Thanks to J for holding on to both girls and keeping an eye on them while I drove. Thanks to S for steadily walking the girls both at the same time. Great teamwork!
Ginne noseying through the potted plants of the foster's miniature garden
Junior combing the stretches of the dogrun. This is a place she's familiar with, having visited the run quite a few times already.
As usual, she would go from tree to tree, scanning the barks for tree lizards or any moving insects. A true-blue hunter dog with an eye for detail. Anything that so much as rove an inch.
Even during playtime, the twin work like a closely-knit duo exploring the field together, in sight of each other.
At one point in time, Junior went into 'hysteria' when I untied Ginne's leash and took her for a short walk. Like a dog with separation anxiety, dear Junior was whining and struggling to free herself from being tied to the bench.
As we walked further away, Ginne kept turning her head and stopped in her tracks to look at Junior.
Separation anxiety, I guess, with respect to me and Ginne.
At the clinic, both girls were taken for blood tests to check for presence of heartworm, lyme disease and E. Canis and also for their annual vaccination.
While Ginne is cleared of these known afflictions, Junior is diagnosed postive for tick fever.
The second dot was transparent on the test kit which meant her 'exposure' is slight (the other dot solid), particularly in view that Junior displayed no detectable sign of weaknesses or lethargy and her gums looked a healthy biege-pink.
A joy to watch
Junior and Ginne at the clinic. We returned the girls to the shelter and informed the caretaker of Junior's minor tick fever condition.
Junior will take doxycycline for two weeks and most likely be given more after this course by the caretaker to keep tick fever at bay. I was told the anti-bodies stay in the affected dog and will manifest as tick fever when the dog is stressed.
There is however a method to treat a dog by purging both good and bad bacteria, that is, flushing out the anti-bodies and getting the dog back into health by giving multi-vits.
Momo, a people-friendly Daschund (belonging to owners who obviously love the dogrun) which made affable contact with her newfound, bigger-sized mates, Ginne and Junior
Unintended symmetry: Junior and Ginne chomping down their late lunch of wetfood and sausages
Ginne. Isn't she beautiful?
Perhaps like an excited parent, I looked forward to taking my girls, Ginne (pronounced as "Jeannie" by previous owners) and Junior for a day out. Approximately three years have whizzed past they were abandoned heartlessly by their ex-owners, as domestic[ated] pets in the wilderness some 40km away from their home and some four years have passed since I decided to take in Junior, then a dog whom no one really wanted nomading from home to home, as my first and till date, only dog I ever fostered.
Walks in dog-friendly nature parks. Beaches. Dogruns. Streets of different neighbourhoods. Just me and my dogs. Quiet companionship and a real connection to canine behaviour, experiencing and witnessing how these intelligent mongrels navigate through familiar routes, lunge for squirrels, monkeys, monitor lizards and occasionally turn their heads to look straight at me, as if, asking, "Is it okay? How are you doing so far? Is this where I should go?"
And then continuing -- with their great strides. Paws on tarmac and their noses highly sensitized to the whiffs of the likes of passing bikers, dewy grass, sand from construction sites or the lab behind the gates of a duplex.
In a world of animal communication. Companions that are so manageable. They don't require much, they just love their walks, love their time with their master, their pack leader.
For dogs I have grown emotionally connected with, I bear no shame in romanticizing my time spent with them. Each snapshot of memory doused with so much sentimentality. Simply, I just love my dogs.
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If you would like to contribute to Junior's and/or Ginne's boarding fees at the shelter or Junior's tick fever medical treatment or the girls' consultation at the clinic, kindly email us at projectjkteam@yahoo.com.sg
Thank you.
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