Dogs in my life

Since morning I've been looking up dog breeds as an early start to studying for the end of semester breed exam. There are really too many to remember! I have thought about how cool it would be to be able to simply rattle the animal breed off the tip of my tongue in response to seeing just about ANY animal. Alas I guess I still have a long way to go. The other vet students in the course are just way better in terms of that ability... in fact, I have to admit that it was kinda discouraging when we went through the breed lecture earlier this semester when lots of them could identify the breeds shown on the powerpoint slides and we( the singaporean students ) couldn't.... I'm not too sure if it's because in Singapore we haven't been exposed to as many breeds as compared to those who grew up in Australia. There is definitely a difference in the breeds favoured here though. Like we don't get to see many australian kelpies, border collies, boxers, just to mention a few, in Singapore. Singaporeans could only keep the smaller breeds such as chihuahuas, jack russells (I still haven't figured out why so many people like those.. they are too jumpy and licky for my taste), shi tzus etc... Anyway it's interesting to note the trend of dogs kept by different sort of people. We always get to see old ladies taking their little dainty pooches out for walks here at evening time. The younger generation go for the medium sized dogs such as golden retrievers and border collies... and I can see why, those lovely dogs would just about melt anybody's heart.. but that is just my humble opinion. :)

Personally I have always preferred the long-haired dogs. When I was in primary school and wanted a dog, I liked pomeranians best. They turn out to be small barking machines but oh well, they are cute. I had Nicky first, who was an unwanted dog from someone living in a flat.. probably Nicky was making way too much noise. He wasn't really a pomeranian but more of a spitz-like dog. Anyway, the story about him wasn't too pleasant since he had to be sent away eventually due to feng shui reasons... I never did want to pursue his outcome. Then came Bobby. Oh he was so very cute when we first saw him in a Thomson Plaza pet shop which we frequented.. he was only a puppy and was being sold along with his sister. To this day I wondered what would have happened if we had bought his sister together with him, but as we didn't have experience dealing with dogs/puppies I suppose that thought never crossed my mother's mind. (now I'm a staunch believer in keeping pets in pairs) Bobby stayed with us for 7-8 years? before he passed away of some unknown sudden attack to his internal organs... as a veterinary student I'm frustrated that I didn't find out the cause of his death then, but I believe the vet we brought Bobby to was baffled as well. And there is Hawky now, who came to stay with us because he was growing too big for his first home. He's quite a dear, yet, he reminds me of a reformed ruffian. He's not much to look at, but he's got a lot of intelligence in his eyes. Poor Hawky, he had to move around quite a bit while we were renovating our house and it was only recently that we managed to get him back to stay with us. I didn't used to like him before when Bobby was still around, because I felt that he terrorized Bobby and made him bark all the time. In a way it ought to be funny, because Hawky acted like this cheeky youngster playing tricks and irritating an old man(Bobby). But because Bobby belonged to me... I guess I resented the disturbance. Now, during the occasions that I went back to Singapore, I would bring Hawky out for walks sometimes. He is able to sense my moods and I suspect, my thoughts as well. One incident left a really strong impression on me... every evening as we left the house to take a walk, I would mentally plan out the route to take and how long I planned to stay out with Hawky. It's funny how he would be terribly excited at first, but after just about shitting anywhere, he would calm down and we would walk leisurely around the neighbourhood. So there was this one time when we came to the playground at the back of my house. Well, he finished his business, and I had every intention to going back home immediately after because I was in a hurry. He sat down on the pavement and refused to budge. I could have sworn he was sitting there and smilin at me. I tugged at his leash in the direction of home but he just stayed there and looked around. And there I was, under the watchful eyes of children and their parents in the playground, who looked at me as though I didn't know how to manage my dog (well, I didn't). I tried talking to Hawky but he just looked at me. Sigh, he really made fun of me then. After a long while I suddenly had the thought of walking in the opposite direction (which was a long way from home). He got up immediately as if nothing had happened and we 'merrily' went off in a big circle just to get back home. It's sad that I can't even hold out against a stubborn dog. But he's got character, and I love him for it.

There are two dog breeds that tug at my heart strings... one of which I guess I have announced to most of my friends about how much I liked them - shetland sheepdog, or sheltie. It is impossible to describe in words the feelings I guess when I visited dog shows and am surrounded by dogs of this breed... I just simply want one for myself badly. I'm not sure when it was that I fell in love with shelties... but I was first exposed to it when I visited my JC wushu friend's house and she kept one. It wasn't exactly the most intelligent, well-behaved or quietest dog in the world, but I felt it had a soul. In fact in every sheltie that I have seen, I felt that I could connect with its character. And it's not wonder too.. there ARE similarities... how they make wonderful pets but are reserved towards strangers, and they are very intelligent and trainable dogs. Haha, I'm not saying that I can be well trained but I am very reserved towards strangers... perhaps that is why I do not have a fondness of dogs who go licking everyone's faces and is hyperactively friendly with the whole world. At the perth royal show last year, I saw owners and their show dogs resting after the judging was over, and I was charmed by what I saw - shelties lying in their owners' arms and really connecting. I may sound nuts to say this, but I crave the same kind of connection with my dog(s) and pets. Check out the beauty of a shetland sheepdog here. http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/community/shetland_sheepdog.asp

I can't say much for the other breed of dog that I like second best.. because I haven't seen one in real life before. That is the Bernese Mountain Dog.. which originated from Switzerland as a working dog in the mountains. That is one big dog for sure, and judging by its looks I know I wouldn't be able to keep one unless I was a farmer's wife high up in the mountains... it would need a lot of exercise and work to keep it fit and happy. Check out a not very impressive picture of it here... I can't seem to find a nice picture of the breed. http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=1584

There goes my history of interaction with dogs! It's my hope that in future as a vet I would be able to keep more pets with me... and I have heard that there is no lack of opportunities to adopt unwanted or sick animals from irresponsible owners who abandon their pets in trouble, and who cannot afford to give their pets treatment. Well we'll see. :)