Advent Calendar

It is the first day of December and the first day to start opening windows on your Advent Calendar. While shopping in England, I found a few Advent Calendars for pets and got a few for the pets I know. I got one for Barkley as well and he got his first treats of the month. He might be a picky eater, but the treats must have some liver in it as he came straight for them when I opened it up for him. Hopefully he will enjoy all the treats for the next twenty-three days. 

Dead Tired

Got back home after picking Adi up after Barkley's date, and now he is just so tired that he did not even wake up when mom put the new toy between his paws. He definitely has a good night out, then picked up another of his favourite people, and just slept after having his dinner. 

Have to let this sleeping dog lie. 

Barkley's Date

Finally managed to meet up with AiLi with our dogs for a fur-date. Barkley got all excited when he saw Orby and would not leave him alone to whole night. I would think that once we got into the cafe, Barkley would have been busy meeting other dogs to ignore Orby but that was not the case. He basically chased Orby around as Orby went investigating, and only stopped when he actually lost sight of Orby when the big mongrel would jump in between them to play. 

We realise it was no use trying to get them to stop going round so we got our orders in and almost finished eating when Orby did not seem to like this one guy at the next table. Once Orby started barking, Barkley soon followed and we had to stop them as other dogs wanted in on the action as well. 

They then continued going round again and about and hour later, Barkley was so tired he was waddling like a duck. Sent Aili and Orby back and gave them a few gifts, while Barkley got a squeaky frog toy!  

Pillow Thief

Every night as I prepare to go to sleep, I have my pillow stolen by a very cheeky fur ball. He usually sneaks in quietly and just plonks himself down on my pillow. Sometimes I manage to catch him in the act, but there are times when I lie down and squash him a little. Sometimes he does it to the bolster instead. He only leaves when it gets a bit too warm for him and he leaves for the coolness of the floor tiles.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie....

Thought I Lost It

Went out with Eugenie and she wanted to have a look at a picture of my family. I knew which picture I wanted to show her but it was oddly missing from my phone gallery. Thinking I might have moved it to my memory card, I searched through that and still could not find it. However, I did remember saving it in my memory card and thought I could have accidentally deleted it, or my phone conveniently did  that for me. Lucky for me, I only did it recently and thought I could try and recover it with a program. Managed to finally find it, along with two other "missing" photographs using MiniTool Data Recovery, which was quite fast and quite easy. So now I am saving this picture in as many places as I possibly can. 

Lucky Dog

Adi was at the official opening of Superpets and won herself the second prize of the night. It is possibly the first 24-hour pet store in Singapore, and they have more cat products as the neighbourhood has more cat owners. Since Adi just adopted a stray, she was there getting something for Bujang. This resulted in her getting some lucky draw coupons, one of which got her a huge amount of prizes. Within the whole prize were some items for dogs and since Barkley is closest dog, he got to enjoy some of the win. 

My Little Dinosaur

Barkley loves to help unpack as it means that we are not leaving him for some other country. Also, he knows that we usually bring back something for him when we return, and hopes he might find a new toy among our things. This time, we were unpacking the box we sent back from Australia, and found his dinosaur hoodie we got from Kmart. There's just something about Barkley's proportions that are a bit off. He either has a top that fits well that has a hood that is too small, or a hood that fits and the top is oversized. I think he is too skinny actually. 

Destructability Tester

If any company needs to test how easily their toys can be destroyed, and how fast it can be done, they can hire Barkley. This was a snorting pig toy made for dogs that originally looked like this. It's a rather big toy, yet it lost its head just minutes after Barkley got hold of it. Worst still is that the head has a slight rip in it and can no longer fit nicely back onto it's body. It still snorts though. 

Barkley Love Otak Otak

There's something about certain fish dishes that Barkley seems to like. He can be rather fussy, not liking the fish treats meant for dogs, but he likes the dried fish strips I used to love as a kid. It seems he likes the another one of my fishy childhood favourites, Otak Otak.

He doesn't really go for fishcake, something we have quite often as it is dad's favourite, and neither does he like fish balls. Although they all use fish as a base, I'm not really sure what in the Otak Otak mixture he likes.

This dog is odd.

 

My Little Monster

Barkley had gotten one of his new outfits dirty, and he needed a haircut, so I decided to try some of other new clothes on him. One of them was a Stitch outfit but it was a bit small around his ribs and needed some adjustment by mom. We managed to get him partially into it and he looked every bit like  the little alien Stitch is supposed to be. 

Can't wait till mom finishes the alterations. 

Barkley's Easter Egg

Dad and I were shopping in one of the pet stores during our last day in Japan when dad decided to give a squeeze to some egg-shaped toys. Of all things to make him decide to buy it, it was the squeak that sounded similar to the mice that roam our neighborhood grounds. Barkley love chasing those mice, and get really excited whenever he hears them squeaking at night. After someone said I pampered the dog too much and bought too much stuff for Barkley, dad insisted on getting this purple egg for him. 

So for an Easter special, Barkley has his own Easter egg hunt, a squeaky egg hunt. We make it squeak, and he hunts it down. 

Attention Seeker

We brought Adi over to our place tonight as I wanted to pass her the Nutella cupcake I got. She was so tired, she ended up sleeping before I could even get the cupcake out to try. So she ended up sleeping over at our place for the night. However, midway through her nap, she shuffles about in the couch and Barkley took the opportunity to get a scratch from her. It ended up with Adi's hand hanging from the couch, wiggling her fingers once in a while to scratch Barkley's stomach. However, Barkley was not satisfied and would wiggle to ensure he got some action from her fingers when she dozed off again. 

Attention whore!

My Personal Muppet

If you haven't noticed already, there's one four-legged fur ball that is featured in a few of my posts. His name is Barkley. Originally called Ah Wang, then Elvis, he was sadly passed up by 2 families and ended up with us. I'm not sure exactly what happened to him but he came to us not knowing or not able (I'm still unsure) to climb up stairs. Then we found he couldn't lift his leg like most male dogs when he peed, and he had a very sensitive left hind leg. Then I later realise that the left side of this jaw had teeth that was in odd positions. that didn't mirror the typical sure of a dog's jaw. I honestly think he had a really rough start in life.

Whatever is it, Barkley has been a joy to have. He brings out a happiness you see in the smile everyone has when they see the muppet bounding in on Sesame Street with his love. His love for the outdoors, love for everyone he meets, the crazy love for anything covered in tennis-ball-green felt, love (or obsession) for squeaky toys, the unrelenting love for the wind in his face, and his greedy love of liver. 

Just look at that face!

Barkley's Strange Addiction

Barkley is a nutcase. There's no other way to describe him. He's got no objection to any kind of toy. Everything that squeaks is his, any fluffy toy is his, anything that is covered in the flourescent green tennis ball felt is his. He can have a ton of toys all over the house yet know whee every toy is hidden.

When it comes to food, however, he can be such a fussy one. He doesn't like the fancy, supposedly good for his health kind of dog food. He likes the cheaper stuff, but won't say no to Caesar's.  He doesn't like treats like the dried fish or biscuits, but prefer softer chews like liver straps. Even so, he'll only take certain kinds. Then the shocker of his oddball choices was the fish strips. One day the family was snacking on it and he sat there begging. It's now his alternative snack when mom thinks he's had to much liver in his diet.

Well as long as he's happy and it won't kill him like the grapes he actually loves.    

Tired Out

Mom babysat Brayden for the first day yesterday and Barkley assisted with keeping him in check.  The whole experience definitely took a toll on him as he ended up in his bed, so tried that he's sleeping with his arm hanging out!

Dog's Day Out @ The Park

I was reading a pets' magazine and found an advertisement for an event called "Dogs' Day Out At The Park", and since I didn't have anything to do that day, I got everyone out to West Coast Park to enjoy a day with the doggies.

It wasn't as big as I had expected, but everyone attending the event were quite enthusiastic about everything, and participating in as much things as their dogs could handle. As it was just after noon, the sun was out in full force and some dogs were in the tiny cooling tent to help them with the heat. There were repeated warnings to keep the dogs and ourselves cool in the heat and the tents weren't really helping as the air was still too warm to cool anything off.

I signed Barkley up for the 'Happy Tails' competition which was to see which dog could wag the longest and the strongest. While collecting the free goodie bag, we were called up for the contest and by that time, Barkley was already too tired to even meet and greet other dogs. Finally when the contest began, he was so bored until he realised that the dog next to him was a Dushund puppy, about a quarter his size, and that's when he got all excited to meet another dog that was so cute!

Well if it wasn't for one judge who decided that he didn't deserve a prize, Barkley would have been in the top 5. I guess the contest was also partly a giveaway. Imagine the little puppy winning a large bag of kibbles meant for big dogs. So the big dog won the big prize, and the little ones got the little prizes. It was all good in the end as all participants got a participation goodie bag, which just added to my day's haul.

Going around after the contest, I managed to bag a few more goodies, some that were just too big for Barkley, and so it went to the neighbour who has a big dog. Barkley also got a new portable, collapsible bowl and a new name tag. Once Barkley was too tired to even move to look at other dogs, we went off, at the same time realising I also got a new idiot tan.

Making Friends

Tired Contestants

Big Bag Of Food For The Happiest Tail

Hauling My Collection Of Goodie Bags

Barkley's On Holiday

Barkley will be on holiday for a week, returning on the 2nd of June. He will be enjoying a week with the wind in his face, protected only by a pair of goggles. If in case of emergency, he'll be staying at the Paws & Furs hotel @ Jalan Kilang.

*Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!*

Baby's Got A Temper...

Got a glimpse of how Barkley reacts to being rejected just now.

When I woke up, I decided I wanted to got get some seafood for dinner and told him that we're gonna go out. So we showered him, let him dry out, brushed out his fur, and put on a new t-shirt. What was left was to put on his harness and let him out the door. At this point, he's all dressed and following mom every step of the way, thinking that she'll put the harness on.

I'm not ready and so mom leaves, without him, to the car to get it warmed up. Next thing I know, I see Barkley trying to bite off his t-shirt in anger. I ask him what he was trying to do and he start whining like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum, blaming someone for his anger. He stopped whining when I said just wait a while more, I'll be ready and we can go. He then continues to whine like he was grumbling that I was taking too long. All this time facing his favourite chair, basically showing his butt to me.

If I knew it was going to happen I would've taken a video. All this while I thought he was just an emotional blackmailer. Now I know he's got an attitude too! Hahahaha....

Doggy's Day Out (Sentosa to Orchard Road)

We rented a car and decided to give Barkley a treat for the day, bringing him out on his first trip to beyond the neighbourhood. He got all excited for his usual walk in the neighbourhood, but was clearly surprised, and lost, as to what was happening when he was told to get into the car. When he realised he was travelling without having to walk, he got all excited and started to enjoy sticking his head out the window to look at the world going by. Then he realised that there was more going by on the other side of the car and started to jump onto Mark to get a better look. About 10 minutes into the drive, I left him in the back seat where he got comfortable and just lay down to cool off from all his excitement.

Soon, we were in Sentosa and it was time he got to stretch his legs. We took him right up to Imbiah Lookout and let him explore civilisation. There was a guy with the python there charging for photo opportunities and soon enough, Barkley became the free alternative for some Indian tourists. Since he's such a friendly dog, they found it easy to take a picture of the whole family with him as the centre of attention. I wonder what story they'll tell their family and friends back home.

"Oh we went to this island in Singapore called Sentosa, and we took pictures with this dog for free! Imagine that... free... and that guy on the side was actually charging to take pics with a snake. I mean, look at the billions of snakes here, we can just pick one up and take a picture anyway... but a fluffy dog like that? For free??"

Hahaha! And so Barkley waited while I got my coffee fix and then we were off to check out the luge that seem like lotsa fun.

Waiting His Turn To Go Up The Revolving Tower.

Realising there was nothing much to do at the top there but stare back at the main island, we decided to make it Tanjong Beach and let him run about in the sand, and maybe dip his paws in the water and take a swim. But the sky got dark as we got to the beach and so we decided to chill at the bar instead. Barkley soon made some friends with one of the staff's pets, who were slightly afraid of this whiney, noisy dog.

Barkley easily found a comfy spot on the deck chair and was soon enjoying the cool gentle breeze and shared the plate of fish and chips we ordered. We also ordered a jug of beer and wondered if he liked some. After sniffing my finger, he took a quick lick and neer came back for seconds. However he seemed drunk when I got a picture of him infront of the jug.

Locked Up.












Drunkard.

After finishing the drinks and food, we decided to get some dessert and Mark suggested something from the Chatterbox. When we got there, we were disappointed with the desserts on display and decided to head back instead. Since the car was parked in Cineleisure, Barkley got his first walk on the bustling Orchard Road walkway with tourists and local shoppers alike. There was just too many people for him to pay attention or try to get the attention from just one person that he was just walking and looking around, excited and again confused.

Doggy Going Down.

Finally when we got home, Barkley just plopped himself on the floor and went to bed, absolutely satisfied, and tired, from the whole day.

Doggie's Evening Out & Midnight Nummies

Went out yesterday evening with mom for lunch (breakfast incl. for mom, yeah we're owls) and tagging along was the furry one. Took a walk to S.G. Holland Village Eating House and while on our way there, Mr Furry Butt stomped over an ant's nest and got a bunch of them stuck to his fur. Soon the little buggers got pissed off and started biting him, which made Furry Butt jump around doing some sort of acrobatic act. It wasn't long before we reached our destination and got rid of some angry ants, one of which died a horrible death for biting me! With all the energy used up from twitching and twirling around while walking, he was too tired to even bother with the kids around him. He just sat quietly in his chair, although a bit sad, but soon cheered up when he got some drink (aka my drink) and a few hellos from strangers.

After filling our tummies, mom got some food for grandpa and I got some for our super-late dinner. With a craving for fish and seafood, my eyes landed on a picture of barbecued stingray and was enticed to pack that home. Ordered two fish, a bunch of prawns and some sambal kangkong to go. When the packets arrived at the table, it smelled so good I wanted to eat it right then.

Had a slightly slower walk home and somehow the ants were at it again. Decided to have a look and was shocked to find a whole bunch of them still clinging to his fur. Once we were done getting rid of those pesky things, we continued home and that's when he flopped out. Not as tired as the other day, he started playing and running around the house again within the hour. I think my dog is mad.

Later that night after dad was done with his war movie (more like he slept through most of it), we all sat down to a tasty meal. Now how good can this be? Dad actually liked it. With a fussy person like dad, who only says that none of these BBQ seafood beat those in Pangkor (Malaysia), that's a compliment. This stall is also competing with a ZhiCha stall that serves up seafood that's still swimming around in tanks. If it isn't good, it would not be open.

Sambal Kang Kong

BBQ Sole Fish

BBQ Prawns

Why bother with plates and washing up when you can just eat them off the packets and throw them away? With hot fluffy rice and nice spicy sambals over the food, what else can u do but just enjoy the meal with your loved ones and ur fingers!

Better than KFC