ANIMAL ACTIVISM
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Case written: 11 Jun 2008

EMILY SEAH VISITS BOBBY AT NANAS IN JUN 2008

Can Bobby still remember 9-year-old Emily on Saturday, June 7, 2008 when her mother brought her to visit NANAS during a tour with a group of around 90 people in 2 buses. Emily had her school holidays in June and her mother who helps out in NANAS fundraising brought her to see Bobby. 

Bobby was one of the around 20 Yishun swamp dogs relocated to NANAS as the army had taken over the Yishun Fishing Pond and swamp land in July 2007.

The lady in her late 50s who had operated the Fishing Pond carved out from the swamp land with her husband went for the first time in 10 months. Her husband and the old man were too weak to take the trip.

Would Bobby and the swamp dogs who lived in her house recognise her?

Do dogs have good memory? Specifically, do cross-bred dogs have better memory if they don't see their "owners" for 10 months?

It was a coincidence that I met Emily, her older brother and her parents on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at the Toa Payoh Community Library. Emily was deciding on which story book to borrow while her brother was not interested.

"Hello, how is Bobby in NANAS?" I asked Emily whose two front teeth are now fully grown. She was 9 years old now, taller and still as thin as before. Emily smiled and fingered her two long hair plaits.

"Bobby is happy to see us. He limped a bit," Esther the mum replied on her behalf, without giving time for the little girl to gather her thoughts. "There were so many people asking so many questions about the NANAS dogs. It was drizzling from 3 p.m to 5 p.m. and there were insufficient numbers of umbrellas to bring the group to tour NANAS. The grounds were soggy."

"Why was Bobby limping?" I asked Esther. "Was he attacked by the other dogs?" There were around 600 dogs in NANAS and if dogs were like men, there would be turf wars and war lords as in countries of conflicts like Africa. I would imagine there would be "dogs of war" as each group protects its territory. 

"There were no wounds on him," Esther had examined Bobby. "I don't know why."

"Did Bobby accompany you around NANAS?" I asked Emily who said finally in a soft whisper: "I was playing with the monkey."

The mummy said" "At the boundary near the cage, Bobby would not venture further with us. He left us. He would not cross the invisible boundary to be with us."

I was surprised as I thought that sterilised dogs don't need to carve out their territory. The dogs in NANAS are given abundant food at certain times and had no need to fight for survival.

During my 4 visits to NANAS on different days, I did not see them fighting for food. A small percentage did threaten each other, as if they could not manage their anger. But it was mainly peaceful community living. It did seem to me that certain groups of dogs were found in certain areas. As they were mainly cross-bred, it was not possible for me to be sure and I had not thought to ask.

It was great to hear that Bobby had adapted to community living in NANAS and was thriving.

"How about the other swamp dogs?" I asked Esther. "Are they still living together in the same compound?"

"Yes," she said. "Most Yishun swamp dogs could not recognise the aunty who operated the Yishun Fishing Pond. They were puppies then.  Bobby would just sniff her hand and walked away. Only the two black dogs (a mother and her offspring) would howl when it was time for her to part."

Although the NANAS dogs do not need to hunt for food, it seems they need to protect themselves by grouping together and warning each other of the arrival of strangers - people and dogs they don't know.  By group barking. There could be one leader or watchdog amongst them.

In this sense, it seems that their behaviour is different from warlords with groups of militia to kill intruders and to protect their turf.

There is a strong-looking and active Rottweiler in NANAS. Can Max throw his weight around and cross boundaries since the other dogs are of smaller size?

Individual size does not matter if the gangs of dogs present a "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" spirit in NANAS community living. People in management and business may have much to learn from the co-operative dogs in NANAS if they want to sustain their operations in the commercial war.