The Zeus Times - April 2012

Dear Friends of Zeus

Three months have passed and we will be celebrating Easter this Sunday. 

Time really files when you are focused in the rescue of dogs that need your help.  Together with the volunteers, we have put our positive energy to rescue and help these dogs within our abilities and resources. 

We at Zeus Comm. are very grateful to the team of volunteers who have dedicated their time and effort to help on this on-going cause.  Without the generosity and care from our supporters and sponsors, we would not have been able to continue our work in rescuing and rehoming of abandoned, abused and breeding dogs.  

Volunteers

We have also been attracting and recruiting young volunteers from CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls School (Secondary), Methodist Girls School, Singapore Chinese Girls School and Coral Secondary School to name a few. 

When these 15 yr old volunteers first arrived at the shelter, they were overwhelmed with fear as they never expected to see so many dogs roaming free – most of the volunteers are non dog owners and we are so touched to see our youths having so much love to give to the animals. 

We must thank Rover and Rosie, a pair of rescued Golden Retriever for giving them confidence to work with the other dogs.  Please visit students' experiences to find out more about their work with the dogs.

Rosina with Kiki a rescued Chihuahua.

Animal Communicator

We are very excited that our Animal Communicator, Rosina Arquati was in town since Friday, 23 March to teach animal communication to our participants. This will be her fourth year in Singapore teaching animal communication.

Lunch with Your Dogs on Friday, 6 April

We are also hosting Zeus Doggy Lunch for your dogs to meet Rosina on Friday, 6 April from 12:30pm to 2:30pm – if you have not signed up, you may register with us at dogstalk@starhub.net.sg  Please visit doggy lunch for more details.  The funds raised from the luncheon will go towards the upkeep of the 45 dogs at Zeus Residence.

After Rosina’s visit in Singapore, she will be going to Penang to share with our animal loving friends about Animal Communication – the event is organized by SPCA Penang.  If you have friends in Penang and they want to know what Animal Communication is all about, please inform them to attend the tea party on Saturday, 7 April at 3pm at Tenby School, 3 Lintang Lembah Permail, Tanjung Bungah.

Dog Whisperer Free Pet Shop by National Geographic Channel

We would like to thank all dog lovers for informing their friends and for visiting the Dog Whisperer Free Pet Shop by National Geographic Channel.  With your support, many dogs from Noah’s Ark CARES, Animal Lovers League, Action for Singapore Dogs, Gentle Paws and Zeus Comm. have found their forever homes. 

Noah’s Ark CARES has kindly allowed our dogs from Zeus to be part of the event.  We are so happy to inform you that 14 dogs have found home through the awareness raised by National Geographic Channel.  During the event the team of volunteers helped to educate and raise awareness to potential dog owners to adopt instead of buying.

We are very pleased to see more people being aware of the importance of adopting vs buying especially after the publicity of the Pasir Ris Breeding Farm in April 2010.  People are more compassionate when they understand what goes on behind these breeding farms and the abuse and neglect by the breeders to these poor dogs that live in small cages in the worst environment possible.  These dogs are eventually abandoned or put down once they are of no value to the breeders.

We are very thankful and grateful to their owners for giving the dogs a second chance and for opening up their hearts and homes for them.

Rescued

During the Chinese New Year weekend, we received a call from a security guard in Tuas informing us that a dog (Blackie) was attacked and badly injured. 

It was dark, at first we thought that Blackie was abused by humans and as we look closer at his wounds Blackie was attacked by a pack of stray dogs.  He had several punctured wounds on his face and almost lost his eye. 

It took us about an hour to catch Blackie in order to bring him to the vet for treatment.  He struggled when we managed to loop the leash round his neck and he almost chewed the leash off.  Arther quickly covered Blackie’s face with a bath towel in order to carry him into the van. 

When we arrived at the vet, we were faced with the challenge of getting him out of the van and ensuring that he did not escape.  Surprisingly he was well behaved when we put the leash around him and Arther carried him into the hospital.

Blackie was very frightened like most dogs are at the vet. The vet had to sedate him so that we could do the necessary tests to ensure that his bones were not fractured, because he was not able to put his hind down.  We were worried that he might be hit by a car, to be save we did an x-ray on his hind legs.

After being at the vet for about 2 hours, we were elated when the vet informed us he was not in danger – all he needed was a good rest and his wounds cleaned regularly.  Blackie’s wound healed in a week!

When Blackie was healed, he told us he wanted to stay at Zeus Residence and didn’t want to go back to the streets.  If you would like to sponsor Blackie’s stay at Zeus Residence, please write into dogstalk@starhub.net.sg

Thank you.



A Dog With A Job

Blackie remembers his puppyhood in a canal and being brought to our factory where he has called home for 9 years.

At our factory he plays an important role, and because of him we have a unique corporate culture. Blackie feels that he is very much part of the team, being particularly proud and appreciated when all his colleagues would introduce him to new faces. He comes to work in the office with us in the day, and stands guard for the factory by night. In the mornings he would wait faithfully at the entrance to greet and see us to our desks. At meetings, he goes round to all participants to acknowledge every one of us. In the evenings after work, he would escort us by running alongside as we pull out of the driveway.

Over and above these small gestures, Blackie considers his main purpose as being the catalyst for happy vibes around the office, to be by our side, to comfort us from our work stress.

He has seven favourite colleagues in the office, whose desks he can freely roam about and laze at our feet. With each one of us, he has a special relationship. Among us, we have unspoken roles in bringing him his home cooked meals, showering him, and even jesting with him around the office with his favourite milk sticks. Of all, the person he likes best has to be the boss who would bend over to whisper encouragement into his ears for the job done well all these years.

Probably the only dog with the best of both worlds, Blackie is allowed a fulfilling corporate career with his human colleagues in the day and the life of a free dog in the night.

He is known to his doggie friends as the good Samaritan who would always fight for a good cause, perhaps because he knows that he would be treated and well taken care of should he be hurt in the process. Blackie has a notorious record with the vet, for the cuts and bruises inflicted for nosing around on his nights off duty.

We were in a happy state of mind when we were first invited by Fiona a couple of months back to pen the glorious life of our beloved Head of Security. Lynda and Fiona came into Blackie’s life when we approached the ladies for expert advice when we noticed Blackie behaving differently – he started to cough excessively and breathe heavily. The ladies went beyond their call of duty to take him to their regular vet, which has since taken good care of him.

Blackie was then diagnosed with an enlarged heart, a condition that must have been brewing but would not show until symptoms could be recognized clinically. In spite of which, we were sure that he could overcome this episode with consistent medication and reviews, just as well as he would emerge victorious from his regular street adventures.

In a matter of 3 months, Blackie has checked in and out of the vet for a fast deteriorating heart and we saw his demeanor reduce from a charismatic alpha male to becoming helpless and resigned. We are wrought by worry and heavy hearts about Blackie as we tell his life story.

Blackie is so well-loved that the staff at the factory even took him to the studio for his picture taken!

Sadness is apparent in his eyes as we take Blackie regularly to see the vet these days. As we keep vigil, we are conscious to keep our spirits up as well so as to encourage Blackie to go on. Blackie reciprocates by holding on for us, simply because being part of our team means the world to him, and he believes that he still has a job to do.

 We cannot thank Blackie enough for his unconditional friendship and companionship. He has touched many of us in more ways than one. We are fortunate to have Blackie as much as he is lucky to have found a good home with a family that cares for him. We are comforted that he has enjoyed a happy and contented life.

Blackie may not return to his pink of health, but we want him to be the fighter he has always been.

Written by Pey Pey, Blackie’s colleague.

Editor's Note :

Not all factory dogs are this fortunate. Blackie is possibly one in a thousand that is loved, appreciated and cherished by the people working at the factory.

There are dogs that live on the factory compounds and are considered a nuisance by the people there. These people kick the dogs, beat them with chains, ride their bicycles and try to run over the dogs or call in the authorities to have all the dogs removed. We have personally witnessed these acts of cruelty. So these dogs that live in the factory may just be there for the food scraps left behind by the workers, or for shelter from the sun and rain. They may not necessary have a care-giver feeding them or caring for them.

Care-givers could either be people working in the factory, or the security guards there. On our feeding rounds of the street animals, we have come across workers or guards who do feed the animals on their compounds, and with their measly earnings, buy food and share them with the strays. These are the people that Zeus targets to help; these are the people who do call us when the strays are injured or unwell and they help us catch the dogs and cats for sterilization too. These are the people who make the difference in the lives of the street animals, giving whatever little they can afford to give.

Stay tuned to our next blog post where we share more about Factory Dogs and how you can help us to help them.