Chp 892. Hello Kimchi

So this will be my last post in this series of introducing my dogs to you. :)

This is how I became a father of five beloved dogs as I welcomed my fifth one. Say hello to Kimchi!

I will make this post short as I am going down to Aizawl later today. I have an appointment with Dr. James to get Kimchi, Tom and Jojo neutered. :D

In my previous post, I mentioned about how unplanned Tom was. Well, Kimchi was even more unplanned, lolz. It all started with a lie! :D

So last year, my dear niece had been asking me a lot about getting a new puppy. Her mom, my eldest sister, is a super anti-dog person. As in, she doesn't hate dogs, it's just that she can't stand dogs (or cats or any domesticated pets for that matter).

Like if she's sitting at the dining table and a dog comes next to her, she will climb up the table and sit on it. She's not afraid of the dog or hates it, she just can't stand it, that type.

So I was pretty surprised when my niece told me her mom had finally given her permission to own a puppy. I didn't bother to verify with my eldest sister as I assumed since my other sister and I had been taking care of a lot of strays, maybe she had a change of heart as well.

And so in October last year when Duati from my neighbouring farm gave birth to a litter of puppies, I booked one for my niece.

And then on my niece's birthday, 15th December 2022, our driver came to the farm on his bike and he carried off the puppy back to Aizawl as a birthday present.

All in all, I did feel like a good uncle, giving a gift that mattered to my niece.

Except... yeah, my niece had lied to me, lolzzzz. My eldest sister had NEVER given my niece any permission to own a puppy! Ahhhhhh I had to listen to a barrage of long calls from my eldest sister that night, lolz.

But my niece was very happy indeed. She named him "Kimchi".

She cared for Kimchi daily and he was always fresh and clean and smelling wonderful, a far cry from my dogs her at the farm, lolz.

But after just three weeks of immense pampering, Kimchi was back at my farm because my niece and sister had to go to Bangkok for their vacation, something they had planned months ago.

I had ordered a cage from Amazon for Jojo (it was around the time that I had just bought him from my farmhand) and the cage had just arrived at my farm. So instead of Jojo, Kimchi utilised it, lolz. 

Aweee just look at his adorable face.

The cage was important because Jojo and Kimchi weren't toilet-trained yet, so I didn't want them pooping everywhere inside my farmhouse.

Curious Dobby and Robin looking at the new creature, while Kimchi was afraid to make eye contact with them. So cute.

And of course when my mom visited, she continued to pamper Kimchi.

Kimchi and Jojo in their cage. Do note that Jojo was bigger than Kimchi then.

Kimchi and Jojo eating dinner.

So here's the thing. In the three weeks that my niece was looking after Kimchi, she carried him the entire day, like how we cradle babies in our arms. Kimchi got used to that and so whenever he was out of his cage, he would always demand to be carried, aarrgghh.

Even if I ignored him, he would attempt to climb up my lap! And then finally I succumbed to his cuteness and the moment I carried him in my arms, he feel off to sleep.

And that's how I was working the entire day, lolz!

Sometimes when I had an important presentation to pitch to clients, I would hire our farm neighbour's daughter and she would "babysit" Kimchi the whole day.

Kimchi slowly started roaming outside the farmhouse after a week. He was super scared of Dobby, lolz, and even if Dobby growled a bit, he would scream with all his might! :D

My two bois and Kimchi.

Kimchi was probably thinking, "Someday, I am going to be on that bed too!" :D

But on 17th Jan 2023, I suddenly had to go home. My mom was having a minor cataract operation at Guwahati and my niece went with her. My sister at home was also joining her. And my eldest sis and niece were still in Bangkok, so there was nobody at home so I had to stay at home.

And so, the chhangchhe life began! :D 

I left Tom and Jojo in the care of my new farmhand, telling them how to feed them their food and treats etc., and then I hired a car from TBC Rental and took Dobby, Robin and Kimchi with me to Aizawl. Oh what a hectic life, lolz!

Back at our empty house, Snowy welcomed us. Dobby, Robin and Kimchi settled in, and then that was it. We waited for the others to return to Mizoram.

Kimchi of course preferred the urban cosy life, while Robin and Dobby missed the farm.

Eventually, my mom, niece and sis were back from Guwahati, and my other sis and other niece were also back from Bangkok.

I returned Kimchi to my niece and then I went back to the farm with Dobby and Robin, where an excited pair of Tom and Jojo awaited us.

After that, things were back to normal, though my eldest sister would call me up occasionally to complain about Kimchi, lolz.

But a month later, my eldest sister could no longer restrain herself. She had a long talk with her daughter, I'm sure there were tears here and there, a few arguments too, and then of course the provider of the family won the debate, lolz, and it was eventually decided that Kimchi would live at my farm permanently.

And so on March 23rd 2023, Kimchi arrived at the farm, this time for good. I felt bad for my niece as she had got really attached to him. She didn't even come to the farm to drop him off as it would be too painful for her so her younger sister came instead.

But to be frank, it wasn't a bad decision for Kimchi because he would be much happier at the farm where he could run everywhere and be in the company of other dogs.

Kimchi's mom Duati came to visit him too, and they still recognised each other.

Kimchi too was starting to love the farm life. He played with Jojo and Tom the whole day, and occasionally with Robin too, though he distanced himself from Dobby. Just look at how he was already bigger than Jojo, lolz.

I removed their cage too as he could easily jump over it.

He grew up fast too and was learning the works as well. Whenever they heard some noise outside the farmhouse in the night, he would run with Robin and Dobby to investigate.

But then, every positive has a negative too. 

Soon, my five bois would run outside my farm! I had spent so many times running after them and chasing them back to my farm! When it was just Dobby, he never used to do this. Then came Robin and they didn't do it. Then came Jojo and Tom and they still didn't do it. And then came Kimchi and they all suddenly started running outside my farm, arrrgghhh!

I had to put steel meshes on all the gaps at my farmgate and border fencing because of them!

I had to put steel meshes on my farmhouse as well.

And finally, I had to put an iron net around my entire farmhouse vicinity. 

Man, I spent soooo much just for all that. And yes, I blame Kimchi for it all, lolz.

But yes, I think it's worth it when you look into their eyes and see the love and affection.

And so, that's the story of how I became a father of five.

Hope you enjoy this post and hope today's operation on Kimchi, Tom and Jojo goes well. This is my last blog update while they still have balls. :D

So until my next update, take care.

Chp 891. Hello Tom and Jojo

Welcome back to my blog :)

Today I will introduce you to my two doggos Tom and Jojo, and how I became their dad.

Ah, their story was another drama-filled one too.

As I mentioned in my previous post about Robin (and Tiger), my farmhand had a habit of getting drunk. I turned a blind eye to it because he didn't create any trouble when he was drinking alone.

The problem arose when his wife also drank. Once the two of them were drunk, then all hell would break loose. They would always get into a fight and create a huge ruckus.

Finally, after many warnings and two final warnings, I had to let them go.

Around a month later on 2nd November 2022, our new farmhand and his wife moved in. And along with their belongings, they also brought their two new pups!

Yup, Jojo and Tom were actually theirs. Just look at how tiny and scrawny they both were!

Tom was around 5 months old so he was a bit protective and barked at me because I was a stranger. Jojo on the other hand was around a month old, and he was still too innocent and naive to know right from wrong, or, danger from safety.

Jojo could even barely stand up! He was like this small ball of innocence, inquisitiveness, and cuteness all rolled into one.

However, they both warmed up to me the moment I fed them milk.

They were like, "Who dis stranger being nice to us?" :P

Although puppies shouldn't be separated from their mother until they are 2 months old, my new farmhand had no other option but to bring Jojo along because of their new job.

Considering how scrawny he was, I didn't think he would last long, especially in my harsh farm environment. But my farmhand's wife was a dotting mother and she took good care of him.

As the days went by, it felt good because Tom and Jojo knew when to keep their distance, and my farmhand also kept them on a leash inside their quarter for most of the day since Dobby and Robin were outside.

Tom and Jojo loved those few occasions when they got to eat the leftovers of Dobby and Robin. Both Dobby and Robin allowed them to come inside my farmhouse eventually and eat their leftovers, though this didn't happen overnight of course. It took a few days for them to warm up to their presence.

Just look at how my boys accepted them wholeheartedly. :)

Good boy Robin and Dobby indeed.

Even then, Tom was still a bit cautious, so it would be just Jojo who was brave enough to approach my two boys.

Eventually, I started feeding Tom and Jojo regularly. :D

When my regular vet Dr. James visited me at my farm to make a house call, I got both Tom and Jojo vaccinated too and made them their own "vaccine passport" as well.

Though they were both tiny, they were fitting in really well with my boys.

My new farmhand and his wife weren't exactly living up to my expectations though.

Let's put it this way - Farmlife wasn't for them. In any occupation that we do, we adjust our lifestyle accordingly to that line of work. But they, unfortunately, weren't able to do that. I mean, they even bought a washing machine with their first month's salary, which I, their employer paying their salary, couldn't afford to have! :D

I mean, I am not judging them for their choices, but they were racking up bills faster than me running away from a snake. They had so many bills from the settlement below that they were starting to run into trouble. 

Let me just quickly explain the "ba" practice here in Mizoram. Over here, most people buy things on credit. They go to a shop and get the things they want and the shopkeeper records how much is owed, and then they clear their credit once they get their salary. This is a common practice all across Mizoram.

Yeah so, they didn't exactly plan their expenditure well and had more debts than their income. Finally, on 7th December 2022, barely a month since they started working for me, I decided to step in and help them out, and agreed to buy Jojo from them just so that they could settle some of their bills.

And so cute little Jojo moved from their quarter into my farmhouse that night.

I emptied one of my storage containers and made Jojo sleep in it.

Dobby and Robin didn't seem to mind him being in our midst.

Awwee just look at how adorable he was. :)

Sleep well, sweet Jojo.

The next few days, Jojo slowly got used to living at my farmhouse.

When it was daytime playtime, Jojo avoided Dobby because, you know, the whole alpha bossy thingie, lolz. But Robin was there and Jojo pestered him nonstop. Robin too was accommodating as usual and didn't seem to mind his shenanigans.

My regular feeding plate turned from 2 to 3. I ordered some bowls from Amazon immediately, so in the meantime, Jojo was just happily eating from dispo containers.

Robin really became like this big brother to Jojo.

Cosy three bois.

I love just watching Jojo quietly as he tries to eat some food that I had slyly left on a box.

It was at this moment in the image below that Jojo asked the universal question Robin had asked for ages - why was only Dobby allowed on my bed and not them? lolz.

Sad to say though, my farmhand and his wife finally realised farm-life just wasn't for them. :D

We had a long talk about it, and we all came to a mutual conclusion that they would look for a different occupation somewhere else. After all, they were really nice people, and they just happened to be in the wrong place.

We set their last working day as 31st Jan, 2023. All in all, they lasted 3 months at my farm.

I helped them find their next job, and on their last day, as they were packing up their belongings, they did drop one last bomb on me - that they still had a few more debts to clear! Aaaargh.

They offered me Tom, and even though I liked Tom a lot, he wasn't exactly farm-dog material. His type of breed is meant for city households, but knowing their situation, I had no other option but to buy Tom from them. They left my farm after that.

And so, suddenly, I had Tom in my family too that night. I rolled a spare mattress and Tom spent the night at my farmhouse for the first time, sleeping next to Jojo as he was the only one he was comfortable with due to their history.

And so that is the story of how Jojo and Tom came under my care and I suddenly became a dog-dad of four. I didn't mind Jojo but Tom was totally unplanned for.

Tom soon settled into his new family.

As the days went by, the four of them created a strong bond with each other.

Soon, Jojo could no longer fit between my farmhouse gate grills! :D Just look at how fast he grew in just 3-4 months.

Whenever Dobby was outside the farmhouse, the rest of them would immediately climb on my bed, as it was the only time they could do that.

With my new farmhouse fencing completed, they would wait for me next to the gate whenever I stepped out to oversee work at the rest of my farm.

Hope you enjoyed this short story. 

My life of course changed as taking care of 4 dogs was completely different from just 2. And that wasn't the end of it, a fifth dog joined me soon after! I'll post about that next, making it the last in this series of introducing my dogs to you.

Until then, take care everyone.