Bonding with dogs
2008
Many friends have asked how I manage 4 pets. Well, apart from the exercise, you need to know what they want and need. Yes, you’ve to pander to their desires!
Latte, the eldest at 8.5 years old and 27kg, was the leave-me-alone till I need you type. Meaning she doesn’t need the hugs. All she wants is to go out, be a “gila babi”, and run her lungs out. Loves swimming, most happy at retrieving a frisbee at the sentosa beach. After all, she’s a labrador retriever. In the last 24 months, her behaviour has changed. She’s now more needy, wants attention and seeks it. She’s hogging the entrance to the bedroom cos she wants to sleep inside – on the bed – if she can help it. Guess she has taken the cues from her “ti-ti”, Uno.
Now, that is the most lovable, handsome boy dog in the world (which parent doesn’t think like this, huh??). Uno at 7.5 years old, has big eyes that just swallows you up. Everything about him is cute, from his ears to his big coconut head to the way he sits, drinks water and sleeps. Best of all, he loves the huddle and cuddle ie, he comes up on the sofa with me and we huddle, he on my chest and my head on his. At about 10pm each night, he’ll come to the living room and looks for a sofa to sleep. I’ll have to clear one sofa quickly otherwise he’ll sleep on the paper, books or anything that’s on it. Uno, like Latte, is a brown labrador retriever, weighing in at 28kg
Sandy, at 4.5 years old, is a golden retriever. His parents split up and he landed up in my home. She’s also sleep-all-day type, leave-me-alone type. Except when she wants to play, then she brings the ball to me and stares at me until I chase her. Best of all, she curls up on my footstool (it’s a big one) and sleeps on my feet.
Zach, the latest addition, is a wee lad whose parents gave him up because he’s getting too growly and snarly and snappy. Well, in preventing a child from getting near him, I got on the wrong end of him and came away with a bloody finger. He’s better after 2 months with me, still a bit anxious. But he’s happiest when he can go “jalan-jalan” in the car. I’ve also learnt how to interpret his happy growl from his go-away growl!
So bonding with Latte is when I take her for our twice-a-week walk-run at botanics. With Uno, it’s the huddle and cuddle which is a nightly routine. With Sandy, it’s her curling up at my feet and sleeping on them. With Zach …. sigh, only time will tell whether I’ll be the chick of his life.
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chick of his life? *raise brow*
yup, must be his chick in his life, so that he’ll forever obey my every command.