Yummy and Affordable: Ah Chiang’s Porridge

We head to Ah Chiang’s several times a month with our dogs. Located at a corner shop lot in Tiong Bahru, they serve simple and delicious local fare. We always go for the porridge/congee with dough fritters and a side of raw fish slices. Mmmm…

Minced pork ball porridge, dough fritters and raw fish slices.

The seating is mainly outdoors and right next to the sidewalk, so we let our dogs sit on the sidewalk or under the table.

Lulu is sun tanning while the mamas go to the counter to order.

There is plenty of roadside parking. If we are lucky, we even get to park right next to our table so the dogs can hang out by the car too.

Lucy and Leto enjoy the roadside parking.

After the local (and very affordable) breakfast, we like to grab a coffee nearby (Forty Hands, Tiong Bahru Bakery or Orange Thimble) and end off at Foodie Marketplace to get the week’s supply of meats for the dogs.

Ah Chiang’s is located at 65 Tiong Poh Road and are open daily from 6.30am to 11.30pm. Oh, their smooth beancurd is also worth a quick mention for a cold dessert.

Can we please have some?

Ten Signs You’re A (Crazy) Dog Person

You know you’re a (somewhat crazy) dog person when you do these things!

1. When you meet people for the first time, your dog inevitably comes into the conversation and you start showing strangers pictures from your phone or wallet. Even fellow hitch hikers stranded in a snowstorm in Moutiers, France, weren’t spared Olive’s photos on Vicky’s travels over the new year.

2. When on holiday, you spot dogs on the street rather than enjoying the view. On a vacation, instead of taking photos of the cathedral or majestic views, all you do is spot dogs on the street and snap their pics! Tanya’s been scolded by her family in the States to stop looking for dogs on the street and enjoy the city. Oh well, they just don’t get it! Over Christmas, most of TFT mamas were traveling and flooded their Whatsapp chat group with pictures of dogs in Australia, New Zealand and France!

Saffron enjoying her bus ride at Val Thorens, France!

3. When it’s your birthday, or Christmas, your friends get you presents…for your dog. Sisi got a few hundred dollars worth of vouchers from Kohe Pets for her birthday last year. And no, it does not coincide with Lucy’s birthday.

Lucy likes vouchers very much.

4. Or when people ask what you want for a present, you say, “Something for my dog is good!”

5. There are more photos of your pooch on Facebook than of you. 70% of your Instagram feed are also pictures of your dog. In fact, you probably have a Facebook or Instagram account just for them. No need to be ashamed, we are guilty too!

GUILTY

6. You find dog hair in everything. Even in food (and which you honestly don’t mind eating).

7. You secretly wish there were dog rental services in the city you are visiting. Ok not so secretly. On holidays, Tanya’s husband gets to listen to her ramble about how she wishes there were places you can rent a dog. You keep thinking, wouldn’t it be great if you could have a dog to go for a run with in this beautiful city, or take them on that trail. Just saying…

8. You find doggie poo bags in every tote or clutch, even that expensive Chanel 2.55. One thing we can be sure of, we’ve found poo bags in every bag we have, in evening clutches and stuffed in jean pockets or running shorts. Very glamorous indeed, especially when we pull out our wallet to pay and a plastic bag comes floating out instead!

Oops! Found: poop bag in Chanel

9. When you’re in kid’s stores, you look at the toys and think, “My dog has something like that!” Or you wonder if you could buy it for your dog. 

Lulu has the same toy found in a kid’s toy store here in Singapore!

10. When you’re in another country, you look for pet stores or rush straight to the pets section in supermarkets. When some of TFT mamas were in Bali last year, we hunted down several pet stores to visit! And when Sisi and Tanya were overseas, they hung out at the pets section of supermarkets while their families shopped for normal groceries.

Pit stop #1 for Sisi in Los Angeles, USA: upscale dog store!

These are compiled from our own experiences and the things we do. Do you have any to add?

Oh we have one more that not all The Furry Tales mamas agree on. What do you think? 11. You don’t mind eating something your dog has licked. Don’t judge, but some of us do it!

I’m ALMOST there!

Three Buns

Contributed by Sisi Soh

Potato Head Folk

The famous Bali Potato Head has made its way to Singapore. Potato Head Folk is a four-level concept place. The first and second floors hold “Three Buns,” a burger joint and also my dinner destination that evening. The second floor of Three Buns is decorated by David Bromley’s renowned whimsical style. Unfortunately, because we had Lucy with us, we couldn’t go upstairs to check it out. The third floor holds Lounge 1939, a drinking den of sorts. Finally, there is a laid-back rooftop bar.

Our street level dining experience was of a low-key hawker-chic vibe where you order over the counter and can see the chefs behind the counter.

Alfresco seating

The burgers of Three Buns claim to be made with the finest quality of meats , bespoke artisan buns and homemade sauces. The boyfriend ordered the Baby Huey burger (S$20.00), a 150g prime beef patty with cheese, lettuce, homemade sauce and spiced mayo. I ordered the kid sized burger. I got a shock when mine arrived because other than the patty being slightly thinner, it was still huge.

The “kid sized” burger

I’m not a burger person, but they were delicious. Juicy, and so so tasty. The buns were soft and fluffy. As I type this, I am craving it again. The burgers don’t come with sides so we also ordered the Naughty fries (S$9.00), thickly sliced potatoes with chilli con carne. It was SO GOOD. The next time I go, I’m not sharing. I’m not!

While Three Buns welcomes dogs, in my opinion, it is not the most ideal place to bring your dog. Unless your dog is small and can sit under the table like Lucy, sitting on one side of your table blocks the main pathway and sitting on the other means they’ve fallen out onto the road.

Mama, I can’t see!

However, if you’re just headed there for a quick bite and can’t bear to leave your pooch at home (like me), then I think it is ok. Just make sure your dog pees/poops beforehand because we didn’t see any grass patches in the area.

Three Buns @ Potato Head Folk. 36 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089143. Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11.00am-midnight.

Dealing with Separation Anxiety

Contributed by Sisi Soh
Lucy suffers from separation anxiety. Awhile back, it used to be severe separation anxiety. Thank God for the crazy dog ladies who helped me help Lucy.

Lucy sticks to mama like glue. Won’t even let her pack for her holiday.

Things that have helped me and Lucy:
1. A tired and well-exercised dog will have a higher chance of resting when you’re gone. On days that I’ve left Lucy at home alone after a swim day, she is asleep as I’m getting ready and doesn’t bat an eyelid (anymore) when I leave.

A very tired Lucy not even bothering to lift her head

2. Leave your dog a special treat when you go out. Lucy loves it when I place treats into a kitchen paper towel roll and fold it up. I only give her that when I go out. So when she sees me take that out and give it to her, she’s so excited she doesn’t even look at me when I wear my shoes and walk out the door. That occupies her for a good 10-15 minutes. Sometimes I also hide treats in other puzzles so that when she’s finished the roll, she can go work on the puzzle. By the time she’s done, she’ll be tired and hopefully want to lie down.

One of the puzzles Lucy gets to play with when I’m gone

3. Lucy used to be so anxious without me to the point where if I leashed her at a cafe, I couldn’t even walk away for a minute without her crying. Even if she could see me.

Lucy’s watchful eyes never leaves me.

You can remedy this by working up to longer increments, starting at home.

To train Lucy, I would make her lie on her bed. I’d fold one piece of clothing in the hall, walk to the bedroom and return immediately with a treat (before she had a chance to get up to follow me). I’d fold another item and then walk away for one second. I did that till I had folded all my laundry. Eventually I could increase that one second to ten seconds, then to a minute without Lucy getting up to follow me.

Now, Lucy is fine being in another room without me at home except for night time, which I’ve yet to work on.

Once you’ve done some work at home, you can start training outside – at cafes or parks. This is still a work in progress for me but we’ve come a long way. Vivien from Rao Canine (also Lulu and Kafka’s mama) taught me to walk away from the table for short periods of time at first, then walk back to reward her for not barking/crying. If I walk back and Lucy starts jumping up or trying to walk to me, dragging the chair she’s tethered to, I take one step backward. This teaches her that I only come back when she is calm. So these days, when she sees me back away, she usually sits down and stops jumping.

She’s a lot better now. I can go into a cafe, order my food and come back without her barking. (She’s still watching me intently and probably panicking inside so we still have a ways to go but at least she’s no longer an embarrassment!). Once, I left her in Pet Lovers Centre while I went next door to buy something. I could hear her crying so loudly that everyone queuing up at the cashier was looking around. I had to pretend to look around too so nobody would know I was the owner of the crazy dog. Now, I can leave her in the shop while I buy my groceries.

Lucy waiting patiently outside a cafe while I go in to order my coffee.

Things you shouldn’t do:
1. You should never pick up and carry your dog to soothe them while they’re crying. This is actually how Vicky (Olive’s mama) and I met. Lucy was barking and I picked up Lucy in my arms to comfort her. Vicky was the one who pointed out to me that I was actually reinforcing the behaviour and communicating to her that she was indeed going through something traumatic when she was not.

What NOT to do when your dog is barking/whining.

2. Don’t make a fuss over your dog when you return home or from ordering your food at cafes. Wait a few minutes until they’re calm before acknowledging them. It’s almost instinctive for me to yell out “HELLO BABY GIRL!!! Miss Mama?!” when I return to my seat from the bathroom or buying a drink at a cafe, but I’ve had to train myself to refrain from making eye contact with Lucy and just sitting down without acknowledging her. Self-training is tough.

Lucy self soothing with her teddy?

Lucy still suffers from mild separation anxiety so it is a continuous work in progress. The upside is, her recall is excellent because of it! Haha!

To prevent separation anxiety in young puppies, a very useful tool is the crate. It helps to start crate training when they are still very young and still have not formed habits yet. It teaches them to relax even when you are not around and that they do not have to follow you everywhere. Olive, Kaffy and Lulu were trained this way and they can be left alone without panicking.

Brunetti Loves Dogs

Brunetti at Tanglin Mall loves dogs and they are popular for their desserts (gelato, macaroons and pastries).

One section of their alfresco area has a huge sign saying “Pet Friendly Corner.” Nothing makes us feel more welcome than the effort of making dog owners feel there’s a place for us. There are also large fans which cool the place so it really is quite a pleasant place to chill out with friends (and dogs). Since the outdoor area is not near any other establishment (and is rather quiet on weekday afternoons), it is also good for dogs that bark or are reactive to heavy human traffic.

We love this!

The pet friendly corner.

We tried the Italian Pan Eggs (S$15.90), a Chicken Scalopinni (S$19.90) and a mixed salad (S$16.90). We found the food average. Their strawberry tarts and almond croissant were better. Next time, we want to try their ice-cream and macaroons!

Italian pan eggs with toast.

Sisi with Lucy and Vivien.

The three Ls: Lulu, Lucy and Lady-Mae.

We would definitely come back here because it is such a nice place to chill – quiet, breezy and you don’t have to worry about people coming up to your dog or worry about your dog disturbing other patrons because non-pet tables are on the other end.

Brunetti is located at 163 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Mall #01-35. Singapore 247933. Opening hours are Monday-Thursday 8.00am-9.00pm, Friday-Saturday 8.00am-10.00pm, Sunday 8.00am-9.00pm.

Dog Agility – Basic!

Contributed by Vicky Ti
Dog agility is a popular sport, whereby a handler directs their dog through several obstacles, such as tunnels, weave poles, hurdles and hoops. During competitive agility events, handlers and dogs are judged based on timing and accuracy through a pre-set course.

Recently, Lucy and Olive started taking basic agility classes at Robertson Quay. Run by Alan of The Alpha Pack, these sessions have helped us become more aware of our body language and non-verbal communication with our dogs, as well as improved our fitness levels (hey, sprinting from one end of the course to the other is hard work!).

We started by mastering one obstacle at a time, before stringing three or four of them together in a mini-course.

Dogs generally love running and jumping, so it’s about tapping on that instinct and directing it in a fun and positive way to each obstacle. We use treats, toys and praise to motivate them (as with obedience training or teaching them any trick). We’ve covered the tunnel, hurdle, tire jump and weave poles so far. We don’t have equipment for the a-frame, teeter-totter and other big-item obstacles yet – we’ll cross that hurdle when we come to it (see what I did there?).

Owners also need to learn to be aware of their body and what they are communicating to their dog. Alan encourages us to use hand signs instead of verbal cues, as a start, to create that awareness of ourselves and improve our dogs’ focus. He also explained that in a competition, there may be considerable distance between you and your dog and a lot of background noise, so instead of shouting your lungs out (as many handlers do), it would be easier for the dog to focus on your body language and hand signs. Makes good sense.

Coordination is a little bit of a challenge for Sisi, who takes awhile to think which hand and leg should be extended to help Lucy enter the tunnel or which way to turn her body to encourage Lucy to go in a certain direction! It helps to practice the motions you need to do for the course without the dog first – agility is a team sport – even if you feel silly! This is especially necessary (for Sisi anyway!) once the course gets more complicated with front and rear crosses and other things that we haven’t started learning yet! Don’t jump the gun and skip ahead before you and your dog are ready.

As an example of how important body language is, one time, when Sisi ran towards the tunnel and motioned for Lucy to go through, Lucy came and stood in front of Sisi instead…because Sisi was facing her body away from the tunnel while her hand gestured toward the tunnel – Lucy got confused and chose to follow her owner’s body direction instead. Even the minutest head turns are important signals.

Lucy running out of the tunnel.

If you are interested in trying out agility with your dog, Alan (contact: +65-94897602) does hold trial classes every now and then. Otherwise, as a start, you can also try simple exercises with your dog, beginning with hurdles, like in our previous post or in the following video, where I’m directing Olive to change directions after a hurdle jump (you can set up a makeshift hurdle out of a broomstick on boxes at home!).

You can set up chairs or box obstacles in your house to teach the weave, or hold a hula hoop for your dog to jump through. We’ll be interested to know how you get on! New sport for the new year!

Peekaboo! (L-R: Lucy, Olive and Hyper)

 

Transporting Our Dogs

Most dogs like car rides. The Furry Tales pack does. It almost always means they’re going somewhere fun! (The vet may be an exception.)

I’m sure many dogs enjoy sticking their heads out the window and enjoying the breeze. However, there are safety considerations when you travel with a dog. None of us would ever dream of letting an infant ride in a car without appropriate safety restraints, but yet, there are so many people who carefully strap in their kids and then let their dog ride loose. If you have a 120km/h collision, your pooch could end up seriously hurt.

PET BOOSTER SEAT (Lucy)
Sisi and Lucy get chauffeured around by Sisi’s boyfriend. Lucy used to sit on Sisi’s lap during car rides, in the passenger seat. Lucy got so used to it that even when Sisi’s boyfriend drove alone, Lucy would be moving around the entire ride, trying to climb onto his lap. That was a mistake because one time, Nathan was distracted by Lucy and got into a minor car accident. Lucy flew off her seat and fell onto the floor. Ever since then, she’s never liked sitting alone and always needs to be on somebody’s lap. So a car seat was purchased (from Rao Canine).

Lucy’s car seat is the Solvit Tagalong Pet Booster Seat, Deluxe. It is very easy to assemble and comes with a detachable quilt you can remove for washing. The seat is designed to be supported from below, providing an unobstructed view. Your pet can look out the window because the seat is suspended. The dog is leashed to the hook in the base of the seat so your dog can not jump out of the seat. Lucy doesn’t love it because she prefers to sit on her mama’s lap, but this way is much safer because she is secure.

Pet seat is suspended from the headrest in the back seat.

Hello!

CAR SEAT COVER (Muddy)
Muddy is usually sprawled out over the entire back seat of Tanya’s car. He has a seat cover that creates a hammock for him to sit on. It prevents him from rolling around and falling off the seat. The seat cover also closes up the gap between the driver’s seat and passenger seat, so that if there is a hard brake or accident, it would help prevent Muddy from flying forward through the gap. He is encouraged to always be seated or lying down (to be fair, he doesn’t need much convincing). Muddy enjoys car rides, is always calm and never tries to come to the front which could be very dangerous.

Dozing off, he loves car rides!!

TAXI (Olive)
Olive does most of her traveling in her friends’ cars or in a public taxi. Vicky has trained Olive to lie down or sit down on the floor between her feet, and she is never allowed on the seat. This reassures cab drivers and also gives more control over the nervous dog, in need.

Olive always sits on the floor between Vicky’s feet in taxis.

DOG CRATE (Kafka and Lulu) 
Kafka and Lulu love car rides. If you have a car door or SUV trunk open, Kafka will try to jump in. Once, Kafka wanted to go into a Mercedes but his mama told him that’s not her car, she’s not that rich. Vivien transports Lulu and Kafka in the massive dog crate in her van. They have been trained to relax in the crate since they were puppies. The crate is big enough to hold them both and they can both lie down and relax in there during car rides.

Kafka and Lulu share the Petmate Giant Sky Kennel.

There is a sad story behind why Lulu was adopted. Vivien’s first German Shepherd died in a car accident. Her dog was sitting in the back seat when her friend lost control of the car while driving at 70mph (130km/h) on a highway in Texas. The car hit the side of a ramp, flipped over and was totaled. Because the passengers had seat belts on, they did not sustain grievous injuries. However, her German Shepherd was so traumatized that it ran out onto the highway and got hit by a truck. From then on, Vivien’s always used a dog crate for transport and highly encourages people to use seat belts even for their pets. Lulu was adopted after this incident to fill the hole in Vivien’s heart.

Home Ground: Robertson Quay

Since we’ve posted previously on our hangout places (Fort Canning Park, Alexandra Park Connector and others), we’re surprised we haven’t written on Robertson Quay yet! What an oversight. After all, Robertson Quay is only The Furry Tales’ home ground. It is only where we are usually found and only where we all first crossed paths.

We love Robertson Quay for so many reasons.

1. It’s such a scenic walk. No cars whizzing by, no sounds of traffic. In the morning or in evening when the sun isn’t too hot, it is lovely to walk along the river.

Robertson even gets a sakura season, which Lulu, Lucy and Lady-Mae appreciate.

They are even smart enough to sit in size order (L-R: Lady-Mae, Hyper, Olive, Lucy , Luna and Cotton).

It’s always relaxing and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

2. It can be a play ground for dogs if you are creative enough. When we are training for obedience trials, we meet at Robertson Quay to train. The people and dogs walking by add distraction that is good training for our dogs.

Morning fun means practicing sit-stays at The Quayside!

Lucy practicing her heel work.

We’ve also used the chain barriers along the river or traffic cones to teach our dogs how to jump over them. (See here for more budget agility jumping.)

Queuing up for their make shift hurdle ride! See, Robertson Quay IS a playground!

Double the fun.

Lucy jumping over a chain barrier.

And there are lots of benches and structures for the dogs to jump up onto, take a picture or two, practice their “up” and “off” commands. Who doesn’t like this playground?

Do Re Mi.

3. Secret offleash field. There is a secret spot of ours where we may or may not let our dogs offleash to play at. We may or may not know where it is. They may or may not go wild playing there. We don’t know anything about it.

Full speed ahead!

Cheeky monkeys also like to play peek-a-boo with us.

Many happy moments have been spent here: playing fetch, rolling in the mud, practicing recall, getting killed by mozzies (oh hang on, that’s not happy). There is a drain that runs along one side and certain dogs always manage to find their way there to urge their mamas to shower them after (wait, that’s not happy for the humans either). In short, they LOVE it here.

Happy tired faces (L-R: Beau, Olive, Leto, Lulu, Lucy).

We’ve also used this field to set up some hurdles, be they the plastic ones or the doggie ones.

Muddy the triple hurdle jumper.

Doggie hurdles are more fun.

4. There are so many places to eat at! After our morning walks, we often have brunch at one of the many dog-friendly cafes. Our favorites are Toby’s Estate and Kith Café. (There used to be Anthesis and Bridger’s Cafe as well, but both recently closed shop, to our dismay.) You can satisfy your sweet cravings at Swirls Bake Shop.

Everyone needs a coffee at Toby’s Estate.

In the evenings, all the casual bars and restaurants along the river welcome dogs: Limoncello, Bar Bar Black Sheep, Merry Men, Ginza Kuroson, Super Loco, to name a few. If you walk along the river towards the Clemenceau Road side where Robertson Walk is, there are more restaurants which are open for lunch and dinner: Sugisawa, Harry’s Bar, Bella Pizza, Laurent Bernard Chocolatier, and many many more…we haven’t had the chance to check out every single one yet!

5. Great for cycling. Pedestrian only, wide pathways – Robertson Quay is a great place to cycle with your dog. Going from the multi-colored and recognizable Alkaff bridge to the Great World City end (Kim Seng Park) takes about 10-15 minutes on average (at a comfortable dog trot).

The Furry Tales pose along the river

When Lucy is a lazy bum, mama has to work harder.

Alkaff Bridge, the multicolored arty bridge you can’t miss.

If you feel like a longer ride, head the other way along the river, towards Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. The river takes you all the way to Esplanade, MBS and Gardens by the Bay/Barrage. If you do this, make sure you bring plenty of water for you and your dogs. We’ve done it a few times on cool mornings and it feels great! (We estimate about 4-5km from Alkaff Bridge to MBS, and remember you need to make the return trip too.)

One of our larger pack WALKs (not cycle) to the Asian Civilizations Museum. Spot Olive and Lulu?

Tourist attraction! $5 per photo.

When we’re not feeling lazy, all the way to MBS is very doable in the early mornings!

6. Many many dogs! Roberson Quay is home to many dogs. In the mornings or evenings, the maids come out to congregate with their doggie wards, the after work crowd rush home to bring their pooch out, and Vicky bravely steps out to train Olive and her reactivity to other dogs. On the weekends, the brunch/lunch crowd with their kids and dogs pack Robertson Quay. Side tidbit: most of us, and the extended gang, all met on individual dog walks around Robertson and somehow inexplicably continued meeting up.

So if you’re ever in the Roberson Quay area and spot a large group of dogs walking together, there’s a high chance it might be us. Be sure to say hello!

And alright, since we are kind souls, we’ll share where the secret offleash field is. X marks the spot. Remember to bring lots of mosquito repellent!

New Year, New Resolutions!

 

Now that it’s 2015, The Furry Tales have made resolutions for the year ahead and would like to share it with you. We’d love to hear about your resolutions too, if you have some!

Here’s ours:

Olive: “I will learn to be more relaxed.” I’m sure that by now, mama’s got the idea that strangers, children, dogs I don’t know and people in uniform are dangerous, so I can stop warning her so all the time and relax instead. Although my self-esteem gets a boost when they get a fright.

I will NOT do this in 2015.

Kafka: “I shall get an IPO title this year.” My mama has always wanted me to get titled in IPO. It has been a challenge because of the limitations in Singapore. This year, we are determined to make that happen. We shall be more disciplined, waking up early and going to track in the morning (oh dear!), and making bigger improvements in our obedience and protection training.

Kafka wants to chomp the bite pillow.

Lucy: “I will put away my toys after playing.” My mama says she’s very tired of picking up after me, especially when I make a mess again just after she’s put all my toys back. I will be two years old very soon. In the human world, mama says children at that age learn the “Tidy Up” song in school and put away their toys after play. She’s going to teach me that song so I can put away my own toys after playing.

Do I have to put everything away, mama?

Muddy: “I will have more self control with food, especially human food.” Every time I take too much weird food I get a bad stomach. And I mean BAD! Mama is very tired of all the mishaps at home when I get a bad tummy. I try to hold it in but it’s impossible. So after many many many many experiences I know I should refrain from them.

Oh nooo, it must have been the cheese!!

Olive: “I will make my toys last longer.” I’m going to take care of my toys better, especially soft toys and those with squeakers inside. I will relish their fur and eyes for longer before embarking on pulling out that soft, white, wonderful snow on the inside. Even when I think they deserve to be disemboweled.

No more excuses, Olive!

Lulu: “I shall stop barking at people walking by when I chill out at the cafe.” I used to be mellow and quiet but, lately, I learned that it’s fun to bark at some people and dogs when I hang out with my friends at the cafe. Mama says it’s annoying though, so I have to stop it.

Shhh…!! I be hiding here.

Lucy: “I will help with the laundry.” My favorite thing to do now is to get in mama’s way when she does house chores. I especially can’t resist laundry – I love rolling around in the blankets when it is being folded, jumping in both dirty and clean piles of clothes and sleeping on nicely folded laundry (much nicer than my bed). In 2015, I will help mama pick up clothes from the laundry hamper and transfer them to the machine (just like my boyfriend Kafka does).

Clean laundry feels better than my bed.

Muddy: “I will try my best to not be scared of toys, because they are not alive and cannot harm me.” My mama tries to give me toys that I can play with and enjoy but I’m scared of them. It’s alright when they just lie there and do nothing but when mama moves it around, I feel like they are alive and I’m scared. But next year I will try my best to enjoy their companionship.

You are dead right? Please be dead!

Kafka: “I shall get along with all dogs.” I am friendly with most dogs but sometimes I don’t want to be friends with a few. In particular, I don’t like yellow Labs. One of them picked on me a while ago and I am suspicious of them lot now. My mama wants me to be a nice and polite boy who can be cordial towards other dogs regardless of race, language, or religion.

Kafka is selective about his friends. He likes Max because Max is an honest guy.

Lulu: “I shall join an obedience competition.” My other name is Lazy Lu. I would like to discard that name and show everyone that I’m not just a fuzzy rug. I can do stuff too, you know.

I like to chill, ya know what I mean?

So there you have it, our new year resolutions! What are yours? Do share with us and we can help each other keep accountable!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Today is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one!