Mumu as how I like to remember him. Click to enlarge.

Yogi a.k.a. Mumu (2004 – 2017). Click to enlarge.

January 4, 2017 started like any other day but by the time three months had passed, I would have lost one of the most precious beings I have ever connected with, someone I had the fortune to consider my family and even my ‘son’.

Yogi (a.k.a. Mumu) was my dog of 13 years, a real adorable monster with a strong character and personality. He was brought home after a long and hard search for a dog. I had always wanted a dog but after two incidents involving my childhood dogs Princey and Hulter, I was left extremely sensitive to the pain of animals. My first dog was Princey and I brought him home from Collingwood Flea Market. I really, really loved Princey who had a habit of chasing cars. Because he was always escaping to chase cars, I begged and begged my mom to please fence up our yard. She refused and didn’t want to do it no matter how much I begged her. I was so afraid that when I was away in school, he would run away and something bad would happen to him.

With Princey. My parents refused to fence up our yard so one day when I got home from school, Princey had disappeared as usual. I couldn’t find him anywhere and my heart sank. We later found him on the highway, he had been hit by a truck. Click to enlarge.

Sure enough it did. One day, when I was away in school, Princey escaped and when I came home, he wasn’t around. I searched high and low but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find him. Immediately I began to suspect the worst. Finally a neighbour called and said she had seen a dead dog matching Princey’s description. So my mom took me to the place our neighbour had said and true enough, it was Princey. He had been hit by a truck and totally flattened, to the point of being nearly unrecognisable.

My heart was totally broken. After we brought what we could home, we had him buried in our yard. And instead of my parents comforting me and trying to make me feel better, they blamed me for not watching him. I didn’t understand though, how was I supposed to watch him when I was just a kid and every day I had to go away to school? I really, really loved Princey and this experience totally traumatised me.

Me with Mumu during his healthier days. Click to enlarge.

Some time later, my mom again agreed that I could get another dog. So again we brought a doggie home from Collingwood and I called him Hulter, a Mongolian name given because of the mark he had on his forehead. But the same thing happened again and Hulter kept escaping because my parents refused to fence up our yard. I just could not understand why they refused to fence it up. I even asked my mom to install one of those cement blocks in our yard so I could tie Hulter to it while I was away at school, so he would be safe. But she wouldn’t do that and instead, she put in one of those spikes that you screw into the ground. So after Hulter ran around and around and around, the spike would become unscrewed and he’d get loose again.

So one day, Hulter got out yet again and was found in our neighbour’s yard. My parents were furious and my mom called the dog pound. Imagine being a young child and watching your mom call the dog pound on your own dog after you begged and begged her to fence up the yard so he would stop running away. This is exactly what happened to Hulter.

And each time Hulter ran away, I was blamed for it even though I was in school until finally, my mom  had enough. So then imagine you never, ever see your dog again. In fact, the last time you see him, you see his face in the window of the van being taken away and you hear him crying and barking and yelping. Everyone knows what happens to dogs who get taken away to the pound. No matter how much I cried and begged, my parents just would not relent. Again they said it was my fault that Hulter was being taken away to the pound. It affected me really deeply when I saw Hulter taken away, I just cannot tell you how heartbroken I was.

Bringing Mumu Home

The day Yogi a.k.a. Mumu came home. He was so small and scrappy, and I instantly loved him so much. Click to enlarge.

So it was many, many years until I felt like I was in a position to properly and responsibly care for a dog. And when I decided, I did a lot of research for a breed that was intelligent, easy to train and did not shed and that is how I came to decide on a schnauzer. So with some of my close students, I visited countless pet shops looking for one with a responsible owner who did not abuse their dogs, breed irresponsibly or support puppy mills. It was this search that brought me to Elize and Johnny’s place in OUG (a township which was established in the 1970s that’s a part of Kuala Lumpur).

A small place tucked away amongst a bunch of other shop houses, it was a homely place without the sheen and shine of the larger chain pet stores. My group actually did not hold out much hope that they would have a schnauzer that would capture my heart but boy, were we proven wrong.

As we browsed the store, we were greeted by a group of schnauzers. They were happy and playing and looked healthy but in the midst of the chaos, one scrappy little fella caught my eye. So I stared at him and he stared back, and there and then I knew that he was my dog. Something about him caught my eye and to this day, I still don’t know what it is but he really stood out to me. So I asked Elize what his story was, like what’s up and why is he still there. She said that the schnauzer was a little older than the others and that no one wanted him. That made me really worried for his future so I asked her what would happen to him if no one brought him home. Elize said she wasn’t sure because she already had dogs of her own so she would have difficulty keeping him too but in any case, he was a special little guy and there was something different about him.

Click to enlarge

When she said that, I didn’t really believe her. I was thinking, “Yeah yeah, you’re just saying that to make me think there’s something about him and get me to bring him home.” I thought that it was just sales talk but then, the little pup had already captured my heart so I told Elize that I wanted to bring him home. It was then Elize started questioning me – where do you live? What’s your house like? Who do you live with? What’s your lifestyle like? What do you do? Where will you keep him?

I think most people would have been offended, like what’s up with you? But amidst her questioning, I saw that this was a lady who really loved the little doggy and she wasn’t going to let any of her dogs go to just any other home. When she said she cared for her dogs, she meant it and she wanted to make sure they would all go home to good, responsible owners.

My first photo with my darling Mumu. On the way home, he cried and cried because he realised he would never see Elize again. I promised him there and then that I would never leave him. Click to enlarge.

I guess I gave satisfactory answers to Elize because she gave me her approval to bring the little doggy home. So my students helped me to buy supplies for the little doggy and packed up, and got ready to leave. As we were leaving, Elize bid the doggy farewell and started crying, and showed a lot of affection towards him. A part of me thought it was a continuation of the earlier sales pitch and another part of me thought wow, she really does love my little Mumu. But it was all as expected and nothing unusual, and everybody got into their cars and set off for home.

It wasn’t until we were halfway through our journey that my little Mumu started shivering, shaking and whimpering. He realised he was going somewhere else and was not going to see Elize again. His whimpering was the only way he could express that he would miss her. His reaction took me by surprise; at that moment, I realised she had treated him very well and she did have genuine affection for him. And I also saw there really could be something about this little doggy, something a little special just like Elize had said. He could recognise and appreciate kindness, and had the capacity to feel loss. Some people might think that I wanted to see this about Mumu but I have other schnauzers and they don’t react to things in the same way as Mumu did. It was there and then in the car that I made a promise to Mumu to always take care of him and never to leave him. To make up for the pain of separating from Elize, I would always love him unconditionally.

Mumu’s first day with me. He had not gone to groomers yet…can see his hands are extra furry and cute. He just wanted to play. Click to enlarge.

The Early Years

For the next 13 years, Mumu was by my side through the good and bad times. There were times when students and close friends betrayed me and cheated me, or when the centre was having financial difficulties. In fact, in 2004, I was considering moving back to America. Things were really difficult for me at the time and I had very little help and assistance, and finding it difficult to fulfil the instructions my teachers gave me to serve the monastery. So I thought I was still young, I could go back to America and become an actor, and work to earn money for the Dharma. If I couldn’t serve the monastery here in Malaysia, I would do so by raising funds in America through acting. His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche once did divination telling me I would very successful as an actor. Whether the karma for that was still there or not, I didn’t know, but I thought I’d go back and take a chance.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/CriminalMumu.mp4

I personally trained Mumu. And for many months, whenever I came home, I would find the kitchen in this state. The little monster would look at me with his adorable, guilty face.

But I just could not leave because of my darling Mumu. My students and I did research into the requirements for a dog to enter the United States. I found out not only did Mumu lack the necessary paperwork, but he would also be locked up in quarantine for days. I could not risk that for him to catch some disease, or not be fed or not have anyone near him in an unfamiliar environment. On top of that, Mumu has gastric so if he does not get his food on time, he will be very sick. Being in quarantine where I wouldn’t be able to reach him every few hours to give him food, he would definitely have gotten sick. So I just could not do that to him.

When Mumu was all ‘papoosed’ up, he didn’t make any noise or fidget…he just blinked and stared at me…hehehe! Click to enlarge.

I did consider having someone adopt him but in the end, when I looked into his eyes, I could not leave him and go to America. Remember I had promised him that I would never leave him, and I could not break that promise no matter how much I wanted to or how badly things were going for me. To me, there’s no difference between making a promise to a human or a dog. Although the outside may look different, inside the mind is the same so a promise is a promise to me. So I stayed and a little while later, we opened up Kechara and that was it.

Yes, because of Mumu I stayed and struggled on. Over time, the struggles did become better but at the time, I didn’t know that it would so I stayed primarily because of Mumu. Of course I was concerned about leaving friends and students too, but they are human. They would have been able to visit me in the USA and also, we can call one another. All of this would not have been possible for my Mumu so because of mainly him, I stayed. And then because I stayed, a group of students and I later decided to start Kechara.

But before Kechara came and all that, my first few years with Mumu were bliss. I did not have a centre then so I had a little more free time and personally trained the little monster. I taught him the various commands and house-trained him. “Mumu stay”, “Mumu sit”, “Mumu no jump jump”, “Mumu clean clean”…his favourite was “Mumu go bye bye!” He would get really excited and bark and start to shake uncontrollably, as he knew we would be going out somewhere.

My favourite video of Mumu

My Funny Little Mumu

One of the commands he hated was “Mumu aam aam”, his command to eat. Mumu absolutely hated eating so every mealtime became an event. All sorts of tricks, treats and funny, excitable voices were used to try and distract him, cajole him and bribe him to eat. Whoever was feeding him became the willing victim of the dirty looks he became famous for LOL it was during these times also that people could see just however clever Mumu was. Mumu would give really dirty looks to the person who made him eat.

Mumu when he was sick recently. He did not want to eat that day and I was telling him he needs to eat to get strong so he can be well. He was a good boy and listened to me, and started to eat after that. I will always love and miss you. Click to enlarge.

You see, there was a doggie door in my bedroom door for Mumu to walk in and out whenever he wanted. So during aam aam time, he would run into my room and poke his head out of the doggie door. He would do this especially when I was sleeping because he knew that KB, my attendant who oversaw his day-to-day care, would not be able to call Mumu without waking me up. So KB would be crouched outside my door whispering for Mumu to go ‘aam aam’ and each time he reached out to catch Mumu, my little boy would back up and run into my room, out of KB’s reach.

Mumu tucked up in bed. He loved to fall asleep with a blanket pulled up around him, and would relax almost immediately. Isn’t he adorable? Click to enlarge.

Can you imagine this dog knew if he goes into my room, KB won’t be able to wake me up and he can escape eating? He knew which room to go into and hide, and he knew what time to go there and hide. This went on and on and the two of them didn’t know I was watching, I really had to control my laughter.

Because Mumu was super picky with food and he didn’t like to eat, Beng Kooi, through her research, found a wonderful canine nutritionist who is patient, sincere and professional. We gave all the details to her, and she came up with food that Mumu would like, that would have the nutritional composition necessary to keep him healthy. Mumu, in the beginning, was difficult so the nutritionist adjusted the food and how it should be cooked until Mumu liked it.

Some of Mumu’s famous dirty looks. He gave it any time someone tried to get him to eat or drink water, or whenever he felt we were taking too many pictures. Click to enlarge.

It was many emails and calls to Canada in the beginning, to get the balance right for him. In the end, we found the right combination and Mumu would eat happily, and his gastric finally came under control. Throughout the years, the nutritionist adjusted Mumu’s diet accordingly as he aged and his nutritional needs changed. I highly recommend this. Her name is Sabine Contreras (http://www.betterdogcare.com) and through her, finally much of Mumu’s reluctance to eat was resolved.

And just like me, Mumu hated drinking water so “Mumu drink water” would not get a very enthusiastic response from him. In fact, towards the later part of his life, we had to use a syringe to feed water to him because he refused to consume it on his own. No amount of bribery or excitable voices, or cajoling or encouragements would work. My other two dogs have no problem but Mumu just hated drinking water.

Mumu resting in my room. On so many days he would fall asleep like this next to me while I worked on the computer. Click to enlarge.

But in those early years, I remember the times when I would be sitting in my room working, and Mumu would be curled up in the blanket next to me, snoring away as I worked on my computer. Those were some really wonderful times that I wish I could get back. He looked so peaceful snuggled up. If there was a sound, my little busybody would open one eye to judge if the sound was interesting enough for him to go and explore. If there was nothing, he’d fall back asleep; if it was interesting enough, he would be up and away. He was well known to be a huge busybody, he always had to be in the know of what was going on.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/MumuWithFeathers.mp4

Teasing Mumu with a feather boa. Look at how concentrated he is on the boa, and his cute face watching it go up and down.

There were also certain things that would drive my little Mumu crazy. He could not stand loud, unnatural noises so I would buy little robots and mechanical toys to tease him. He would bark and bark and bark his little head off at the offending toy, it’d be so funny to watch. He would do the same thing to pretty much everything actually – he would bark at birds, at the fish in the pond, at people he saw every single day.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/MumuCar.mp4

Mumu going for a ride in one of his little cars with his little friends. The obnoxious little monster was barking away and clever enough to balance on the steering wheel as the car moved.

And whenever it thundered Mumu would immediately start shivering violently, he hated thunder and was afraid of it. He would also shiver violently when he saw that I was going away. It would take me a long time to stroke him and calm him down, and tell him “Mumu sleep sleep, daddy stay” before he nodded off to sleep. It was to let him know he could relax and close his eyes, and I would not go anywhere. Then when he had finally fallen asleep again, I would dash out of the house as quietly as I could, go and run my errands, then come back as quickly as I could.

When Mumu was seriously ill with pancreatitis many years ago, my friend and Mumu’s caretaker KB told me he wanted to stay in the clinic with Mumu and keep him company. KB slept there and watched Mumu 24 hours a day until he became better. I will always be grateful. Click to enlarge.

Over the years, my students and I saw more and more of Mumu’s special qualities. He wasn’t like other dogs, he knew how to empathise and try and make people feel better. Some dogs are just dogs; there’s nothing wrong with them and they are loyal, sweet, intelligent but they are just dogs who act based on their instincts. I have two other schnauzers and they are not like Mumu at all. Mumu was different because he knew how to put other people before him. For example, whenever I was upset, Mumu would quietly come up to me and lick my hand, as his way of asking me to cheer up and not to be unhappy. And I used to call him a little traitor but actually, I’m glad he was a traitor. I raised Mumu so that he would have a lot of friends and he wouldn’t be too attached to me. I didn’t want it that if something happened to me, or I wasn’t around then Mumu would be sad or heartbroken because he was attached only to me. So I always made sure Mumu had a lot of friends and he loved a lot of people, and a lot of people loved him so he would always be okay even if I wasn’t around.

KB really loves Mumu and was always the first to spot if something was physically wrong with Mumu. He took such good care of Mumu, like a son. And for his part, Mumu really loved KB and was relaxed whenever KB was around. When Mumu had a medical procedure, KB was always present so Mumu would feel safe. Click to enlarge.

So I am very grateful for the team who was taking care of Mumu. Throughout his life, Mumu had a lot of illnesses and many times, he became so sick that I almost lost him. One particular incident when he developed pancreatitis, Mumu had to be warded in the clinic for around ten nights. During this time, his main caretaker KB stayed with Mumu 24 hours a day. He slept in the clinic, ate there and basically made sure Mumu was never left alone. It was during this episode actually that someone visiting their own dog at the clinic saw that Mumu always had visitors and asked what was going on. That person is now one of my close students and a devoted member of Kechara, and he is not the first person who Mumu brought into the Dharma in this way.

Mumu was good company. He was always around playing or sitting nearby. I had other students with schnauzers and I would invite them often to play with Mumu. Later, I brought Oser girl and Dharma boy home to be with Mumu. I wanted to make sure Mumu was never alone. I had grown up without siblings at home and it was lonely. I didn’t want that for Mumu and since I couldn’t play with him 24 hours a day, if he had permanent friends, then they would keep him company. Mumu really loved Oser, and tolerated Dharma boy.

Mumu and his little girlfriend Oser when they first met. Oser was a little baby at the time. Click to enlarge.

Mumu and Oser in more recent times. Click to enlarge.

Mumu’s Last Illness

In May 2016, Mumu was diagnosed with a condition called tricuspid regurgitation. Basically, the right heart valve was malfunctioning and weak. As a result, his heart was having trouble circulating blood around the body. The doctors put Mumu on Lasix and told us to observe Mumu’s condition, and to observe fluid build-up in his abdominal cavity.

The day Mumu started vomiting and the team rushed him down to the clinic. It was that day, January 10, that we learned his kidney function was starting to fail. Click to enlarge.

On January 4, 2017 Mumu’s fluid had built up to quite an alarming level. My students called up the vet and got advice, then administered one slightly higher dose of Lasix to Mumu before rushing him down to Gasing. He was examined and the doctors concluded that the build-up was due to a weakened heart. The weak heart was unable to pump fast and hard enough, to draw water into the bloodstream and help expel it from the body. The doctors said they could give a little bit more Lasix to help expel fluids from his body, and therefore relieve the strain on the heart but over a certain quantity, Lasix was toxic to Mumu’s kidney so they had to be very cautious.

They recommended that Mumu undergo a drainage procedure to remove the abdominal fluid which I agreed to. We updated all of this to Mumu’s main caretaker, KB who was taking care of family matters in Nepal. KB immediately flew back so he could be with Mumu for the procedure. KB was next to Mumu to comfort him throughout the procedure.

How KB would hold Mumu during various procedures to comfort him. In this case, when they were drawing blood for tests, KB would shield Mumu from seeing the needle. And my little Mumu was always cooperative and never struggled or showed pain. The doctors were so careful and caring. Click to enlarge.

The day after Mumu’s initial check-up, he went for an acupuncture treatment and two days later, Mumu had his abdomen drained of fluid. The doctors extracted 2.3 litres then we brought Mumu home. For the next nine days, the team watched Mumu closely but unfortunately, he began to vomit. He only vomited a few times and in small amounts but it concerned the team because it wasn’t normal behaviour. So on the 10th day after coming home, they brought Mumu back to Gasing. Dr Prem Anand, Mumu’s main doctor, took one whiff of Mumu and said it wasn’t good news. He immediately drew blood for testing and a few hours later, Dr Prem diagnosed Mumu with the early stages of renal (kidney) failure.

Mumu having his abdomen drained of fluid. The procedure is routine and, I am told, quite painless. But still, notice how KB on the left comforts Mumu. Click to enlarge.

Mumu’s blood test results showed elevated urea, creatinine and phosphate levels. These are the body’s waste products which the kidneys are supposed to remove. In Mumu’s case, since his kidney function had reduced, the waste was still circulating in the blood and not being removed from the body. Mumu was immediately taken off Lasix and started on a flushing treatment, while his diet was amended. We consulted his canine nutritionist in Canada and told her it was an emergency case. She came back with a new diet for him, something with reduced protein but increased complex carbohydrates. This was to keep his appetite going whilst reducing the impact on his kidneys since a high protein diet would not be good for them.

The flushing treatment basically involved Mumu being put on a drip to introduce fluids into his bloodstream. It was to try and flush out the urea, creatinine and phosphate by introducing a lot of fluids to the body, and thus jump-start the kidneys to expel the fluid through urination.

My brave little boy. Even though he spent so much time in the last few months in the clinic, he never complained, cried or showed he was suffering although he must have been in great pain. To the right, you can see the little speaker the team set up for him so it would play mantras for him 24 hours a day to bless him. Click to enlarge.

However, the problem with the flushing treatment in Mumu’s case is, if you remember, his weak heart. His heart was already straining to remove fluids from the body, hence the build-up in his abdominal cavity and the initial reason why we had brought Mumu to the clinic. Hence putting Mumu on a drip to flush his kidneys (to reduce urea, creatinine and phosphate) would put a strain on his heart. In other words:

• the treatment (flushing) to help the kidneys would hurt the heart by introducing too much liquid to the body
• And the treatment to help the heart (Lasix) would hurt the kidneys because it was toxic to them.
• If the kidneys were hurt, then the urea and all that would rise.

As Dr Prem explained to my team, the two organ issues and treatments for them were totally opposite to one another.

Over the next three months, this is what Mumu’s team focused on with the doctors. They were looking for a balance to help both the heart and the kidney. They were looking for a treatment customised to Mumu’s particular situation where the urea, creatinine and phosphate levels weren’t so high, where Lasix did not have to be administered, and where Mumu’s abdomen wouldn’t be filled with fluid so quickly.

Most of the time, Mumu was too weak to stand by himself. So at the clinic, the team would take him out of his cage and bring him outside every few hours to sniff the fresh air and check out what was going on. Being stuck in a small cage and unable to move was very uncomfortable for this busybody. Click to enlarge.

Then there were other complications that arose too like, for example, when Mumu’s abdomen was drained. The sudden loss of fluids led to a sudden loss of electrolytes (albumen, sodium, chloride and potassium) and this created problems for Mumu. He started to become very drowsy and unresponsive, and disinterested in everything. Being a natural busybody, this type of behaviour really worried my team so they consulted the doctors. The doctors immediately changed the contents of Mumu’s drip from a compound sodium lactate to 3% sodium chloride drip.

Over time, Mumu had to get his abdomen drained more frequently because his heart was failing and the fluid was building up faster. The team who went to the clinic so often became very familiar with the procedure, and Mumu too. They told me Mumu never struggled once or scratched or move. He just laid there until the procedure was over. Such a good, brave little boy. Click to enlarge.

These are the things that would not have been caught if the team were not observing Mumu constantly. Because they observed so closely, it gave Mumu’s doctors time to treat him and give him the appropriate medication before the problem worsened. And from this, I really saw how delicate the balance of Mumu’s little body really was. For example, too little sodium in his body could put him in a coma and if they corrected it with a sodium drip, then too much sodium in his body could give rise to seizures due to cell shrinkage in his brain.

So instead of draining 1-2 litres of fluid from his abdomen, my team could only drain 700 to 800ml to reduce how much electrolytes were lost. However, because they couldn’t drain so much each time and because Mumu was getting extra fluids via a drip, this meant my poor Mumu had to be drained more often because fluid was building up faster in his abdomen and causing him a lot of discomfort.

Even then, the percentage of sodium in the drip and even how quickly the drip was being administered all had to be monitored and checked, and adjusted. In essence, they needed to:

• Give him enough sodium so he doesn’t fall into a coma, but not so much that his kidneys are overloaded.
• Give him enough fluids so his kidneys are being flushed out, but not so much that his heart is overworked and the abdominal fluid builds up too quickly.
• If it builds up too quickly, Mumu would have to be drained again.
• And draining him too often would lead to a loss of electrolytes, which could be prevented by draining less fluid.
• But draining less fluid each time meant draining him more frequently so the build-up wouldn’t be too much, causing him discomfort…

All these things I never had to think about before. And there was so much tweaking and changing and amending, researching and updating and trying different methods just to help my Mumu. The team consisted of Ooi Beng Kooi, KB Thapa, Pastor Lanse Chiah, Pastor Khong Jean Ai and Beatrix Ooi, and they did all of this with love, to be on standby for Mumu and they did a great job.

So every day, Mumu was also injected with anti-vomit, anti-diarrhoea and anti-gastric medication, as well as a small amount of Lasix. Mumu has always had to eat five times a day or he gets very severe gastric. But because he was already weaker, he was even more disinterested in food than usual. So he needed the anti-gastric medication to suppress the gastric, and he needed the anti-vomit medication to suppress him throwing up anything he ate. When his electrolytes level was out of balance as well, he had a lot of diarrhoea which my team cleaned multiple times a day without complaints. They really loved Mumu and were actually inspired to help him because they saw how he struggled but still stuck to his training.

The schnauzer book I read, and had my students read as well. It had such a profound impact on my relationship with Mumu and totally changed the way I trained him. Click to enlarge.

You see, even with Mumu’s diarrhoea there is also something for all of us to learn about the benefits of training our dogs. when Mumu was very young, I was training him but unbeknownst to me, I was training him incorrectly. Then one day, I came across this book and I realised I had been doing wrong. And once I learned how to train him correctly, that’s when my relationship with him completely changed. Up until the book, I had been training him incorrectly so I wasn’t getting results. Mumu was still a little (cute!) monster pooping and peeing everywhere.

There was one line in the book that really impacted me and that was, if you spend six months to one year training your dog, you will have a happy, well-behaved dog for 15 to 20 years. Even if the training is sporadic, there are still many benefits to be enjoyed from training your dog. Reading this made such a difference for me. It’s like having a child and you raise them well, and they grow up to become good adults.

Many people neglect to train their dogs and when they grow out of the puppy stage, what used to be cute behaviour stops being cute and the disobedience also stops being cute. That’s when many people think their dogs are bad, disobedient, etc. and they return their dogs to the shop. What they don’t realise is that their dog’s behaviour is their fault, because they failed to train up their dogs. And then the poor doggie has to suffer for this.

The back page of the schnauzer book I read. I highly recommend this book as compulsory reading for anyone who loves their dogs. Click to enlarge.

So in the beginning, I trained Mumu so badly that he thought peeing and pooing was bad. He would hide from it whenever it was time to go because he was afraid to get scolded, and I saw this. I had to relearn how to retrain him to poop and pee in the right place. The breakthrough was one day during the training process, when I was in one room and Mumu was in another room. I was looking at him through the window. He couldn’t see me and I saw him looking and checking to see if I was watching. He thought I wasn’t so he started to squat to poo. That’s when he caught me looking and he immediately stood up again and stopped.

That moment made me realise I had been training him incorrectly. So I waited longer and pretended to go away. When Mumu thought I had left, he squatted again to poop. Just as the poo was about halfway out, I came back and screamed excitedly “Good boy!!” Mumu jumped and looked around, but it was too late and he couldn’t stop. After he finished, I rewarded him with a treat and this did for a few days, until he realised that pooping was not a bad thing. To poop was not bad but to poop in the wrong place was bad. If he pooped in the right place, he would be rewarded. I did this many times with him until he was trained to poop and pee on command.

This training lasted 13 years until the end of his life when he tried to poop and pee in the right place, but had no choice to go wherever he was. We cleaned up happily and never once made him feel guilty for it. This training applied to all aspects of his life, for example eating and sleeping, and the outcome was exactly like the book had said. If a dog is trained well, they will grow up to become well-mannered adults. Mumu was a well-mannered adult.

No matter how weak Mumu was, he always tried to walk outside (or at least stand up) to poop. On his better days, he would struggle to stay balanced but he always tried. My brave little boy inspired many with the strength of his character and his determination. Click to enlarge.

When it comes to dogs and training them, if we scold our dogs a few minutes after their act, they don’t actually know what we are scolding them for. So over time, it will just seem like we are screaming at them for no reason and they will grow up scared. To them, we are simply yelling and screaming. And if we scold them a few hours after what they have done, they will just become very confused and don’t know what we are screaming at or for. Dogs are smaller and weaker than us. By screaming and beating them, we are sending them the message that we don’t love them. That’s the message they will receive.

Our dogs rely on us for everything, including love, so the important thing to remember with our pets is that they are sentient, feeling, can be hurt and can feel happiness. Our pets are not an object that’s bereft of feeling. It’s really important for us to always remember this when dealing with our pets and it’s important to train them well. If we can do this according to professional advice, our relationship with them will be much better and then we will have the pleasure of the company of well-behaved pets and dogs for many years to come.

Taken a few days before Mumu passed away. He was so skinny and weak, and had lost the use of his back legs. Still, he kept trying to stand up to poop and pee. But because he couldn’t stand, the team would support him to help him poo standing up. Watching my brave little boy struggle broke their hearts and they never complained about having to help him. Click to enlarge.

So even when Mumu was very, very sick and didn’t have the strength to get up, he would still struggle to try and stand so he could pee and poo. He would try over and over again and finally, when he couldn’t take it any more, he would just go wherever he was lying down. It was just really heartbreaking for my team to watch this because they knew how badly Mumu wanted to go outside and do it in a proper place. But he couldn’t and even though he was so sick and weak, his training still overrode everything and my good, darling little boy still tried to go in the right place.

That’s one of the reasons why the team never ever complained about caring for Mumu and clearing up his diarrhoea, because they knew it wasn’t his choice. He wasn’t doing it on purpose but he just couldn’t help it. On his better days, he was be able to control himself so they would carry him outside. He had a bit of strength to stand so they supported his body with their hands and then he would poop and pee comfortably.

On other days, he had no strength at all to stand. They would see him struggle to lift his head. He would bob and sway a little bit, struggle to get up and then exhausted from the effort, kind of collapse in his bed and just go. So many times he pooped on their hands, on their shoes, everywhere but they never once said anything. They just cleaned him up very well, and wiped him down thoroughly every single time to make sure the poo and pee didn’t stay on his body and burn his skin.

There was a period when Mumu was well enough to come home. After many weeks of worrying reports that he was too weak to walk, Mumu finally felt well enough that day to run around and chase for his favourite vegetables. I was so relieved to see this. In the background by the way, you can see the checklist the team kept to ensure he was receiving proper care every day and also the oxygen tank (on the floor) they purchased in case he had breathing difficulties. Click to enlarge.

Then there were other things I learned about, like the issue of veins clogging or collapsing. I learned that it’s easiest for a doctor to insert an IV drip into a dog’s two front legs because the angle of the legs means the needle is less easy to slip out. It also means the dog is less able to scratch and pull it out. These are things I never even considered before because it’s not something humans have to deal with. Mumu’s IV needle had to be changed every five days for hygiene reasons but because he was in the hospital and on a drip for so long, eventually even this had issues. Due to the repeated insertions, blood clots had form around Mumu’s veins, making it hard for the fluids to travel out of the needle and through the veins. So the doctors started to run out of a place to insert the needle. We had to start inserting the needle into Mumu’s back legs and towards the end of his life, had to leave the fourth back leg alone. Why? Because it was the last leg with a viable vein, which would be needed in case Mumu needed an emergency injection.

Even when Mumu left the clinic and was well enough to stay at home, we had to keep the needle and stent in his leg just in case emergency medication or drip needed to be administered. Click to enlarge.

And my team going to the clinic every single day to be with Mumu, they saw so many dogs pass away from the same diseases Mumu had. This taught them what signs to observe in the dogs before they finally pass away, to apply the same knowledge to Mumu and observe the signs in him. They stayed with him all day and night, reciting mantras and checking his drip every single hour to make sure it hadn’t become caught on something or pulled out. The amount of care and attention they put into taking care of Mumu, I will really never forget. I am more than grateful. When Mumu came home, we set up two rooms with an attached garden for Mumu and they continued to stay with him in those rooms 24 hours a day for three straight months.

Most of the time while he was at the clinic, Mumu was too weak to stand up. So every day, the team carried him outside to enjoy some grass and fresh air. This was on one of the days when he was strong enough to stand. He really enjoyed the sunshine. Click to enlarge.

It went on and on like this, and the team spent many days and nights in the clinic observing Mumu and any small changes in his behaviour to note how the treatment was working. With the doctors, they made a lot of tweaks and changes to Mumu’s treatment and kept careful notes and records of Mumu’s reactions. They even arranged for dogs to come in, to donate plasma so that Mumu could get plasma infusions to help his electrolytes levels balance out. I really, really want to say thank you to those donors and their dogs who helped with this. When the message went out, many kind people immediately offered to bring their dogs in to donate blood. And I was told that one night, when Mumu critically needed his electrolytes levels to balance out very quickly, the plasma infusion he got from these donors saved his life. So I have to really thank these people and their dogs also, for saving my Mumu’s life:

• Illa Aza and her dog Angie
• Shelly and Ron Tai, and their dog Dukkar
• Melissa Kua and her dogs Dunkin and Dahlia
• James Won and his dog Mani
• Jace Chong and her dog Alicia

Other people also offered their dogs too, including Anjeo Pua, Edward from PAWS (arranged by Toh Cheng See), Alex Wong and Robyna Wong but we never needed to take from them. Still, I am so grateful for their compassion to even offer their dogs’ blood. If you have a healthy dog who is a viable donor, please consider making a donation to your local vet because it really could save a dog’s life. I saw this for myself.

Caring for Mumu

Wherever Mumu has lived, I have always installed baby gates and ‘Mumu gates’ to stop my three doggies from running out onto the road or going into rooms they aren’t supposed to access. Click to enlarge.

That schnauzer training book I read many years ago really changed my perspective on the extent to which we can care for our dogs. Throughout Mumu’s life, I’ve always been very vigilant about his care and became very watchful over other dogs too. I even had training sessions with my students who have schnauzers. Five or six of us would gather to read and study the book together, because I thought it was important for people to learn how to train their dogs when they are puppies. I even had my students set up a website to record all of this information so we could easily share it with one another: http://ldogs.yolasite.com/

I have had gates put up and barriers erected so my dogs don’t run onto the street or patio and get hurt. In some of the places I’ve lived in the past, I had fish ponds so I put up glass barriers so my dogs wouldn’t be able to jump inside and drown. In every place I’ve lived, I would have carpets installed in every room, even in the common areas and on the steps where my dogs would often visit. I didn’t want them to jump and have their paws slip because it would cause a lot of joint and ankle problems when they were older. True enough, even when Mumu was older, he never had bone and joint problems.

Part of Mumu’s vaccination records. All of Mumu’s heart scans, blood work results, injection records – everything was scanned in, recorded and saved for easy reference. Click to enlarge.

I am also very careful to make sure my dogs get the correct medication and vaccinations, and I kept a strict record of these. The vital ones, Heartgard and Frontline, they would always get without fail and I kept a log of these so they wouldn’t overdose.

Mumu’s skin was also highly sensitive and at one point, he had lost a lot of hair on his back. So he was always washed with special, non-harsh herbal shampoos and my three dogs are all professionally groomed with their nails cut and ears cleaned.

Mumu and his friends lived in well-ventilated, insect-free rooms with fresh water always available. I also had soothing classical music or mantras played in his rooms, to soothe his and his friends’ minds and to create a pleasant environment for them. You can find these tracks and mantras free on YouTube.

Mumu loved his daily walks in his pram. Click to enlarge.

Being a sickly dog, I was also very careful about where he went. Mumu had highly sensitive paws which would get swollen whenever he walked outside. Over time, his paws had not developed an immunity to walking outside so I got a stroller for him. Each day, he and his little friends would be bundled into their stroller and they would be pushed outside for fresh air.

And being that Mumu was so sickly, whenever I had to go away, I would never leave Mumu with just anyone. I was very particular about who would babysit him, and even who would drive him because some people were reckless or would drive too fast and maybe make Mumu feel nauseated. Wouldn’t you be this careful too with your kids? I would order and buy toys for him, and change them very often as heavy usage would make them unhygienic. Even the condition of the toys was monitored; as soon as they became frayed or broken down, the toys would be swapped so pieces wouldn’t break off and Mumu accidentally ingest them.

Speaking of ingesting, Mumu was never given junk food with a lot of salt or sugar as it would affect him and I cared about his health. And in general, he was never left alone and always had his friends Oser and Dharma, or one of us humans. He was always with someone 24 hours a day. YES, HE WAS LOVED.

Mumu’s Final Hours

This is the last photo of Mumu ever taken, captured 40 minutes before his passing on March 21, 2017 at Tsem Ladrang (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Click to enlarge.

On his last day, Mumu went to the clinic as usual for a check-up. He also got his abdomen drained that day then came home which is when I had a strong feeling I needed to see him. I hadn’t seen him for a few days because there were so many things that needed my attention. But on that particular day, the feeling was very strong. So I went upstairs to be with him and also met with a few people at the same time.

A couple of hours later, surrounded by people he loved, Mumu passed away. It happened without warning; all of a sudden Mumu sat up and struggled to breath, before he took his last breath and finally stopped. Immediately Pastor Lanse who is a trained doctor started CPR on Mumu. She kept going, focused and concentrated for at least 15 minutes. She was sweating and panting but never once did she relax or take it easy. She kept trying and trying, and checking his vital signs.

At 7:57pm on March 21, 2017, Mumu was gone. I had watched my Mumu pass away in front of my eyes. He was just two days shy of his 13th birthday.

For months we had been trying to extend Mumu’s life but I knew Mumu had to pass away eventually. I was just hoping he could be here longer, not just because he was my baby but because I wanted to plant many more Dharma imprints for him. But when it had to happen, I am just grateful that Mumu passed without any visible signs of pain or suffering. The room was calm when he left, he was surrounded by people he knew and felt secure with, and everyone was reciting mantras and prayers for him.

So after administering 15 minutes of CPR, we were unable to revive my Mumu so I immediately had offerings set up for him. Within 20 minutes of his passing, I was already able to do a puja for Mumu and to request Dorje Shugden to guide his consciousness to a good rebirth. Mumu had great merits through his whole life to always be surrounded by Dharma, by the Buddhas and to always have a shrine near him.

Mumu’s room in Tsem Ladrang in Kechara Forest Retreat which he shares with my other two schnauzers. On the right is the Medicine Buddha altar dedicated to Mumu where offerings would be made every day on his behalf for him to collect merit. His caretakers would also do Amitayus retreats for his health and long life, as he was always in poor health. Click to enlarge.

Where he lived in Tsem Ladrang in Kechara Forest Retreat, my three little doggies have their own room. In the room, as you can see above, was an altar set up for Mumu dedicated to his yidam, Medicine Buddha. Every single day, for many years, daily offerings would be made onto the Medicine Buddha altar to collect merits on Mumu’s behalf.

Mumu’s caretakers also did monthly Amitayus retreats for him. So they would set up an altar in Mumu’s room and do the retreats with Mumu next to them. In this way, for many years Mumu received the blessings of the Buddha and had countless Dharma imprints planted in his mindstream.

A Medicine Buddha altar was set up for Mumu in the room he played and rested in in KL. And if you look in the background, you will see the carefully written notes for the team to know how to treat Mumu should anything happen to him. Click to enlarge.

Later, when Mumu got sick and needed to stay in KL, a Medicine Buddha was also set up for him and daily offerings would also be made here on his behalf. It was purposely set up so Mumu could circumambulate around the altar when he was feeling better. From time to time, the team would coax him with treats to walk around the altar and my little good boy would obediently follow them.

Mumu when he was younger, and wearing his pet pendant featuring Manjushri and also a string blessed by Dorje Shugden. Click to enlarge.

You see, wherever Mumu went, I wanted to make sure that I could implant as many Dharma imprints in his mind as much as possible. Inspired by Mumu, I even created pet pendants for our little doggies to wear. If we humans can wear our pendants to bless us, I thought, why not our pets? So for our pets, the pendants are made of plastic to be waterproof and light-weight, and have no sharp edges which might accidentally cut or hurt them. Inside there is a little picture of Manjushri and also a Protector string, to bless the pet wearing it. All of this was because Mumu would one day have to leave, and I wanted to make sure that when the moment of his passing arrived, that he would have enough merits to take with him and help him to take a good rebirth.

Cremation

Mumu stayed in my home until April 3, 2017 when he was brought to Heavenly Gate for the cremation. What was so unusual was this – for the next 13 days, Mumu’s body did not show any signs of decomposition. When he passed, he was in a hot room for many hours while I did my pujas for him. Only after the pujas were finished did we bring him down and place him on a dry ice. In the experience of Pastor Yek Yee who has done many pet funerals, most animals start to decompose very quickly and immediately after death. In Mumu’s case however, he looked almost the same up until the point we cremated his little body. She found that to be highly unusual, and even the doctors who came to see Mumu also made the same remarks.

During Mumu’s wake. Many people sent their condolences and flowers, and offered their prayers and came to do puja for him. Thank you so much. Click to enlarge.

Heavenly Gate, led by Pastor Yek Yee and her team, conducted the cremation for Mumu at their premises in Bentong. During his cremation, close to 100 people came to attend and do prayers for him. I was able to spend a few hours also doing pujas and prayers for Mumu, and to request our Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden to help him take a good rebirth.

The set-up at Heavenly Gate for Mumu’s cremation. Click to enlarge.

If someone asks me why I didn’t cremate Mumu immediately, truth be told, I wasn’t ready to let go of him yet. I also wanted to give Mumu’s caretakers some time to come to terms because they really, really loved him. You cannot care so deeply for another being and not feel some kind of loss when they are gone, and I knew this. Also, knowing Mumu was in the room next door gave me a little measure of “oh he’s still around” but at the same time, I could not bear to see him because it was confirmation that he was gone. And even then, I still also wanted to be able to go and see him whenever I wanted but in the end, so many people came to visit Mumu that even this became a little difficult. I was pleasantly surprised and very touched by how many people sent their condolences, and sent flowers and even came to visit Mumu. Some people came every single night to join the Medicine Buddha pujas we were doing for him. So many people came to see Mumu in what later became a wake, and they remarked that Mumu had more visitors at his wake than many people.

In fact, so many people came daily and non-stop, and they didn’t come just to socialise, but they stayed to chant and talk about more about the pujas being done daily for Mumu.

Mumu’s remains after the cremation. His skull remained intact despite the searing heat of the crematory. Click to enlarge.

And every few hours, Pastor Yek Yee and her dedicated and wonderful team like Frederick came to check on Mumu, to change the dry ice, straighten out the flowers, etc. I received updates about them and how fast, dedicated and quickly they worked. How much care they took with my little Mumu’s body. And Mumu’s team also continued to stay with him and take shifts, and be with him 24 hours a day. Even in death, my darling little Mumu was never alone.

Meeting Dorje Shugden

One thing that comforts me very much to know is that before he died, my Mumu was able to have an audience with Dorje Shugden who blessed him. It took place on February 27, 2017 which was the first day of Losar (or the Tibetan New Year).

As is tradition for the first day of Losar, His Eminence the 7th Panglung Kuten (affectionately known as Choje-la) took trance of various Protectors, including the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. I was told that through the whole trance, Mumu was extremely well-behaved and he didn’t bark, make noise or disturb anyone. Even with all the noise and ritual instruments, he just sat there quietly and watched everyone to see what was going on. He has always been very comfortable around Dharma and Buddhist things.

Dorje Shugden blessing Mumu (carried by KB) during the trance, while Beng Kooi makes my requests on my behalf. Throughout his life, Mumu had the opportunity to connect with a lot of powerful spiritual energies. I am so happy and relieved that Mumu could meet Dorje Shugden at least once before he passed away. Click to enlarge.

Choje-la took trance as scheduled and one by one, everyone went up to receive blessings from the various Protectors who came. Choje-la took trance of Dorje Shugden, Shipdak Gyenyen, Setrap and Kache Marpo.

When it came to Mumu’s turn, KB brought Mumu up to Dorje Shugden who blessed him with rice and by blowing on the crown of his head. You can see in this photo how gentle Dorje Shugden was. Beng Kooi also read out my requests to Dorje Shugden regarding Mumu. To indicate he accepted my request, Dorje Shugden hit the mirror (melung) on his chest three times and very hard. In fact, both Dorje Shugden and Kache Marpo accepted my requests regarding Mumu and said that they will pray for him.

My main worry for Mumu has always been that when he passes away, he will be totally alone and scared in the bardo. I always worry if I had created enough causes for him to take a good rebirth. Knowing that the enlightened Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden promised to pray for my little Mumu was very comforting to hear, that a god promised to pray and take care of my little darling.

And for me, it also reflects the nature of Dorje Shugden as a Protector. No sentient being is too small or too insignificant for his attention and his compassion. Even for a small dog, he will pray for them. It can only be two things – either Mumu is someone special, or Dorje Shugden is someone special. Either way, I was totally grateful to hear this which is that I have a little bit of assurance my Mumu will be okay when the time comes for his passing. Throughout his life, Mumu had the opportunity to connect with a lot of powerful spiritual energies. I am so happy and relieved that Mumu could meet Dorje Shugden at least once before he passed away.

My request to Dorje Shugden

When it’s Mumu’s turn to go up to Dorje Shugden or Kache Marpo, ask them to bless him to live longer and make his illness better.

Later when when it’s time for Mumu to pass away, may he pass with no pain in his sleep.

May Mumu have no fears in Bardo and not be alone and born to be a practitioner of our lineage, Vajra Yogini and Dorje Shugden and benefit many beings. Dorje Shugden help him. May he gain bodhicitta.

Say all this to Dorje Shugden or Kache Marpo directly loudly and clearly in English.

Thank You

So you see how complicated and intricate all of this was? I am very thankful that some of my students were so supportive during this difficult time. When Mumu was healthy enough to come home during this period, the care continued.

The team watched him 24 hours a day, seven days a week for three months. They made a schedule so Mumu would always get his many, many medications on time. They took shifts to feed him, clean him, wash him, recite mantras for him, entertain him, calm him down when he was scared. They gave him rice blessed by our Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, turned him every hour to make sure bed sores didn’t develop, made sure he was comfortable and keep him company, cleaned his wounds and changed his dressings, learned how to administer medication. Since Day 1, my Mumu has never been alone. They did research, followed up with the doctors, asked as many questions as they could, learned up on basic veterinary medicine and supplements, prepared his food, took him to acupuncture.

Mumu sunbathing in the mornings. He loved the sun on his skin, and would be so relaxed and immediately fall asleep. Click to enlarge.

In the mornings, I asked them to carry him out to sunbathe because he loved the warmth of the sun on his body. When he too weak to walk, they massaged his body so his muscles would not atrophy and degenerate. When he was starting to walk again, they did physiotherapy and supported his weight to help him walk. They kept him entertained and played games with him to encourage him to move. They cleaned him and wiped him down, cleaned his towels, changed his sheets, picked up his poo. They monitored his diet, adding things like cottage cheese, beef heart and liver whenever he needed it.

The team made this supporting hammock-type device to assist Mumu into regaining strength in his leg muscles. This way, he could walk unobstructed but with some support and not hurt himself by falling. Click to enlarge.

They also memorised all the things they would need to do in case something happened and Mumu degenerated very quickly, and even bought specialist equipment for him then learned how to use it. Physically, everything they did, it would not have been possible for me to do it myself, and to go back and forth to the clinic every two or three days, wake up every few hours to feed him and give him his medicine, and clean him and wipe him, and all that. And they were doing this on top of all the other assignments and responsibilities they already had!

The team who took care of Mumu made him so comfortable and relieved my mind greatly. Even the doctors said so when they found out how much we were doing for Mumu. There were a few times we almost lost Mumu but thanks to how much effort Mumu’s team put in, combined with the doctors’ care and expertise, he was saved. The doctors said most pet owners would never go to this extent and would usually opt to put down their dogs because it’s too “troublesome”. I find this to be something very difficult to understand because Mumu wasn’t just “a dog” to me and in fact, I would never put down any dog like that. But my team didn’t give up and kept trying to find a solution, and they really helped to extend his life for a few more months. They took care of him just like they would take care a human and did such a good job to take away much of the worry on my mind. We were able to do a lot of pujas and mantras for Mumu during this time. This was very important to me.

Mumu and his wife, Oser in their little doggie pram. Every day, they would be taken out to circumambulate around holy stupas and statues. This was taken a few weeks before Mumu became seriously ill. Click to enlarge.

And throughout his life, Mumu’s caretakers would take him on daily walks and circumambulate around stupas and other holy objects. Then other students did pujas for him, made offerings on his behalf and dedicated to his long life. There were also people who organised groups to take vegetarian vows and dedicate to his health. I would also like to thank Mumu’s doctors at the Gasing Veterinary Hospital. Mumu had such good doctors, led by Dr Prem Anand, who really cared about him. I will always be grateful to Mumu’s doctors like Dr Mellissa Aw, Dr Adah Jayamalar, Dr Melissa Chiang, Dr Tan Shin Yee, Dr Chong Yuan Yih, Dr Lam Jo Lynn, and the rest of Dr Prem’s team who support him in this extremely valuable work. They trained up, dedicated themselves, made sacrifices so they have the skills and knowledge to treat him and so many other animals. They saved my little darling from pancreatitis, gastric and basically his very complicated medical history. Malaysia really needs more doctors like them, there is such a need for skilled and caring vets in this country to protect and heal our animals.

The difference with Dr Prem’s team and his clinic is that they actually care about the dogs. The clinic is not just a business to them. For all of the 13 years of care, medicine, healing that they gave to my little Mumu, I am very grateful to Dr Prem and his team. Mumu was always such a sickly dog and weaker than most. I saw them and I was updated about how they worried about Mumu, about how they were so careful in treating him, how they always wanted the best for him and to minimise any pain to him. I would and could never go to any other clinic because this one cares.

Even in Mumu’s little cage in the clinic, I hung up a Dorje Shugden picture for him to bless and protect him, and plant Dharma imprints. Click to enlarge.

Some people might question why so much effort for just a dog. But Mumu wasn’t just a dog to me and anyway, for any dog that’s sick that comes my way, I will do the same for them. Our dogs are not just our pets but they are also sentient beings too, so it was very important for me that Mumu had the opportunity to create a lot of spiritual imprints during his time with me. I always try and make sure that anyone who has a connection with me will come away with Dharma imprints, if not what good was their time with me? Whether they are human or animal or spirit makes no difference. Everyone should go away with seeds of Dharma planted in their mindstream.

The last photo I took with Mumu in Tsem Ladrang (Kechara Forest Retreat). Click to enlarge.

I cannot describe how sad and lonely I feel without Mumu. He has been such a big part of my life for the last 13 years and suddenly, he is gone. In a selfish way, I wish he could be longer here with us so I am able to enjoy more good times with him but also because if he was here for longer, I would be able to plant much, much more Dharma imprints for him. But I have done what I can for Mumu in this life and all I want now is for him to take a good rebirth in Pabongka Rinpoche’s lineage, to meet the practices of Vajrayogini and Dorje Shugden, and to practise it. I am so thankful that in his lifetime, he was able to meet Dorje Shugden and get blessings, and so many Dharmic imprints were planted in his mindstream. He had mantras recited for him, he went on circumambulation every day. People even did Amitayus retreats for him every month, and he had a Medicine Buddha altar in his room where offerings would be made on his behalf every single day. He was really, really loved and cared for. I pray that all animals and sentient beings will get the same kind of attention, care, healing, effort and love that my Mumu received.

I will always love you Mumu,
Tsem Rinpoche

My dear Mumu boy has such soulful and deep penetrating eyes. He was highly sensitive, intelligent and caring. He is physically gone, but never from my heart.

Tips to care for your dog

These are just some of the things I learned from caring for Mumu for the last 13 years. I wanted to share some of these with you because when I first brought Mumu home, I didn’t know many of these things. I had to learn them up myself over the years because I wanted to make sure Mumu received the best care possible. Part of it came from experience, but a lot of it came from the schnauzer book that I read up and also on the Internet. And it did turn out for the best because Mumu was very happy and as healthy as we could have him. So hopefully there are some things here too that you will also learn from, to give you and your baby a long, happy and healthy relationship together for many more years to come.

1. Before you bring home a dog (or any pet, for that matter), remember that it is a lifetime commitment. They are not playthings that we can give away when we tire of them, or when it is no longer convenient for us to care for them. Just like anyone else, they have feelings and can get deeply hurt. So if you are going to get a pet, take care of them. Do not neglect them and lock them up somewhere.
2. Please go online or get books to learn how to train your pet. Training them well when they are young helps to ensure you will have a good relationship with them for many years to come. If they are not trained well when they are very young, it will affect them for life. They will misbehave because they were not trained well and it will be our fault, just like children who grow up to become errant adults because their parents did not impart the right lessons to them.
3. Try not to keep your dog always locked up alone and neglected. It will traumatise them in the long run and they can become disturbed, unhappy and even sometimes aggressive.
4. Because our dogs cannot speak to us, it is important to observe them very carefully for signs of illness. This includes observing the brightness of their eyes, their hair growth and any balding spots, if they are running well or if there are changes to their gait, or if there is any flinching when they are touched in certain areas, as well as unusual bowel movements. Watch them for any changes to their physical appearance and behaviour. Changes in these can indicate something is wrong or they are ill.
5. Be careful what you feed them and do not simply give them anything to eat. Learn what is good and what is unhealthy and poisonous for your dog. Just like humans, some manufactured and convenience foods can be harmful to our pets’ health. Learn to read the labels because there may be chemicals that make them addicted to foods that are not healthy for them. So do research, buy the right bands then observe how they react to it.

My darling boy and me. In the background, you can see the reflection of a Vajrayogini statue. Mumu was raised always near the Buddhas every single day of his life. Click to enlarge.

• Once you find a healthy diet that works for your dog, try to avoid sudden changes to their diet. Such sudden changes may upset their stomachs and digestive system.
• Aside from water, you should avoid giving your dog any other forms of liquid to consume unless they are sick and additional liquids are being administered according to the doctor’s recommendation. Have fresh water available always and make sure their bowls are washed out and refilled as often as possible, since stale water can harbour a lot of parasites.
• Take care also regarding what snacks you give to your dog. Snacks are important and a useful method of training and rewarding our dogs; snacks that are healthy like permissible fresh vegetables and fruits are excellent. Use manufactured snacks in moderation.
• That being said, certain manufactured snacks can be useful, for example those that clean teeth tartar and plaque. Taking care of your dog’s teeth is important because they can and will fall out if not cared for. One of the first signs of rotting teeth is bad breath, and you do not want to reach that stage when it may be too late.
• A good vet will be able to help you keep your dog’s teeth in good condition, by getting their plaque and tartar removed from time to time. Find a good vet for your dog, someone who understands your needs and cares for your dog. Work and cooperate with them for your pet’s health.
• Our dog’s skin and fur/hair are very sensitive so changing brands can create some problems. Try to avoid harsh chemicals unless the doctor recommends that they need medicated shampoos, for example Malaseb. In general, try to use more natural shampoos to keep their skin and hair healthy.
• Check their collars to make sure it is changed at least twice a year to prevent mites. Make sure it it is not too tight; a good guide is if two of your fingers can fit between the collar and your dog’s neck.
• Things that you hang on their collar, make sure it’s not sharp or it can poke at their throats.
• Check your dog’s surroundings to make sure that everything around them is is good condition, and will not endanger them. Especially check their toys regularly and change them when they are getting old or dirty. Avoid squeaky toys as those have parts which can become detached, which our dog might swallow and try to avoid toys made from fabrics which can fray. Hide bones should be monitored closely so that our dog does not swallow large chunks and potentially choke themselves.

Click to enlarge.

• This is up to the individual but for dogs that like to jump on and off sofas and beds, if our floor is slippery, over time it will damage their ankles. A dog jumping onto a slippery surface will need to exert more force to steady themselves when they land. So it is recommended to have some kind of rug or carpet, or non-slip surface around our beds and sofas to help prevent them from slipping.
• Whenever your dog is being groomed, try and observe the process. Shaving too closely can cause irritation to the skin. Find a groomer who is not rough and who will take extra care not to hurt your dog.
• When dogs pant, unless they are excited or afraid, it is their way of regulating their body temperature. Dogs cannot sweat through their skin, and while they do sweat through their paw pads, panting is the easiest and fastest way for them to circulate air through their body to cool down. Make sure to have fresh water available when you see your dog doing this.
• Our dog’s paws are sensitive so try to avoid taking them for walks when it is hot outside. And never ever keep your dog locked in a car. A dog’s body temperature will rise much faster than a human’s, so the heat inside a locked car will affect them much more quickly than it will affect you. Use the same rule for your dog that you use for yourself – if it is too hot for you to walk outside barefoot, or too hot for you to sit in your car, it will be too hot for your dog.
• If your dog has a history of illnesses, keep your own record of their medical history. Write down important dates, and understand what medicines they are taking and what dosages they should be taking. Our dogs cannot speak so if they are getting the wrong medication, they will be extremely uncomfortable at best, and at worst they will overdose and have serious complications. So keep track of these things so your dog does not suffer. Do research and Google because you care for your dog, and you do not want him or her to suffer.
• If you like, it is nice to recite mantras every day for your dog. Have them circumabulate around stupas and Buddha images to plant seeds for their future life.

• Mumu and Friends
• Model Mumu
• Mumu and Humans
• #1
• #2
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• Mumu’s Birthday
• Flowers and Gifts
• Cremation
• Memorial Stupa and Statue
• Videos

Mumu and Friends

Here are some photos of Mumu and his friends Oser and Dharma from the time they were young up to the present day. Looking at these photos brings back some very bittersweet memories for me…

Mumu in his first home. He stayed in this cage when he first came back and it was used to train him on many different commands like “Mumu go home”.

Mumu on July 11, 2004 when he first came home to me. He had such a funny, serious little face.

Mumu on August 8, 2004 after his first haircut

Mumu was such a busybody. Even when he was in his bed and supposed to be sleeping, the slightest noise would wake him back up.

Look at his big bright, curious eyes.

Mumu with his friend Zamkar, who is Paul Yap’s dog. Paul was with me when I first brought Mumu home and inspired by Mumu’s cuteness and personality, Paul decided he wanted a schnauzer too. So Mumu and Zamkar pretty much grew up together. Over the years, Mumu has also inspired many other people to adopt dogs and give them love and care.

Smiling Mumu and Zamkar

I remember so many days like this, when I would be working at my bed and Mumu would be lying next to me. Sometimes he would be in bed all wrapped up, and other times he would be lying just like this with his head propped against the mattress. Cute.

The busybody looking out of my window, probably to bark at passersby!

Mumu sleeping but still keeping one eye on everything.

Mumu sleeping again. You are loved.

Hehe Mumu wearing my shirt and looking very serious.

Mumu has always enjoyed sitting in the sun

Sleepy but curious

A few years later, we brought Oser home. At first I didn’t want another dog because Kechara was growing and I already had my hands full with Mumu. At the same time, I knew schnauzers are sociable animals and it would be good for Mumu to have a companion. KB, Mumu’s main caretaker, insisted that he would be able to care for Oser too. One day, my students sent to me this picture of this little schnauzer and I just knew I had to bring her home. Later she was named Oser, meaning ‘clear light’.

KB, Mumu’s main caretaker, with Oser before bringing her home. She looks like a little Eskimo baby, all papoosed.

Oser and I when she first arrived home.

With Oser on my balcony

Mumu regarding Oser with some suspicion. She was so, so small when she first came home but quickly grew to be roughly the same size as Mumu.

Oser spent a few days in this cage to learn commands like “go home” and “go pee pee”. As I mentioned, it is really important to train your dogs and this was part of the training to teach Oser her sleeping place, and where she can pee and poop comfortably.

Oser getting her first bath from KB.

Isn’t she so cute? Everyone who saw her instantly fell in love with her.

Since Day One, Oser’s main preoccupation has been playing. She just loves to play and she’s extremely bright and very sharp. I play a game with my dogs where I throw cut fresh vegetables in slightly hidden places, so they have to sniff out the treats and find them. It’s to keep them active and stimulated. Oser is super fast and usually the first one to find the veggies.

Oser may have been small but she definitely wasn’t afraid of Mumu! Of course she wouldn’t be because Mumu is so gentle, but she has always been able to hold her own against the boys even since young.

Little baby Oser fast asleep.

Around the same time, I rescued a sun conure and it was being cared for until healthy so it could be released. Mumu was totally fascinated by the loud sun conure and would stare and stare at it. Then when the bird got on his nerves, he would bark at it LOL

Oser getting a haircut and Mumu giving her a kissy kissy.

Oser has never liked getting groomed. Out of my three doggies, she’s the one who has always hated grooming the most.

Oser when she was older. She was around 4-5 years old when this was taken. Do you see her Manjushri pendant?

Oser and Mumu have been sharing sleeps since young. Cute.

Throughout my house, I made these doggie doors for them so they would have full access to the entire house, and can come and go as they please. I also installed baby gates on many of the doors, especially the main ones, to prevent them from running outside and getting hurt.

Oser and Mumu with the dreaded camper. The camper, which I had the same model when I was a child, makes a really loud crackling noise when it is pulled. Mumu absolutely hated it and would bark obnoxiously each time the camper was pulled and the noise would be produced. Oser was different; she would bark and pretend to be brave but when the camper came close to her, she would suddenly become a big chicken and run away LOL

I loved teasing both of them with camper

Every single day, Mumu and his friends were taken on walks around Kechara Forest Retreat to circumambulate holy statues and stupas. Because Mumu had very sensitive paws, I arranged for doggie prams for him, Oser and Dharma to prevent further health issues.

The day I brought Dharma boy home. He was being kept in a pet shop and being fed two tablespoons of food per day. They were purposely doing it to keep him small and cute for as long as possible, but in the process he wasn’t receiving the nutrition he needed. I don’t normally condone buying from pet shops but when I asked them what they would do with him if someone didn’t bring him home, they couldn’t give me a convincingly good answer and were very vague about it. That’s when I knew I had to bring him home.

Introducing Dharma boy to Vajrayogini. I never see my dogs as just my playthings there to entertain me. When they come into my lives, or when any beings come into my life, it is my job to imprint as much Dharma knowledge and understanding as I can, given their capacity. So my dogs have always been surrounded by the Buddhas since the day they came into my life, and I into theirs.

You remember little Zamkar, Mumu’s friend? This is Mumu and Zamkar many years later when they were grown up!

Mumu with his friends Gizmo (a rescued shih tzu), Oser, Dharma and Zamkar.

Mumu can fly!

Ready…

Steady…

Go!

Will you play with me?

Oser very comfortable on the sofa

The three musketeers. It’s so strange now to see Oser and Dharma boy without my Mumu. They were always together, every single day.

Mumu baby with his little girlfriend Oser

Mumu was always a busybody and had to be in the know of everything. Here he and Oser are staring at the street from my balcony.

I purposely had that bar of glass removed so they can poke their noses out to sniff and bark.

Mumu has found someone or something to perk his interest. Even when he was sick and had bedsores, my little busybody could not help himself!

Mumu enjoying himself even when he was getting too weak to stand.

 

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Mumu the Model

Over the years, we have done many photoshoots for Mumu for various projects, especially those promoting vegetarianism. Mumu was very obedient, didn’t fidget in front of the camera, and so photogenic! Later when Oser and Dharma came, they also joined in the photoshoots. Please enjoy these photos which were taken by my attendant, the talented Pastor Loh Seng Piow.

Mumu with his friends Oser and Dharma boy. These were taken soon after Dharma boy came into my life, so he was really a baby at the time. Look at how Mumu stares into the camera…

Mumu was so obedient throughout the shoot, we thankfully took so many clear shots of him. The same can’t be said of sleepy Dharma hehe

Another thing you can see clearly here is Mumu and Oser wearing their pet pendants. It has a picture of Manjushri on the front, and a Protector knot blessed by Dorje Shugden on the back. The whole thing is encased in plastic and round, so there’s no sharp edges that can hurt them. Mumu and Oser wore these pendants every day of their lives, and when Dharma became bigger and started wearing his, he now wears it every day too. I always want my dogs to be close to Manjushri.

Mumu is smiling

Mumu with his little girlfriend, Oser. When Mumu was younger, I was afraid he would be lonely because I read that schnauzers are a very sociable breed. So we adopted Oser into our family so Mumu would have a companion and potential partner. But it turned out not to be the case, and Mumu was more interested than Oser! Still, they were good friends and together every day of their lives until Mumu’s passing.

My handsome Mumu

Cute Oser. She’s a very smart, tough, strong dog, and very sharp and quick too. Oser’s favourite thing is to play. No matter what time of day it is, or how long at night, Oser loves to be active and play.

Dharma baby was super cute and small when he first came home. Now he’s the biggest out of the three monsters. He’s not very clever and a bit clumsy too, but he’s very strong and everybody agrees Dharma has a really nice temperament, and a very sweet and lovable dog.

 

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Mumu and Humans

Su Ming with Mumu

Look at Mumu’s funny eyes staring at KB

It’s quite obvious what the two traitors are waiting for from me!

Mumu and BK. Mumu was very fortunate to have someone like Beng Kooi in his life. She really went all the way to care for Mumu, did a lot of research, asked the doctors many questions and otherwise oversaw the whole process of Mumu’s care and made so many arrangements. Without her, I think Mumu would not have been as comfortable as he could be when he was sick. Thank you Beng Kooi.

Paul exercising Mumu on my treadmill a few months after we brought Mumu home. Paul was so enamoured by Mumu’s personality that he himself adopted a schnazuer too, and called him Zamkar. Zamky baby and Mumu baby grew up together as friends.

Baby Paul and baby Mumu LOL

My student Angel, who was terrified of dogs until she met Mumu. When Angel was younger, a dog bit her and the incident traumatised her for many years. But she fell in love with Mumu because of his cute personality and when he was sick, would visit him nearly daily to spend some time with him and recite mantras. Thank you Angel.

KB with Oser baby when she first came home.

KB with Oser in the vet once she got older.

For many years, KB patiently and painstakingly took care of my Mumu boy. When Mumu did not want to eat, it was KB who would cajole, tease and play with Mumu to convince him to eat. This happened for nearly every single meal, five times a day.

Mumu getting acupuncture and KB is there to comfort him. Mumu never did a single medical procedure without KB present, because KB knew how to comfort and soothe Mumu and make him feel safe.

To try and prevent bedsores, Mumu would sleep on an inflatable pool ring wrapped in a towel for comfort. It was to elevate his body so it would not be in constant contact with the bed or cage, especially when he was not turning on his own power. The team would also adjust his body every hour to make sure he wasn’t lying down all the time, applying pressure in one spot. The ring or doughnut shape was also very useful to provide Mumu with some comfort because his distended abdomen full of water made it hard for him to lie down on his stomach. The ring lifted him up and suspended his stomach so Mumu could sleep comfortably.

Beatrix with Oser, who adores her. You can tell Beatrix takes good care of Oser because Oser goes bananas each time she sees Beatrix.

Beatrix’s family consisting of Pastor Henry, Angel and her brother Edward came to visit Mumu when he was very sick at the vet.

Pastor Chia who were there with me in the very early days when I first brought Mumu home. Pastor Chia really loved Mumu. When Mumu was sick, he drove down specially from Bentong (45 minutes away) to visit Mumu.

Dedicated BK taking care of my Mumu

For three months, Pastor Lanse who is extremely busy, made herself available 24 hours a day, around the clock to take care of Mumu. Pastor Lanse is a trained medical doctor so her input and experience was invaluable when there were some home treatments and exercises that we needed to carry out for Mumu.

KB, Jennifer and Beng Kooi using Oser as a model to test out the sling made to help Mumu walk and regain muscle mass in his legs. By this point, Mumu had spent over a month in the hospital where he was lying down every single day and not standing or walking on his own. So his legs had become very weak, and he also had the added weight of the fluid in his abdomen to carry. The sling would support him to exercise his legs gently and get them moving again. I am happy to report that the sling method worked!

Ram with Dharma boy in front of the Vajrayogini stupa at Kechara Forest Retreat.

Ram with Oser girl in front of the Tara statue at Kechara Forest Retreat.

Dharma and Oser in front of Mumu’s memorial statue and stupa.

Every single day, my three monsters Mumu, Oser and Dharma would be taken to circumambulate around Kechara Forest Retreat. Mumu was so fortunate to have made a connection with Vajrayogini, Manjushri, Tara, Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden before he passed away.

Oser and Dharma in front of our 9ft Manjushri Nagarakshasa statue

The two monsters being dried after taking a shower. The hairdryer is set on the cool setting so it does not hurt the dogs.

When Mumu was sick, every day Megnath would burn Protector incense and Protector rice near Mumu to bless and purify his body.

 

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My three dogs Dharma, Oser and Mumu

 

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Uh oh, water!

Like me, Mumu always hated drinking water. Towards the end of his life, he had to be given water via a syringe dripping it into his mouth.

As Mumu’s condition deteriorated, the team taking care of Mumu were always prepared for every eventuality.

 

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Mumu’s Birthday

Seven years ago, on March 23, 2010, a few of my students threw a surprise birthday party for little Mumu. They got him new toys, bought him balloons and party hats, and even made him a cake out of mashed potato and sweet potato. Then they called all of Mumu’s close human and dog friends (Zamkar!) over for a little party. Mumu and Zamkar played and played and played until they were totally exhausted, and really had a nice time. You can just see it in the photos, my little Mumu healthy and young and obnoxious, and smiling in all of the pictures. You can read about this little party here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=4525

Mumu hated loud, annoying noises including the kazoo that Su Ming was blowing. Here he is trying to get her to stop!

Mumu and his friend Zamkar, who is Paul Yap’s dog, playing while waiting for their human friends to arrive

KB, who was Mumu’s main caretaker, with Mumu and Zamkar

Look how happy and healthy my little darling boy looks

Mumu with his main caretaker KB

Mumu gets a kissy kissy from Zamkar’s daddy, Paul

Mumu and his friend Zamkar waiting impatiently for Mumu’s cake

Hehe my little boy doesn’t look very happy

But he’s soon smiling again

Mumu with his tasty, delicious cake which he gobbled up immediately. And of course his friend Zamkar got a taste too

 

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Flowers and Gifts from Students, Friends and Well-Wishers

After Mumu passed away, he stayed at home with me for 13 days before we cremated him. Initially, I messaged just a few of Mumu’s friends and people who had loved Mumu throughout the years to let them know he had gone, so they could come to say their goodbyes. As word spread, more and more people came to offer their condolences and to offer prayers. Many people also sent flowers and made prayers and offered pujas on Mumu’s behalf. These are the cards and flowers that Mumu received. I want to thank everyone so much for caring for my darling little Mumu.

 

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After the cremation had taken place, Mumu’s remains were inspected. The inspection is part of Pastor Yek Yee’s routine whenever she cremates any beloved pet at Heavenly Gate. Upon inspection, Pastor Yek Yee and a group of students observed that despite the searing temperatures of the furnace, Mumu’s skull remained intact as did many of his other bones.

It was also observed that many coral and turquoise-coloured substances were scattered amongst his remains. The substances could not be identified, and they also could not be linked to anything surrounding Mumu just before his body entered the crematory. Pastor Yek Yee said that in her experience, she had never observed such substances amongst cremated remains before.

 

Mumu’s primary caretakers escorting his body to the altar, where I was able to do many prayers for him. It was my final opportunity to create as much merits as possible for him with his physical body in front of me. Click to enlarge.

Saying a final goodbye to my darling boy. May you take a good and swift rebirth in a place where you are able to meet with the holy lineage of Pabongka Rinpoche again. Click to enlarge.

KB placing a Protector string on Mumu’s body. The string was previously blessed by the enlightened Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden during a trance. Click to enlarge.

Mumu’s remains just out of the crematory. Click to enlarge.

Some of the turquoise substances observed scattered amongst his remains. Click to enlarge.

 

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Mumu’s Memorial Statue and Stupa

Mumu’s memorial statue and stupa was inspired by a few things. One of them was my wish for Mumu to be forever connected to Vajrayogini. After Mumu was cremated, his remains were blessed and consecrated via a Vajrayogini ruchok ritual, before being inserted into a statue of him and a stupa dedicated to him.

The other was the story of Hachiko, the loyal dog who went to wait for her owner at the train station every single day when he came back from work. Even after he tragically passed away, she continued this daily ritual for nine years until she herself passed away. The Japanese were so moved by her loyalty and friendship to her owner, that they erected a memorial to her outside Shibuya Station.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/MumusMemorialEnglish.mp4

 

姆姆纪念碑

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/MumusMemorialChinese.mp4

 

Volunteers, organised by Ooi Beng Kooi, gathered to make tsa tsas containing Mumu’s remains after they had been consecrated and blessed in a Vajrayogini ruchok ritual. The tsa tsas were made according to the scriptures, and contained other precious substances and holy relics. May my darling boy be forever blessed to meet the Dharma in lifetime after lifetime. Click to enlarge.

Some of the tsa tsas made and containing Mumu’s remains, which were blessed and consecrated in a ruchok ritual. They were then inserted into Mumu’s statue and stupa at his memorial site. Click to enlarge.

Here you see two sets of the three deities made into tsa tsas. The three deities are Vajrapani, Manjushri and Chenrezig, and these tsa tsas contain Mumu’s ashes that were blessed through a Vajrayogini ruchok. The tsa tsas also contain other holy relics and substances like high lamas’ clothes and special pills made by them. Click to enlarge.

A size comparison of the tsa tsas made from Mumu’s belssed remains (along with other holy relics and substances), to be inserted into the stupa and statue dedicated to Mumu. Click to enlarge.

Manjushri and Chenrezig in the foreground and Vajrapani in the background. When combined, the synthesis of these three deities manifest as Lama Tsongkhapa. Click to enlarge.

Manjushri tsa tsa containing Mumu’s blessed remains, and substances and relics from holy monks and lamas. Click to enlarge.

Chenrezig tsa tsa. A tsa tsa was gifted to each of my team who worked so hard to care for Mumu throughout his life and especially in his final months. Click to enlarge.

Vajrapani tsa tsa. Click to enlarge.

My darling Mumu’s memorial in the Vajrayogini stupa area. Click to enlarge.

Next to Mumu is a little grotto where visitors can offer candles to a Vajrayogini carved from stone. Click to enlarge.

Mumu forever gazing at Vajrayogini and guarding her stupa. May Mumu take rebirth after rebirth connected to her practice and lineage. Click to enlarge.

The statue of Mumu which looks EXACTLY like him. Without me requesting or saying anything, Beng Kooi flew to see the statuemakers to make sure the statue was done properly. Every single hair, muscle and facial expression is exactly like my Mumu. Beng Kooi worked so hard on this and oversaw the entire process including the tsa tsa making exactly as per the scriptures, filling the statue and the stupa behind Mumu, getting both consecrated, organising the volunteers, etc. Click to enlarge.

When I see the statue, I’m both happy and sad. Happy that the statue turned out so well but sad because the reason why the statue is there is because Mumu himself is no longer with us. Click to enlarge.

The little plaque at the statue’s base explaining why Mumu was so special to so many of us and my wishes for him and his future lives. Click to enlarge.

 

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A Younger, Healthier Mumu and Friends

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/HealthyMumu.mp4

Although Mumu was quite a sickly dog throughout his life, he had many years of good health. These are just some of the videos taken during that time. As you can see, even the environment and surroundings around him change because we moved a number of times.

My only regret is that back then, we were not so familiar with technology so we don’t have many clear videos of my darling during his younger, healthier days. But I am glad for the videos I do have because this is how I spent many years with Mumu. He was like this for the many memories I have of him – an obnoxious, endearing, entertaining busybody.

 

Brave Mumu

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BraveMumu.mp4

Because my poor Mumu spent so many weeks in the clinic, he ended up having a lot of tests. Sometimes, he would be poked up to four or five times a day – once to draw blood, perhaps a second, third and fourth time because the veins could not be found on the first round, and a fifth time to remove fluids from his abdomen. He would never shirk from the needle, or wince in pain or show any kind of discomfort even though it must have been very difficult for him.

And because he lay down for so many weeks, he developed bedsores although the team were very diligent about shifting his position every hour, massaging his body and supporting him while he ‘stood’ up. In the end, the bedsores had to be lanced and drained, and the team would clean and change the dressing twice a day. Again, Mumu never struggled or tried to get away whenever they cleaned the wounds.

For such an active busybody, it must have been very difficult not to be able to get up and investigate strange sounds or smells. But he never complained, never fought back (except during mealtimes!), never howled or cried, and never struggled. I have never known any dog to be as strong as him. Imagine as humans, when we are poked so blood can be drawn, how we wince at the sight of the needle. How much do we flinch when the nurse has to try a few times? Mumu never showed any of that.

 

Mumu’s Final Days at Home

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/MumuFinalDays.mp4

This is a compilation of videos taken during Mumu’s final days at home with us. As you can see from the footage, Mumu was extremely brave and well-trained. Even up until his final days, when he could barely walk, he would still try to get up to go outside to pee and poo. On his better days, he could play just like he used to. So his caretakers spoiled him and gave him whatever he wanted, especially his favourite treat (cucumber!) to encourage him to circumambulate the altar. It’s also funny because although he was very sick and must have been very uncomfortable, he still found enough strength to reject his food at every meal. Five times a day, and for three months non-stop, Mumu rejected his meals so his caretakers would lovingly cajole, coax, trick and sometimes force him to eat.

Even when he was sick, he had such a strong personality!

I tried to make his room as interesting and stimulating as possible because I wanted to make sure my darling boy was encouraged to move around and not just sit and be depressed. If a human being is sick, doctors always recommend that they stay positive because a positive attitude can help with recovery. I really believe it is the same thing for dogs.

After the first couple of weeks, there were more complications and Mumu did not seem to be doing well in the clinic. Our doctors were giving him the best treatments but they recommended that we bring Mumu home. Maybe in a more familiar environment, he would become happier and that would help with his recovery. Although every dog is different, in Mumu’s case this is what they recommended and sure enough, it came true. Once Mumu came home to an environment he was familiar with, his mood changed and we started to see improvements. So I really wanted to make sure Mumu boy was happy, entertained and occupied. Together with my students, we also made sure the room was arranged to make it easy for him to walk and still be a busybody, because he couldn’t climb up and down very easily anymore.

The room was also designed in such a way that Mumu would get light exercise to help keep his muscles healthy. Mumu cooperated with all of the medications and treatments we had to do for him, and when he had to do physiotherapy he was also cooperative. Thanks to the physiotherapy, he was able to walk again after spending many weeks in the vet. Because he was too weak to stand up when he was at the clinic, a lot of his muscles had degenerated but the physiotherapy was able to help him. I highly recommend this treatment for your furry companions to help them regain muscle strength.

I’m so glad Mumu could spend his last days surrounded by people who really loved and cared for him.

 

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For more interesting information:

• The Dorje Shugden category on my blog
• The Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment category on my blog
• The Vajrayogini category on my blog
• Go Bye Bye!
• Plant Seeds of Dharma in Your Beloved Pets
• Mumu’s Family Reunion
• Mumu’s Daddy Smokey, Mom Jessie and Sister Gal Gal!
• My Mumu’s Birthday March 23, 2010!
• Dorje Shugden Retreat: A powerful practice to fulfill wishes
• Transcript: Amitayus Sadhana practice
• Medicine Buddha Practice
• Medicine Buddha teaching at Turkey Swamp
• You and Your Imprints…How To Break Bad Habituations
• Discovering Yourself: A Teaching on Karma & Mindstream
• What Others Say About H.H. Pabongka Rinpoche

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