Remembering Sweet Emma

My friend in Romania, Emma, a four month old golden retriever crossed the bridge today at 8pm. Emma fought hard against the distemper virus and passed on with so much dignity and grace. She even waited for her dad to come home to say her goodbye.

Rest in peace, sweet Emma, you will be missed!

I am Going to School!

For those who have missed me, I am so sorry for not updating you on my adventures. The rain has finally stopped and I am out and about in the sun! I have many stories to share with you all, but let me first start by telling you that I have just enrolled in the “Doctor Dog” program and I will be starting school in the middle of the month.

The Taiwan Dr. Dog (台灣狗醫生) program was first established in 1999 by Ms Shirley Chen with the help from Animals Asia Foundation in Hong Kong. It provides visiting services for the elderly, mentally challenged patients as well as physically challenged or autistic children.

Here are some information I got from the Dr. Dog website.

The two goals of Taiwan Dr. Dog are:

• To provide those in need with social contacts, motivation to regain physical strength, aids to therapy sessions and opportunities to connect with man's best friends, our pet dogs.
• To educate the society as a whole to recognize the significance of animal companions to men and to show respect for any living life by promoting animal rights and animal welfare, and hence helping to resolve the stray animal problems.
  

Studies have shown that keeping close contacts with animals brings many positive physical and psychological effects. British and Australian studies have also shown that animal-assisted therapy can help patients to temporarily forget their suffering, relieve their feeling of loneliness, and improve their confidence.

All dogs must go through a strict screening and vigorous training process to become a Dr. Dog. They have to pass the health and hygiene examination, obedience training evaluation and the “Dr. Dog Screening Test” which is a therapy dog screening test adopted from the Delta Society.

The Screening Test focuses on testing the dog's overall stability in all conditions as well as how the dog behaves around other dogs and people. After the dogs pass all the screening tests, their owners are required to finish therapy dog handler workshops and hands-on practical training before the owner-dog teams are certified as Dr. Dog team volunteers.

The obedience training comes in 3 stages, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. It sounds a lot like the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) classes that my friends in The States go to. The entire process takes about four months and I heard that the passing rate is very low, but I promise I will put my best paw forward. I have heard many amazing and heart warming stories about Dr. Dogs at work and I will be sharing more about the program once I start school, so watch this space!

If you are interested in volunteering for a good cause and sharing the joy of your dog with others, I urge you to sign up for a similar therapy dog program in your country, I am sure you will find it very rewarding. Here is a picture of the future "Dr. Dino". Hee Hee!

Out and About Today

It looked like a nice day for a walk today and mom decided to go out and get some yummy buns from Mr. Baoz. We passed by the Taipei 101 and of course, we had to stop for a little photo shoot. :D



When we arrived at Mr. Baoz, there was an outdoor seating area and Mom ordered a Viennese Cheese Baoz and a cappuccino. Shortly, we were joined by Mimi, a 3 year old yellow lab. He has the cutest face and we sat there for a while getting to know each other.



Before we leave, mom ordered a box of buns to bring home. These are the best looking buns I have ever seen! Mom gave me a little to sample and it got my paws of approval!



It started to drizzle when we were heading home, so we dropped by a pet store to pick up a raincoat for me. It has been raining everyday for the last one month, so this is going to come in useful.





Our afternoon outing took about 3 hours and we were exhausted when we reached home, but it was good to be out and about for a little sunshine.

I am a Model!

Here's me posing with my Mon Ami accessories as featured on their Patron Pups page. Do you think I have the makings for a Dog Model?

I am TWO!!!

I am two years old today!!! I received many birthday wishes from my friends. Here are some wonderful photos my friends at The Gold Post sent. :D They are all so adorable!


Augie & Ti



Ben


Katie


Parker

Home Made Frosty Paws for Me!

Mom got the Frosty Paw recipe from her friends and decided to make some for me, I have never tried any cold treats before and I must say they are refreshingly yummy! Two paws up for Mommy! This is her first attempt:



And here's another variation with fresh steamed pumpkin instead of bananas.





It is really easy making these treats, here is the basic recipe to share:

Frosty Paws Recipe
1 32 oz. plain yogurt
2 mashed bananas
2 Teaspoon honey
2 Teaspoon peanut butter

Just blend everything together, pour into containers and freeze. Mom used jelly molds to get those cute fancy shapes.

A Man and His Best Friend

On one of my walks at the Da-an Forest Park, I chanced upon a visually impaired man and his guide dog. He is Mr Li Zheng Zhong (李政忠) and his Guide dog, a 7 year old yellow lab by the name of Turk sits patiently by his side while he performs beautiful melodies on a round flute made of clay (陶笛). They belong to the Taiwan Guide Dog Association and with the help of Turk, they move around the city to give performances to the public.



Taiwan currently has about 50,000 visually impaired people, but there are only about 20 qualified guide dogs.

Guide dogs work in very demanding situations, they are the eyes of their owners and their owner’s safety depends on the dog’s concentration.

If you see a guide dog working, please do not pet him, talk to him or distract him with food.



Mr Li has a blog where he details his music and his adventures with Turk, click on the following link: http://blog.yam.com/turk1123

It was a joy to watch both of them at work and experience their mutual love and trust. The music is awesome too! Watch the following clip to enjoy his music.

A Tour of the National Taiwan University

The National Taiwan University (國立臺灣大學) is considered the best and most prestigious university in Taiwan. The locals usually refer it as TáiDà (臺大).

The main campus has an area of 108.6167 hectares and visitors are welcomed to join their free guided tour, but bookings must be made 2 weeks in advance.



Address: No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Ta-An District 106, Taipei, Taiwan (臺北市羅斯福路四段一號)
Telephone: + 886 (02) 33663366

I have spent many afternoons with Mommy walking down the lovely avenue of royal palms that leads to the library and around the Drunken Moon Lake.

Now, let me take you on a tour of this beautiful campus with this video clip, it is definitely worth a visit!

Dad and Mom's visit to Animals Taiwan

Animals Taiwan is a volunteer group dedicated to improving the livelihood and treatment of animals in Taiwan. They have about 60 dogs and more than 10 cats in their facility which is located in Shilin.

Here is a video of Dad and Mom's visit:



It is great to know that there are people out there who put in their time and energy to help our furry friends. Supporting them can come in many ways, you can make a donation, sponsor an animal or donate items to their Sunday Flea Market at Grandma's Nitti. You can also sign up as a volunteer at the facility or help out at the Flea Market or Charity Bazaar. You can also take the dogs out for a walk at a nearby park, or better still, adopt one of them! Find out more at their website which also has a lot of information on pet ownership.

Make a difference today, help our furry friends in need.

Boarding at Liza's

Dad and Mom had to travel for a week and so I went to stay with Liza who lives in a big house in the mountains with her 5 dogs and 2 cats, all of them were former rescues. Liza has a front and back garden where I can have free roam which is a lot better than having to be caged up in a kennel. Best of all, I got to play with her 5 dogs all day long. I also go for walks together with Liza and her dogs every morning. Thank you Liza so much for taking such good care of me during my stay. Here is a short clip of Liza's wonderful home.