All well ends well!

We've found Patches! :D

Story goes like this:
I went around putting up more posters this morning. At about 11am+ I received an SMS from someone asking about rewards.






All these while I was anxiously waiting for the person to reply my SMS whether I could meet, and the person took hours to reply me. I felt that he / she wasn't even sincere on wanting to return Patches to me, because the first SMS from this person was asking about rewards. So I gathered my friends on Facebook as well as Whatsapp and had some of them helping me to dig out some information on this person. It was alot of hard work, but a friend managed to get the block number of the owner to the mobile number.. and her name. Yes, it's a woman. And she stays opposite my block..!

I thanked my dear friend profusely & was prepared to go knock on each door of the block to find my Patches. And then another friend offered help, so I gave this friend the woman's number and then I have it: all her details including her unit number and her photo. I cannot thank this friend enough!

After that I gathered a few close friends and together we went up to the unit. I saw that the wooden door wasn't closed so I took a quick glance inside the house. Right there & then, I saw my Patches. I called out her name. She responded immediately and ran over to the gate, at the same time squeezing herself through the grills just to get to me. I also saw the woman in the same house, she was stunned for a while. Then she walked over to unlock her gate.

I asked her, "Is this your dog?"

She didn't replied. I repeated my question again, "Is this your dog?"

The woman then said a soft "No."

I couldn't remember exactly what else I screamed at her.. but I was angry. Just as I was about to walk away with my group of friends who were holding on to Patches, the woman cried.

I told her, "Do you know how much I've cried over losing my dog? I had been having sleepless nights! I am the one that should be crying..!"

She rebutted, saying that she had loved my dog, and had taken good care of her.. That she thought Patches was abandoned.. blah blah blah. Also said that I only started to look for my dog after 3 days of her missing. What nonsense when I had placed posters up in the estate the next day after Patches went missing, but some were removed by those general cleaners so today I went another round of putting up those posters again. And thank God I did!

I gave her a piece of my mind, saying that she wasn't even sincere in wanting to return Patches to me because her first SMS to me was all about the rewards, and that she refused to reply my SMS, pick up my calls and meet me. I knew right then that I was almost losing my temper when my friends stepped in to cool me down. Oh, and the part about her saying that she worked retail hours, my sources told me that her job is similar to what I am doing, as well as the flexible hours.

When she said again that she had wanted to call me, I asked her "When?"

She defended herself by saying that she just reached home after work (it was about 830pm when we went up). I didn't buy that excuse, because she was in her pajamas when we were talking to her, and surely if she cared enough she would have replied my SMS or return my calls on her way home or whatsoever. But she didn't. If you have noticed, my last SMS to her was at 737pm. As if that didn't gave her enough time to reply, I don't know what else to say.

She claimed that she brought my dog to the vet cos of her skin problems. I told her I'd reimburse her the fees, but i needed the receipt, which she couldn't produce. I took a quick check on Patches, it seems that her skin had flared up slightly but I reckon it's due to the stress of being in an unfamiliar environment for the past few days. Her skin had actually cleared up long ago after I shaved her down a month ago.

Anyway, the woman kept declining to take my money. I insisted for quite some time before she finally agreed to take it. I only offered her a $50 note, I know it's not alot but that was meant for reimbursement of the vet fees anyway.

So here is our dear Patches now, I had her collar & tag on for her. She may not be in her tip top condition now, but I am so glad and happy that I found her again :D

Patches is LOST :(

Zen & Patches

(2008)

Amidst juggling my busy schedule ever since Megan came along.. I had long forgotten to update my blog here till today when the saddest thing happened: my Patches somehow wandered out of the house in the mid-morning / early afternoon of today and never did return :(

I came back at slightly over 7pm today to an unusually bark-less house. Something wasn't right. Then I realised Patches wasn't there to greet me when I unlocked the gate. I settled Megan onto her highchair immediately and went around the house looking for Patches. I called out her name.. No sight of her anywhere. Tried to lure her out from her hiding - which she always did whenever she does something wrong when I'm out for work; still no sight of her. I began to panic and told my husband about it. He too went around all corners of the house, scout under each table & chair, behind the fridge & freezer.. We couldn't find our Patches :(

Husband asked his mother about Patches.. She seems suspiciously calm. Said nobody came about to visit today, therefore she did not open the gate and the dogs didn't step outside. My heart grew heavy because when we were frantically calling out for Patches and searching all over the house for her, hub's mother showed no concern and never asked why. I do not know what to feel.

But I know Patches left home in the mid-morning / early afternoon because she did not soiled her pee tray before I left.. and I came home to a clean tray still. Lots of things going through my mind. I made hubby probe his mother further as she is the only one at home with the dogs today, and definitely someone came because I found a receipt from the gas company dated today, which means she ordered a tank of gas for the kitchen and they delivered it the same day. Hub's mother denied - she insist that the gas tank delivery guy came YESTERDAY, which didn't made sense to me cos I did not saw the receipt last night.

Few moments later, she told hubby that Patches actually ran out on her own once some time back but her maid managed to locate Patches few hours later. What made me more angry is that the maid actually told hub's mother not to tell me about it! How could they do this to me? This could have been prevented have i known earlier that my Patches actually escaped home once.

Patches had never liked strangers; humans and dogs included. I really doubt that she would leave home just like that, because she NEVER leave home without us telling her to and she would NEVER leave her best pal Zen behind. My heart is bleeding as I type this entry. I hope whoever that found her or took her would take good care of her.. Or else please have mercy and return her to me. I may not be the best caretaker for her, but she grew to be so much more affectionate towards those who loved her since she came to me.

Little Patches celebrating her 2nd birthday in 2008

when I just adopted her @ 1.5yrs old in 2007

I don't have recent photographs of her, I feel so sad about it. But recently I shaved her down as she was having some bad skin due to someone else at home fed her junks while I wasn't around.

Patches is microchipped, I have already lodged to Petcall about her went missing.

Last seen at Blk 109 Serangoon North Avenue 1. Drop me a mail (natalielam84 (at) hotmail dot com) if you know where she is now. She is dearly missed by both me & hubby, as well as Megan and Zen. Thank you.