An Open Letter by Chwing's Mommy

Dear fellow supporters of Noah’s Ark,

Thank you very much for your support and encouragement. I’m sorry for my late response towards your graciousness. I have been reading up all about Chwings on the blog site and I am truly grateful for the contributions. I really did mean to do this earlier unfortunately time isn’t always on my side.

The Full Story of How Chwings Came to be

27 July 2008 - Sunday afternoon 1640hrs, the receptionist called me to check out an ‘emergency’ case after we’ve closed for the day.

Apparently, this puppy was abandoned outside Ms Jacqueline Lim’s office at a neighbouring block. She quite frantically informed me that this pup had something wrong with his hind legs. I lifted him out from the box he was brought in and true enough, his legs were bent in an awkward position which was twisted behind him. My heart broke as I explained to Ms Lim that he was not abused but was instead, born that way. There were no injuries, no broken skin, no swelling, no blood, just a deformity.

My colleague, Eunice, and I then prepared to take X-rays of his legs to see what the problem really was. We were totally drawn to his adorable face and endearingly timid nature. I believed it was an instant click for me and within half an hour I gradually grew attached and we named him ‘Chwings’- short for chicken wings because I swear his legs really looked like chicken wings.

The X-ray results revealed that his legs were rotated at the knees and that the surgical plan would be very complicated. Realizing that it would be very stressful (not forgetting very painful) for the pup and not even guaranteed that he’d be able to use the legs again anyway, I decided to let him have a go at living like this first and assess in time, mentally preparing myself just in case I had to make a decision I didn’t want to.

Within that same hour, I begged my parents to let me bring him home. They were not receptive and I got really upset. Ms Jacqueline and I ended up crying in the x-ray room for some time. We know that he deserved a good home.

After a lot (and I mean a lot!) of persuasion and (I must admit) some free tickets to guilt-ville, my parents grudgingly came down the next day to see him. Honestly, my father wasn’t exactly very accepting (due to practical reasons and irks) but my mom was taken by his cute, sweet, lovable (oh god, I’m gushing) nature. That night, we brought him home.

My brothers and I were amused by how fast he moved and HOW he moved. He looked like a seal. Deducing he was a a dog-seal, which made him a ‘sog’ (seal + dog) or a ‘deal’ (dog + seal). His full name now is - CHWINGS SOGGY DEAL!

The misconception is that, most would think that he’d need more care because he is crippled. However, he doesn’t require much maintenance at all. Initially, he did drag on his filth, getting his fur wet but I’d just wipe him down and clean up after him. But now, he seems to be dealing and adapting very well with his deformity. Please watch the youtube video below.



As you can see, he lifts his back legs when he’s doing his business so that he doesn’t soil himself and instead, leaves a trail behind him because in order to balance, he needs to move constantly and keep a momentum going. Smart boy no? The skin covering his knees seem to be thickened. He has no blisters, cuts nor bruises anymore.

I don’t treat him differently from any other dog. I don’t treat him like a cripple. I punish him if he’s been naughty; I play with him ‘fetch’ and give him treats. I’ve even taught him tricks like ‘paw’ and ‘down’. Check out the next youtube video!



My family loves him and my dad gets along with him fine too. My brothers are so funny - they refuse to punish him because he’s crippled. He makes me smile. He makes everyone who meets him smile because they are impressed by his will to live (not to mention his cuteness) beyond his deformity.

It’s been roughly 3 months since I got him, which makes him to be about 6 months old. I definitely have no regrets taking him. At the moment, he’s grown quite big and very fluffy. A real good looker if I do say so myself.

He has already been sterilized as of now. His testicles did not descend into his scrotum (probably because gravity cannot act on them since he’s always seated). It was not a major surgery. It was not life threatening. It’s just that I should remove them lest they become cancerous in there as they are stuck in the inguinal area.

He is expected to get fatter/bigger after the sterilization. That’s why I can only take the measurements for his wheels so generously donated by kind-hearted souls, after giving him some time to grow to his fullest size.

I would like to thank Ms Grace for that email about the dog with only 2 hind legs. It’s been circulating around and it never fails to make me hopeful.

Before I end off, I would like to show off a youtube video of Chwings enjoying himself outside around my neighbourhood.

Field Trip:



Can you believe how fast a two legged dog can move? Doesn’t he impress you? It’s a pity he can currently do so only on grass as it is softer and it doesn’t hurt him.

Chwing’s can go on pavement but it hurts his joints so he stays on grass instead. Soon he will be able to run free just like any other normal dog!

Again I am ever grateful for your support and kind contributions towards making Chwings’ life easier. It’s really helping me out a lot as well. I can’t wait for him to get his wheels so that he’ll be able to run more freely about. I will keep all posted of future events regarding our darling Chwings.

With love,
Nikki

In 2 months when Chwing’s grows bigger, Nikki will then take the measurements needed for his wheels. She has done an excellent job with him, teaching him tricks and letting him into her warm loving home. She has an extremely big heart and it takes a lot of effort and energy to love a dog like Chwings. Thank you for your generousity if you have already contributed to his and for those who have been emailing and sms-ing to ask – you would be able to do so in 2 months time.