 Tuesday, May 12, 2009
 Story Of Pammy at 1:04:00 PMPAMMY "They say you could have it all one day and lose it all the next, but I never believed in that. I lived a life of luxury, pampered to death when I was a puppy because I was so cute and I was born a pedigree, a status worth a lot of money, so they say. And so I took my life for granted, never had a care in the world, barked when I wanted something, always got what I wanted, had everyone at my paw tips. As I got older, I noticed that things started to change, now when I barked for attention, they put me in a cage and ignored me. The children started playing with other toys and lost interest in me, I was now like an old toy, forgotten and ready to be thrown away. As the months and years passed, they cared less and less and I soon developed skin problems. My family looked at me and shook their heads... I was now a liability, not worth the money to send to the vet, no time to care for an old dog and too much effort, more important things to do like going shopping and buying new things... That Christmas day, I watched from my cage as they opened their presents and had a huge turkey for dinner. I barked but they ignored me or couldn't hear me, for they had placed me far away because I smelt funny from my skin infections, too ashamed to show me anymore, not hygenic because I smell. Late that night, they came and took me into the car. My heart beat with anticipation that they were bringing me to see the lights of Christmas. They stopped at a dark winding road, and got off with me. Curious and excited, I sniffed around hoping to find my present, but alas as I turned around, they were all gone... and the darkness closed upon me. As I looked up, the night sky twinkled in the distance, and as I looked ahead, two very bright lights came hurtling towards me, could this be the twinkling lights of Christmas, or the angels that come to deliver me?" Those lights that Pammy first chanced upon was a car bearing down on her. She had been cruelly and heartlessly abandoned at Portsdown Road in the wee hours of midnight on Dec 26, 2005. Fortunately for her, the driver of the car was not a reckless person nor one who had the mindset that running over animals was alright. The car came to a screeching halt and it was truly divine providence that the driver was none other than one of our fosterers, Alfred. In the dim street lights, he couldn't see her very well, but he could smell the strong stench emanating from her body. It was only when he brought her home did he realized she was a Shih Tzu and the extent of her condition was horrifying : About 60% - 70% of her body was covered with red, raw angry sores, all wet with discharge, with a terrible stench. The hair had all fallen off in those areas, and elsewhere, the fur was all matted with blood, pus and discharge. It was obvious her condition had not been treated for some period of time. She was estimated to be at least 5 years or older.  After Alfred told us the next day about his 'christmas present', we hastily arranged for a vet visit. Unfortunately the vet that we went to wasn't very keen on treating her, preferring the option of putting her down. Of course we put her in perspective and she reluctantly treated her. (sidenote : this vet suffers from what we call compassion fatigue and in our opinion should retire permanently). Despite her ordeal and near death experience, Pammy still loved to be around humans. Her tail goes round in circles and she starts snorting (due to her short and distended snout, which is a genetic flaw of Shih Tzus) whenever she sees Alfred and Roger, his roomate.  With their heavy schedule and effort required to look after their dogs and another ASD skin problem dog, Pammy added to their burden and we tried desperately to look for alternative fosterers. Few replied and the even fewer that went to take a look at Pammy just gave a sheepish grin. But Alfred and Roger soldiered on, faithfully bathing her with the medicated bath every 4 days, and Pammy on her part, dutifully took her medication and bath without fuss.We are confident that with all the help and love that she is receiving, Pammy will recover fully and be a wonderful addition to any sincere family . A Belated Christmas Present for Pammy In the months to come, Pammy slowly walked the road to recovery. Her resilience and spirit is truly admirable and she didn't seem to have any emotional scars, and her horrifying physical scars were healing well with the supplements that we were giving her.  She does have a bit of cataract in one eye, and she will sometimes bump into things, but other than that she was recovering beautifully. But we felt she still wasn't ready for adoption and who would want a 5 year old dog? Again the angels of Christmas seem to be looking out for her. Her picture and story which had been featured on the ASD website appealing for fosterers seem to touch a chord with people. We started to get calls about her current state and interest in adopting her.
Pammy, Our New Found Joy We paid Pammy a visit about 2 weeks after Seok and Heng adopted her and shook our heads in disbelief at the transformation : Right in front of us was a happily settled dog, who came sniffing at us, tail wagging, tongue licking, and yes, still snorting... That was the clue that this was the same sorry looking dog that was dumped that fateful night.   In place of the sores, soft lustrous rich brown hair grew and she had a radiant glow about her. She was an independent character, keeping herself occupied with her toys when Seok and Heng went to work and worked her charm when they came home from work. They have grown to love her even more and have named her Joy aptly for the joy she has brought into their lives. In their own words:"She is a very sweet natured dog. Obedient and a bundle of joy to both of us. Easy to take care and very good natured. Un-demanding and loves to drink milk. She loves cooked meat too."  We are sure everyday is Christmas Day for Pammy where there is daily exchange of presents of love and warmth! Think carefully if you really can affort a pet .
xoxo, you know you love me |
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By then, her fur had started to grow and the yeast, fungal and mite condition was almost non-existent. Her coat was growing steadily into a rich brown color and she pleased everyone with her innocence and happy demeanour. A first-timer couple Seok and Heng, fell in love with her when they went to view her. We were initially skeptical and concerned about whether they were up to the task. What if her skin condition came back again? Would they have the physical and mental fortitude to help her like we did? Could they put up with her idiosyncrasies like her snorting? What about the fact that she was already 5 years or older and had cataract? Seok and Heng thought long and hard and it was 2 weeks later that they made a firm decision to adopt her for better or worse...
