Scotch

Lady's 6th Death Anniversary

2008-12-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, 21st December 2008, will be Lady's 6th Death Anniversary. She passed away in 2002. Lady is d owner's cousin's German Shepherd.

I didn't have the privilege to meet her but d owner did. Many people were scared of her because of her size, but in truth, she was the most loving dog out there. She would come up to some people and they would get scared but all she wanted was to be petted.

Everyone jokes that I'm sort of an reincarnation of Lady because of my colour, but I don't believe a dog like her can ever be duplicated.

Everyone misses Lady, the worse part was that she passed away so close to Christmas. It wasn't as joyful as it should have been. But I'm sure she's happy and peaceful right now. Up in doggie heaven.

Pen-Eating Dog

2008-12-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

D owner woke up last week to the sound of me chewing something. She opened her eyes to find me feasting on one of her favourite pens. I bit it to pieces. She quickly stopped me and threw it away. I threw up afterward, but it was only fluid. That's one more title for me: pen-eating dog.

This is what happens when I'm bored or even deprived of sleep. Or this is the result of staying with a weird family, after a while, you turn weird yourself. Just the other day, d owner was cutting her hair at 3am. So I had no sleep (I sleep in her room now). I basically follow her everywhere. And sometimes she sleeps on the couch in the hall, in her room or sometimes she doesn't sleep at all, making me have no sleep also.

But let me tell you something, it's great being weird.

Uneventful Days

2008-11-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

First of all, apologies for being gone for so long. There just isn't any interesting things happening here to tell you about.

D owner has found what she describes as a wonderful video and is watching it over and over again. It can be viewed here. Sadly, I don't have a Kong.

I have been taught a new trick: circle. First, d owner says 'circle' and I circle clockwise around her once. There, that's one interesting thing to tell you.

She watched this interesting documentary on dogs the other day. Apparently, the fur industry created the domestic dog by breeding the wolf

and the silver fox

together.

She refuses to believe that such magnificent creatures can come from such cruel people. She says no to real fur and leather and companies that test on animals and yet, she still eats meat. Strange combination.

But after all, the origin of the dog can come from different sources. So this story may and may not be true.

And I've been hearing plans about switching me full-time to a raw diet. PAWS CROSSED!

The Uses of 'Scratch'

2008-11-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

I have just been taught a new trick: scratch. Pretty straightforward, d owner would point to a wall or door and I would scratch it.

I have compiled 2 uses of this new trick, as follows:

1. With just a scratch of the door, the family would know when I want to go out and open the door for me.
2. Another way to destroy things.

And it saddens me to say that my tennis ball has mysteriously disappeared.

I suspect the evil tennis-ball-eating-couch. In just one lifetime, it has devoured pens, papers, clips, rulers, rubbers and now, my precious tennis ball. Thankfully, it came in a pack of 3 so I have 2 more to play with.

D owner has succesfully finished reading 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' in less than a week, hardly eating and hardly sleeping. She plans to buy 'Eclipse' and 'Breaking Dawn' soon, too.

Nevermind me, I'll just sit outside and eat mosquitoes all day.

8th Jungle Trek

2008-10-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

27/10/08

Despite there not actually being a jungle trek, d owner decided to take me anyway, after being absent for almost a month.

Sadly, I was on a leash the whole time as d owner didn't trust me with no one around. Strangely enough, d owner's mom finally agreed to come for the trek but later said would never again.

I had remarks, again, that I was a husky. D owner doesn't see the resemblence and just says I'm a pure mutt with no ounce of blue blood in me. I beg to differ. More than once, I've been said to look like a german shepherd/siberian husky, or at least a part of it. That's got to count for something.

Hopefully, next time, she'll choose a better date to go jungle-trekking, with all my canine pals intact. And don't forget the off-leash part.

My New Friend

2008-10-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, while on my daily walks, d owner took a new route and turned into an alley. One of the houses back gate is facing the alley and that is how I met my new friend, Ms. Rottweiler.

I live in the first lane, so I know every dog who lives there. But not so sure about the other dogs in the other lanes. If anything, I think I've made friends with most of them. There's Lola - a shih tzu - and a pug whose name I'm still not sure of so I shall call him Mr. Pug. They belong to the same family. Lola came after d owner started living here, and when she was a puppy, she squeezed through the gate and came into d owner's house. I'd reckon that looked cute.

Then there's Risha, the female black mongrel just in front of my house. You know, I really don't know why black dogs like to pick fights with me, first Pacco then Risha. But I never fight back, haha. Don't worry, there is no offence intended here. Just a funny story.

The other dogs, I don't know by name so I shall call them by how the look. Further on, there is another mongrel who I shall call Mr. Black. Not completely black, but almost. Every time he sees me, he goes of in a barking frenzy - most of the time. Then there's Mr. Doberman who lives in the first house of the first lane. He scared the living crap out of me when I passed him. Started barking like mad.

So anyway, back to my new friend. She's a lot like me. She likes dogs but scared of humans. When d owner approached, she went and hide behind some clothes. So then I went near the gate and she came out of hiding. When we started to go, she started barking and we turned back to see her sort of saying ,"don't go". So we went back and saw her again.

Do owner thinks she's scared of people because her owner abused her when she was a puppy. And d owner has also seen it before. Locked her in a tiny cage for so long and she kept whining at night. I feel so sorry for her. But I know exactly what she's going through. I'm also not the most people-friendly dog and I was abused as a puppy before d owner got me. All these things stay with us and makes up our character in the future. That's why d owner desperately wants to socialise me by taking me out for trekking and dog events.

Like I've heard somewhere before: 'a dog may never be able to jump through a hoop of flames, but it can be brave.'

Everything takes time.

Mutts Comic

2008-10-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone has heard of it, but I recently stumbled on this comic. It's funny and heartwarming. Hope you enjoy it.

Pray for Tito

2008-10-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I went over to Tito and Georgette's new place.

It seems age has crept up on my dear old friend Tito. Not only has he been plunged with joint pain, but he also hasn't eaten or drank anything for the past 2 days.

I fear the worst but I know I must remain optimistic and pray for him.

I may not have known him for a long time, but it seems like I've known him forever. He may not be able to see me, but I see him - as bright as anything - and it would devastate me to see him gone so soon.

Tito will forever be my buddy and if it really is his time, I can only pray that he'll go peacefully.

A Quick Update

2008-09-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hello there, fellow dog bloggers. This will just be a quick update on what me and d owner have been up to lately.

Fom the looks of it, seems like World War III has just erupted, again. And for some reason, I'm being dragged into it. hmph! Why do I always have to be the target of heated discussions/arguments? Never mind, this will blow over soon. It always does.

It seems like d owner has been watching a lot of videos on 'how to cut a dog's nail'. My nails got cut last Saturday and it didn't bleed. Pretty good, I guess, for a first-timer. And me with black nails. Apparently, it's easier to cut white nails because the kwik is more visible. And it was also my job to give her a hard time. haha...

Here is a few diagrams on dog's nails.

It also seems like d owner is determined to get all the books from the twilight series, starting with 'twilight'.

Oh, and have I mentioned...I'm bored out of my mind! Spending every waking second in a closed area (minus daily walks) can really drive a dog crazy. I've even taken to leaping outside the house, not just running. I'm dying to go for the next juble trek, but it looks like that won't be soon. NO! D owner said that the next time I'll be going for the juble trek is next month. Seems like d owner also can't wait to get out of the house. I wonder why...

Outdoor Dog

2008-09-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Let me clear this, I am not much of an indoor dog. Which is one of the reason why I still sleep outside.

Lately, I've taken to barking at what d owner thinks is nothing, but it's there all right. Also, the sound of a gate or footsteps must be accompanied by my ferocious barking. I am entilted to at least 10 barks per minute. And there are times where I sound like a hound.

I have also forgotten to mention that I have mastered the 'leave it' trick last month.

I can also add 2 more foods to my list of 'Vegetable I Like'. This includes
1. Broccoli

2. Potato

3. Carrot (except raw)

I am one of those dogs that just can't sit still for a second. I am bored most of the time, but you can trust me to not do much damage when left alone (that is, if that certain thing is out of my reach). I am more of a dog's dog than a people's dog. I'm even good with cats. I'm a cat's dog's dog, but I'm thankful not to have one attached to my rear end.

I love running, and a certain time I'll just go mad and running around for no apparent reason. But you know what would be simply amazing? To be able to run free in the jungle, without a worry in the world. Which, I hope to do once I'm trusted to go completely off-leash during the

jungle-trek.

The mutt and the jungle, a perfect match.

The outside supplies most of my 'outdoor dog' needs. Plenty of room for running around, and a big bowl of water at the ready. Plants and slippers aplenty for destroying'damagin and plenty of time to spare.

You know what? It's good being a mutt and living outside cause we hardly have to worry if we're gonna get stolen cause the probability of that happening is below 1%, although I'm not ruling out sleeping inside completely.

This is my definition of MUTT

M - Menace

U - Under

T - The

T - Table

We steal food that falls from above. Or, we just steal food.

7th Jungle Trek

2008-09-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

It appears during this jungle trek that I got promoted from the floor of the back seat to the seat in the car. And d owner was happy that I didn't get too scared or jump around, I just sat there, the obedient me.

I had 2 remarks from 2 people who said that I resemble a husky. I wanted to officially proclaim myself as a husky mix but d evil owner just laughed.

The mutt vs. The husky

As usual, d owner dropped my leash and I had the privilege of running around without being tugged every few seconds. To lure me back, d owner had some sausage with her. She called me very nicely first, but I chose to ignore her. Then she called me in a kind-of-angry tone and I still ignored her. Sausage doesn't equal to exploring this land off-leash.

But after a while though, I came back. I didn't go too far. D owner also came with her cousin and her friend and while we were at the stream, they walked far away from the group. When they were walking back, I couldn't recognise them and started barking at them and then I started backing off. D owner was scared that I would run away and the other trekkers helped to call me back. But I only backed off a few feet from the group. So for the rest of the way, I was on leash.

Halfway during the trek, it started raining and d owner started mumbling about how her mom is going to kill her. But who cares? This is fun! Since I was wet, I got demoted. I had to sit on the floor.

When we reached home, she gave me a shower and I smelled like apple (due to the apple shampoo). But she said, for some reason, I can't stay smelling like that for very long.

Can't wait for the next trek.

Turning 2

2008-09-08T16:57:00.001-07:00

It's not everyday that I get to turn 2, so eventually when I did on Monday, I was expecting a huge doggie birthday cake with new toys as a side dish. So much for that dream. I did however, get a new mat to sleep on, which I might add, is kind of small for me.

In this house, it's not a tradition to celebrate birthdays. When someone's birthday comes, all they shall get is a 'Happy Birthday' , not even a cake or a present! I thought standards could be changed for me, but apparently, I'm the mutt who doesn't deserve any cake. But I guess I should be happy that I even got a present, considering what happened on the jungle trek last Saturday, which I shall be posting about later.

I would also like to thank my buddy, Pacco for awarding me with my very first awards.

Here's to a better birthday next year. Cheers!

Marley & Me

2008-09-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this book. It's the most heartwarming and honest tale I've ever read about a man's portrayal of his dog.

When I was reading the book, I found a few similarities between Marley and Scotch.

Similarities

Marley
This dog wrecks things.

Scotch
This dog wrecks things, too. This includes, 5 towels, a comforter, 2 carpets, bicycle pedals and tyres, slippers, plants and most recently, a harness.

Marley
This dog got its teeth on the check chain while it was on the neck.

Scotch
This dog did exactly the same thing and it took me a while to help him get it off (now he's not wearing a check chain, but a collar)

Marley
This dog may have done a lot of unwanted things, but his owners still love him to death.

Scotch
This dog has an owner who feels exactly the same way.

6th Jungle Trek

2008-08-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

23/8/08

During this very jungle trek, I was able to let Scotch off-leash! Well, I didn't exactly let go of his leash, I just dropped it and let him run around.

At first, I suppose he didn't know I let go of his leash, so he stayed close to me. Then, once he knew, he started running around and playing with the other dogs. To lure him back to me, I used sausage, and he happily came.

I also asked him to 'sit' and 'down' and he did! He also did when the other trekkers asked him to! Next time, I should make him bark, that will really get him excited.

We also found this gorgeous mini water fall. If only I had a picture of it.

Damn.

Overall, there were no attempts from Scotch to run off into the unknown and leave me wondering where he went.

The good thing about him is that he tends to follow other dogs and not wander on his own. Only time will tell if he's still like this later.

I can't wait for the day where I would be able to let him fully off-leash.

I also bought him a new collar.

A Gold Medal for Scotch

2008-08-20T06:31:00.001-07:00

I am extremely happy to say that Scotch, the dog who was so scared of people that he would poop and pee if anyone came too close, has officially started barking at strangers! When I say strangers, I mean people who come to the gate, who linger there for a while to maybe put something in the mailbox.

But he won't bark at :

1. The postmen
2. People walking by
3. When I take him for a walk, he won't bark at anyone

He will only bark at people if they come to the gate.

At first, he will lower his head, his tail will be down (but not between his legs) and he will start growling. If they don't go away, he will start barking. Not the same bark he uses during playtime. This time, it's a very deep and loud bark. If you couldn't see him, you would think he's a big, fierce dog.

But, he will still poop and pee when he gets too scared.

Anyhow, I, Nadia, the proud owner of Scotch, am delighted to present Scotch with a gold medal for the show of bravery. May his success inspire us all.

Congratulations, Scotch

You very much deserved it.

Scotch's Behaviour, Wall-E

2008-08-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I went to watch Wall-E today. Went for the 11 o'clock show. Came back at 2a.m.

In my opinion, it was really an awesome show. My rating : 4 over 5. A definite B+ or A-. I would definitely watch it again.

Anyway, I went to watch with my cousin, and she came to my house. The moment Scotch saw her, he started barking! I really couldn't believe it. He was barking and his tail wasn't between his legs. They were high up in the air. He didn't go to gate though, he just was running around inside the house and barking.

And his bark was really deep, he sounded like a different dog. I'm so proud of him. Maybe this is improvement.

Way to go, Scotch!

On Dogathon 2008

2008-08-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this year's Dogathon because my mum did not know the way and probably because she didn't want to take me. :)

Maybe next year.

Scotch's Training

2008-08-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Scotch is getting better at recall. All I have to do is call him in the most idiotic fashion and he will come, tail waging. Definitely a good sign.

Scotch officially knows how to 'take' now. But he doesn't know how to 'hold' yet.

I've changed the command 'bow' to 'take a bow' because 'bow' sounds too much like 'down'. I don't want to confuse him. He seems to understand it better now.

Scotch can also do 'up' now. All you have to do is put your hand up high, say 'up' and he will stand on his two hind legs. And he can stand pretty long. Not bad.....

At home, Scotch can do 'high-five' , 'bark' , 'up' and sometimes 'sit' and 'down' without treats now.

But for the ones where he still needs treats, like the weaving between the legs and bow, I'll just hide the treat. I won't show it to him. After he does it, I'll praise him and give him the treat.

I'm also making a habit of just calling him randomly and giving him a treat when he comes. So the next time he hears 'come' , he'll think of food and come running.

And I wanted to say this just for fun : Scotch loves broccoli. Seriously.

I'll be going for the Dogathon this Sunday. I'll be taking part in the race. Hope to see everyone there!

5th Jungle Trek

2008-08-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the most exciting treks took place last Saturday. The most obvious reason it was so fun was because there lots of dogs there. Maybe more than 10. Scotch was really happy, happier than usual during treks. His tail was so high up and he got so excited everytime a dog passed him. I think he would play with them if I let him off-leash. But I'm not going to take the risk just yet. He might just run away.

But I do plan to let him completely off-leash before next year ends.

At the stream, there is a part of water that is quite deep, for a medium-sized dog, it is up until their knees. For the dogs who love water, they will actually sit there, so their whole body will get wet. Scotch usually avoids that place. But on that day, he stood there, water right up to his knees, for a couple of seconds! Definitely a milestone. Now I just wonder if he can swim.

Both Scotch and I are looking forward to the next trek.

I got Tagged

2008-08-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

I got tagged to play the Name Game by The Weeze.

What is your name?
Nadia

If you could change your name, what would it be?
Maybe something like, Ada.

What is your pet's name?
Scotch

If you could change your pet's name, what would it be?
I like his name. But most probably to Razor.

What are your brother and/or sister's name/s?
Natasha

If you could change their names, what would they be?
Stupid annoying but sometimes can be really nice older sister. :)

Aargh!

2008-07-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Scotch is driving me c r a z y ( and I emphasise that word)

Here's my problem :

1. After eating his dinner, he will run around the house non-stop! I try to catch him but he's too fast! I mean, right after he eats he runs at that speed and yet, he never vomits. This is something I like to call 'crazy mode', something which always happens at night, every night.

Although, sometimes he chooses to run pre-dinner and post-dinner.

Pictures below are from the previous videos.

The high-five trick

I particularly like how his tail looks in this one.

Started on BARF, Recipes

2008-07-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Scotch had his first taste of raw meat on Friday. I gave him a bit of chicken fillet and he loved it. Over the weekend, I gave Scotch chicken thigh's for both breakfast and dinner and he just whacked it up. He was completely fine the next day. Which is a good thing.

However, I don't intent on giving him raw food for the rest of his life. I plan to alternate and give raw food on weekends.

So, here's the plan. One day would be home-cooked food and the next day would be kibbles. Then home-cooked food again and then kibbles, you get the idea. Then on the weekend, he will get raw food.

I'm starting a list of what to buy for Scotch for the home-cooked food. So far, I've only managed to compile 2 things.

1. Brown rice(smallest pack) - RM5.20
2. Broccoli - RM1.30

I won't be giving him brown rice everyday. Maybe just once a week. These are the home-cooked recipes I managed to find.

this one below is a large batch of food which need to divided into serving sizes.

Homemade Diet
1 lb ground meat, browned and drained of fat
1 potato, cooked and mashed
2 c cooked whole grain brown rice
1/2 c cooked oatmeal
1/2 c cooked barley
1/2 c grated raw carrots
1/c c grated raw green veggies (broccoli, green beans..)
2 T olive oil
2 T minced garlic

Jack's Chicken and Rice

450g chicken mince
1 cup of rice (preferably brown)
1 large carrot
1 courgette
1 tsp Marmite or other yeast extract

Boil the rice in a large pan of water according to the instructions on the packet. While this is bubbling away, grate the veg as finely as you can and leave to one side.

Then warm up a large saucepan and add the chicken mince. Fry it over a gentle heat for 5-7 minutes until it is cooked through and brown on the outside. You shouldn’t need to add any oil as there is plenty of fat in the mince.

When the rice is almost cooked (1-2 minutes away), drop the grated veg into the water and let it simmer until the rice is done. This makes the veg much more digestible, without losing all of its goodness.

Then drain away the water, and pour the cooked rice and veg into the saucepan with the turkey in. Mix in the Marmite and stir all the ingredients together.

Allow the mixture to cool and serve with a few of your dogs normal dried kibbles to add a bit of crunchy texture.

Meaty Parsnip Mash

250g stewing steak, diced *
1 teaspoon oil
A couple of medium potatoes (around 350g)
A couple of parsnips (around 200g)
A carrot
½ teaspoon Marmite
100g grated cheddar cheese

* I like to use the toughest steak I can find for this recipe. Dogs love chewing their food, and it helps keep their teeth clean as well. Just watch your own teeth if you try a bit!

The first step is to get a big pan of water on to boil while you chop up all the veg. Wash them to get rid of any nasty chemicals, but don’t peel them as this removes a lot of the goodness. Put all of the veg in together and let it simmer for about 15 minutes – until it’s all quite soft.

Meanwhile, fry up the diced steak in the oil. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way through – dogs love rare meat.

When the veg is done, drain off the water and set about it with a masher until you’ve got a thick mash in the pan. Then mix in the Marmite, cheese and fried steak. Mix it all together and then let it cool. Serve on it’s own or mixed in with some dried biscuits.

Dog Food Recipes below is courtesy of I-Love-Dogs.com

Akita Style Lamb & Rice

1lb ground lamb (beef if you wish)
1-2 cups brown rice
2 stalks Broccoli
2 or 3 medium potatoes
3 medium carrots
1 sheet kombi, Sea Kelp (optional)

Brown lamb in a fry pan. Boil water, put about 4-5 cups into a crock pot, so it is already hot while you are fixing the rest of the ingredients. Add cubed potatoes to the fry pan. Cut broccoli and add this to the crock. Put the rest of the works in the pot, add enough hot water to cover. Add pepper to taste. Throw in 1/2 cup brown rice and mix.

Pasta Hash Supreme

2 lbs pasta (The shapely kind has more texture)
2 lbs brown rice
32 oz Cottage cheese
1 package chicken leg quarters
1 lb chicken liver
1 lb Mixed veggies (No corn, it just comes out the other end undigested so why waste the money)
Garlic
Italian seasoning

Place liver and rice in pot with 2-3 cloves of garlic add water in a 2-1 ratio (2 cups water to 1 cup rice). bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook for 40 min. Season chicken with spices and bake in oven at 400 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours. Or till a little crispy.

After chicken is done. Boil water in a large pot add pasta. Cook 8-10 Min. Dump rice and liver mix into a large container( it will need to be big enough to mix all the ingredients together. Large tupperware works great). Place frozen veggies in colander. Drain pasta over veggies.

Debone chicken add to rice mix. Add pasta mix. Add cottage cheese. Stir well. Serve mixed with a little kibble or just by itself.

Caution this can be a little messy with the rice kernels and cottage cheese. serve in a place that can be easily cleaned up after the pig out session. Save chicken bones and boil with a pot full of water until 1/4 of the water remains. This makes a great broth for the next time you make the rice mix just substitute 1/2 the water for this rich broth. The dogs really love it.

Rest assured this won't be the last you'll see so many recipes in one post.

Trick, Video Games and Oven

2008-07-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Everything around here has been pretty boring. Even Scotch got so bored he bit my school shoe (yes, there's a hole in it now). One thing I can say is that I'm trying to teach Scotch how to 'hold'. But I'm making him learn 'take' first. And I think I'm going to try BARF with him, but my mum dissaproves.

So, hooray to video games. These 2 are, in my opinion, the best 3rd person shooter games I know. Unless I'm extremely outdated.

Oni. This is a really old game. You won't find it in shops anymore. But you can always download it.

Resident Evil 4

I think the oven just got repaired. I think I'll make some treats for Scotch. Anyone up for some Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits?

1 ½ cups water
½ cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.

First of all, I've got to figure out how many celcius degrees is 400 Farenheit.

A Little Nip

2008-07-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone noticed this, but a few posts back, the one with all the tricks video, if you see the 'paw' trick, you can see that Scotch sort of bit my hand.

Here's a picture.

teehee!

As you can see, my hand is in his mouth.

Scotch Day!

2008-07-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

14 July 2008

Last year, on the 14th of July 2007, was the happiest day of my life.

Why?

Because that's when I got Scotch.

Monday marks one year of having him. Time sure does fly. It's as if only yesterday I went to Ikano to get him.

That's a lie. Time has moved quite slow since I got him. Haha. Time sure doesn't fly.

Scotch had lots of chicken with rice for dinner. Who in the world could say he didn't enjoy it?

Purina ONE

2008-07-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

I signed up Scotch for the Purina ONE 30-Day Performance Challenge a few days ago. I got the starter kit in the mail yesterday. I get an RM12 discount on any Purina ONE food. I'll be buying it today.

I still haven't choosed between Lamb & Rice or Chicken & Rice.

Three Cheers For Learning A New Trick

2008-07-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

Scotch now knows how to 'bark' on command. I'll ask him to sit. Then I'll say 'bark' and he'll go down and up again and then bark. Scotch is a very strange dog.

Night Devil

2008-07-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

At night, Scotch tends to go mad. He'll start barking and running around the house like a mad dog. Thus, created is his name, Night Devil.

For most of the day, Scotch will be inside the house. And at night, he'll start running up and down the stairs. I'm trying to stop him from doing this, because I'm scared he might fall down. Currently, a chair is there to block his way from the stairs.

I can't believe he likes running up and down the stairs. Maybe that's why he likes going uphill at Gasing Hill so much.

The only good that comes out of this is that you finally get to hear him bark. But it's much louder in person.

Kibble Talk

2008-07-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

Scotch is currently on Alpo 2-in-1, the one where you can pour water inside and a gravy will be formed.

I bought the small pack, which could last the most at 3 days. But it only cost me RM2.06.

The reason I bought this is to have something to fall back on when he doesn't finish the kibbles. And when he doesn't finish, I can just pour water in it to make a gravy and he'll eat it all up.

I read in the puppy.com forum that taking the food away when your dog doesn't eat/finish it and only giving it to them during the next meal time, will teach them a lesson.

But Scotch is a thin dog. And depriving him of food, even to teach him a lesson, will only make him thinner.

So I found this alternative. I know that brans like Alpo and pedigree are not good for them in the long run, but I'm just giving this to him once in a while.

It was strange, when I first gave him the kibbles, he ate most of it up immediately. I have a feeling that he got sick of all the soft food (like rice) and wanted to eat something hard. And the leftovers, I put a bit of water in to make a gravy and he ate it all up.

I'm planning on changing his kibbles. I would really like to try Blackwood.

Or NutriEdge. But I haven't decided between Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice. And if it's Chicken & Rice, I'll get him Stage 2.

But if all that kibbles start costing a fortune, he'll be back to plain but good ol' Eukanuba Lamb & Rice.

Malaysia Dog Olympic Day

2008-07-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

29/6/2008

This is the first dog event that I took Scotch. I had previously gone to the Pet World Exhibition in Mid Valley bit I didn't take him.

I couldn't take part in the race because I came late, around 10.40a.m. That was when the agility trials were about to end. And I really wanted to watch it. But I did manage to watch 2 or 3 dogs do the obstacles.I only recognized 2 of the dogs, Amber-Mae and Pacco.

After that, I saw the police dogs demonstration. it was so nice to watch it. And how obedient those dogs were. Completely focused. They could even jump through a hoop of flames.

Scotch, as usual, was great with the dogs but he was very scared of the people. And there were A LOT of people there.

I left just before the 'Incredible Dog Hurdle Race' started because my mum wanted to go back. I wanted to watch that too, but, oh well.

Overall, a very nice day. I wouldn't say that Scotch felt the same way, but hey, this is the first step to getting him socialized.

Jungle Trek

2008-06-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

28/6/2008

Met 2 new friends today, Chocolate and Sahara. I remembered seeing Chocolate in this adoption ad :

And once again, Scotch was the only dog there on leash. I wonder when I'll be able to let him off-leash.

After the trek, I had a lot of time left to kill since my mum finishes work at 1.00pm. So me and my cousin went to this lane between 2 houses and let go of Scotch's leash, to see if he would listen when he's off-leash.

I stood at one end and my cousin stood at the other end. My cousin was holding him. Then she just let go off his leash and I called him. He didn't come running, but he did walk my way. Well, at least he listens to me.

Turns out we didn't have to wait for my mum, cause my uncle came and picked us up.

At my uncle's house,I managed to show them his tricks. He also got bolder and started barking. Then he played with me. He also attempted to bite my cousin's hand, playfully.

After he barked, Georgette got scared of him and kept eyeing him.

Fancy Scotch making a princess scared.

And guess what? I'm just RM60 short of enrolling Sotch for agility. I plan to enroll him before the year ends.

Food, Food and More Food

2008-06-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I was in a mood to give Scotch lots of yummy food.

On Wednesday, for breakfast, (even though he only eats once a day) I gave him :

1. One mashed sausage
2. Lots of rice
3. One tablespoon of oats
4. Kibbles

He gobbled everything down, except the kibbles of course, which had to be thrown away because there were lots of ants on it.
To make up for that, I gave him some kibbles before dinner, which suprisingly he ate.

For dinner, I gave him :

1. Chicken
2. Lots of rice
3. One tablespoon of oats

He gobbled all of that down in less than 3 minutes.
After his dinner, I gave him a bit more kibbles just to make sure he will still eat it.

And today, on Thursday, for breakfast I gave him some porridge. Just plain rice and water. And broccoli. And I'm happy to say that he ate it all up, even the broccoli.

So tonight, he'll be back to plain old kibbles. :)

Wouldn't you think after all that food, he would have gotten fatter? Well, not Scotch. I can still see his bones. Maybe he's just a naturally thin dog.

The Malaysia Dog Olympic Day is this Sunday! Time to put on those shoes and start running.

A Rare Treat

2008-06-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here I thought the week would go by and there would be nothing much to talk about, much less to blog about. I couldn't go jungle-trekking because my cousin was busy with her work. And there isn't really much to do at home, other than laze around and do nothing, which I'm pretty sure even Scotch finds boring.

So my sister finally agreed take pictures and videos of him on her webcam, which is the reason why all the pictures are blur. Sorry about that.

Here's a video of him doing the weaving.

Here's a video of him doing 'paw'.

Here's a video of him doing 'bow'.

Just a random video

Another random video

So here we are the end. I really hope that the videos weren't so bad. Have a great week!

New Tricks on the Tray

2008-06-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

A busy weekend, trying to teach Scotch some new tricks. Here are the ones I manage to teach him during the weekend.

1. High-five (but must say 'paw' for him to do it)
2. Bow
3. Weaving between the legs (saw some videos of this on YouTube)

Number 3 was the hardest, I think. He couldn't figure out where to start and where to continue. I actually started teaching him this on Thursday, but on Sunday, it was perfected. He can weave in and out, but still needs some hand direction. And food.

Yeah, the only downside to this is he will only do it for food, even if it's hidden. Which is good, so I don't have to show the food to him while I do it.

I'll try and get some pictures of his new tricks soon. Hopefully.

New Command Taught

2008-06-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

I taught Scotch how to do 'paw' a few days back. He picked it up very fast. In less than 5 minutes, he managed to do it again and again, even without food. It's not 'high-five'. I just make my hand into a fist and put in front of him and he automatically puts his paw there.

I must try during jungle-trekking, see if he does it when other people are around. I also want to see if he does it with other people. Should be interesting......

So now he can do these commands:
1. Sit
2. Down
3. Stay(not for a long time)
4. Paw

I'm also going to start teaching him a few tricks. I would love some suggestions.

I entered his photo for a contest on malaysiadogclub.com. It's called My Dog Loves To Sleep. That doesn't really apply to him. More like, my dog loves to run around and act like a crazy mutt that he is. Anyway,this is the photo I submitted.

You can still enter this contest. Click here to submit a photo of your dog sleeping or to look at the other dogs sleeping.

3rd Jungle-trekking

2008-06-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is the third time I'm going jungle-trekking. But this time I went with my other cousin, Andrea and Aunty Ros. There were a lot of dogs there. Which made the trek even more better. I didn't feel so tired. I managed to walk uphill without stopping.

Scotch also improved this time. He actually ate what they gave him and he also drank some water. This is the first time I'm seeing Golden Retrievers on the trek. It was really fun.

Wanted to join them for breakfast, but my mum said no. Grrrrr..... I'll go with them next time when she's working.

Overall, it was a great day. Except for that one thing. Can't wait to go again.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to post. It's terrible not having a camera.

Pet Safari at Ikano

2008-06-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

29/5/2008

My mum finally took me to Ikano on Thursday after weeks of begging. It's a good thing that it's the holidays. But my mum had to take a day off from work, though.

I had a good look around before buying anything. The shop was so big and there was a lot of looking to be done. I didn't take very long, though. I think just over an hour, maybe even less.

In the end, I, or should I say my mum, bought 3 things for Scotch:

1.Blackwood Adult Dog Treats -RM13.80
2.Dogit Cotton Tug Toy -RM9.70
3.Value Pack Munchies -RM10.90
4.Burp!Beef & Cheese 100g -comes free with Value Pack Munchies
Total -RM34.40

I also passed the training area. there was a couple of dogs there, but I think they were doing obedience training cause there was no equipment anywhere. The lady kept asking the dog to stay, but the dog started barking and ran to her.

I also saw all the puppies on sale. Most of them were sleeping and there were only 2 beagle puppies who were awake and playing with each other. There was also a Shetland Sheepdog puppy on sale. it was so small and had a very sharp face. According to them, it's highly intelligent and rare.

Would have loved to have that dog. But never buy! Adopt, adopt, adopt! It's much cheaper too. I got Scotch for free.

Scotch is loving his toy and treats. And so far, he has succesfully torn some thread out from the toy. Which he left on the carpet, for me to clean. Thank you very much, Scotch! He also loves the treats.

I'm using the treats now so he will jump over the poles. And he's getting much better, I dare say. I want to enroll him for agility training, but it's RM200! I don't have that type of money. Will anyone offer me a job? (btw ; I'm 14)

While I'm on my quest to find more money, I'm thinking about setting up some weave poles to practise. Thanks Pacco for the weave recipe!

I'm also planning to take Scotch to the Malaysia Dog Olympic Day and also the Dogathon. I hope we'll come home with at least one prize. We'll be taking part in the race.

Scotch's Official Barkday Date

2008-05-27T09:14:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for some time now, but I was just too lazy. hehe.....

Anyway, when I got Scotch on 14 July 2007, they told me he was 11 months then. So I did some calculations ( btw ; I hate maths, so this was a real torture) and found out that he was born on September 2006. I don't know the exact date. So my mum suggested using 8 September, since 8 is a lucky number. So now, we shall celebrate his birthday on 8 September. But since this year it falls on a Monday, we will be celebrating on 7th, Sunday. We might even have a party, hopefully.

Can you imagine Scotch wearing this :

Well, the first thing he would do is tear is off. So no way will he be wearing that.

I also bought Scotch some tennis balls for him to play with. At first, of course he was scared of him. But now he's fine. He loves it. He can even catch it while I'm throwing it, but he can only catch if I throw it to his face. Every time he sees the ball, he jumps on me and tries to get the ball.

I might also be going to Ikano this week and getting him a new toy and some biscuits. And I have to change his food. I'm giving him Eukanuba Lamb & Rice now. He kind of hates it. Maybe I'll try Blackwood. What do you think?

This is how the tennis ball looks like. I got this picture from the internet, by the way. But the ball I got had a word on it. It says TIGER.

Scotch.....the agility dog?

2008-05-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

I've started training Scotch agility some time back. I went to many sites and got lots of information. The poles I train him with are currently at 22 inches. At this height, I still have to use food to coax him. But if it's lower, say 16 inches, he will jump.With or without food.

Since he's scared of people, I really don't know how he will react when I take him to a training ground. He will most probably refuse to do anything and just stand there, frozen to the spot. But after a while, once he's ok with everything, I have a pretty good feeling he will do the jumps for me. But I will use treats, doesn't matter if it's low or not.

Hopefully, in the next 5 years, you'll see Scotch as an award winning agility mutt. Haha, I wish. But seriously, though, I really want that to happen.

A Day With Tito and Georgette

2008-05-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after the trek, I went to my cousin's house. She has 2 dogs, Tito and Georgette. They are both Japanese Spitz and they are 14. Like me. : ) Georgette kept on barking at Scotch, I think it's because he wasn't giving her a reaction. He was just sitting there. Not even one sound. I'm suprised Tito didn't bark at him. They both actually got along well. And after a while, Georgette calmed down and sat down. The pictures below are courtesy of my cousin. Thanks Rachel!

Scotch with Georgette

'Fierce' pose?

Me and Scotch. I look like I'm going to die.

Mr. Busybody

My mum said his head is too big for his body in this picture.

Another fierce pose.

Dozing off.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

This is Tito

Georgette and Scotch.

Georgette, Scotch and Tito

Scotch and Tito

Tito

The 2 hooligans. : ) Me and my cousin.

Scotch with Tito.

Jungle-trekking at Gasing Hill

2008-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

19 May 2008

This is the second time I'm going to Gasing Hill. The first time I went was on May 1st. Labour Day. Today is Wesak Day. I'm always going on a public holiday. Never a Saturday, well, not yet. : )

Only Pacco was there cause everyone else went on holiday. I don't have any pictures cause my cousin didn't bring her camera along. Maybe next time.

I can't wait to go again.

Scotch, the crazy mutt

2008-05-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hi, just to clear it up with everyone, my name is Nadia. I have a dog, Scotch. He is a neutered 1 year 8 month mongrel. I got him from the Independent Pet Rescuers on July 2006. He was 11 months then.This is the ad I saw him from :

Monday, July 09, 2007

Please Come Forward To Help

posted by Sherrina K, Founding Member at 8:44 AM 0 comments

He's the dog in picture 2. This was another picture of him on the website:

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Desperately Looking For A Home! Please Help.

posted by Sherrina K, Founding Member at 1:55 PM 0 comments

Yes, I am aware that it says his name is Musky there, but when I went to Ikano ( to get him, just outside Pet Safari)and the lady said he had no name. So I took the liberty to name him myself. There was another dog there, Bill :

Bill was the hyper, friendlier one. He kept jumping on the lady when she was trying to take Scotch. Scotch, on the other hand, was sitting in the corner. Even when the lady, took the leash, he pulled and didn't want to come out. He look really scared. But after she took him out, I just walked with him around Ikano and he was ok. The lady gave me his leash(his current chain one), two bowls and a packet of dog food.Then, it was time to go. And he didn't want to leave. I kind of had to pull him. And then I got told off by the security guard for bringing the dog into the shopping mall. hehe.....

When we finally reached home at night, the first thing I did was tear the dog food packet and give him some, but he didn't want to eat. I think he just ate one piece (if that's what you call it.)

The next day, my sister went out and said she can't see him. Then she said he was hiding near some plants, to be hidden i guess. Then it started to rain and he still stayed there. My sister had to take the leash and coax him out and got wet in the process.

Yes, those were the days when he was so scared he didn't even want to come out when it started raining. Just see now, barking and biting like mad. Although, he is still scared of people. My slipper has become his own personal chew toy and so has my bicycle paddle (which, by the way, he tore it all up) eventhough I bought him his own toy. Next : a new collar and leash.