Pink and Undecided: Surabaya Dog Training Center

Hello Ellis!!

Happy Saturday, Everybody!!!

#Undecided here, I hope you're having a nice relaxing / fun entertaining Saturday. Whichever it is you prefer :)
As for #Pink and I, we spent the afternoon accompanying our preggo BFF (yes, A) to get her nails done because tomorrow is her lil sissy's wedding day. One has to look her best to attend a party even though one's preggo, right? Especially something as important as your sister's wedding hehehe...

As for me, I finally removed my fugly gel polish today *sighs of relieve*. I'll have to say that last time I wasn't pleased with Me Nail because somehow I got the stupidest nailist that not only scratched me (on several fingers, not just one!!!) but also refused to listen when I said she should seal the end of my nails because that's how my previous gel polish was done (see here for my very first gel manicure done by Nail Plus). And I was right, because on day 1 of our Taiwan Trip I started noticing chips and the ends were peeling off *ugh!!*

Complained to the owner (#Pink's cousin L) and she was very kind (and responsible) to give me an IDR 100k voucher for my next visit. Which was today. So yeah, I got my nails done for free... I am quite happy with this one, so okay... No more complaint hehehe...

Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick update on (you know it!!) my dogs.

I hope you're not bored of my dog related posts, but even if you do, I'll continue posting anyway hahahaha...

1/ We have a new dog!!! Her name is Ellis and she's a 2 yo Golden Retriever. Finally!!! My very own Golden Ret!! I've always wanted one, and finally hubby got one for me for my birthday (gee, hubs, 2 months late for the pressie, but I forgive you of course *kisses*).

Here she is... Ready?

Ellis - on her way to me!!

Ellis - the first time we met

She's so beautiful and by far the calmest dog I know. Obviously she's more attached to hubby by now (it doesn't surprise me anymore really...), but she's MINE!!! LOL.

Hubby asked her previous owner to trim her coat (because her coat is long (well duh, she's a Golden Retriever...) and she used to sleep in an air-conditioned room. Since SDTC's kennel is not, shorter coat would help her adjust to her new environment) and to say that they trimmed her thoroughly is an understatement. Why? She has no whiskers now!!! Poor baby... LOL... She also used to be an indoor dog, so I think it surprised her when she found out that her new home is a kennel... The first time she got out of the car hubby said that she wouldn't really step on the ground - almost like she was walking "on her toes" hahahaha... She even refused to go to the training yard at first... OMG my new dog doesn't like getting her paws dirty LOL...

2/ Moving on to the next dog. Jerome. He just started his obedience training. I have no idea what gotten into Miss Jenny, but one day she just started working with Jerome. And now less than 2 weeks into the training, Jerome has mastered the commands: heel, sit, down, and stay.
This Thursday (22/08/2013) was Miss Jenny's first attempt of teaching Jerome how to play dead (she said because she missed her late dog Hero whom was a master of tricks). And after a few first tries, she had it recorded! Enjoy the video below.

It's not perfect, I know, but hey, not bad for first attempts, don't you think? I'm so proud of my Jerome!!! Anyway, he finally got it now. Miss Jenny said the key was to wait longer before giving him the snack, and he would put his head on the ground waiting. Hahahaha... Such a cute little dog that one, don't you think?

And bigger news: on 7-8 Sep 2013 Jerome will compete in his first dog show!!

Notice how they typed "babby" instead of " baby"? LOL.

Please wish him the best of luck, you guys :)

3/ Kalista is being grounded by Miss Jenny. Hahahaha... Hubby said it's all my fault because I spoil Kalista rotten, but I don't think I do *denial*

It has been a week that she can only go outside her kennel with Miss Jenny and with a leash on, but she told us yesterday that Kalista's obedience training is finally back on the right track. Sure she still gets bored easily (FOL) but she no longer hides inside the agility tunnel refusing to continue training whenever she pleases.

Kalista - hiding inside the agility tunnel... Miss Jenny sent this picture to me with a caption "your fave girl being cheeky" LOL

We also just heard from Perkin that a dog must be 16 months old in order to be eligible to enter the basic obedience test. Soooo... Kalista must wait for another 5 months or so because she's only 11 months old now. Good luck, Miss Jenny hahahahaha...

4/ Last but not least, hubby's fave girl: Inez. She's currently in Trawas Kennel because she got quite ill (stupid diarrhea!!) and started losing a lot of weight. Hubby tried everything. Got her to see several different vets (even some professors at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Airlangga University, Surabaya)) but it didn't do her good. So Om Buntong (Om is "uncle" in Indonesian, Buntong is his name) the Kennel Manager (and German Shepherd expert) told us to bring her back. And only 3 days there, the diarrhea stopped. You have no idea how relieved we both are when we got the news.

We're thinking that she might not be compatible with Surabaya's weather (our vet said that it was a possibility), so we're now trying to come up with the best solution for her situation. Hopefully we won't have to give her up, but in case we have to, I think we will... Whatever is best for her... We'll see... For now I just want her to get well again.

So there you have it, folks... A (not so) quick update on my babies...

I have to go pick Jerome, Kalista and Ellis up now. We're taking them to Food Festival (yes, the one in Pakuwon City) for a Saturday night walk. See you there?

Toodles,

#Undecided and SDTC Crew - one BBQ night ago

10:44:00 PM
2 Comments

Kalista's Progress

#germanshepherdsonline

Hi Everybody. #Undecided here! I hope everybody is having a good Monday. Mine is surprisingly pretty good so far despite the fact that I've been having some mild vertigo attacks (damn it, it's back) due to the prolonged sleep deprivation LOL. I guess when you've been having so much fun, mild vertigo attack is nothing :D

Anyway, as promised, I'm writing a quick entry to update y'all about how Kalista and her training goes.

Miss Kalista

Originally we wanted to enlist her on her 1st obedience test this September, but apparently the test will be held on early Sep which means she won't be 12 months old by then (yes, it is mandatory that a German Shepherd is 12 months old before they can take the test). Kalista's birthday is on Sep 18th, so it means more boring basic training for her FHL hahaha...

Anyway, this video is taken on July 14th 2013 - only around a month after the previous video I posted here was taken. And as you can see, Kalista has finally managed to follow Miss Jenny around obediently and takes orders OFF LEASH, I'm so proud of my baby girl!!!

On a lighter note, I also have an update about our dog walk. As you know, a while back when our dogs resided in my mom's house, we would take them for a walk around our block every single night. I miss those days really. But the good news is that we're finally restarting the routine. For now twice a week, you know, on weekends, but we'll see if we can keep this up and make it a daily routine like before. And the cherry on top: we got hubby's friends who just got themselves a German Shepherd (see the story here) to join the weekly walks!!

Our goal, well beside the obvious of walking our dogs (plus to get girls' phone numbers - pardon our friends, they're young hahahahaha), is also to show people that big breeds (especially German Shepherds) are NOT scary. And the obvious choice to be our little club's mascot is Jerome, which albeit his looks (some say he looks scary LOL), is the nicest loveliest dog there is.

Scary really?! This face!? LOL I don't think so!

And one more picture of him, just because :D

Jerome - my handsome boy - at 10 months old

Again, this is an open invitation. If you want to walk your dogs with us, just drop me an email and I will hook you up.

Let's go!!

Kalista, Jerome, #Undecided and Hubby with our step daughter Giza :D

4:37:00 PM
2 Comments

#Undecided's Pride and Joy no, this entry is NOT about babies LOL

#germanshepherdsonline

Helloooooo everyone! #Undecided here... trying to write as much as I possibly can while #Pink is away on yet another holiday with her fam bam. LOL. You know how she worries about abandoning this blog for 2 weeks and since she only has 1 scheduled post, I - the dutiful co-writer of this blog *ahem* - will put aside my laziness and write. LOL. Let's see how long I can stretch this one, k? :)

Anyway, I hope I don't bore you with my non-beauty-related posts, because #Undecided is no girly #Pink and I have non of that stuff on my repertoire. Sorry :p

So, since I don't have much time to write today (will tell you why on my next entry!), this one is going to be an easy one...

If you know me quite well, you would have guessed by just reading the title that this post is all about.... you know it, my dogs! :D

I'm just going to update you with what they've been up to. But first thing first, enjoy the photos below!

#Jerome

This is baby Jerome before he came to us - probably around 4 months old.

This is Jerome on the first day we got him. Still so small, right...

Jerome - 3 days with us - his first off leash walk *proud*

Do you see the socks he's wearing? LOL. He scratched his paw pads because before he came to Surabaya, he only walked on grass in his kennel in Trawas... I guess the paved street and Surabaya's hot temperature shocked his delicate pads so the vet suggested the socks...

A few months in... This time he's modelling for my sis' fiancee LOL

This one I just had to post here because look at him sulking! This is after I scolded him for nibbling on the car's dusting broom! Naughty naughty!

OK, ready for how he looks today?!

Here goes!

So handsome! I know I know I'm biased... LOL. He's 9 months old now and his front paws are up to my chest when he's standing on his hind legs! He's gonna be huge when he stops growing LOL.

Side view

And one more, just because hahahaha...

# Kalista

This is baby Kalista - probably around 4 months old. Sorry for the crappy photo - this is actually a screen grab from a video hubby recorded when we first met her in Trawas.

I just realized that we don't have a photo of her homecoming day. I'm pretty sure hubby snapped lots of them, but then his Blackberry acted out and deleted all his files! So... these are the photos of her before we got her her training.

On some park near my mom's house

In her old cage - look at how she sits on the photo. Super sloppy LOL. She doesn't sit like that anymore now thanks to her training.

This is Kalista and her trainer today. Look how proper she sits :)

Up close to her face (with Ocha on the background)

This photo is taken quite recently and I literally LOL'ed when hubby sent it to me with a note: "look at how cheeky your dog is now slapping Alpha (the Siberian Husky) on the face". LOL LOL. But she's being playful that one. Ears back, tail down. No aggression. But poor Alpha getting bitch-slapped hahahahaha.

# Inez

Another screen grab from Kalista's video - I just noticed re-watching it that Miz Inez is also there! LOL.

According to hubby, of all 3 German Shepherds that we have, Inez is the one with the perfect stance. She's hubby's personal favorite. Her only flaw is her flat forehead LOL.

This is Inez' latest photo. Yes, even though she's the oldest of all three she's also the smallest in size. We're currently trying to bulk her up a bit with special diet from the vet.

OK, judging from the amount of photos, you should know by now that Inez is my least favorite. LOL. But hey, it's only because I am super attached to Kalista (even though hubby is her person, and NOT me *sigh*); and Jerome had me at hello (now who wouldn't - look at that adorable silly face of his LOL). Besides, Inez is not the kind of dog you cuddle with. She could care less about being a pet. She is the ultimate working dog. Give her a task and she'll ace it. Her favorite task right now is collecting empty bottles and whatnots and pile them up on "her office" (a corner which she always brings her findings to). LOL.

What they're up to right now?

Jerome, Inez, Kalista, and Miss Jenny

Well, Kalista is working on her agility training with her trainer Miss Jenny. And by September we'll enlist her on her 1st obedience test (Begleithunde Examination). Here's a video of one of her training sessions. Enjoy :)

As for Jerome, well, we're working on him getting into shape because (it pains me to say this, really) he was too fat -__- *sigh*. It's all my mom and sister's fault because they kept on shoving food his way because according to them: Jerome was always hungry. Well hello!!! He's a big dog. He would down whatever food they wave at his face. Just like his human (me!), gluttony is definitely his sin LOL.

But the good news is he's already so much skinnier and FINALLY managed to jump into the car by himself!!! *proud mama*. Why am I so proud one might ask? Well because the old-fat Jerome would just placed his front paws on the trunk and then plead with his eyes for hubby to haul his giant ass in. LOL. He has also finally mastered the instruction "catch". We would throw a stick up in the air and he would jump and catch the stick. He's getting so good and never misses any catch now (seriously my heart swells with pride typing this LOL). We're now working on "fetch". Will post a video soon!

Oh yeah, the good news is: PERKIN has now acknowledged long-haired German Shepherds in their dog shows, so Jerome can also compete!! Once he's in good shape we'll start working on his training and eventually we will want him to win some awards! *aim high - fingers crossed - LOL* Yes, it's not always fun and games for our dogs. We expect them to be winners too :)

As for hubby's fave: Miz Inez, (just like Jerome) we're also prepping her to join her first dog show. Maybe also in September. I will surely post photos and video!

Thanks for reading, guys.

#Undecided signing out!

Oh wait, one more photo of my pride and joy!

Jerome, Inez & Kalista

6:27:00 PM
4 Comments

#Undecided's Story: Kalista and SDTC and all things in between

agility

Hi everybody.

Missed me? I know you do *grin*

Anyway, I started writing this entry on 10 May 2013 (yes, almost a month ago LOL), but finally just finished it today. Well, like I said… baby steps… Hehehe...

As you know (been repeating this a lot on my entries, I'm such a broken record, sorry :p), I'm a dog person, so this entry is about an issue that is close to my heart. With this hopefully I can move you in some ways to treat dogs better, so then I'll know that I've done my part, albeit little but it's still something, right... :)

So please read it through to the end and let me know what you think, okay! Pretty please :)

Here goes!

So yesterday was a public holiday here in Indonesia and obviously the lazy me was ecstatic about sleeping in the whole day, BUT since I am also a responsible dog owner, I decided to spend the day with Kalista.

Kalista and I

I haven’t had the time to write about this, but we had to send our dogs (Kalista first, but then Jerome and Inez followed, but that's a story for another time) to a “boarding school” because one of my mom’s maids hit Kalista with a broomstick and caused her to bark nonstop at the slightest sight of her. Yes, this story has stupidity and ignorance on that maid’s behalf all over it. No, I am not being racist, judgmental or anything, as a matter of fact, she’s NOT a Moslem and my sister did catch her in action (and luckily that one time managed to stop her before the broomstick hit home).

And FYI, that incident happened when everybody was in the house (yes, some nerve, right!!). If she dared hitting her with her employers around, I can only imagine what else she would do during the day when nobody was home.

My sis called me and I rushed home (I was on the way back to my apartment after a night out with #Pink but we quickly took a detour). I called her out on her action and told her that if she dared raising a hand at one of our dogs once again, I would kick her out of the house so fast it wouldn’t matter what my mom said (it is quite difficult to find good house maids these days and my mom tends to hold on to the ones she has). Yes, I was that pissed.

However, the damage was done. We tried patching things up between Kalista and the maid, but she wasn’t having it. In short, Kalista wasn’t happy. She wouldn’t touch her food if it was given by the maid. She lost weight. Kept barking during the night and we were at a point when we just had to get her out of the house for her own sake. Had she live with hubby and I, this stupid story would have ended differently I’m sure *sigh*.

So the search for her new home started and after several phone calls we managed to find SURABAYA DOG TRAINING CENTER (SDTC) in Kenjeran (its location is near our apartment – so it’s super convenient for us to visit her as much as we want to). After a quick browse and a meeting with the owner (the lovely Miss Jenny), we decided to keep her there.

Jenny - the owner of SDTC with the agility field in the background

It wasn’t an easy transition for Kalista. She was super clingy to hubby (very normal since he was the only person she trusted at that time) and was terrified of other dogs (she even refused to play with the 2 Golden Retriever puppies there – avoided them with all her might).

Charlie - one of the two Golden Rets which Kalista avoided.
Funny how a 7-month-old German Shepherd was scared of two adorable 3-month-old puppies, right.

But I noticed how quickly the 2 kennel boys there got her attention. I always knew that Kalista sees people right through them. And she was always more attracted to men. Hmph. LOL... I remember how during her homecoming ride she refused only my friend's A’s touch – she knew that A was the only person in that car whom is not a dog person LOL.

Now almost a month after that day, Kalista is one happy dog. We visit her regularly and are following her progress closely. She gained weight, aces her obedience and agility materials, being social with the other 20 something dogs there (she’s bff with a male Rottweiler named Brino), only barks to alert the kennel boys when someone’s at the gate, and we couldn’t be more proud of her!! Our once skittish dog is her old self no more. I am forever indebted to Miss Jenny for what she’s done for my dog.

Brino - Kalista's BFF

This brings me to basically the reason as to why I’m writing this entry. If you think that abuse, abandonment, ignorance and neglect only happen to mutts and mongrels, well you can’t be more wrong. Kalista – albeit what happened to her for a small period of time – is one of the lucky ones. I cannot say the same to the other pure breeds (yes, pure breeds!!) dogs there and I would like to share some of their stories with you.

Goldie - look at that face *swoon*

Goldie is a one handsome Golden Retriever. He was one of Jenny’s trained agility dogs before he was abandoned by his owner in his old house. Deep in debt towards his neighbors, the owner ran away leaving Goldie unattended. One of the neighbors said that they should just sell Goldie and split the money amongst themselves. Jenny got wind of the news and decided to take Goldie in before he was placed in the wrong hands. He’s now one of the residents in SDTC.

Rambo is another Golden Retriever living in SDTC. His owner left him there after purchasing another dog, saying that she can only house one dog. Yes, I also wonder why she purchased the new dog knowing that she already had one in the first place!! The owner – however – insists that Rambo is to remain in SDTC saying she would pay for his accommodation fee. But when she pays, she only pays little by little and currently has a substantial amount of debt to SDTC. Rambo got ill a few weeks ago and had to spend 18 days in a clinic (he’s now well, thank God), and not even once did she visit him to see how he was doing. Some owner, right…

Alpha and Cheryl are two of the 4 Siberian Huskies in SDTC. Two different owners, same abandonment case. They simply didn’t want them anymore and left them in SDTC.

Alpha

Cheryl and her newborn pups

They are only a few of the 20-something dogs that are now SDTC’s responsibility. Jenny is doing whatever in her power to keep them safe, healthy, well-fed and loved, but she is only one person. You guys are more than welcomed to come and visit (scheduled visits, okay, just contact me if you want to drop by and share some love towards our four-legged friends), and a helping hand (yes, even though to just play with them) is always appreciated.

Now let’s ponder for a little while. Dogs are living beings. They are not just some products to trade. They’re not disposable once you find them no longer cute. They’re not to be discarded once you find them problematic. Once you decided to buy or adopt a dog, you’re in this 10-15 years long relationship. So please, do not buy them just because they’re cute. Do not get a dog just because… but get a dog if you are sure that you can be responsible for them.

No, I’m not talking only about financial responsibility, even though that’s also majorly important. You also need to realize that you cannot just drop food in their bowls daily, you also need to train and get them the exercise they need (yes, dogs need daily walks no matter how big your yard is); their regular vet care (vaccinations, etc.); and last but not least: your time and affection.

If you cannot be that responsible person, please please please, do not buy or adopt a dog or you’ll end up being the very reason as to why they’re unhappy and unhealthy.

Please... There are way too many abandoned dogs... You can help their case by not adding to the statistics... If you just want to play with them, just visit local shelters. Lend a helping hand... as much as you can...

I’m gonna leave you with two things: first a link to a youtube video if you want to know more about what SDTC is all about. And finally, a quote that gets me every single time:

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.”

"You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"... Think about it.

#Undecided, Jerome, and Inez.