An update from Jim on life with his
Singapore legend, Troy!

See photos of Troy trotting around New York, with the Statue of Liberty in the background as proof >> see photos

Sunday, 11 October 09
by email

Troy is doing very well. I have been giving him 3 walks a day and am currently giving him extra food for him to gain a little weight. He has met the other dogs in my complex as well as my daughter's dog and he gets along well with them all. He is very social and loves people. He is a wonderful dog and I am glad he is here.
Jim

Email from Troy's Human

Jim, picking up Troy in New Jersey

Sent: Sunday, 4 October, 2009 6:03 AM
To: sheridan Conisbee
Subject: Re: Rescued Singapore Stray arrives safely in USA

An update - Troy is doing great and seems to love his new home and all his new friends. One skill no-one told me about was his superior hunting skills - just last night he hunted and tracked a pair of my athletic socks - the victory was his!
Although he still is afraid of some noises - he has completed 3 successful walks in the dark with no apparent problems - he is doing well.
Jim Nelson

Letters from America!

Ria and Troy at JFK

Ria reports that Troy's handover to Jim went without hitch. Being the type of dog that everyone falls in love with instantly, Ria admits it was difficult to wave goodbye but says she's delighted to have been a part of this international rehoming effort that gives Troy the chance of a fantastic home with Jim. The two of them, man and dog, will rarely be apart from now on. Awww.

Here's Ria's message after picking up Troy at New York's JFK airport:

Hi everyone!

Troy is doing great. After returning from JFK, we went to Liberty State Park and got some shots of Troy with Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in the background. He adjusted very quickly and is very strong because he was pretty much walking me in the park!

He made a friend with a St. Bernard and they walked in another park together. After that, we finally went home after a few hours and I opened up my futon so Troy and I could take a nap. We slept for 4 hours then I took Troy out for a walk. He's terrified of elevators & it took me about 30 mins to get him back outside because of it. We did about a mile of walking, came back home again and played indoors.

He's such a well behaved dog. He doesn't use the bathroom indoors at all and while I was eating, he stayed sitting and didn't try to snatch the food away from me like most dogs do. He's an amazingly well-behaved dog. He's also very cuddly, which is great because I love cuddling with dogs. Hehehehe! The next morning (this morning), Troy needed to go back outside and the way he decided to let me know was by rolling around on the floor and barking as if he was running after something. It was adorable! So we went for another walk and Troy did his business.

Everyone who's seen him says he's a beautiful dog and Jim should be so pleased. He's so playful too. He loves having his stomach scratched and wags his foot when you've got the right spot. Then if you stop or if he wants you to do it again, he rolls onto his back and starts flailing his legs. Very adorable. It's definitely going to be hard to let him go because he's been a blast and so much fun to hang around with.

He behaves like a baby at times too, like being afraid of walking outside in the dark and being startled when leaves are rolling around in the dark. Right now we're watching TV while troy is nibbling on his marrow bone from SIN and all of his other treats from Emma!

Thanks for allowing me to help. My day off of work was a blast. I have plenty of photos and will send them in an attachment after downloading them.

Always,Ria

New York! New York!

Troy steps out into the New York Sunshine

Start spreading the news, Troy's arriving today; he wants to be a part of it - New York New York! Shame on me causing offence to Sinatra fans, but I wanted to let you know that Troy's safely arrived, his shelter-town blues are melting away, his vagabond shoes are longing to stay (oops, there I go again), he's going to make a brand new start of it (Sorreee), up state of New York, New York, New Yorrrrrrrk. Apologies to Frank.

Traveller Joe Cherian has done a smashing job of keeping us updated every moment he could, on arrival in Narita, and on touch down in New York:

Dear Sherry,
Just a quick update that Troy arrived safe and sound! He explored around the airport and is on his way in Ria's car to New Jersey Will send you some photos tonight.
Regards, Emma & Joe

More arrival photos >> click here

Ria was there as planned to meet & greet Troy at JFK airport on Wednesday morning , allowing him to sniff around and act like a dog for a moment or two, before whisking him home for a day and a night of R&R before Joe travels down to take him "home". More later.

Thanks Joe, Emma, Ria : great job.

From the ASD Team, Singapore

http://www.asdsingapore.com/

Japan calling!

• Joe Cherian & Martin Conisbee with Troy
  Changi Airport, Terminal 2 : 29th September 09
  
  From Narita airport in Tokyo, comes this heavenly message from Joe Cherian who kindly took Troy on his trans-continental flight to a new life in USA:
  
  Hi Sherry
  Everything's smooth sailing so far. As you predicted, ANA ground staff in NRT super competent. Someone greeted me at the gate with a sign, had the vet papers check, and asked what Troy needed (H20, no food - just as you advised). Miss Kuroda-san bowed deeply to apologize that I wouldn't be able to "play with Troy" during the layover. She later returned to report that Troy was doing just fine, and that she had topped up his water. Joe
  
  
  It went smoothly at the Singapore end too. Martin, Jolfha & I arrived a little ahead of Joe, checked Troy in and paid his air fare for a K9 Class Seat, no problems, so by the time Joe arrived he and Troy were all set to head off to their respective departure lounges.
  
  At the smell of his marrow bone, Troy hopped in his crate, re-arranged the interior to his liking (!), and then settled down, as hopefully you can see in this photo. Good boy Troy.
  
  He had a slippery start... lost his footing on the highly polished tiles in the Terminal entrance which un-nerved him a bit - but I think that just served to make the sight of his crate a little more welcome.
  
  His 'veil' - the green netting placed over his crate by ANA for extra security - reminded me of a bride and the items you give to her to ensure her BIG DAY goes smoothly:
• Something old (in Troy's case, my t-shirt to lie on)
• Something new (a new yellow ball, from his ASD pals)
• Something borrowed (the crate, hoping to get it back one day)
• Something blue (his collar)

Yep, Troy is all set for his Big Day - his arrival in USA!

View Troy's farewell party in Singapore >> click here


Couldn't have got Troy into this home with Jim in Massachusetts, without the help and support of a lot of special people:

Joe Cherian who took him; Ria for pick-up at JFK and over-nighting; Jim Nelson of course for seeing the potential in Troy; Caryn Stewart, Amy Ferber & Tim Wong for their bits in the plot; Derrick for the donated crate; and especially the staff and volunteers at ASD for rescuing and caring for him so wonderfully.

Final preparations for Troy's departure to USA

Reflections of Troy!

24 Sept: just heard we have a willing volunteer in New York to meet Troy at JFK when he arrives on the 30th. Hoorah, a sigh of relief and big thanks to Tim Wong for phoning friends in New York to organise this.

Here's a brief update following Troy's visit to the vet at Namly Clinic yesterday for his official "Vet Health Certificate" which he needs to obtain his export licence.

Troy was examined and pronounced fit with a healthy-sounding heart. The vet believes he could do with gaining a little weight as his back/hip bone is slightly too prominent although his ribs are covered nicely. Nothing to worry about and the vet believes weight gain will come naturally from more exercise which in turn may produce a healthier appetite. He eats twice a day with me, but comparatively small portions and will stop when he's had enough. Definitely not a guzzler. I expect the cold Massachusetts winter will see an increase in appetite.

A blood test was taken, results pending, to check for heartworms and blood parasites.

Troy continues to grow in character as each day goes by and he feels more comfortable. He's more playful now with 2 of my other dogs, pays an active interest (!) in what the humans are eating, now sleeps in his crate without his blue bed as a comforter, sits for a treat, waits patiently while he's harnessed up for a walk, and happily pulls me down the street in search of good things to sniff. I can almost here him thinking "let's go, keep up, no dawdling, I have places to go, people to meet." Indoors he goes very quiet during our daily thundering downpours, but takes no notice if he's out in it. Strange, eh.

No doubt Troy, like most other newly rehomed shelter dogs, will take a little time to adjust to the new routine in a new home. I think it takes at least 2 weeks before their true characters start shining through!

And finally, my daily brushing of Troy's back teeth with a special gel has produced little change so far, but the vet did say it would take a long time. Again she wasn't unduly worried about the presence of plaque.

Bye for now from me and a sleepy Troy who is curled up by the side of my desk as I type. Great dog - he deserves this chance. Thanks to everyone who is making Troy's journey possible.

Sherry

Crate Training Troy, My Way!

Two in, two out!

















Three in, almost there... go on Troy, go on!















Snug as a bug!













Crate training can be easy or hard, it depends on the dog. Some dogs just walk in day one, others may never want the confines of a crate. Each dog is different so you have to find a way that works for him. With patience and no shoving, a dog can usually learn to relax inside a crate.

Troy arrived very wary of the crate and unwilling to go in for anything - even liver cooked specially for him; he'd had some experiences being crated on car journeys to adoption events, and to him they were unpleasant memories. He had no idea it was done for his own and the driver's safety! Anyway his wariness of the crate had to be undone and he had to start associating the crate with pleasant things.

There's plenty of tips on the web for crate training, and if you want to get it right, it's worth reading up. With the benefit of 50 or more crate trainings behind me, I still take it slowly and carefully, never forcing, always offering treats, favourite toys or food as a reward for going in.

Once I had allowed Troy to settle at my home, eating properly and very happy around me, I started games around the crate with Daisy and Maffy (both crate trained) and Troy. In and out for treats and favourite toys, but never asking or forcing Troy to go in. Food was the next thing... every bowl he ate was placed inside the crate, initially near the door so he could stand fully outside, then further and further back. Daisy eats in the crate next door which gave him a model to follow. Once he went all the way in to eat, I'd close the gate slowly, but open it immediately at first, and then after longer spells. The art is to make sure he's never clawing or barking to get out if you can avoid it.

The turn around for Troy came when I squeezed my tubby body all the way in with his food bowl and just stayed there [squished and uncomfortable I might add]. Cor, what I put my body through for dogs! That got him interested, especially if I sort of barred him from squeezing in beside me - he could smell his food but couldn't get at it! As I squeezed out, he rushed in at high velocity! But I still hadn't got him to sit and relax inside.

The EUREKA moment came when I remembered his love of his very large dog bed, with padded sides. Too big for the crate really, but I squeezed in it and before I'd finished squashing it down, Troy had jumped in and took control of the bed making. He's spent three blissfully peaceful nights in it now - and I'm sure I'll be able to substitute that for something smaller over the next few nights.

Any dog heading overseas in a plane has to be properly crate trained as it helps to make the long journey more bearable if they know their crate is a safe place to be. In the final training sessions, the crate should be fitted out as near as possible to how it will be on the actual journey, with a bowl and water bottled, incontinence pad, some shredded newspaper in case doggy feels the need to bury anything (like a bone or poo) and perhaps something that smells heavily of his carer, like a well-worn t-shirt. Don't sedate a dog for travel, don't feed him too much that day, and make sure he eliminates before being crated for the journey. And plenty of exercise beforehand.

Troy is in ASD's international rehoming programme, but until he earns his 'Crate Merit Badge', Troy won't be flying anywhere.