Sunday, March 29, 2009

Kori's Adoption

Kori, aka “够力”, earned her chinese name through her never-ending impish antics. Her English name is derived from my first dog Kiro, certainly not in memory of as Kiro is well alive and kicking, but due to the reason that without Kiro, there will certainly be no Kori. Friends have told us that their names are pretty confusing though!

I will say fate brought Kori and me together, as I had totally no intention to adopt a second dog as much as I wanted to. I was at Kranji industrial estate one night driving past some factories when I vaguely saw something moving amidst the grass. I got off and headed towards the grass patch, but it was all quiet when I stood there looking around. Just as I was about to turn and leave, I heard a faint yelp from below. I looked down and saw two pair of eyes peeping at me through the grilles of a drain cover!

It took awhile for me to coax them out, and although I did not manage to touch them, I managed to feed them some food and they gobbled everything down hungrily. These 2 puppies were so scrawny and undernourished at first sight, and as I stood there watching them eat, I wonder what the future held for them as strays.



Noah’s Ark learned of this and decided to take them in to be fostered while looking for new homes for them. Kori was the first among the two sisters to be caught and as her fosterer could only take her in after a few days, I was asked to foster her for the time being.



At first glance, Kori looks just like any other mongrel – brown in colour with a black muzzle, a very sweet and docile girl. When she first arrived at my place, Kori was quiet and well-behaved. After a few days of keeping her under shelter but outdoors, we decided to move her indoors. That was when she got an actual chance to interact with Kiro, and everything fell easily into place.



My sister and I have never thought that Kiro would be able to accept another dog in the house, being extremely territorial and also spoilt from all the given attention. However, Kiro began playing with Kori through the baby gate which kept Kori confined, and Kiro soon took to her very quickly, most probably due to her submissive nature. Kiro would sleep on the floor by the front of the baby gate instead of on his own bed, as if keeping her company especially when all of us were not in!



My family decided to give it a try and let both of them interact for a few days under close supervision. Initially, we had to keep reminding Kiro to be gentle with Kori as she was still a puppy and Kiro tends to become a bit rough when playing. He often forgets how big he actually is now, especially when he charges full speed at someone who just came home!


Mealtimes were crucial as Kiro has all along been pretty touchy about food, perhaps due to starvation as a stray when he was young. Initially we separated the feeding area just to play safe, until one fine day when Kori was accidentally let out when Kiro had yet to finish his food. All of us were amazed when Kori started eating from Kiro’s food bowl and Kiro did not snarl at her! There and then, we knew that Kiro had already accepted Kori in his heart, and that he knew she would be here to stay.



As always, the puppyhood of a dog is a memorable but also somewhat frustrating period for the owner, just like the childhood of a kid for his parents. I dare admit there were times when I just could not handle her and will throw my arms in surrender, but never once have I thought of giving her up. As Kori gradually gained confidence, the hidden playfulness within her surfaced and just the other day, she tore up a credit card statement which my mum slipped under my door when I was sleeping. I woke up to a floor of “snowflakes”, just that paper bits were in place of the snowflakes. Gosh!



Kori also does annoys Kiro at times, like when she snatches his toys or bones, or keeps wriggling nonstop on his bed when he is trying to get some sleep. Kori does have her own bed, but she constantly wants to be near Kiro. Previously when Kiro growls at Kori for misbehaving, she would whimper in fear and quietly retreat to one corner and stay there. But now, though she will still back off, in a minute or two you will see her wanting to play with him again! Ah, the joys of being a puppy.



Kiro has grown so attached to Kori that when she went for her sterilization and was out for the whole day, Kiro was happier to see her return more so than my sister who brought Kori back. He kept licking her as if knowing what she had gone through, and was very gentle with her during her recovery.


Kori, our new family member, has been an absolute bundle of joy. I know that dogs are faithful creatures who will love you all their lives. Alike Kiro, my family has also promised Kori a lifetime of commitment and companionship, love and care. Sacrifices definitely have to be been made from time to time, but when I see her silly smile and wiper-like tail greeting me at the door every night when I return home, everything that I have done is certainly worth it.




We at Noah's Ark love happy endings and are extremely glad both sisters have found their forever homes :D



Sanuk and Kori (see previous story)



Sanuk and Kori, see how much they've grown! (also see previous story)


*Article kindly contributed by Ruth, Kori's new mommy

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sanuk's story

Like the saying ‘ like mother, like daughter’, this is so true about Sanuk, the shoe-loving puppy which I adopted from Noah’s Ark. She was found by volunteers at a construction site together with her sister and both were rescued.


Sanuk and sister, Kori living in the drain at a construction site.


At 5 months old when I took her from her fosterer’s care, she was very timid and would hide behind the sofa or door and responded only to me. She would bolt away from people, cats, children when we went out. And it took a quite a while to coax her to accept my husband. He was rather upset that Sanuk would bark and growl at him. We put it down to her experience at the construction site which perhaps caused her to fear.





Now, at 6 months, it’s a totally different story. Sanuk knows when he is back and jumps to greet him… with soft barks of happiness and playfulness. She is a fun loving puppy, loves to devour my shoes and slippers. She is able to obey commands, like sit, come and down. I am amazed at her ability also to learn what she wants …. Like being able to distinguish left from right… hence she is able to give her right paw on command and even at the word ‘both’ at which she will give both paws together.


Her endearing trait is that she is utterly ‘manja’ and likes putting her head on my lap, next to my face while sleeping. Being the puppy she still is, she has her routine of sleeping at night at 1030pm and waking me at 6am (or earlier) for her breakfast and daily walk. After which, she will plop herself on the sofa and happily play with her toys.



Sanuk whose name means ‘fun’ in Thai is living up to her name…. and I believe she is happy in her new home with us. Stay tuned to read the following story later in the week, where Sanuk's sister, Kori, has also been adopted into a loving home!



*Article kindly contributed by Renee Goh, Sanuk's new mommy

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Holly's 2nd Birthday Party

On Valentine’s Day, a group of friends got together to celebrate Holly’s birthday! It was specially organized for her by Mommy Lynda, who adopted Holly a year ago!. Holly, a mini dachshund, turned 2 in February! Her party was held at US Doggie Bakery (www.usdb.com.sg) with her friends and many of the dogs rehomed by Noah's Ark. It was great to see all the rehomed dogs looking so well, happy and loved (:

They spent the afternoon playing with friends and happily munched on the freshly baked doggie cookies, muffins and cakes provided by USDB. Owners had a good time catching up with old friends as well.

Check out the happy photos and see how much fun we had!


Prince happily munching on a slice of Muffy cake



Tilly, Ms March 2009



Group shot of everyone who attended



Doesn't that look positively yummy? Mmmmhmmm.



The birthday cake - check out the dachshund shaped biscuit. Freshly baked by USDB!



Chu Chu & Mei Mei



Kori, a recently rescued Mongrel



Holly, the birthday girl


We would like to thank everyone for taking time to spend a meaningful afternoon with us. All donations (birthday ang pows) to Holly will be donated to Noah's Ark Cares. Holly is certainly one very lucky spoilt girl!
**Special thanks to Nicholas Lee of http://furry-photos.com/ who took all our of the lovely pictures above. If you ever need him to cover one of your pet events, please do consider to give him a call! :D Thank you!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

SMU Animal Day - 21st March

Dear readers,

We would like to invite you to come down and join Noah's Ark at SMU's Animal Day on the 21st of March, Saturday!



Details are as follows:

Date: 21st March, Saturday
Start: 11am
End: 5pm
Venue: SMU Campus Green, between School of Info Systems and Li Ka Shing library, along Stamford Road


Location map


Registration for competitions and goodie bags start from 12pm onwards. There will be dog show performances, Q&A session with a vet, photo-taking for you and your pet and many more fun-filled activities! SMU PAW students designed some postcards of Noah's Ark dogs which were photographed by our very own Nicholas Lee! A set of 3 cost $3. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Noah's Ark.

Moreover, Noah's Ark volunteers will be hard at work, manning our booth and doing their part to raise funds for the animals. Come lend your support by visiting our booth and purchasing our merchandise! We will have newly designed t-shirts, polo shirts, luggage tags, memo pads and post-it notes for sale. All proceeds go towards the running of our sanctuary in JB.

Do not forget to bring your dogs along too for a day of fun, games and socializing. That’s it then, we hope to see you this weekend! :D

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Auction Results!

Dear readers,

The auction results are out! We sincerely apologise for the delay in announcement. The earlier post on where the items were first posted up can be found here: http://noahsarkcares.blogspot.com/2009/02/marley-me-charity-premiere-tickets-all.html

The 3 items are:

1. Marley's Dog House (min starting bid $888) YES, it is the EXACT SAME DOG HOUSE that Marley made use of in the movie!


Marley's dog house - front view



Marley's dog house - side view


Winning Bid: Ms CL - $888


2. Owen Wilson's shirt (min starting bid $288) If you are a big Owen Wilson fan, you can finally own a piece of him all the way from Hollywood!



Winning Bid: Mr I - $300


3. Painting titled "Oogling Oreo" painted and donated by local artist Mr Koh Tien Gui. (min starting bid $1288)



Winning Bid: Anonymous - $1818


Thank you all for your generousity. The money will go towards the feeding of the many animals we house at Noah's Ark. CONGRAULATIONS to all in winning the auctions for these one-of-a-kind items that will not be found anywhere else! Despite the recession, thank you for your continous support and putting in their bids. On behalf of the animals, we truly appreciate it.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ginger - Missing Labrador since Nov '08


Ginger, where are you?

This has been my first thought every morning when I wake up. It’s been so long and I really do miss her. It seems that the tears can’t stop coming, every moment where I worry for her safety and well-being.

Ginger has been missing for almost 3 months now. She's a cream-coloured, small-sized Labrador Retriever who is going to turn 3 years old this year. She first ran out of our house in Kuo Chuan Avenue (Marine Parade area) on the 12th of November. We haven’t been able to locate her since.



I have tried numerous ways and means of locating Ginger. Posters have been put up, routes have been walked, queries have been made and advertisements in the papers have already been going on for more than two months. Yet, all our efforts have seemingly been in vain as there has been no sign of Ginger.

With all these, I've received calls from people who have offered kind and encouraging words but also a fair number of people who played pranks on our situation. I tried calling Vets to ask if they would inform me if my dog appeared in their clinic. However, I was told that the Vets would only scan for microchip if the person who brought the dog in said it was a missing dog. If they do not mention this, then this dog would go undetected.


If you ever see a lost female Labrador, please take the time to bring it down to a Vet to get its microchip scanned. It may be my dog. My Ginger.

Tonight as I lay my head down on the pillow, the image of Ginger will flit through my mind yet again. I can’t stop the tears that well up in my eyes and I hastily try to wipe them away. As the months go by, our hopes also begin to dwindle. We are desperately trying not to lose hope and continue to pray that she’s safe and sound in that harsh world out there.


Ginger, where in the world are you? Come home please. I miss you so much.



$5,000 Reward for the return of Ginger. No questions asked.

If you see a Labrador that fits the description above or the photos, please call Hwee Ling @ 93899896 immediately. Ginger’s microchip number is **** **** *** 5189. One recognisable trait is that she has a small slit of the left side of her tongue which she accidentally bit when she was younger.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Zeus Mongrel appointed new Editor-in-Chief

Dear readers,

With effect from today - Mr Zeus Mongrel has been appointed the new Editor-in-Chief of Noah's Ark CARES' blog. We are sad to inform you Ms Jojo Schnauzer crossed the rainbow bridge 2 weeks ago. Her tribute can be found here: http://noahsarkcares.blogspot.com/2009/02/tribute-to-ms-jojo-schnauzer.html . A new Editor then had to be quickly found in order to keep our blog going. After a few names were thrown around, we are glad to announce that Mr Zeus Mongrel has emerged as the top-dog.

Please do continue to read on for some background information on Zeus Mongrel for you to get to know him better!


Name: Zeus
Breed: Mongrel
Age: 8 yrs old


There can only be one Zeus. Mongrels are unique, intelligent and special in their own ways. Zeus was resuced in 2001 when he was just a mere puppy. His rescuer was driving along the AYE expressway when she spotted him running along the road shoulder! He was just 3 months of age.

If he was not rescued, perhaps he would not be even alive today. That fateful day, his rescuer stopped her car, got down and opened the car door. All this on the road shoulder of the expressway! As if on cue, little Zeus hopped into the car and has not looked back since. He was first rehomed to a factory in Tuas and stayed there for a few years.

At the factory, he was well loved by the workers. They even dubbed him "Mr President"! Zeus was one very lucky employee at the factory who got to sleep on the job. On top of that, he was allowed to sleep in the office with air condition during the day. Sadly after a few years, the factory could no longer keep him. Thankfully, Zeus managed to find himself a forever home.

Sadly, it was discovered that someone had broken his tail bone during his stay at the factory there. Whether it was on purpose or as punishment, it would never be known. As a result, Zeus is unable to wag his tail at all. Despite not having a tail, you can easily tell when Zeus is happy by looking at the wide grin on his face! :D

Since finding his forever home, Zeus visits schools during Noah's Ark road shows and demonstrates how clever and obedient a mongrel can be. He is well-liked by everyone and especially good with younger kids. Moreover, he has helped foster dogs and earned the title of being Papa Zeus, the respected elder in the home. Zeus has also fostered puppies like Prince, and Prince absolutely loves him to bits, licking Zeus' face whenever they meet.

Mr Zeus Mongrel knows he has big shoes to fill and that he will do the best he can in continuing to bring you animal stories and Noah's Ark news!

We hope that you'll be giving him your fullest support during his time as Editor. Thank you!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Launch of DBS Giro

Dear supporters & friends of Noah's Ark,


Thank you for your monetary assistance to Noah’s Ark, without it we cannot continue our daily operations. We have organized an easier method for you to make a monthly contribution via GIRO.You can make a choice between contributing a sum for the basic running of Noah’s Ark or a regular sponsorship for a needy animal.

Every donation, large or small, will help make a difference in the lives of these homeless animals. Noah’s Ark CARES is a non-profit organization that aims to reduce the stray population in Singapore through active sterilization, micro chipping, and licensing of such animals. We do not receive government subsidies nor corporate funds, and depend solely on the support of private donors to further our cause.


Here are some facts on what we need to maintain the ~1,000 animals housed at Noah’s Ark.


Dog Dry Food: 17 bags a day or 306kg a day


Dog Tin Food: 1 carton a day or 700gm x 24 cans = 16.8kg


Cat Dry Food: 1 bag a day or 23kg a day


Cat Tin Food: 10 cans a day or 400gm x 10 cans = 4kg


Cat Litter: S$1,000/- a month


To Feed a Horse: S$400/- a month


Yes - it does take alot to keep Noah's Ark running! Now that you know, how would you be able to help?


Simply fill up the form below and send it back to us at 42 Cairnhill Road, #02-01, S (229661). This is so that we can make a copy of our own records and send it to DBS on your behalf. For the more internet savvy readers, you can scan the form and email it to us before sending it to DBS. By selecting this automated form of payment, you will assist us in reducing our administration costs and more can be spent on the animals. Do note that this form can also be found on the right hand side of our blog.





We hope that you'll continue to support Noah's Ark, one way or another. On behalf of the animals, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Beneficiary of Animal Merchandise :)

Noah's Ark CARES Supporters