 I have been fostering Ms Mindy as part of my volunteering activities for Pet Rescuers Malaysia (http://mystycat.bravehost.com/). Ms Mindy came to me as her previous fosterer (Leigh) had to care for another stray with mange. Ms Mindy an epitome of politeness and obedience adjusted very well to me and my home. A week later, she was picked up at our weekly pet adoption drive at Plaza Damas by a mother of two. Few days later, she was rescued again and now Ms Mindy is back with me.
As fostering goes, we are told to remain a little unattached - don't get me wrong we do provide all the love, care and obvious basic needs. But in unattached I mean, we are supposed to be able to give our fosters away. After what happened to Ms Mindy I will always be a little cautious with the people we give our babies away to - she was underfed in her new home and seemed very frightened. Well, for now, she is in a safe environment baring dealing with Pink Floyd or Led Zeppeling screaming out of the house.
Ms Mindy was discovered with a dead dog by the road in January and since then has been in constant foster care. And oh yes, Ms Mindy doesn't make a sound. At first, I thought it was just in her nature to be quiet but a friend clarified that there was a procedure called debarking that was done unto dogs! This involved removing two pieces of tissue buffereing the larynx. No way, I thought.
A quick check on the net brought this (http://www.idausa.org/facts/cossurgery.html): DebarkingWhile cosmetic tail docking and ear cropping are clearly of no benefit to the dog, the issues become a little fuzzier when it comes to debarking. After all, a noisy dog is liable to find herself sitting in a shelter awaiting death because the neighbors complained. There are few things as frustrating and even infuriating as a neighbor dog's incessant barking. Many people initially acquire a dog for protection as well as companionship. A dog is supposed to bark when there is something amiss. It's his job to guard his home and family. Homes with dogs are far less likely to be targeted for burglary and other crimes. Even a small dog is a big deterrent to would-be robbers. Neighbors understand that a dog will bark at the meter reader, delivery person, or mail carrier for a minute or two. But they do not want to listen to 30 minutes of nonstop barking at every slight noise. It's only when barking is excessive that it becomes a problem. However, a problem barker is not the one at fault - we must look to the dog's guardians for the source of the behavior. Chronic or excessive barking arises because the dog is improperly socialized or trained, or because she is stressed, hypersensitive, lonely, fearful, or frustrated. Debarking a dog does not make her any less stressed, hypersensitive, lonely, fearful, or frustrated! It is important to deal with the problem at its source, rather than turn down the volume surgically. These dogs still bark, they just don't make much noise. Debarking surgery is not difficult (although it does entail general anesthesia and surgical risks such as bleeding and infection), but the rate of postoperative complications is very high. Some practitioners estimate that 50% of dogs will develop problems arising from the debarking surgery. These range from merely annoying (the dog regains his ability to bark within two or three years) to life-threatening (scar tissue obstructs the dog's airway). Correcting these complications requires more surgery, more risks, and more money. Again, this puts the dog at risk for landing in the shelter. . Anyway, this is part of other more brutal cosmetic surgery that can be done to dogs including ear cropping and tail docking.
What struck me as even more odd was, when I had mentioned the case of Mindy being too quiet on another blog, someone wrote back to say she bought her pet from a breeder that debarks ALL her dogs!
Ms Mindy, is now curled up under my chair as I write. She is one smart girl, she worked her charms on my husband and he fell madly in love with her. They are now best of friends and more often than not, you would find Mindy and Dina side by side watching TV and just "resting" which is a nicer word for lazing. Good on you Ms Mindy.
Today Ms Mindy wears a license from MPSJ and officially belongs to us. I cannot part with Mindy and according to her vet she should not be put up for adoptions any longer and should have a comfy home to see her through. Ms Mindy is bringing my home a lot of joy and love and teaching us important lessons in life. Her ability to sit ever so silently still baffles me and that would be my biggest lesson of all – to be quiet!Will post more Ms Mindy stories as time goes, including her beach holiday, being part of a wedding entourage and running wild in Johol estate with the buffaloes!
Till the next segment, I sign off with a whole load of woof woof woofs!
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