Shooting the dogs

Honestly, I have not bought something special for myself in a long while-- until a chat with Aki's Manang awakened my long repressed (and forgotten) dream: photography. As soon as I got my christmas bonus at work, the Animal Doctor accompanied me to Henry's at Quiapo to purchase a Nikon D40.

The dogs will be my companion as I venture into the world of digital photography. I still don't know how this thing works ( nervous laugh here) as evident from the photo above. But I think I have a creative eye, and provided the dogs could contain themselves for a second- this camera will be put to good use.

Update: Benji managed to pack a few pounds, I am confident we will hit her target weight before she goes home to her adopted Mom. The other dog you see is Trudis' brother. He too was adopted but for some reason that I cannot discuss publicly, he will be us for the time being. Can you see how Trudis is way bigger than the rest of her two siblings? Trudis was the runt in her litter. She reminds me of Clifford, the big red dog. LOL

Clifford The Big Red Dog is an enduring American chidren's book series first published in 1973.Clifford was the runt of the litter, and was chosen by a city child named Emily Elizabeth Howard as her birthday present. No one expected Clifford to grow, but Emily Elizabeth's love for her tiny red puppy changed Clifford dramatically. Before long, he was over 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, forcing the Howard family to leave the city and move to the open spaces of Birdwell Island ( photo and text from Wikipedia).

Who are they???

Puppy 1


Puppy 2


Puppy 3

Once Upon A C-A-T

Today, I, Trudis, will tell you the story of Pussy O' Woosie. First of all she is not a dog, but the Secretary said that we are sisters by "default" . Hmmm, I do not know what that means, (All four leggeds in the house must look after each other like family-Secretary) but I said, Pussy, you can be my sissy as long as you don't steal my bone, okay?

Pussy came to Greenwoods Pet Clinic long before any of us dogs did. It was during the first few days of the clinic's operation when an office staff found her. She was just a tiny kitten then with an eye infection. The Animal Doctor thought she needed treatment; the Secretary thought she needed a home.

Back then, the Animal Doctor and the Secretary were living in a small room inside the clinic. There wasn't much space. Pussy had to live inside a prison house because the hoomans were afraid she'd escape to play with the other cats outside, then pick up a disease or worse, get herself killed.

This is where Pussy made poopies inside her prison house. (I find the litter box a great aid in potty training cats if you don't have a garden or a backyard.- the Secretary)

Being cooped up like that made Pussy a little crazy especially during her scheduled play time outside her prison. She tore around the clinic and destroyed everything in her path, especially the bags of pet food that the hoomans sell in the clinic. It got worst when Pussy reached puberty and she really, really, really wanted to go out and date with boy cats. The Secretary was afraid of this because Pussy would then make kittens and the hoomans would end up taking care of more animals than they could afford.

The Animal Doctor knew of a way to stop Pussy from making any kittens, and that is by removing her girl bits. OMD! I am scared because I am a girl too, and that means....

? ? ?

Okay, I will not talk about it now, I will finish Pussy's story. She survived the operation but it took a week before she was able to get back on her four paws and resumed with her destruCATion. Around that time, the hoomans found a real house near the clinic and relocated Pussy with them. It was a perfect time to buy a real house because we doggies had arrived!

In our real house, Pussy is queen of the manor. She has no play time because anytime is her play time. She lounges in the roof, in the front yard, on top of the cabinet, or on top of the stove. I think she loves our house because she never leaves even if cats outside call her name. Oh, I think she loves to play with us more.

Daisy, a poodle princess

Yesterday, I learned that Daisy, one of my favorite poodles in the internet, is seriously sick. I'm sure it will help if we can send positive vibes to her. Sweet Daisy, we are all praying for your recovery. :(

Vacation Stories Part II: Meet the Secretary's Pets

Some of you know that I have eight dogs living with my Mom in Iloilo ( learn about my city in Wikipedia). Four years ago, I left to pursue a career in Manila but had to stay indefinitely when I married the Animal Doctor. I am still plagued by separation anxiety, but my job pays for the good life my dogs are currently living. It takes a 45 minute plane ride on weekends every other month for me to see them, and so, I look forward to vacations where I can stay longer. Our time together is so precious, I can't even afford to sleep!

Dee-Dee Marie, who is turning ten years old, is my very first dog. I remember being scared of her on our first meeting, when her brothers and sisters started jumping up my legs ( silly me). The person who gave me Deedee had to pay P1,500 ( somewhere between 30-35$) to the breeder. I think Deedee is worth billions now- or even more-if I can even put a cash value to how much I love her.

Dexter Franklin Toblerone J, Jr, nine years old, was given to me by Deedee's veterinarian in Iloilo City. Deedee was terribly sick at that time, and the vet promised to give me a new dog if Deedee dies. Deedee recovered( miraculously, if I may say so. I think my non stop bawling scared her illness away), but I adopted Dex anyway. The vet kept him in a very small cage, and it was only after I brought Dex home and given him a bath, did I realize he was spitz and not a golden retriever pup.

Here is Luning Ann, aka Inday Lou, (Inday is an Ilonggo endearment for a sister or daughter) eight years old, looking sad and miserable on the day of my flight back to Manila. Lou was born out of Deedee and Dexter's mating. Of all my dogs, she is the sweetest, she follows me everywhere, even inside the bathroom when I take a shower. Lou has never been mated, and right now I am torn whether or not to have her spayed before she gets pyometra. My other vet ( not the Animal Doctor) here in Manila quoted P14,000( between $311-320) for the operation and I might go for it in January next year- hopefully I can deal with the jitters. He will use gas anesthesia so the risk will be minimized. And I will request to be sedated too.

Poput, seven years old, is Dex and Dee-Dee's son after their second mating. I learned my lesson and had Poput neutered when he was two months old. All of Deedee's offsprings had poor skin and coat when they were puppies, but look at Poput now with his glorious mane. Poput did something strange when he was 4 or 5 years old. I was seated on a stool in the middle of the garden watching the dogs play, when all of sudden, he ran to me, lifted his leg, and peed. Yes, directly at me. The vet interpreted it as a form of marking, maybe Poput was telling all the other dogs that I was his fire hydrant.

This apricot toy poodle is Cleo Marie Mae, aging between 7 to 9 years old. She used to live in the veterinary office where the Animal Doctor used to work. Her owner, some rich lady, split up with her boyfriend and decided to rid herself of the mementos of their relationship, including their surrogate child. Cleo came to live with me in my apartment in Manila in 2005, and for a while we had fun living an independent single lifestyle. In 2006, Cleo had enough of traveling and decided to retire in Iloilo.

Jennilyn, is somewhere between 4 of 5 years old. I adopted her from the same veterinary office where I got Cleo. Jennilyn was a product of another person's igorance ( her Mom had just survived distemper when the veterinary staff mated her with another dog ) and was kept in a cage entirely since birth. She was thin and had wobbly gait when she came to my apartment in 2006. In that same year, I decided to relocate my Manila dogs to Iloilo which was a far better environment.

Puppy, now three years old, is a cocker spaniel pup the Animal Doctor bought after Jumbo's (Deedee's son, he was airlifted to Manila in 2005 for treatment of Ehrlichiosis) death. Instead of being happy and grateful, I got so angry with the Animal Doctor because like most misguided people, he thought animals were toys that made nice gifts. I was still grieving and totally unprepared to meet the needs of a very young animal. In 2006, I relocated Cleo, Jennilyn, and Puppy to Iloilo.

This is Destiny Joe Aringkingking ( dont ask me about his last name, it just popped in my head) around 2 to 3 years old. He was given as a gift to our neighbors who did not know a thing about dogs. They let him roam in the street outside and basically just forgot that he was a living thing needing quality food and water. My tummy was bursting with a human baby at that time so I managed to ignore Destiny's pathetic cries at night by covering my ears with a pillow. I vowed to save him after I gave birth. Several months later, I barged into our neighbor's house and "confiscated" Destiny. I invoked the law which penalizes the neglect of animals. It was a good thing that the owners did not charge me of theft or tresspassing--maybe they learned how much I spent just to keep their dog alive.

Destiny, after I groomed him on the day of his rescue. He was severely matted and infested with ticks.

As of this date, I have not heard of any person criminally charged of neglecting their pets, although Republic Act 8485 ( The Animal Welfare Act) penalizes this.

Jack Flash is an askal ( asong kalye or stray dog) pup that came to our house in 2002. My Mom agreed to let him in after I assured her that the puppy was only looking for transient residence and will be on his own as soon as he hits adolescence. Well, it never happend. I mean, Jack grew up but my Mom had to spend thousands for the reconstruction of our fence to keep Jack inside.


This is our honorary dog, he is a topiary in the shape of a dog. Sometimes he grows little flowers all over his body and I find those really cute.


This is Pepe, the gold fish I bought to teach my son Miggy about responsibility. Pepe died on Miggy's second birthday. Rest in Peace, Pepe.


We have two other dogs, six cats and two rabbits that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but I will never forget them.

We, who choose to surround ourselves with lives
even more temporary than our own,
Live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
We still would live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only certain immortality,
never fully understanding the necessary plan."

Irving Townsend, from "The Once Again Prince