.Brownie.

2 months ago, roughly during the end of the month of March 2012, my good friend *Samantha and I have been feeding and caring for the strays around the Senadin area near campus. If you are one of the students or individuals who frequent the commercial area called "DPS" to get food then you'd stumble upon many many many stray dogs and cats. *Sam and I have been eyeing the dogs for the longest time in order to capture and spay or neuter them to control the population of these stray dogs around that area. The act of spaying or neutering can be defined as:

• Spaying = Surgically removing both ovaries and uterus in female dogs and cats whereby they won't be able to produce offspring.
• Neutering = Surgically removing both testicles in male dogs whereby they won't be able to  produce offspring.

- Veterinary Q & A: Spay Operation in Dogs and Cats by Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM, About.com Guide, n.d.

Yes, you can debate on how right or wrong our actions might seem to you and your brain; personal opinions are welcome. The exchange of heated arguments can wait because I am here to tell you stories, not run for presidency... LOL :)

Like I was saying, Sam and I have been feeding the dogs in DPS and have been eyeing some of them for a long time. One of them happened to be someone's dog... Or not... I wasn't sure. But I have known that dog for 2 years (since I started studying in Curtin) and his name (according to my previous semester classmate) is Brownie. It was apparent that the adorable, stubby, short and long-bodied stray dog has been through a lot because during that period of time, he had a humongous patch of scab on the left side of his body and he had numerous skin problems going on all over his fur. The big scab can mean that somebody either poured hot water on him or he accidentally came into contact with a running motorcycle exhaust pipe.

So I finally got to capture him and took him in and that was in early April. First thing we did was that we brought him to the vet and gave him several injections for his various skin conditions. He was a very brave boy and deep down inside I know that he appreciates what we're trying to do to help him because he's been obedient the whole time. Next, we neutered him and nurtured his health back. Since my parents were away for the whole week that I managed to capture Brownie, I kept him in my house until he felt better. 

My Brownie... Obedient and on the way to recovery! As you can observe, there is a big dark patch of scab on the right of his body. Taken at my porch.

Bought him some blings for his neck!  

Brownie looking depressed awaiting his recovery.

I remembered sometime around February or March 2011, I sat alone at the Curtin Villa bus stop because I just had a fight with my family and felt really depressed with everything around me. And then cheerfully came Brownie wagging his tail, as he sat through my tears the whole night that I sat there. From then on, I got his back. Now that he needed me, I will be there for him as long as I can.

And so, he recovered under 4 days of "vacation" in my house, he was vaccinated and sent back to the DPS commercial area. Why didn't I keep him, you might ask? Well, the main contributing factor is that I am a Muslim and there is only so much I can do. My parents will NEVER tolerate the presence of animals in my house, EVER. I might as well just dig a grave for Brownie and myself should they find out that I have kept him there.

For your information, the choke chain that I've placed on Brownie's neck was stolen just a few days after I brought him back to DPS. Sigh... It makes you wonder how desperate some people are that they have to steal from a stray dog. Oh well, I hope it served a better purpose in somebody else's life now.

Stay tuned for the next post folks as I shall inform you of why you should spay or neuter your pets and why the strays should be done to the same as well.

Love,

Sarah.

Reference List:

Crosby, J. T. (n.d.). Veterinary Q & A: Spay Operation in Dogs and Cats. In About.com. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasess/a/spaying.htm