The Lost Dog Notice

Spotty was born on the 4th September 1999 and went missing on the 16th November 2006 (yea, I am pretty good at memorizing dates). He was born to Yoyo and Tutu (his late mother) and was the youngest of 4 puppies. Spotty was the least likable of all his siblings. He was dark and skinny with his ribs jutting out whereas his siblings had full soft white fur and were healthy and playful (they could easily have been featured as puppies playing with a cotton ball or clean white towels in a Softlan commercial :P) Spotty was sickly looking and was constantly overshadowed by his siblings. So, it was no surprise when the other puppies were snatched up for adoption while Spotty remained (which we teased him that no one wanted him) and THANK GOD FOR THAT. (He did grow up healthy though, sturdy even)

Spotty or more amicably known as Chai Chai (means Son or Boy Boy in Cantonese) or Fei Zai (Fat Kid) or Wat Tat Lou (Awkard, gross man. Nickname courtesy of my sis) and Ah Pek, was an unconventional pet by any means. He was awkward looking, hence the nickname, with a little head with too much black fur on it that was too small to match his body. We often laughed when he lost balance and rolled down the stairs like a ball as his bum was much bigger than its head, causing him the imbalance. I can tell you, there was NOT a single day in his life where he was not affectionately jeered by my sister and I. We would call him stupid, ugly, fat, disgusting, useless and all sorts of supposedly derogatory names but in the most yuckingly sweet tone (I know, we probably have issues showing affection, LOL)


See what I meant about his big bum

Spotty was incredibly clingy and manja. He could tail you day and night and not get tired of it. Yet, he was fickle as well. He could be tailing me and if he suddenly saw mum or sis, he would run over and tail them and completely forget about me. He, being the royal spoilt dog in the family, slept in mum's bedroom and after mum's passing, in my room and sis's room. Spotty was always an early sleeper and riser. He would sleep by midnight and wake at dawn and he would jump onto your bed and start sniffing you to wake you up so you could let him out. And often,we would wake up laughing while playfully pushing him away. In fact, this is exactly why we loved him. He made us laugh everyday.


Spotty in my room

He was a good dog by many definition. He would bark incessantly whenever a stranger rings the door bell much to the annoyance of our neighbors, he never ran out of the house though he had many opportunities to do so. On the contrary, whenever the other dogs ran out and returned, Spotty would be waiting at the gate and ferociously barked at them, apprehending them and giving them a piece of his mind for running out in the first place. Dad and bro who were not too big fans of dogs, couldn't help but loved him as well. Even my Indonesian maid adored him and called him her 'sayang'(dear, darling) and Spotty would understand her when she said 'makan' (eat), or 'kencing' (go pee) and tidur (go sleep).

Spotty loved life and was full of it. If he didn't sleep in our rooms the night before, we would have to tiptoe down the stairs the next morning in case we'd set him off into a crazed frenzy. We would spot him from the corner of the stairs staring at us intently, not moving, like a wild beast eying its prey before moving in for the kill. Then we would freeze and stare back at him while trying very hard not to laugh at his intensity. Moments later, we'd break the freeze and run and of course he would go berserk. He would run and yelp and be shaking all over in excitement. And of course we were more than happy to entertain him. Sometimes we even played rough. Poor Spotty had been 'rugbied' by me where I pounced on him and tackled him to the ground and poked/tickled him. And of course, he was always at the losing end (Yea, I know I should pick on someone my own size :p). Sometimes, he would try to scare me by 'biting' me and I always let him by putting my hand in his mouth but he never bit me though. Then I would suddenly turn around and forced his paw into his mouth and clamped it shut so he could have a taste of his own medicine (Guys, do NOT imitate this at home. This is not a dog training manual. This is just one of the many crazy, unconventional things we do with a crazy, unconventional dog). There were times where I would hug him and not let go and Spotty would be struggling to break free (futile attempts, of course) until he wailed. Then I'd let go and walk off and he would come tailing after me, wanting more. This is why we always said he 'asked for it'.

The list could go on and on. There will never be enough words to convey the relationship Spotty had with all of us. He has been missing for 21 months now (He wandered out of the new house the first day we moved in and never returned) and I still have not given up hope. I miss him every single day of my life. He made me laugh and he STILL makes me laugh now whenever I reminisce at the joys he brought us.


Spotty, whether you are still alive somewhere out there or perhaps you are now by Mum's side in heaven being her ever faithful companion, I hope that in your canine understanding of the world and people, you know that we love you. You are family and you are the best dog we've ever had. Thanks for bringing so much joy into the family and you taught us compassion, love, patience and responsibility. You shall never be forgotten. You are one hell of an amazing dog, Spotty Chan Chai Chai.