My Two Floofy Clowns

That's a wrap for Ryo's year-end staycation with us. He has been coming over every year. Too cute. He seems to understand how it goes, and now at mine, he doesn't hide in a corner anymore. He sits out in the living room with us. He's super comfortable at home with us now. He is still reactive outdoors, but that is fine by me. I don't set him up for failure, and I watch out for him, and I'm happy to advocate for him. 

It is an effort to haul two floofs around, what more Ryo who is a lot less portable at 17.5kg. A bigger dog takes more time to clean. We can't not clean them either, especially during the rainy season. Allo, giardia and leptospirosis! When we all live together for weeks in a flat, it's in my interest to keep both of them clean, healthy and happy.

I'll just have to be conscious of their proximity to each other especially when they're not playing, and are both eager to welcome me or want my attention. That's when they do fight, aside from fighting over rules at home about walking around in the nights. AIYOHHH. It's hilarious what goes through the minds of these two floofs. They simply make up their own rules!

When they get their fangs in each other's faces, it's more than drool. They could get scratched and such. At one spat, Ryo's teeth grazed Choya's ears and drew blood. Her screams were bloodcurdling. Not from fear but from anger at Ryo. Luckily, there wasn't a tear or a rip. Whewwww. But there was a lot of blood because dogs' ears are thin with loads of capillaries. I stopped it and administered antiseptic and antibiotic cream. Choya healed fast. After a time out for both, they were friends again. Duhhh.

I really don't mind this little boy staying with us lah. I've watched this boy grow up. I know his temperament, triggers and inclinations. I don't even feel resentful against him that Choya was scratched. He didn't mean it. Two dogs at home would inevitably have squabbles every now and then. This is no different. And well, I threw out questions to ChatGPT and it did a great job to seek information on dog behaviour and reassured me that this wasn't a pattern or an inclination to bully. Hahahahaha.

Ryo knows how to ask me for food, and has largely followed Choya's usual two meal timings. I'm just pleased that meal-times with this boy is no longer a pain. He ate so well with us that I was honestly shocked. He hit 500g a day! Wow. It's quite unheard of. On many days, he doesn't even want to eat 450g. He likes keeping it at about 400g. Well, he knows that there're no snack times in this home. He would just have to eat his usual meals. At most they get cheese. 

These Damn Brown Dog Ticks

Ticks in Europe and the US are a thing. Lyme disease is more common than we think. The number one thing that bothers me about hikes through woods is ticks, not even leeches. We have no vaccines against tick-borne diseases and treatment options are limited. 

In the US, there're 15 states where ticks are considered endemic, primarily in the north east of New York, Maryland, Connecticut, and also California. When tourists go hiking, the last thing they would think of is to check for ticks when they come home. 

This was why I wanted a mud room when I was in W.A. And even now, when I travel, I shake out everything in my suitcase before re-packing them for the trip home. I also leave suitcases in the bathtub. I don’t use bathtubs because I don’t like soaking in a bath. It does nothing for me, and I have better uses for a bathtub in a hotel room. I DO NOT WANT TO BRING HOME TICKS AND UNKNOWN BUGS.

Of course ticks are present in Singapore. We have 11 species of them. Plenty of tick-borne diseases to go around. It's simply a matter of time. But we don't seem to have an issue with Lyme disease in humans in this city, yet. I'm glad that there are studies going on about ticks in Singapore and vector diseases.

A recent study published on January 17, 2025, led by Hokkaido University parasitologist Mackenzie Kwak, along with researchers based in Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia found loads of information about ticks in Singapore.

While ticks are less dangerous than mosquitoes, there is a risk of an uptick in tick-borne diseases going under the radar because Singapore does not conduct systematic surveillance of ticks or tick bites outside of research settings, according to Prof Tambyah and the researchers.

This dearth of knowledge prompted the study, which is part of an ongoing nationwide tick surveillance programme that began in 2018. The programme, based at the National University of Singapore, has involved veterinarians, clinicians, wildlife biologists and members of the public across the island.

I would not want to be bitten by fleas, bed bugs or ticks. Especially not ticks. To have a tick in my eyelid, ear or scalp. OMG. This is an urban nightmare! 

This is why I'm not as keen to go hiking or traipsing all around Singapore. If I do, I literally shake myself off before I get in the car, and I do it again before I step into the home. But with Choya around now, I'm even more careful not to have any bug get onto her from me, or from where we go.

Now, the dogs. The dogs. Dogs don't need to walk in forests to get ticks on them. They could simply be walking in an urban park or along the grass patches of any green space. This line in the article killed me because this was what exactly happened to Choya. She happily walks through piles of leaf litter and tall grass. I discourage it, but often she's too quick. 

Hidden in leaf litter near wildlife corridors, a poorly known threat to public health lies in wait for hikers, cyclists and dog owners frequenting Singapore’s green spaces.

That night, I was too tired and didn't do the usual nightly pat-down for her. It's disguised as 'rubs' which she loves. I use that time to check her body for lumps, bumps, ticks and nonsense that shouldn't be in her fur or on her skin. I had time the next morning to do a pat-down. And at 8am, I FOUND A TICK ON CHOYA. Firmly attached already. DAMMIT. This is the first tick that I've found on her. Looking at its size, it shouldn’t have been attached for more than 14 hours. Excellent. 

I didn't even bother to take photos. I calmly and firmly removed that tick with my bare fingers, so that I could control the strength. (I'm very practiced at removing ticks. Everyone tells you to twist it. That's dumb. It's not exactly a twist.) I didn't want it to burst in my hands, and I didn't want it to react and sink its mouthparts even deeper into Choya or release toxins and pathogens into the entry wound. It was a clean removal. Eight legs, head and mouth (two chelicerae and one hypostome) all intact. I placed it in a small ziplock, poured in Dettol, then squished it to death within another ziplock. 

Luckily the tick was found on her chest, slightly under her right 'armpit'. It's a spot where she can't bother with any paws or tongue. Ha! I didn't even have to cone her when I layer antibiotic cream on it. This doesn't require a clinical eye. There's nothing for the vet to go on anyway, not without any symptoms of infection of the bite wound or tick fever. In this case, an AI bot would be more helpful than an inexperienced doctor. I cleansed the wound and sprinkled Baneocin on it. That would be done twice daily for the next week till the scab formed and the redness in the area subsides. The little bump would be less swollen and remain so for a week. Other than that, everything is beyond my control. I'd just watch Choya for anomalies. 

Thank goodness I'm not an anti-vaxxer or anti-preventives. Choya is on Frontline Plus, monthly. I use the drops. Without those, she would have likely gotten tick fever thrice over (either ehrlichia and babesia prevalent in dogs here). You can preach all you want about poisoning the dog with flea and tick preventives since it kills the pests when they take her blood. But without these preventives, she will die even faster and in a more horrible manner. So take your anti-preventives speech and go away.

Earlier in the year, my skin crawled at this news headline 'Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks'. Businesses. That meant breeders... with vulnerable puppies too. The animal shelters noticed an ermm uptick in tick infestations since 2022, making this in August 2025 the first major tick infestation. Even the volunteers visiting the shelter found ticks on their clothes and skin. Eioooooow! I hope the situation is resolved for the now. With this many dogs and cats housed in one Tengah facility, it's impossible to clear them all. But hopefully this round of infestation had been controlled.

By the way, ticks don't jump. They crawl. You can spot them and catch them. Just don't crush them please. Imagine if that one you crushed is a pregnant tick, thousands of eggs bursting... and hiding from your eyes, and hatching. LOLOL.

It's Definitely Gabapentin Season

It's damn sian to be woken up when I'm fast asleep because of a thunderstorm. Well, it isn't the crackle of the thunder or the rain pelting against the windows per se. I can easily sleep through those. But Choya can't and she's frightened to death of thunderstorms. So I have to be awake to sit with her. 

It's even more deplorable in this scenario — if I'm not asleep by 10.45pm and am awake to do chores and such, and when I'm ready for bed at midnight, the thunderstorm booms at 1am. WTF. It has been doing that for a few nights now. At least these 1am storms do mean that I can sleep by 2.45am or so. Not too bad.

I can't even like sleep in the living room when the thunderstorms roar. She needs me awake and moving. Music doesn't calm her down. Only Gabapentin does. But it doesn't work instantaneously. Sumatra squalls simply decide to form, rather unpredictably. I'm not awake to catch it. My voice seems to calm her down.

She vacillates between wanting to be carried, then put down, then be carried. It's rather exhausting. Reading a random essay seems to calm her down. She doesn't want me to talk to her; she wants to hear my reading voice. The academic tone. Okay. Can. That's my work voice.  

The Sumatra squalls are really annoying. They bring thunder that rumbles every 15 minutes or so as they pass. It takes about 1.5 hours for each squall to fully clear. We're still in inter-monsoon. Good lawwd. I can deal with the 1am storms. I might lack sleep but I'm not incapacitated the next day. These Sumatra squalls that come at 3am and 4am are the worst. Those are debilitating. Or when it stops raining, and I think the thunder has stopped, it happily rumbles again an hour later. wtf, truly.

I've eased off on Gabapentin for a few months, but it's the season to dose Choya again. I do need to keep her cortisol levels constant, and her body's immune system calm and not thinking that it has to fight inflammation (and anxiety) all the time.

It's not as if the thunderstorms will ease up when the Northeast Monsoon finally arrives in like 10 days. We're just going to get dunked with rain and thunder crackling again daily. Bringing out rain-gear and dealing with the wet ain't difficult. Dealing with a dog with true astraphobia in a full-blown anxiety attack is quite another. 

Floofs at Zouk

Took Smol Girl to Zouk since they were having a flea market and burgers Hungover event. We had some friends who had rented booths, and went to say hi. It was indoors and the AC was much welcomed in the searing afternoon heat. 

The only thing about Clarke Quay, there's absolutely no green patches for dogs to pee. I'm not a proponent for dogs peeing on the pavement or lamp-posts. Choya rarely does that unless she smells something really interesting or she needs to pee badly. So I took her out to the park to pee first before we went to Zouk.

The music volume was acceptable. We didn't turn up at noon or at lunch-time or even 3pm. We cleverly went much later at 5.30pm. That seemed to be a timing of which the crowds weren't there anymore. There were photo booths for dogs or something but I didn't bother. The queues were significant, and I had absolutely no interest in joining. 

Choya didn't mind the environment and had some fun sniffing other floofs and sniffing around. Then we ended up chilling by the friend's booth for a bit. I wasn't interested in digging through heaps and piles of clothes. They aren't going to fit me anyway. Or they're too short in length. Hahaha. I did find two fun pieces at my friend's booth though. Hers was the best laid out of all. Neatly hung up and placed. She even gave bat wings to Choya for Halloween. Great! That solves my issue of finding her a Halloween costume. Hahaha. 

How awesome it is to have a venue welcome floofs indoors without too much policing. The floofs I saw at the timing we went were all well-behaved and the pawrents were very reasonable and sane too. It made our hour there very comfortable. 

Choya is 8!

We were derelict and didn't celebrate Choya's birthday on the day. So we're making it up to her by celebrating for all of October instead. The birthday girl doesn't know. Shhhhhh. But she somehow is being extra cheeky for the whole month. She didn't like us being away, but she survived very well. (Thank gawwwd for trustworthy sitters.)

Now that we're back, she's sticky and refuses to let me out of her sight. Everything is 'Momma Momma Momma'. She has also taken to waking me up in the mornings, say for four days out of a week. I don't know why she takes it so seriously. The moment the alarm rings, she comes over to the bed. She toddles up the stairs to stare at me. If I don't wake, she'll come up to the bed to paw my face. Walao. She's got nails lehhh. 

We got her a cake from Little Favors, but we humans ate it. Hhahaha. I very much enjoy cakes baked in small batches by Ethel. It was a very nice Raspberry and Vanilla cake. We bought a small one so that we could finish it ourselves. We didn't hold a party or anything for her with fwens. 

Choya only got a lovely long lick of the buttercream. She likes cream. Dohhhhh. She has plenty of other wonderful foods lah. She's got a nice tenderloin (raw) and loads of fish and everything else. She doesn't need a special 'cake'. When she's on a raw diet, I really don't feel like messing up her stomach with a deluge of normie 'cake' that she had to finish on her own. It'd be too much cooked minced beef and too much sweet potato, potatoes and oat flour. She can have them in small doses; she did get to share Maddie's delicious cake. 

The happy Girl refused to take photos with the cake. So I had to be quick. No time for the Leica to do its job. It's just photos taken with the phone. As the years pass, celebrating a dog's birthday becomes bittersweet. They age too soon, and their lifespan is too short. The days are too short and the years aren't long enough. 

My darling Girl is 8 years old. Where did the time go. I prioritize her needs and schedule loads because she isn't just a dog now. She's our Little Girl with loads of sass and attitude. 

A 'Giardiasis Watch' for Choya

I put Choya on a 'Giardiasis Watch' for the past 14 days. She shared a space (a cafe) with a dog who had severe diarrhea, and he was diagnosed with giardiasis that very night. All our hearts sank. There's no point in going to the doctor now. I already know the risks of infection and such. ChatGPT provided a great summary for me. In many instances, ChatGPT is amazing. 

I already knew the dog had diarrhea, I didn't let Choya go near him during that hour. I cleaned her like crazy before we got into the car to go home. But she did step on the same floor that the dog did, and she licked her paws before I could stop her. At that point, I didn't know the dog would be Giardiasis Patient Zero. He might have shed giardia cysts on from his butt, fur and remnant fecal matter. The moment I knew the diagnosis, I cleaned house, and also bathed Choya with a medicated shampoo. 

The dog went to the vet clinic and was diagnosed with giardiasis and was doused with meds immediately. Excellent. He would heal fast with the right meds. What's horrifying to me is that the owners didn't heed the vet's advice to bathe him after the meds go in, or disinfect his bedding and the whole house. In fact, that dog hasn't been bathed for months, and it's quite obvious because he does smell. They went off for a much-awaited family vacation. I understood their choice. But I also realized that they had no idea what giardia is, what those cysts could do, and even if they knew, they didn't think anything much of the risks or this isn't on their priority list. I am not bothered to ask them what they think. At least they told me the diagnosis, and that he's being treated, and it's nothing more insidious (for the dog's sake). And that's all I need to know.  

Now, Patient Zero is on a course of antibiotics, which would be completed by the time his owners return from their vacation. If they get around to disinfecting the home and bathe him before the final dose of antibiotics, the chance of re-infection is immediately lowered. IF NOT, the danger is NOW, the 10 days after the final dose of antibiotics. There would have be plenty of giardia cysts shed and still existing in the home environment. Those little bastards are hardy af. The dog can pick it up again. In another week, if there is re-infection, it would happen then. 

It is the owners' choice to do what they prefer to. I'm not going to tell them what to do. It’s not my place to do that. 

BUT. It is my choice to not have Choya near said dog or their shared spaces till end September at the earliest to ascertain that no more giardia cysts remain on fur and surfaces, and her chance of being infected is kept super low. 

Need I also mention that giardiasis is zoonotic and can transmit to humans, especially those who are young, vulnerable and elderly, at risk of pneumonia and the immuno-compromised.

That's the burden of knowledge. If I didn't know, I didn't have to worry. But I know, so I worry. STILL. I'd rather know than not know. 

Giardia is highly contagious. It has no preventives and no vaccine (that is approved in SG). Next to leptospirosis, I'm deathly afraid of giardia and ticks. Giardia cysts and leptospira bacteria are insidious and can be picked up from a simple sniff of a contaminated area. The risks are high for any dog who walks and toilets outdoors. This is why I am anal about cleanliness at home, at entry points and I try to wipe Choya's paws before she gets to licking them. After she toilets and gets off of the grass and all, I wipe her paws as we sit down to dinner or a coffee. 

It has been a stressful 14 days of looking at Choya's poop, checking its texture, smelling it, giving her rabbits' ears with fur, probiotics and all trying to keep her stomach lining calm and easy, and hopefully drive out all potential giardia cysts before they even become trophozoites. She is not getting all an-clear till the weekend is done.

I calculated possibilities in an algebraic formula, drew up a skeleton of a 'Giardiasis Watch', and then I decided to let ChapGPT do it. It did a great job. Tehehehe. I checked in with Choya's doctor too. I also have friends who are veterinarians, but I do not bother to talk to them unless it's something major. Come on, you don't ask friends' for free advice or a free consult all the time when they do this (or other specializations) for a living. I respect our friendship too much to ask in this manner. My knowledge, complemented with Choya's doctor's advice, and ChatGPT's powerful core processing, resulted in a <5-minute draft of an excel sheet I wanted. LOL

As of today, the risks have diminished for Choya. I breathe easier. 

Teochew Fish Soup for Choya

I was quite tickled by all the businesses in Singapore doing their thing and trotting out SG60-branded products and food items. The Grateful Pet put out a 'Teochew Fish Soup'. They included cuttlefish and seaweed in there too. Excellent!

I hopped out to buy it at a store. I didn't bother with delivery because the brand's delivery timings don't match my schedule and I'm not buying that many packs. Vanillapup now located at the convenient Cluny Court stocks the soup packs and buying it from them is convenient.  

I shall get a fillet of fish and steam some slices for Choya to match it with this pack of fish soup. That would save me some effort in boiling down fish bones. Muahahaha. The Grateful Pet used barramundi. Choya isn't a fan of barramundi. I didn't have time to hunt down ikan kurau. Bought a slab of buri (鰤). Choya loves it as sashimi; the rest would be steamed and frozen to be saved for the next few weeks. 

Thawed out the pack 'Teochew Fish Soup' for a few hours in the fridge. This broth can be refrozen. The whole 240ml pack is too much for Choya to finish even in a week. I squeezed out 120ml of jellied blobs out, and chucked the rest back into the freezer. This 120ml can stay in the fridge and last Choya for three days.

Choya ate the buri as sashimi on the day I bought it. It was simply as a topper to her food. She does love her fish raw. The next day, it was time for lunch. So she can't be having all fish as lunch. She would need her usual base protein of venison, plus all the different offal and bone grind. That would go on one plate.

I placed the fish in the fish broth and heated it up for 20 seconds. It smelt divine. Choya obviously smelt it too, and from being fast asleep in her room, she zoomed to the kitchen and promptly laid down to wait for her meal.   

Choya loved this combination of her base meal, and a separate little bowl of fish and broth. She eats fairly daintily, and doesn't usually make a mess at all. She likes being neat, and she doesn't eat fast. I don't need need to use a slow feeder on her. She was pleased with what she saw. She carefully smelt both plates to discern what's for lunch, and went for the fish first. Hehehe. 

Dunking broccoli and carrots in broth is the only way to convince Choya to eat them. And she did. Although she still left them to the last bit because she doesn't like them. She ate them to taste more of the broth. Tehehehhe.

That's A Wrap for Ryo's Summer Staycation with Us.

The boy seemed to have had a fun time these two weeks. He has bonded with us much earlier (having Choya helps), but he's even more familiar now. Ryo's probably the only dog I truly have affection for besides Choya. I generally like all my friends' dogs, but I'd take him in a heartbeat in an emergency or for the long-term. Yes, his mom and I have discussed it. Oooof.

Ryo's turning six at the end of the month, and we've known him since he was a wee pup! He has finally come to trust us fully. He knows that he is welcome in this home, and he's found his corners and is comfortable here. That's not an unusual time-frame to gain a jittery dog's trust.

Ryo had to switch food suppliers (that's a whole brouhaha that went to the Small Claims Tribunal and we got the order in our favor), and I had to actually use my certification and some brains and what I know of Ryo to tailor a brand new food plan. Nutritional needs stay similar since his health profile hasn't changed, and his level of activity remains the same. 

His mom had such a giant headache figuring it out, and we're still checking out what each brand really offers and will settle on the few whose quality and delivery timings and punctuality that we're fine with.

I told her to never pay upfront S$3000 for a long-term food subscription that might not materialize after that first delivery. Choya's food supplier doesn't support a long-term subscription plan either. They give clients the freedom to choose. We only need to order food that will last for two weeks or four weeks. We're not obligated to anything else. 

I found solid alternatives for Ryo. There will always be as long as I search, and I didn't even have to search that hard. Ryo's fully on a raw diet now. He does fine on it. He's simply fussy, and he's not motivated by meal-times unless he's actually hungry. He likes desserts; I refuse to feed him tarts and cakes. Found him a decent base, and rather fun toppers. 

I had to sleep on the floor for two nights because they suddenly decided that it was fun pouncing on each other in the middle of the night, and then going full-on Crazy Shibe Bork Battle with spittle flying and fangs showing. They did that once in the first week. In the second week, they went at each other like thrice a night. I opted to sleep on the floor to physically restrain them at the first moments. Getting down from the bed was too slow. I was also concerned that they would really sink their fangs into each other. The husband was sanguine and said he trusted them both. Nope. No can do. I asked the floofs what the heck was going on. They complained loudly about it. Riiiiight. 

The first week was because Choya did her usual pacing, and decided to walk over and go up her stairs to check on me and see if I was still breathing. Ryo decided to police her about it and said that walking around at night and climbing beds weren't allowed. So they fought. The second week was this same thing about Ryo wanting Choya to follow the rules, except that he didn't wait for her to come nearer. He stalked her. The husband said he was waiting for her. I was like, NO. He was stalking her! Then he wanted to play with Choya at 2am. Choya hates playing at 2am; she wants to sleep. So they fought again and again. So much pouncing. OMG. 

So I slept on the floor to tell them NO. Had to do night training. Haha. The floofs got it, and pawmised that they would leave each other alone. They refused to pawmise me that they wouldn't do it again. Haizzzz. Thankfully, I got to sleep on the bed for the next three nights till Ryo went home. Those three nights were absolutely peaceful. 

Ryo is practically my second dog. He comes over all the time. Sure, he gets along with Choya, he's a Shibe. They can be trusted to stay home alone for a few hours. He does fit into my schedule and I don't actually have to adjust much for him. He's also a dog who has been taught home etiquette which meets my standards. Byeeee Ryo. See you again. 

T'was A Delightful Staycation!

This staycation is purely for Choya. It has to be Sentosa lah. Why would I bother with a staycation in town? Duhhhhh. I obviously chose Amara Santuary for her and this specific room because of its built-in fridge+freezer. I wouldn't compromise on her food and meals.  

We were pleased that she seemed to have really enjoyed it. She adapted so well to staying overnight in the Verandah Suite and had a ball of a time trotting up and down the stairs to get to our suite on the second floor. Her regular meal timings and foods were kept to. She ate well, peed and pooped well.   

She isn't into swimming in the open sea. She loves the beach. She had so much fun running on the sand and rolling in it. While she doesn't eat sand per se, she would have been licking here and there, so I needed to watch her ensure that she doesn't ingest that much and we needn't deal with the risk of sand impaction. Her daily solid poop told me what I needed to know — no issues with the sand. Whewwwww.

That said, the husband oddly had the best sleeps for months in this suite. He was on leave of course, and really ignored work emails for the week. That really helped with his stress levels and 'focus', he could fall into deep sleep. It's very hard for him to sleep through 7-8 hours a night. He did so on this staycation. We literally fell sleep by 11pm, and we woke at 7.30am. It was a restful stay.

When we talk about pet-friendly hotels, I'm evaluating it on that level. I'm not looking for 'luxury' for the humans. It's really for Choya. I can feel and I can tell if a hotel is truly pet-friendly, or if it's just paying lip service in wanting my money, but it doesn't really want my dog. I'll say it out — Capella and Raffles Sentosa ain't welcoming although they claim to be 'pet-friendly' and offer packages for stays with floofs. 

Would I do a staycation on Sentosa again? Sure. We totally lucked out with the weather this round. It was blazing sunshine through the week. The sporadic rains didn’t hit Sentosa. Due to its layout and the location of our suite, it's hard to enjoy a stay at Amara Sanctuary if it's the monsoon season. Perhaps I might check out Sofitel (it was the old Beaufort, and I rather enjoyed that incarnation) the next round, if I can figure out the logistics of Choya's food.

Storing Choya's Food & Her Awesome Meals

The most important consideration of this staycation is the storage of Choya's food. Once I ascertained that our suite held a working fridge, and the hotel kindly confirmed that it goes down to 5°C, it was a go. I could drive home to pick up more food, but I didn't want to. It's a staycation for Choya, so it is rather dumb to go home to get her food. 

My Yeti cooler bag is amazing. Paired with a PackIt freezer pouch, both would keep my frozen packs solidly iced for six hours. So whatever in it could go into the fridge the next day. So all I truly needed, was a small fridge that is colder than the mini-bar. We couldn't really do staycations because I couldn't figure out the food-fridge issue. I was this close to buying a mini-fridge and bringing it to the hotel.

I was delighted to see a full-sized working fridge AND FREEZER in the suite. OMG Nobody mentioned anything about the freezer to me in all my queries to the hotel. What the. They I was super pleased. We're in business. All her packs would be frozen solid, and thawed out daily as needed. It was perfect. I understand that this Veranda Suite is the only suite in Amara Sanctuary that holds a fridge and a freezer. 

This staycation is for Choya. Amara Sanctuary on Sentosa is my top choice for its true pet-friendliness and awesome resort vibe. Every staff treated Choya royally. She was seen, and acknowledged, and her needs thought of. I was considering Sofitel too, but for the lack of a fridge, but they kindly offered the use of their kitchen freezers, especially if my foods are vacuum-sealed in packs, and when we would have opted for their suites. 

If this is for Choya, then I will tell you that Capella and Raffles Sentosa aren't the most pet-friendly. They want my money, but they don't really want my dog. Capella is especially double-faced. As recently as last month, they said no to dogs being with us at the al fresco tables of their bar or breakfast venue, citing it 'a public place'; a complete about-turn from the early days post-Covid-lockdowns. They said no to pulling a fridge into the room, and they told me that it's not a guaranteed thing for the staff to help me with the dog's frozen food and to deliver it to the room whenever I want it, especially not during 'peak' meal periods.  

Since this suite has a living room with a kitchenette, it came with a deep sink, an induction hob, cutlery, utensils, pots and pans. They provided a BioHome dishwashing liquid, but I didn't bother. I bought my own, and also washing gloves. Teeheheheh. I giggled at the drinking water tap too. By the time I was done unpacking Choya's food things, this entire set-up didn't even look temporary. 

Choya had her first dinner in fairly easily. She was happy to have her familiar foods and her own bowl. She had her two beds (yes I brought them), and toys. So she knew we would be staying the night. She just didn't know how many nights. Ahahaha.

All floof staycations at Amara Sanctuary Sentosa would have to be booked under the 'Pampered Paws' package. Of course they charged you extra for the floofs' cleaning and such. That's fair. I didn't need to pay any extras unless Choya destroyed the room. We just had an incidentals pre-charge on the credit card, which we used to off-set all our in-room dining bills. 

The 'Pampered Paws' package came with a dog bed (of which Choya and I didn't care for), and a pet amenities box provided by Kohepets. But when nobody asked about the breed and weight of my Choya, or even her food intolerances, that obviously the items in this box wouldn't be all appropriate. I wanted the pee pad and wet wipes, took the roll of poop bags, and decided to take the small pack of Taki Pet's wagyu beef. That was all. I left the toys and the other packs of treats. 

Floofs have breakfast catered daily from the pet menu curated by Wholesome Paws. We could choose between The Bark Breakfast (an English breakfast of sorts), The Ohayo Breakfast (Japanese style with lovely slices of fish and a dashi) or The Pawsh Breakfast (sorta American). I had them rotate the menu for Choya, but to skip the Pawsh since she doesn't bother with broccoli, and we had more than enough broccoli from the previous days; and her raw base is venison. And salmon is a no-no. 

We requested for Choya's breakfast to be delivered in-room rather than to have her eat with us at breakfast at the Sanctuary Tearoom. You know she doesn't bother to eat outdoors. So she got a tiny portion (not a full portion, because bloat) of brekkies in the room first before following us out to breakfast and to play till noon. A lovely Jing Tong Jie-Jie from Sanctuary Tearoom heated up her foods and brought it up daily and punctually at 8am. Choya knew that doorbell meant it was her food being delivered. She did a daily dance for Jing Tong Jie-Jie. Too cute. 

At 7.5kg and with her sensitive stomach, I wouldn't fall into the trap of allowing Choya to have the whole bowl for breakfast. That's suicidal for me! These lovely breakfast plates from Wholesome Paws were her toppers. I wouldn't abandon her raw base. What I did was to portion out her daily foods, pack them into boxes to split them over three meals a day for Choya. The Smol Girl was super happy with her meals. She really liked the tomato frittata so much that we called her Choya-Frittata for a few days. Teheehhee. She ate so well. 

A Staycation With Choya!

This is as far as I'm willing to 'travel' with Choya. I gave it a big whirl, and decided that taking her along on a trip wasn't unnecessary. We'd have to spend minimally 6 weeks away to justify the rabies jab in her. Most importantly, she wouldn't be comfortable in-flight unless I break out a huge chunk out of the bank account to charter a private flight.

So it's across to Sentosa for a staycation. There really is no point doing a staycation in town. Heh. The husband and I never actually did one with Choya because if I can't figure out the storage of her raw food packs (vacuum-sealed), then there's no point to a staycation. Some of the purportedly pet-friendly hotels aren't fully pet-friendly. Many said no to installing a fridge in the room; some friendlier ones offered the use of their kitchen freezers. Only Amara Sanctuary Sentosa provided a working fridge in this particular suite. I'll talk more about this in the next post.  

The hotel has been recently renovated and reopened last November. So the rooms are still pretty spiffy. The gym equipment is rather dated though, and its outdoor space doesn't have fans — unbearable in this July heat. When this staycation is for the dog, and not so much for the humans, I didn't care so much about the peripherals of architecture and furniture. 

I was concerned about where Choya would be allowed on the grounds of the hotel. They allowed her pretty much everywhere since it's is an open-air resort. Wonderful. She could come into the lobby and all, but of course she can't go into the air-conditioned dining areas and meeting rooms. 

Choya is allowed at breakfast with us as well, at the sheltered al fresco tables cooled by giant air-coolers. (We had Choya's breakfast delivered to the room instead. She doesn't eat outdoors.) However, this means that it isn't ideal staying at the hotel during monsoon or heavy squalls. We wouldn't even be able to step out of the hotel to get to anywhere without taking the buggy. Even the only dining venue in the hotel that takes Choya would be soaking wet. 

We checked in with two suitcases, two cooler bags, and a guitar and an amp! Hahahaha. We don't know how to travel light. But hey, most things in the suitcases are for the dog's food prep. The Smol Girl knew something was up, and was super stoked that she came along with the suitcases. She thought we were going away and leaving her behind again. She was super thrilled sitting in the buggy for the short ride to the block where our suite is. 

Kangaroo Medium-Rare

I was so tickled when S delivered a small pack of kangaroo meat in small cubes for Choya. Apparently she didn't pay for it. She was just having a regular chat with her usual butcher, stocking up on her meats and all for the home, and the dude decided to give her some lean cubes of kangaroo for the Choya. Ahahaha. 

The meat was fairly lean — they weren't off-cuts — they were good quality. I also had radish and some bell peppers and coriander. Alrighty. That would add loads of nutrients and flavors to the dog's meal. Yes, dogs can have bell peppers, perhaps not raw, but cooked, for sure. Heated up the pan to sear some roo for the dog. Took out four cubes; I seared them medium-rare. 

Choya doesn't fancy raw kangaroo for some reason. She doesn't mind it, but not as a daily base. She likes it seared for texture. Today, she had the roo as an afternoon snack. Wheeee. The rest of it would be added as a topper to her meal the next day. She loved it. She deigned to have a slice of radish and a bit of bell pepper. She slurped up the coriander. This girl loves coriander. 

Sent S a bunch of photos of Choya's meal and the prep. She was so so tickled too. She was like, 'WHUT — are you sure y'all not stealing her food?' Thank yooooou, S. Choya is such a blessed floof lah.

Choya Cleared Another Annual Medical

Took the dog to her annual medical. I completely forgot about the spleen ultrasound and fed her a tiny bit of breakfast. So obviously that spleen ultrasound couldn't be done. I would probably schedule it at some point, but looking at her bloodwork, I felt a tad complacent. Maybe we'd skip it this year.

Her titer test reflected that she still has antibodies for distemper, parvovirus and adenovirus. She wouldn't need these vaccines for another year. Yayyy. I'm anti-vaccination. I'm just not for over-vaccination. She got her essential leptospirosis vaccine renewed — there're no antibodies against that. Leptospirosis is bacterial. There's also no cure for distemper either — that's viral.   

She took the two needles (one for blood draw and one for leptospirosis vaccine) like a champ and came back out all gleeful. Had to stop her from bothering the bandage on her hind leg. I didn't give her a full dose of Gabapentin in the morning — only a quarter. The weather was fine, so I didn't want to over-dose her. 

She weighed in at 7.2kg. Haizzzzz. It's so tough to get her to 7.5kg even. I don't really want her to get to 8kg. She has patella luxation on both her hind legs. It's through a combination of fascia release, muscle building, and movement exercises that I've managed to keep surgery at bay. I hope her CCL never ruptures so that she wouldn't need to do surgery at all.

After we were done at the clinic, the husband and I had a quick bite at the kopitiam next door. Then took Choya home to have her lunch. Gave her a big fat mussel to boost her iron and omega levels. She was hungry and was very pleased with lunch. After all that, she was so fatigued that she took a loooong afternoon nap. 

Sometimes I get more nervous than the dog does about this annual medical thing. I'm more nervous about Choya than my own medicals. She'll be eight this year, and that's almost half her potential lifespan. By next year, she'll be a senior dog. That isn't lost on me. She might not feel it yet, but she'll be slowing down soon. That might give her angst. I'm trying to ease her into the ageing process, and to keep her as healthy as possible. 

I'm thankful that at 47 years old, I'm not in peri-menopause yet. I thank my fitness regime and diet. Maybe a bit of alcohol too. If I'm so attentive about my own wellness and health, then I'm equally fastidious about Choya's. 

Excellent House Rules at Bailey & Patch Pet Cafe

I'm very iffy about stepping into pet cafes. After all, ill-disciplined unleashed dogs and unreasonable owners seem to like these places, and the food almost always is terrible. After all the hype, I decided to brave one visit to this social enterprise cafe at Enabling Village. 

We went to check out Bailey & Patch. It was really quite conveniently located with plenty of parking available on a week day at 12.45pm. Once you drive in, turn right and go on to the end of the road. The cafe is located on the right corner at far side of the Village. 

I was really pleased to see Bailey & Patch's house rules for pets prominently displayed with excellent copywriting. What a pleasure to read. It advocated space for the dogs, and requested owners to be responsible. All dogs are to be leashed; no random wandering about. That's great because it isn't just a pet cafe. Its menu ensures that it gets a steady flow of diners at lunch from the nearby offices.

I was just bemused by this elderly lady who was walking ahead of us with a limp and a walking stick. I wasn't in a hurry to over-take her. Choya was happily sniffing around the grass patches and pillars. We kept a safe distance behind and didn't rush her. 

We realised that she was headed to the bistro as well. For lunch, presumably. At the entrance, she turned around to ask if Choya was friendly and if she would bite. She said she was scared of dogs. 

I was like, 'walao Auntie, you do know that you're entering a pet cafe right?' I didn't say that out loud of course. Instead I said, "She's very sweet and friendly. She doesn't bite." I paused. "Unless you make her angry." 

In response, the elderly lady looked damn disgruntled, and muttered something under her breath and shuffled into the cafe. I happen to have very sharp hearing. I heard it, but let it slide. Why bother. People who are dumb would remain obstinately dumb. 

We were pleasantly surprised that the food at Bailey & Patch is actually decent! We ordered food to share, and went easy on the carbs. The claypot sesame oil chicken was delicious, and less salty and less oily than those at the zi char restaurants. I only wished it held more spring onions. Heh. I was very extra and very happy with the way the spam (or luncheon meat) was sliced and served. For S$4.80, it was wonderful. 

Added the bok choi. I liked it that the gravy/sauce was poured in separately at the table, so that I could control the volume. Next time I'd request to skip the sauce. Blanched vegetables are just lovely for me. Skip the nasi lemak-anything. It's nasi lemak cina; very forgettable — the lemak cannot make it, the sambal is a mega fail. 

The drinks were okay too. The Milo-peng was done quite thick and satisfying. I had nothing to complain about my glass of iced lemon-honey. I'm just so happy that it offers Asian dishes instead of the usual fried foods and eeeky items so typical of middling cafes. We were there to try the food more so than the bakes. I'm not keen on sugar, so I'm not even bothered to try the desserts. But the man was more than happy to get a small box of brownies to-go.

Laksa at Chopsuey Dempsey Hill

I had a craving for laksa and Chopsuey at Dempsey serves up a good one on weekends and public holidays. Now, this restaurant is perfectly fine, with rather earnest and good servers. Also, they genuinely welcome Choya. 

I don't need any special treatment for Choya. I just want her to be with us. Now that restaurants with outdoor tables have the choice to accept dogs, I leave it to them to be completely unfriendly to decline us. I appreciate fans at our table, an offer of water for her (although I always decline, because of sanitary reasons) and just letting her be, trusting me to keep her in check. I understand house rules, but don't give me that stupid tone when telling me 'dogs aren't allowed on chairs'. Frame it nicely. This is a thing that you can't train your staff — tone, and facial expressions. If they lose it, they lose it. 

Yeah, I said I wouldn't step into any PS Cafe after the last time they shouted at me and Choya to get off of the field at the Dempsey outlet on the Harding Road and they still tried to gaslight me by saying they didn't take dogs then. HALLO, I WAS PASSING BY ON THE PUBLIC PATHS, NOT ASKING TO EAT AT YOUR RESTAURANT, YOU ASSHOLES. I have an issue with the service standards and the attitude of the staff and its managers at PS Cafe Dempsey and PS Cafe East Coast. I'm fine with Jypsy, but their food... I can't appreciate Jypsy's menu. 

I love Chopsuey's menu and kitchen. They work for my tastebuds. The husband couldn't just do laksa alone. He needed variety. He added har gow, chicken and prawn siew mai, and a smoked braised duck and herb omelette. That omelette was really strange — I couldn't deal with the herbs that was all over, and I didn't like the caramelized orange and scallion jam atop. 

I wanted prosecco. The server suggested mimosas since that also held prosecco and there was a weekend 1-for-1 promotion. Alrighty. I had no objections to the sugar in orange juice. I was very pleased with my brunch. Totally satisfied my craving for atas poached crab and prawn laksa. LOVE. 

My Dog Is My Mirror

The husband mentioned that he was reading 'Your Dog Is Your Mirror' (2011) by Kevin Behan, and shared a few takeaways. Wahhh. Good man, he is doing loads of reading in order to understand his dog, and her future behavior. 

The author (1952-2020) was a veteran police dog trainer, and founder of Natural Dog Trainer. He passed away in February 2020 at home after a long bout of illness, in Newfane, Vermont, USA. 

I decided to borrow it too. I was happy to secure a 'skip-the-line' copy on Libby. I took my time to read the author's words and completely understand what he is saying. The premise of this book is that our dog's behaviour and cognition is driven by us, and our emotions. The dog responds to our emotions more than words. Kevin Behan emphasized on this right from the start. 

This book is different from other examinations of the canine/human connection because it concentrates on what dog and human share in common rather than what makes us different.

I really didn't mind reading this carefully because after all the theories and practical applications about dog training and daily routines and schedules and essential stuff like that, I want to know more about how dogs feel. It's at best, guesswork because they can't talk. I need to learn their language. And I'll be damned if I ever pay money for an 'AC' (animal communicator) of which I think it's balderdash. 

In this book, the author examines his ideas through three themes of: 1) We don't know what we're feeling. 2) The behaviour of dogs can teach us about emotion and feelings. 3) the real reason for the dog in our life is emotion. I love it that the preface of the book frames it already. The preface is titled, [It's Not about the Dog].

Now the standard, mainstream interpretation of what's going on between Linda and Rosy is that Linda isn't treating her dog like a dog; she's treating her like a baby, trying not to compensate through Rosy for some unfulfilled emotional need in herself. Therefore Linda is missing the instinctual boat and not giving Rosy what dogs supposedly need and want from their owner, that is, alphahood leadership, direction, consistency, positive motivation, and the rest of the canine catechism. But I don't see dogs through that prism because such analysis is meaningful only on a superficial level. The truth is that a dog's behavior is always viscerally appealing to an owner, no matter what that behaviour is, because the subconscious component of the human mind (of which we are wholly unaware) is an animal consciousness, the same consciousness that informs a dog. This is the same consciousness that has no idea of time or of the consequences to any action, and it cannot entertain any other point of view beyond the immediate moment the animal is in. Our emotional mind is an animal mind, and it has no idea that if it sinks teeth into a child's soft flesh that this will hurt the child. It's like a child yelling, "I wish you were you were," without comprehending what the words really mean. Therefore, what's fundamental in the emotional dynamic between a dog and owner isn't the human reading a human in the animal but the animal reading the animal in the human. 

The author uses many 'real-life' stories of owners and dogs to illustrate his points, including his own. He tries to break it down simpler for the layman dog owner to understand what he's saying. I appreciate that. However, it’s not so simple as to say that altering my human behavior would have an effect on my dog. These theories and hypotheses or even examples, totally skip the part of application and training in a multi-dog household. I don't completely agree with all that the author proffers. Not all his theories are infallible or practical either. 

I've always maintained that a person's traits and character correspond to the dogs they eventually choose. If there isn't compatibility, then this is going to be a difficult bond to build. It's not so much of a breed-specific traits versus me, but more of breed + the dog's individual characteristics that will define its relationship with me. I need to my dog’s individuality shine through, and work with that, not forcefully bend her to my will. 

To that, I would say that Choya is indeed my mirror. I have no idea how and why (or rather I'm not drilling down into it), but if you're someone who sees me regularly and you know Choya, you'd likely agree too. Hehehe. Choya carries her breed's true traits. She's gentler than I am in many aspects, but she's equally hard, obstinate and fierce. 

Theoretically, all we have to do to heal our dog is simply become aware of how our dog's behavior reflects something in ourselves, and our dog will lose that charge because it's been fully manifested into physical expression, since we're its rightful owner, the original source. I've been able to shift things in my dog twice by doing this, and I've seen it occasionally in my clients. But because the healing salve is trust, and because trust is a muscle, for most of us and for most things, we're going to have to exercise our trust muscle over the long term in order to build it up. 

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You don't have to run around explaining yourself or your dog to others or trying to undo or forgo your personality. Meanwhile, the clearer and stronger your heart gets, the more your thoughts will align with what you feel, and your actions will then flow from your heart. Follow your dog: he knows your heart, he feels your heart, he knows the way back to your heart. 

Kueh Pie Tee & Popiah

It was pretty awesome of C and D to have us over at their home for dinner, along with all the floofs! Mogi is the Boss-Pup and host. C said he has never had 'friends' over in this manner, so she herself was a tad nervous to have four floofs in the same space. But they always hang out together, and they get along well, so we thought to try. C is so brave and gracious. 

There was yusheng for lo-hei, of course. Some people in our midst needed to hit 10 lo-hei this season. Our yusheng platter from Donki tickled me to no end. It held no shredded vegetables (quite normal), so the friends ditched it. Since B bought and brought roasted meats of siew yoke and char siew from Maxwell Food Center, we used those instead — added them to the platter to be tossed. The friends coined it 'babi-sheng'. Hehehehe.

D and C whipped up a whole pot of itek tim, and painstakingly shredded ingredients for kueh pie tee and popiah! These, took them the whole day to prep, and a lot of shredding and boiling were done. All of us totally appreciated their efforts. We ate loads, and ate them all. We couldn't finish everything, of course. But we made a sizeable dent.

While I don't bother with the contents of the itek tim, the others do. So they happily ate up the duck meat and everything else in there. I simply went for the soup, which was really excellent. The saltiness from the salted vegetables were wonderful. For a second, I almost wanted it more salty, but never mind. This would do beautifully. Hurhurhur.

M loves kueh pie tee and went for broke, completely ignoring the popiah skin. I ate one token kueh pie tee. Then I ditched it in favor of popiah. I like that a lot better than the crispy kueh pie tee shell. I didn't bust the popiah shell. Filled each one conservatively with the ingredients evenly. The bangkwang was really the star, My final count was seven pieces of popiah. I was absolutely stuffed. 

There was cake for dessert, and more wine. There was even durian, of which only D and D wanted to eat. Hahaha. None of us could tahan durians. Those two gleefully ate the four seeds specially frozen and kept for tonight.

The four floofs were completely chilling out. There's Diva the cat in the room, but he was pretty much left alone since the safety gate did its job and kept all nosy floofs out of the rooms. We simply took turns going into the room to give Diva head and neck rubs. Every floof was rather polite and did their own thing and found their own spot. Mogi was quite the perfect gentleman. He was comfortable with all the humans and chilled out easy with his floof-guests. Yayyyyy.

Toppers for Four Floofs!

Since the humans would get a great homecooked dinner, I decided to cook toppers for the floofs too. They could add that to their base foods for dinner tonight, and their meals over the next 1.5 days. Thought I would have them try amaebi. There's something about amaebi cooked that is absolutely fragrant. And in an egg scramble, the entire thing turns out super appetizing. 

By now, I know what these floofs can take. So for my planned menu tonight, I know Mogi can’t do chicken, and by extension, no eggs for him either. Ozi can’t do beef and lamb, but loves eggs and do well on them. Clyde and Choya are fine with all of these proteins. 

I would go lighter on the amount of amaebi in their portions in case any floof can't tolerate them well. Cooked amaebi should be quite all right. Choya is the only one who can take amaebi raw. She ate them raw that on the day I bought the pack, and a little on the second day before I seared the whole batch. 

One pan held three portions of amaebi scramble with chicken. These were for Ozi, Clyde and Choya. I even had extras pieces of chicken seared for Ozi and Choya. In the other skillet, I seared a beef flank for Mogi. Didn’t leave it pink; cooked them through. All the food included bits of kale and carrots too. Mind you, these are simply toppers I'm doing. It's not a balanced meal. These lack bone/calcium, secreting organs and offal. #ImpieCooks2025

I had a beef tenderloin wagyu that wasn’t too fatty. So Choya had bits of that raw, and bits seared blue. She loves her raw meats lah. I sear them for her for a change in flavors and textures that she also enjoys enormously. I packed her a little portion to be eaten at Mogi's home. So she wouldn't feel too left out. 

Ozi had her amaebi scramble first. Bahahaha. She smelt the egg and couldn't wait! Mogi knew I had food in the bag for him. He was allowed a bit as a topper for dinner tonight. His mama portioned it out for him. He had his dinner at the back. I found a spot for Choya to nibble at a corner. They all finished their food just before Clyde arrived. Yayyy. Clyde had her dinner and would take her toppers home to have supper and for the next day. 

開年初二 :: 吉祥如意福滿門 :: 蝦仁煎蛋

I find a lot of joy in thinking about prepping food for the dogs. I have no interest in giving them treats for the sake of feeding them. I enocurage them to eat well in their main meals. Ryo said he would like two main meals a day, and if he is hungry on some days, he would ask for breakfast or a late-afternoon snack. Choya stuck to her three meals a day. But she doesn’t mind four anyway. Hahaha. 

I like thinking about food for the floofs and nutritional value they bring. I’m working on balancing Ryo’s gut flora after the major bout of diarrhea and antibiotics last November. I know what he’s allergic to, and his food preferences. It’s both fun and challenging figuring out his diet in order for him to give me consistent solid poop daily. 

Bought amaebi for everyone. They all had the sweet prawns as sashimi on the day they were bought. Ryo isn’t fond of raw seafood, but he ate the amaebi. Choya loves prawns; she’ll eat them in any form. The husband had them as a shrimp cocktail with whisky. Haha.

For $16.90, this was a generous pack. The floofs and the husband couldn’t eat that many prawns in a day. I didn’t want to trigger any histamines or allergies in the floofs from over-eating. So the next day, it was time to sear the prawns. Then it could keep for two more days. #ImpieCooks2025

Ryo can’t do chicken, turkey and eggs. I seared his prawns plain instead and flavored them with thyme and oregano. He definitely prefers prawns (and fish) cooked—seared, really, so there's more umami for him. Made Choya an easy omelette with prawns and kale. She loves eggs, and she loves it when the eggs come with filling. 

As for the husband, I made him a thick omelette with loads of minced garlic. And kale. The kale in the little pods is still growing and going strong. Might as well harvest and use the leaves well. The sweet prawns made the omelette so fragrant. The husband liked having that for breakfast, with kimchi. Heh.

Breakfast was hearty this morning for everyone. Except me because I can't do breakfast much. The floofs and husband needed some fuel before going out to play. Everyone is pleased with the flavors and variety of food they’re getting this week.