pet animal: January 2007

A Typical Walk In Okpo

Look how happy I am even though I did not manage to get the chance to roam off leash.

A happy face!

Last Sunday we took our usual walk around the town of Okpo. When we arrived at a nearby park, I was hoping for the chance to have a run around without my leash. Unfortunately, I was disappointed because there were many other humans in the park and Missus thought it would not be a good idea for me to run around loose. We had no choice but to roam around with the leash on. I still managed to get in a few sniffs though!!!

Missus' 28th Birthday

Yesterday was Missus' 28th birthday and I was on my best behaviour, I think? We had a quiet celebration. Dad got Missus a cake with four candles. Missus could not understand this as she is not four years old, and definitely not forty years old! So what is this obsession with four candles - Missus had four candles last year also. According to Dad, they were 'doggy candles'. One human year is seven doggy years and one 'doggy candle' represents seven human years (so four doggy candles for Missus' 28th birthday). Me and Missus think Dad's looney!

Anyway, we had a great time without making a big fuss. According to my human monsters (I mean masters), the cake definitely looked and tasted better than last year. Did I give any birthday present to Missus? Yes! Lots of love, hugs and sloppy licks!

I just wanted to play and refused to take any pictures... Look at Dad's happy face!

After some coaxing, I reluctantly posed for the camera.

I am scowling...

Hoping to steal a few licks but was chased away...

One of my best goofy smiles!

Dogs' Life in Korea

I have been in South Korea for almost a year and have observed that the lifestyles of different kinds of dogs are varied and, in some cases, can make me feel quite sad.

Small breeds, like Shih Tzu, Maltese, Poodle, Chihuahua, etc., are favoured pets with Koreans. I often see them, with their shocking pink or green ‘hairdos’, prancing around the streets with their proud owners. Yucks! Sometimes these little ‘rat dogs’ (the term of endearment used by my human parents) wear fanciful clothes, including loud coats, shoes, ribbons and even hats. Tsk! Tsk! They give me the impression that they are off to some Halloween party hosted by Snoop Doggy Dog (my favourite rapper). Whenever these ‘rat dogs’ walk past me, I tend to snigger to myself with my big goofy grin.

Anyway, although I may be ‘bitching’ about my little friends here, I have to admit that they have their privileges and are well looked after and loved by their human parents. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for most of the local ‘big’ dogs (ones that are the same size as me!).

Most of the bigger dogs in Korea either seem to be permanently tied up, left to roam the streets on their own or, even worse, they are just ‘livestock’ waiting to be eaten! I feel extremely sorry for my big size canine friends whenever I see them. They always seem to have sad expressions on their faces.

The dogs who are tied up get no proper food, no proper shelter, live in unhygienic conditions and never get walked by their owners. The ones left to roam the streets seem to have an even worse life. They always run the risk of getting hit by cars, children throw stones at them whenever they see them and they never know where their next decent meal will come from.

But, the saddest part of all, is that some of my canine friends are in ‘dog farms’, waiting to be slaughtered for human consumption. Geez! Dogs in Korea are a common foodstuff, just like cows and chicken, in the West. The Koreans call it ‘Boshintang’.

There are many ‘dog farms’ in Korea. Sometimes, my canine friends tell me stories about what goes on in these farms. The living conditions are not pleasant and the dogs who live there are often sick and infested with parasites. When their ‘time is up’, death is usually slow and painful. It is not uncommon for them to be clobbered to death before being sent to the dog restaurants. I don’t want to talk much about this, because it upsets me, but you can learn more by visiting these websites: Dog Meat, Korean Animals (Warning! Some of the articles contain disturbing pictures).

These dogs who are eaten in Korean restaurants are not much different from me. Why would anybody want to treat someone like me so badly? Why would they want to tie me up? Why would they want to throw stones at me? Why wouldn’t they want to love me?

Most of all, why would they want to eat me?

This dog had a collar and was left roaming on the road.

This dog looked like Border Collie and was so friendly.

A Jindo and a Schnauzher mixed tied up.

Jack Russell look alike.

A Jindo puppy?

Two Jindos tied to their kennels.

This was the living condition.

This Jindo was supposed to be a guard dog. Look at the wound on the front leg.

Alaskan Malamute.

"We want to get OUT!"

Auf Wiedersehen Pet

Auf wiedersehen!

The emotional look on our faces...

It is the norm in Geoje for expatriates to come and go. We are no exception. Home is not here, not in the UK and definitely not in Singapore. We have no idea where we will be going next. We will just go where the next job might be.

It was no surprise when we received a call from my nanny, Thorsten, that he was leaving to go and work in Vietnam for a couple of years. First of all it was Miss Kim and now Thorsten was leaving. I will miss him and will be reminiscing about the times we spent frolicking on the beach during those hot summer days. I will also miss our treacherous long hikes up in the mountains.

I would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Thank you for extending your 'human friendship' and kindness. Auf wiedersehn pet!

Three Women and a Baby

It was late summer. Missus decided to take me to meet her human friends. They arranged to go for some light exercise (i.e. walking behind the Admiral hotel).

There were a total of four humans and myself. First of all, there was Julie. She was a nice Korean lady. She was not taken back by my massive size (let me stress again that I am not fat but well-built!). She also found me amusing and commented that I shared some traits with her son (i.e. we both love to eat, play and sleep).

See! Julie's not scared of me!!!

Then, we have Sophia. Sophia is a Singaporean lady (same as Missus). She is a lovely lady and she used to have a dog back in Singapore but it died of illness (it might have been old age, but I cannot remember the details). Sophia was very kind to me and she had good knowledge of canine behaviour.

To the extreme left is Sophia. The little man in the wheel barrow is Julian. He is trying to touch my tongue!

Anyway, the ladies were extremely nice to me. They gave me the impression that they treat animals with respect, kindness and compassion. This is not always the case in Korea. I could give you an insight of a dog's life in Korea, but I will save this for another time.

Look at the size of our heads!

Last of all, I would like to introduce Julian to you all. Julian is Sophia’s son. The photo shows him barely a year old. Julian is the tiniest amongst the humans. I am taller, bigger and more well-built (not fat) than him. In fact, the human ladies commented that my head is twice the size of Julian. Surprisingly for a toddler like Julian, he was not afraid of me. In fact he was so fascinated that he could not keep me out of his sight!

PS: Did I tell you that Missus was the fattest among the human ladies???

Dog Poetry

Picture by S Martin

The Life of a Puppy

This morning, I woke up & kissed my dad's head.
I peed on the carpet, then went back to bed.
"The life of a puppy, oh my, this is great.
"Then I thought about breakfast," I hope it's not late."

Mom took me outside, we walked for a while.
This never fails to make Mama smile.
I sniffed of everything, that we did pass,
I ate something weird - it gave me gas.

I'm sure God loves me, I know that is true.
He gave me so many great things to chew.
Rugs, plants or rocks, I really don't care.
What I truly like best, is Dad's underwear.

That obedience book, was sort of yummy.
Though it didn't sit well on my poor puppy tummy.
I threw up a bit, but that was all right,
When Mom found it later, I was well out of sight.

I made streamers of T. P., while running at full speed.
Mom is pretty quick -- but I was still in the lead.
I flew under the bed, and Mom flew past,
She stopped-shook her head, and breathed,"You're too fast."

Mama later phoned Daddy, and said, "It was frightening!"
That afternoon, she was sure I'd pooped lightning.
She'd sat at the computer, while I chewed the cord,
She thought I was mad, but I was just bored.

When Mama had enough, couldn't take anymore,
That's when my tushy got shoved out the door.
I love it inside, but outside is best.
Lay in the cool grass, and had a good rest.

That didn't last long, there was too much to do--
Can't quite remember where I hid Daddy's shoe.
I found an old bone, and scratched at a flea,
I watched the dumb squirrels as they jumped in a tree.

I barked at the kids, when they got off the bus.
I can't figure out why this makes Mama fuss.
I barked at the neighbor, I barked at the wind.
I barked and barked, till Mom yelled, "COME IN."

The sun dipped in the west-soon Daddy would come!
I sure love my daddy: we always have fun.
I barked at my daddy, then turned on my charms,
I woo-wooed, "Hello," then jumped in his arms.

Sitting under the table -- it's sooo hard to wait.
Daddy slipped me a goodie right off his plate.
I raced through the house, and scattered my toys,
Ricocheted off the furniture, and made lots of noise.

Mom found her purse - the one I abused.
Daddy let loose a chuckle. Mom asked "Amused??"
I cowered down low, I must be in trouble.
Dad said, "Wasn't MY boy, it must be his double!"

Mom turned off the TV, and said,"Time for bed."
Dad said "Let's go boy," and patted my head.
I got in my spot, between Mom and Dad,
I thought 'bout my day and what fun I had.

Mama kicked out my bone from the covers below,
Then let loose a sigh -- a sigh deep and low.
She gave me a kiss, and snuggled me tight,
And whispered so softly, 'My darling goodnight'.

Author Unknown

Jesus, Old Granny and Surfer Dude

I am not a big fan of 'canine clothing'. I find it uncomfortable and I certainly do not want other dogs to laugh at me. However, Missus bought me a raincoat recently due to the constant rain in Okpo. The rainy season made it incovenient for me to go on the grass to relieve myself. Anyway, I tried on my raincoat. It was tight and body hugging (by the way I am not fat, I am big boned). Take a look at these.

Dad commented that I looked like Jesus.

Smiling Jesus.

Bespectacled old granny.

Old granny reading a book.

Surfer dude!

My Resistance to Food and Treats

I love food! I will do anything just to get food. The humans do not make it easy for me. They want me to earn my keep. I have to perform 'stunts' just to get biscuits, treats and my daily meals. This time they tried to test my resistance and obedience training. Missus put treats on my front paws and on top of my muzzle. The catch? I cannot eat them until Missus says the command 'OK'.

Ta-da!

Now you see them!

Now you don't!

Gujora Beach

Remember my nanny Thorsten? The good looking dog sitter who 'taught' me how to swim? One Sunday afternoon, the humans decided to take me to Gujora Beach so that I could prove that I could swim. I am proud to say that they were not disappointed!

Having a ball of a time!

What's over there?

Showing off my swimming skills.

"Look! I can even go after the ball!"

My trophy.

Sultry Shots

Here I am, trying my utmost to look 'sultry' in these photos. I am trying to pose like those gorgeous swimsuit calender ladies but without my swimwear, ha!

Do I look sultry?

... sexy?

Or HOT?

Farewell My Friend

As they say: "All good things must come to an end". Unfortunately, it was time for Miss Kim to leave us. She had to join her family in Sweden.

Will we meet again in the furture? I doubt it, because we (the Beadlings and the Brobergs) are always travelling to different places. I must confess that we enjoyed our time together and I am going to miss Miss Kim. Farewell my friend, I will always remember you.

I refused to pose as I was upset about Miss Kim's departure.

Dad, Miss Kim and me.

One last picture of Miss Kim and us.

Insane Housewife

Sometimes Dad and I agree that Missus can be a bit insane when it comes to housework. Missus has this habit of vacuuming and mopping the floor about 3 times a day and we cannot fathom out why. In her defense, Missus has said that I shed a lot and she is someone who is very houseproud. She hates mess and likes things to be well-organised. Ah Li mentioned that she is a 'control freak' and her character resembles 'Monica' from 'Friends'. (I swear I once heard Missus ordering Dad to eat his biscuit over the sink!).

On this particular afternoon, Missus was in one of her insane moods. As usual, Miss Kim and I were running everywhere in the apartment, leaving behind out paw prints. This led to her get very frustrated. As a last resort, she had to put us in my crate. That definitely ended our 'chasing' games!

We looked so forlorn in the crate, but Missus thought it was comical and decided to take some photos...