One Small Month; One Giant Growth Spurt...

Cookie has undergone an amazing physical change in the month that she's been with us...

From the little bundle of fur that we first laid eyes on a few weeks back, she's stretched and grown in all directions... and now beginning to suggest what she'll look like when she reaches adulthood.

But judging from the size of her paws, she still has a fair bit of growing left in her! Fortunately although her growth is phenomenal, Cookie herself is gradually calming down (although she still has her occasional moments of madness), so the cats are beginning to find her a little more approachable - which is good news for everyone...

Join Cookie for more fun and adventures on Instagram and Facebook!

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS...

 It's been about a month now, since Cookie joined the Clan...

A lot has happened in that time. We've had sadness, with the loss of Joey, and we've had some worries with Cookie's earlier illnesses. But life goes on, and although we all miss Joey tremendously, Cookie goes from strength to strength.

The only thing that is still lacking is the all-important vote of acceptance by the cats... Led by 17-year-old matriarch, Jelly, the four felines are taking their time with Cookie. They are still very wary of this little bundle of energy charging up and down their once peaceful territory.

The only one that is making an attempt to at least interact with Cookie is Pumpkin...

After several scuffles and a few well-aimed slaps to the face, its slowly beginning to dawn on Cookie that the first thing she's got to do to make even the slightest progress with the cats is to SLOW DOWN... She gets so excited when she see's any of them that she charges full speed towards them - and no self-respecting cat appreciates a canine missile heading in their general direction.

Out of the four of them, Pumpkin seems to have the most confidence - and patience, to handle the puppy's rough-housing and gives as good as she gets... We have the greatest hope that peace negotiations will begin with her, and the others will follow her lead...

Cookie tries to get close to Pumpkin...

Some however, we are less hopeful about. Lovable teddy-bear of a cat, Monkey, looks at us eternally with big sad eyes, as if asking, "Why? Why did you bring this thing into our home?" He's going to take quite a bit of convincing...

Monkey asks, "Why?"

Cookie still revels in stealing the cats' food and their toys, even though she has plenty of both for herself. And sometimes she has to be rescued when feline patience runs dry and the claws come out. But as the days go by, she is gradually calming down and finding her place.

Mum saves Cookie from the evil cats...

We'll have a small celebration on the day that Cookie and Jelly finally sit down peacefully together...  

Remember to follow Cookie on Facebook!

JOEY: It's Hard To Say Goodbye...

Life is strange. Just a couple of weeks ago I was sat up at 4am with a crying little puppy, trying to find a song to coax her to sleep with, during her first night at home. 

After little Cookie finally calmed down and drifted back to sleep, we felt flushed with success; full of anticipation and excitement at the prospect of us raising her into adulthood. 

And a major part of that process would be Joey, our 13-year-old soldier, teaching the pup the ways of the world and the tricks she would need to get on the good side of her humans. 

But it was not to be... Joey was recently diagnosed with Cushings Disease, her kidney and liver functions became severely compromised and she began to shut down. She was in a lot of discomfort and any further treatment we could inflict upon her would only delay the inevitable... 



She's been a good girl. A tough little fighter, never afraid of anything or anyone. 

I wish more than anything, that she and Cookie would have gotten to know each other. But I take solace that we have furkids up there waiting for her....

Joey passed away at 7:48pm on the 22nd April. Strong to the finish, and despite all the discomfort, she died standing up. Refused to show any weakness. Right to the end. What a way to go.

Joey: Watching the World go by...

She will be missed forever...

EXCLUSIVELY MONGRELS LTD: APRIL ADOPTION DRIVE

Exclusively Mongrels Limited, who rescued Cookie, are holding their next adoption drive very soon!

For those of you in Singapore, go down and support them, meet the doggies, and even consider bringing one of these special "Specials" into your lives!

To find out more about Exclusively Mongrels Ltd, visit their Facebook Page.

- And visit Cookie whilst you're at it!

VET VISIT: THE SEQUEL

After her first week at home, Cookie went back to West Coast Vetcare for her follow-up...

Cookie: on the move!

And when we said she has a huge appetite, we were not kidding. She's put on 1.4kg in just one week!

Although she's been given an overall clean bill of health, Dr. Melvin Tan did notice that her red blood cell count was dropping... Now this could be an indication of the presence of Babesia in Cookie's bloodstream.

Babesias are microscopic blood parasites that cause disease in many animals, and they are spread from dog to dog by ticks. Although Cookie has been cleared of ticks, her first few weeks of life were spent out in the wilderness, where she would have been far more susceptible to tick bites and infections. Its pretty common for all strays to suffer the same fate, and one species of Babesia (B. gibsoni) is particularly common in Asia.

Babesia gibsoni infecting a canine red blood cell

If left untreated, it can cause the sudden destruction of blood, known as acute haemolytic anaemia in dogs. So its off to the vets again in a couple of days to get this test done. Unfortunately Cookie is not a fan of having her blood taken, but it'll be for her own good in the long run!

Follow Cookie and more of her adventures on https://www.facebook.com/cookiebeardog

THE PARLIAMENT OF CATS

Cookie's new home is also the headquarters of a group of four very opinionated cats...

L to R: Jelly, Monkey and Pumpkin

A week into her introduction to the Clan, and they are still very dubious of the new addition - hence the "Parliament of Cats"...

Chucky

All four of them have so far taken a unanimous vote of "No Confidence" against Cookie - and continue to watch her suspiciously from the safe heights of the sofa cushions...

Follow more of Cookie's adventures growing up at her Facebook Page!

MAKING FRIENDS: JOEY

One family member Cookie has to really impress is Joey, the resident 13-year-old Top Dog!

Since we lost Cocoa (our first Singapore Special) to cancer in November 2013, Joey has taken on the role of guard- and watch- dog, and nothing seems to phase her, even though she is smaller than our cats...

Follow Joey on her own Facebook Page!

But now with this new kid on the block, Joey is taking her time adjusting to Cookie. She's still extremely suspicious. But Cookie just won't give up trying to make friends!

For more adventures with Cookie, check out her Facebook Page!

MIXED-BREEDS VS. PURE-BREEDS

You know, apart from some ancient working breeds that have been around for ages to help humans tend livestock, guard homes, etc - most of today's so-called "pure breeds" are relatively recent creations - and purely for the sake of fashion...

And so, although mixed breed dogs like Cookie still receive a bad press among the "doggie fashionistas", the plain and simple biological truth is that Cookie and her kind are far more healthy and intelligent than their show-stopping cousins...

This video tells the tale perfectly:



Follow Cocoa and her adventures on her Facebook page!

BEAR NECESSITIES!

At this age, Cookie does "bear" a passing resemblance to her wild cousin:

Here she is pictured next to a Black Bear cub for comparison!

More fun and stories with Cookie on her Facebook Page!

THE PATH TO ACCEPTANCE

As Cookie settles in, she's going to have to be patient as the rest of the Clan (featured in the images above) gradually gets used to her.

In the case of the cats, this is going to take some time. Cookie is really, really itching to play with them, but for her own sake, and some peace and quiet for the felines - she is only allowed to watch from safe distance...

17-year-old Jelly - the silver tabby and Matriarch, still watches the pup with some suspicion...

Find out more about Cookie and her adventures on her Facebook Page!

ASD ADOPTION DRIVE

Cookie was rescued through the efforts of volunteer organizations like this one. 

If you're in Singapore and have a place in your home and hearts for a Singapore Special (special in every way), please visit the ASD adoption drive:

Btw, Cookie's predecessor Cocoa, who was an absolute angel (Cookie has big shoes to fill), was rescued by ASD! Find out more about their work and how you could help at:

http://asdsingapore.com/wp/ and http://www.facebook.com/asdsingapore/

FIRST VISIT TO THE VET'S!

Like all stray dogs, forced to eke out a living on the streets, from the moment she was born, Cookie was up against the odds to survive...

Already separated from her mother and siblings at the tender age of 2 months, she battled these odds in the company of her friend Amber (who was also subsequently adopted). But a life on the streets comes with its dangers and risks, especially for a puppy so recently weaned from its mother.

And so it was for Cookie - just a day after being adopted, she had to pay her first official visit to the vet's. A really bad hacking cough, difficulty in breathing and a serious case of diarrhoea - all tell-tale symptoms of Kennel Cough and Parvovirus - both extremely life-threading to a puppy.

But after a thorough once-over from Dr. Melvin Tan of West Coast Vetcare, and blood tests and x-rays, Cookie was prescribed antibiotics to help her on the road to recovery. She'll have to go back for a check-up in a week.

Apart from the discomfort of the tests however, Cookie remained cool and calm - making friends with staff and trying in vane to initiative play with another huge dog about 20 times her size. At just 2.4kg, the young lady's still got a ways to go before rubbing shoulders with the big guys!

After her first big adventure, Cookie heads back home - where the continued task of becoming part of the pack continues...

Follow Cookie on her Facebook page!

FIRST DAYS OF FREEDOM...

Introducing Cookie - on the day she and her companion were taken from the streets of Singapore and impounded...

With an inevitable death sentence hanging over their heads, both puppies were rescued by Singapore-based dog rescue charity, Exclusively Mongrels Ltd. - giving them second chance at life and the possibilities of being adopted to a family of their own.

Cookie was just two months old when she was rescued - but she's already doing a fine impression of a bear cub! Quiet, curious and unusually laid-back, her rescuers were confident that she would find a home. In fact it took less than a week to find a potential adopter, and less than a minute for those adopters to fall in love with her...

And so begins the Chronicles of Cookie. There's a lot for this puppy to learn; her new home is also occupied by four world-weary cats and middle-aged Chihuahua-cross - so she'll have to find her place in the pack and learn the curious ways of her new human parents...

For the moment though, the world is big and waiting to be discovered!