I Am Back With Both Great And Sad News..

[Jase]

Thanks guys

So now he's here! We picked him up 3 days ago in Helsinki. A friend of the breeder was kind enough to take him with her at the same time as she was taking her dogs to the World Dog Show here  Saved us quite a bit of money lol.

Here's a picture of us the day we got him

In the evening we went to the lake nearby, he really loves water

We have decided to call him Ronin, like the Japanese pronunciation but with a rolling rr   my boyfriend randomly suggested it and I think it fits him so we went for it lol

 

 

 

Good name that   Beautiful boy

[Maz51]

So glad to read you ARE moving forward and healing. I've not long lost the last two of nearly 20 Westies - rescued, or bred by me. Everyone leaves their mark. My pups are still going strong in their new homes.

I'm new to this site too (joined yesterday).

The 'bond' you mention is almost psychic.

I grew up in the far east: over a couple hundred strays rescued in eight/nine years (my mum was a real animal lover & and it was ingrained in us that they (animals) eat first before we do).

Never less than 14 dogs on a 5,000 chicken farm (she introduced new stock into the country where inbred chickens were not developing - 1960's.)

As a white woman this was unheard of. Mum also started the emancipation of the local women to start driving, when she drove her landrover into town; they all went off and got their licences!

We also had the first of 48 orphaned orangutans over 8 years; and clouded leopards, otters, anteaters, gibbons, macaques, honeybears, wildmouse-deer (broken leg - healed and re-released), Mum did turkey farming and pigs too.

Took on an African Grey, (owner died - left him to us), a Mynah bird Philipino parrot & a heron with broken wing. 'Itsy-bitsy' was with us three years. When released from the farm, she returned with her mate and stayEd close by. My baby bats did the same after picked off the floor from the Gamantong caves on a visit. I kept them a couple of weeks on dropper feeds; once they could fly they were off!

Unusual greeting every home coming at night being bomb-dived by my 'babies'! Not appreciated by some visitors/guests though.

Cats & kittens too - lived further away up with our labourers and kept rat populace down in feed store.

Never short of eggs (3,500 (hand sorted (one of my chores) a day) and Lactose powdered milk provided good nutrient for all !

Mum pictured : (RIP 25.12.99) with her own pet lion cub in Denmark - she was 18 and next with our first ape Winnie in 1957/8 in North Borneo. Mum helped to set up the Sepilok sanctuary / rehabilitation centre. Winnie was given to us as she was No 1 and survived at a few weeks dysentery, #skull and Sprue (another intestinal bug). At age eight mum wanted to give her a chance to go back into the wild. Sadly she died after poor food management on site (we'd deliberately stayed away to let her get into the jungle but use base camp at night) and dashed back to see her after reports that Winnie and others were not doing so well. Winnie came back to the farm and died in Mum's arms. It was malnutrition- the workers were being paid so little they were taking the food supply to feed their own families leaving condemned tins of sweetened condensed milk for the young orangutans. My mother raised merry hell and won a fair pay packet. I think only Winnie died but it was an awful time. I was 14 then.

We had never less than fourteen orphans. Bedtime was a ritual of cuddles, tuckin's and kisses! I also had an old pony (rescued) and a young early retired racehorse from Ireland / Singapore (fetlock damaged due to flat feet) to see to amongst the rest of the menagerie.

Other pic :Family snap/group when I was small with younger brother, family my father (RIP 5.04.2009) and Orangs off to a beach by launch & older sister in centre with Winnie.

The puc with huge landslip was when we were in the Sandakan Company house (Dad was MD) and apes, gibbons, otters, birds, bears .... most went down as their cages were outside under cover. They all survived... scrambled back up to us and the house; shaking and wanting comfort. Mum piled them ALL (loose) into the station wagon (rear seats down) with towels and comfort wraps and drove the 7.5 miles to to farm into new emergency constructed accommodation. The labourers worked fast!

(Mum paid all her staff more than anyone else out there and provided medical cover for them and their families).

There wasn't a peep or an argument from any of the stricken animals.

It wasn't until after she realised what she'd done that it could have been quite a different outcome on that journey!

We handled all our pets. (Leopards not there then).

We had an incredibly close affinity with all our 'rescues'.

In the early days many went off to zoos; mum then fought to re-habilitate as many rescues as possible and the clouded leapards (who came at three weeks as orphans and were bottle fed - but not 'petted' as they were planned to be released after a few months. They were finally successfully released aged two, way out in a non human inhabited area. Beautiful but scary - huge teeth!

I've been told I must write a book.

[Maz51]

After that I MEANT to say my bond with my Chester is unique. Even with my beloved Boxers 30++ years ago I have never had anything quite like this with a canine. We are incredibly close.