Happy weekend, folks!

Once in a while, I like to write non-beauty topics because really, there’s only so much of lipsticks and blush one can absorb in a week, right? Right? Okay don’t answer that.

Today I thought I’d tell you a bit more about my new furkid, Janey and how I came about to adopting her. Janey’s been with us for 3 weeks now and while she does have her quirks, we absolutely adore her.

I’ve always thought that the first dog Tim and I have is an adopted one. You see, I’ve always had rescued dogs in my family. Our first family pet, Tiger, was a stray puppy whom an ex-boyfriend and I rescued from the wet market. If he was caught by the council folks, he would have surely been put down. Tiger was a lovable and cheeky mutt, and my family, especially my dad, loved him to bits. Sadly, he passed away in April last year. He lived to the grand ol’ age of 13. They’ve since gotten a new dog to be a part of the family, Oscar, who’s rescued from the SPCA.

Tim and I have always wanted a dog of our own but waited for years as we wanted to make sure that we’re financially ready to have one first because it’s certainly not cheap having a pet. We want to be able to give the best we can afford to our new member of the family. A month ago, we decided to visit the RSPCA at Burwood East to see what dogs they have for adoption. We didn’t think we’d decide on one on the first visit. It was just to get a feel of the place, to see how the staff operates and especially how the dogs are treated. We certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with one of the goggies so soon.

Janey was the second dog we laid eyes on. She was originally known as Macy at the RSPCA. She was so small and quiet with a sweet disposition. She’s a terrier mix and is estimated to be about 6 years old.

To be honest, she wasn’t terribly excited to see us at first and was more interested in looking at other people walking past 😛 . After looking at the rest of the dogs, I made an inquiry to one of the staff. Before even bringing Janey to me, Tim and I were required to fill in a long questionnaire about our living conditions, if we owned our property or rented, how high our fences are, how much time do we intend to spend with the dog on a daily basis, etc. The RSPCA is strict on who gets to adopt their furry friends. After a chat with them, Janey was brought out to us.

She was quite reserved with us at first. We took her out for a walk and was taken off-leash at an enclosed area. That was when she started to warm up to us and blatantly went on her back demanding belly rubs 😛 . That was when I noticed a big lump between her legs.

It turned out that Janey had a mammary tumour that needed to be removed and biopsied to confirm that it’s not cancer. She was brought to the RSPCA as a stray, she wasn’t microchipped and the RSPCA knew none of her history. I suspected that the owners probably brought her there because of the tumour. It’s an expensive surgery (over $1000) and they didn’t even know if it was benign. Of course, these are all just speculations but I can’t help thinking so because she definitely doesn’t behave like a stray. The first thing she did when she came home with us? She immediately jumped on the couch and curled onto the dog bed I had there.

We couldn’t finalise her adoption process until the biopsy results returned. It was a nerve-wracking two weeks waiting to hear back from the RSPCA regarding her results. I was behaving like an expecting mama, and I didn’t technically even have her yet! I called and visited the RSPCA so many times that they knew who Janey and I were. Thank God, the results were benign. However, as she’s had the tumour before, there are chances that it will regrow and that the surgery isn’t going to be cheap. Two words came to mind: pet insurance!

Unfortunately, we couldn’t bring her home just yet because she had to be desexed first. The poor girl had to endure two surgeries in two weeks. For the first few days, she wouldn’t come out of her crate (even though I very seldom close it). After a while, she warmed up to us. She now spends most of her days outside the crate but she knows she can always go “home” to her crate where it’s secure and comfortable any time.

I’m sure you know that she’s easily the queen of the house now. She loves her belly rubs and walks. She’s not a fan of toys (the toys I got her are simply “decorations” in her crate now) but she loves to play as we tickle and rub her chest. She falls asleep at my feet as I blog.

As she’s an adult, we’re very fortunate that she came to our home toilet-trained. She keeps her crate clean (any food that falls out of her bowl and onto her bed or blanket, she’s quick to lap it up) and will only do her potty outside.

She’s not without faults, of course. She can be very stubborn. If she doesn’t want to eat, she won’t eat unless you hand-feed her (thank goodness I got rid of that bad habit within the second week). If she doesn’t want to go out for a walk and potty, she can hold it in for 13 hours, which quite honestly, scared me shitless (no pun intended). She hates running water and detests baths. She also has small dog syndrome and doesn’t socialise well with other dogs (strangely, she was fine when she was with other dogs at the RSPCA. It was only when she came back with us that she started acting out at the other dogs in the neighbourhood). Walking her can be difficult at times especially when we encounter other dog walkers as well. She’s fine with humans; it’s just her furry four-legged peers that she has a problem with. It’s something Tim and I are still trying to work out. If you have any tips or advice at all on how to solve this problem, I’m all ears.

If you’re planning to have a dog of your own,

• Do consider adopting. There are plenty of dogs at the RSPCA or pet rescue centres that need a good home. If you’re thinking of getting a pure bred, I saw so many at the RSPCA and they’re absolutely gorgeous.
• If you prefer to get one from a breeder, please make sure it’s from an ethical and responsible one. The good ones will welcome as many questions as you can throw at them.
• Puppies are cute. Heck, Pinterest and Instagram are full of cute puppy pictures. It’s so easy to fall in love with their super adorable faces but bear in mind of the size they grow into. Labrador puppies are incredibly cute but they grow into big, 30+ kg dogs who eats A LOT. The amount of 1-2 year old dogs there are at the RSPCA is alarming because people don’t realise the size they grow into and find out what a handful they are without doing their research first. As they feel that they cannot handle them, they leave them at the RSPCA. If the dogs are not adopted, unfortunately, they will be put to sleep which is very, very sad.
• Above all, please do your research first. Please consider if your home and lifestyle are suitable for a new furry member of the family, especially if you have young children. Research the breeds you’re sure you can and cannot handle. Breeds like Jack Russell terriers, Labradors, Mastiffs, Huskies, etc may be very cute but they require a lot of hard work. When you put in the hard work, you’ll reap the benefits of a great and loving furry companion who’ll love you back unconditionally.

I’m not an expert in dogs. Not even the slightest. I’m still learning about Janey and I know I’ll be learning about her for the rest of her life. She’s completely stolen our hearts in such a short period of time. Imagine, two big humans in the house can be putty in her tiny, white-socks-like paws. Tsk tsk 😛 .

She’s now snoozing away as I type this and looking at her happy and contented albeit snoring face, truly, it’s a wonderful feeling.