at the chip-making factory disappeared. Singapore's high-cost manufacturing industry had hollowed out in recent years as China becomes the world's cheapest factory producing various products. It was incredibly difficult for men over fifties to get a decent job in Singapore.

"The estimated 20 monitor lizards would survive. It is not that easy for the construction workers and army boys to catch and eat them," the snow-white haired man assured me. I thought it would be easy as trappers could some meat inside a big cage which is a gigantic mouse-trap.

"Will there be monitor lizards in NANAS?" I text-message Lynda some days later as I wondered how the free roaming rehomed puppies in communal living survive in NANAS.

NANAS website, noahsarklodge.com showed a forested enclave. Will there be rivers nearby? The Malayan Water Monitor Lizard which Esther had encountered is commonly found near water and in forests.

"No, only beautiful birds." Lynda disappointed me with her reply.

I live in one of those concrete jungles of Singapore and rarely encounter a sparrow, let alone wildlife. Now, if Lynda had said there are monitor lizards in NANAS, I would head for NANAS in a wink of an eye.

Lynda had much paper work to do to relocate the dogs. She had her own office work. But 10 days passed quickly. I phoned her. The dogs and puppies were still in the Yishun Swamp Land. Did the animal activist fail in her mission? There would be a very high price to pay. Death by lethal injections for the dogs.