Namaste

Contributed by Sisi Soh
Recently, Vicky and I started going for yoga classes. This means we should be practicing yoga on our own as well, especially on days we can’t make it to class. So we do try to do it at home. But doing yoga when you have a dog has proven to be very challenging!

Having minds of two-year olds, as they say dogs have, they don’t always follow instructions and get distracted by the strangest things. Like your hair and ears.

Ear licking makes it hard to focus on your breathing.

Like your face.

Can I have a kiss?

What is it with dogs and kisses when we’re in the middle of a stretch!

They like to get in the way.

Mama, you ran out of deodorant?

Or make us laugh with their silly antics.

Mama keep your back straight, like mine!

We’ve even tried giving them their own yoga mats so they feel involved.

Mine and mine! I be needing both mats!

Whatever the case is, they make practicing yoga at home very tough.

One stretch leads to another.

So, don’t blame us for not being top scorers at yoga class. It’s not our fault. See for yourself!

Your pants feel nice and cold mama

Photobombing butt-sniffer!

Tanya, on the other hand, seems to face no such challenges practicing yoga at home with Muddy. Maybe it’s because she’s a yoga instructor. Or maybe Muddy just isn’t as busy-body as Lucy and Olive.

Double downward dog with mama.

5 more breaths mama.

A picture of what yoga with your dog should look like.

The following Youtube video from Huffington Post has been making its rounds on social media…we love it and are so tickled to see what other pets get up to during yoga! How about your dog?

Simple Ways to Improve Your Bond with Your Dog

This post is dedicated to our friend Charissa and her dog, Lady-Mae, who went missing at Sentosa a few days ago. Losing your dog is the scariest thing that can happen to any dog owner. And a very real thing. This really makes us appreciate the amount of time we get to spend with our pooches and how lucky we are to have the time flexibility we do in our jobs. We hope and pray that Lady-Mae will be reunited with Charissa soon. Please scroll to the bottom of this post for Lady’s details.

Dogs are social creatures. They not only require, but crave, companionship. Dogs are also pretty smart (apparently possessing the intelligence akin to that of a two-year old child) so if you fail to engage them, just imagine a toddler running wild and high on sugar, refusing their nap time with no peace and quiet for you.

The good news is, there are ways to engage our dog so we have a fulfilled and happy companion at home. In order to improve our bond with our dog, we should not just focus on what we desire of our dogs, but how we can fulfill their desires.

1. Doggie Job
Dogs like feeling useful. As much as they like free food, they also like having to work for it. Get your dog to practice sit-stays at home while you cook dinner in the kitchen or while you’re having a shower. Or teach them a new trick and reward them from their allocated their meal portion.

Muddy says he invests in tennis balls because they have a high rate of return.

2. Massage Time!

Massaging your dog can help lower your dog’s heart rate and provide a relaxing experience for them. It can comfort and stimulate tired muscles and increase their acceptance of being handled. Dog owners will also be able to detect any changes that may signal injury or disease. They will also love the time you spend with them during the massage. Snuggling and coddling them when they are calm is an added bonus.

Muddy getting a relaxing massage from Tanya

3. Games You Play

Make your dog think. Instead of just throwing your dog a bone to occupy him, play brain-boosting hames. Games like hide and seek can be fun for both owner and dog. Sisi makes Lucy sit stay at one end of the house while she runs and hides, and then calls Lucy to “Find”. Lucy gets a big kick out of searching the house for her.

If I just keep still…I think I’ll win this round..

Olive gets her kibble hidden all over the house while she’s told to wait in the kitchen, then spends the next 30 minutes searching every nook and cranny in response to “Where’s your food?”

4. Exercise Together!

Exercise is so important to both your dog’s body and mind. Take a daily walk or jog with them, or cycle with them, or play fetch or Frisbee outdoors with them. It’ll be good for you too!

Kaffy playing fetch with his favorite ball!

Lucy and Sisi at Marina Barrage.

5. Consistency and Boundaries

Like children, dogs need clear boundaries and your consistency in enforcing them. They actually feel safer when they know what they are and are not allowed to do (instead of sometimes getting shouted at for counter surfing while allowed to do so at other times because “it’s so cute!”), and if you are a consistent leader, they will place more trust in you.

Olive is the naughty kid who always pushes boundaries.

Help bring Lady-Mae home

Lady-Mae got spooked by fireworks on Saturday night and broke from her collar at Sentosa, Siloso Beach. She responds to her name, as well as to the scent of food. Her barks were heard on Sunday night and sounded like it was coming from a wooded area behind Siloso Point Bus Stop. If you see a dog that looks like her, please contact park rangers at 6279-1156 or Charissa at 9850-3502 immediately. If she finds her way out of Sentosa, she may try to go home. If you live around Telok Blangah, Henderson or Bukit Purmei, please also keep a lookout. Thank you!

Help find Lady-Mae.

 

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Our pooches are having a fabulous Chinese New Year, NOT getting fat on bak kua (BBQ’d pork slices) or lo hei (raw fish salad) like the owners are! What are yours getting up to?

Lucy’s all dressed up for CNY

Muddy hopes that apples will make do

Olive and Lucy go begging on the street for bak kwa

Lucy asked for meatballs but she got oranges instead

Kaffy won’t share his red packet with Lulu

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Lulu begging for pineapple tarts.

Enjoy the rest of your CNY!

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Furry Tales would like to wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. May you enjoy all the family gatherings and may your tummies be satisfied with plenty of bak kwa and pineapple tarts this festive season!

GONG XI FA CAI

Stand-Up Paddling (or Sit-Down Paddling?)

Stand up paddling (SUP) has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it was just a matter of time before our dogs got on the bandwagon, or in this case, the paddle board. It’s also a great way to beat the Singapore heat and get out to nature.

The Furry Tales first tried SUP last year on a windy, choppy day…our second attempt this year was a lot calmer and more successful. Needless to say, the dogs who enjoy swimming and are not afraid of the sea did a lot better.

TFT all set to do SUP!

Kafka and Lulu love stand up paddling, or perhaps more accurately, sit down paddling, and don’t want to go home after.

Work those arms harder, mama!

Vivien can’t stop Kaffy from jumping off when he sees Lucy! #TFTvalentines

Olive and Muddy, who don’t like swimming anyway, do not enjoy it. Olive refuses to even get on the board for more than a few minutes, ON THE SHORE. Muddy was persuaded to get onto the board in the water for a little while, but hated every second of it. So they took on the role of life-guard duty, sitting in the shade, sipping ice cold water, all the while watching (and secretly pitying) their friends.

“I will nama-stay with you on land, mama.” Be a warrior.

Lucy loves to swim, but has a hard time staying on the board as she still gets a little nervous of the rocking motion (that could be due to Sisi’s paddling skills too!). Sisi has had to rescue her many times from the water because she would suddenly decide it was time to swim over to Kafka’s board to say hello and dive right in without warning.

Sisi with a little black blob in a pink life vest.

Because sharing is caring, here are a few tips for SUP newbies like us!

1. Size matters. Go with a wider and longer board for better balance and stability, especially if you have bigger dogs.

2. Land exercises. Spend some time on the board, on the sand. Reward your dog for sitting or lying down on the board. If you can, teach the dog to jump off only on command (something Lucy still needs to learn), as they tend to get excited close to shore, going back on land. This will minimize board upsets.

That’s as far as Olive will go. But she still gets treats for getting on the board!

3. Suit up. Have your dog wear a life vest so you can get a good grip and help them up the board if they fall over or jump off. Also, some dogs may not realize how exhausted they get from swimming in the sea and a life jacket keeps them buoyant when they are too tired to paddle. It’s also good practice for us humans to don a jacket.

Lovebirds Lucy and Kafka on their SUP date in their spiffy jackets. #TFTvalentines

4. Don’t go in circles. Change sides while paddling to keep the board moving in a straight line. Just like with kayaking or canoeing, if you paddle on just one side, you will go in a circle.

5. Practice falling off and getting on in the water. It can be tricky to get back on with a scrambling dog, so it’s good to practice and know what to expect.

Lastly, remember to stay hydrated and have fun!

SUP in Singapore can be done at Mana Mana Beach Club at East Coast Park, and they love our dogs too. S$30/hour,(human) life vest included. Best to go on a non-windy day or it’ll be challenging standing, especially with your dogs. After you are done, you can buy food from the hawker centre and eat at one of the stone tables with your dog. That’s what we did.

Extra service with a robe for Lucy.

Olive thanks her mama for not forcing her to do SUP.

So if you want to try something new and spend time with your dogs this weekend, give SUP a try, and let us know how it goes!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Hope you are having a lovely day with your special one.

Here, we bring you the touching story of Lucy and Kaffy.

Lucy and the Tramp – a Love Story

Lucy and the Tramp #TFTvalentines

Book Cafe

Book Cafe is one of The Furry Tales’ regular haunts for a nice breakfast. Located at Robertson Quay, Book Cafe provides magazines, books and comfortable couches for you to spend your afternoon leisurely reading along with food and coffee. Obviously, only their alfresco area is dog-friendly. Good enough for us!

This section of Book Cafe is dog friendly.

Book Cafe has free wifi, electrical power points and street parking right in front of them, so there are many plus points to coming here. Sometimes we bring our laptops to do our work here.

Our friend Alan’s little bird kept Lucy occupied an entire brunch.

We’ve tried most of their food, from both the breakfast/brunch and main selections (which are only available from 11am). While their food is nothing special, their other perks keep us coming back and we are more than happy to be regular patrons. Our dogs also get a nice bowl of water, so they are happy campers.

Pancakes with eggs and bacon

French toast with fruits

Book Cafe is located at #01-02, 20 Martin Road (Robertson Quay). They are open Sunday to Thursday 8:30am to 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday 8:30am to 12:30 midnight.

Five dogs and a bird at Book Cafe with plenty of space!

DIY Gifts for Dog Lovers

There are plenty of things to buy for dogs in Singapore, but not so much for the dog owners. If you are like us crazy dog ladies, you will probably want to receive/make dog-related gifts too.

Here are a two DIY projects that don’t cost a whole lot and are not super complicated to make (since we made them!).

Doggie Stuffed Toy

What you will need: stuffing, fabric, white paper, goggly eyes (optional), sewing machine (optional)

The Furry Tales and friends made this for Charissa’s birthday (Lady-Mae’s mama) We wanted to make her a giant Lady-Mae she could hug to sleep or display on her couch.

a) We drew out Lady’s shape on a big sheet of paper (her side view).

Paper cut out of Lady-Mae.

b) Then we pinned the two pieces of fabric flat onto the paper outline and cut out the shape. We pinned the two pieces of cloth, aligned back to back (with the ‘front’ side of the cloths facing each other and the ‘back’ sides of the cloth facing outwards).

c) We sewed close most of the cloth, leaving a 1-2cm edge, then removed the pins and turned the animal inside out so the right sides are now on the outside. We then filled the toy with stuffing

Cut the cloth, pin it, sew it, then turn it inside out so the right sides are on the outside.

d) When we had stuffed it to the desired firmness, we sewed the rest of the toy closed. We also sewed on a pair of goggly eyes for fun.

The stuffed Lady-Mae sitting pretty with the rest of the crew!

You can modify this by making it much smaller and turning it into a pin cushion dog for friends who like to sew.

Doggie Treat Jar

What you will need: mason jar or any similar jar, plastic dog figurines, spray paint/acrylic paint, super glue, dog treats

a) Spray paint your dog figurines any color you like. This may take several coats with an hour in between each coat.

b) Spray paint the lid of the jar the same color as the dogs (optional).

c) Super glue the plastic dogs to the lid of the jars. Tie a ribbon (optional) around the jar and fill it with cute doggy bone-shaped treats.

Sitting under the Christmas tree.

Sisi made some treat jars for the other Furry Tales mamas for Christmas. Lucy wasn’t too happy she couldn’t open it.

Lucy with the treat jars.

They make a pretty display – can you spot which dog is Olive, Lulu, Kafka and Muddy??

Stop Petting Strangers’ Dogs

“A widespread belief is that dogs love petting…But it’s sometimes not true for dogs that have been abused or are hand shy, or with normally chill animals going through certain provoking situations.”

We came across the following article from May 2014 and thought it’s worth reposting, since one of our dogs, Olive, is reactive and wary of strangers, so it would not be good for her if a stranger approached her with eye contact and outstretched arm.

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It’s not just for your own protection, dummy.

By John Metcalfe, May 19, 2014

Walking in San Francisco a while ago, I saw tied to a tree the cutest pit-bull puppy, fur as soft as Porsche-quality chamois and warm eyes that could melt a hole through a glacier.

So I reached down to pet this dog. And then reached back fast, as its jaws closed millimeters from my fingertips. Rotten little beast, I thought.

Looking back, I still think a dumb animal was responsible for this unpleasantness – and it was me. Why would anybody assume that a stranger’s dog, tethered without its master, would welcome random petting? Canines are complex animals, guided by senses and instincts most people don’t understand. Stroking an unfamiliar pup can set off all kinds of dicey responses like fear and aggression, and we’re not just talking about in the dog.

This bummer is hard for some people to accept. Just ask Bill Mayeroff, a professional dog walker and author of the necessary life guide, “How to Approach a Stranger’s Dog and Not Get Your Face Eaten.” Mayeroff doesn’t let people pet his dogs if they don’t ask permission or if his gut feeling is they’ll do it wrong. For this sin he’s been screamed at on several occasions.

He was walking his own mixed terrier in a park a couple years back, for instance, when a little girl suddenly made a beeline for him while flailing her arms and yelling, “Puppy puppy puppy!” So he told her to stop and not come any closer, and that’s when the mother got involved.

“She starts yelling at me, ‘Why can’t my daughter pet your puppy?’ I said, ‘Because your daughter doesn’t know how to approach my dog,'” says Mayeroff, who’s 29 and lives in Chicago. “She says, ‘But I told her she could pet your dog.’ And I said, ‘OK, now you have to tell her you were wrong and she can’t pet my dog.’ She was still yelling at me as I walked away.”

Mayeroff doesn’t take pleasure in crushing the joy of innocent children. He’s just being logical. In certain circumstances dogs will snap at strangers, and that puts every creature involved in a bad place. “If a person does something that might set my dog off and he bites, that’s a big problem for me,” he says. “I could get sued, or have my dog taken away, or have it put down.”

Why do people feel entitled to touch the hounds of others? In my case, I grew up with a procession of mutts (including one inveterate biter) and thought my dogdar was excellent. But the vibe I registered from the San Francisco puppy was not, I’m gonna take you down, jack. It was, pet me pet me oh god why aren’t you petting me. And thus I was reminded that every dog is different, and unfamiliar dogs can always surprise you.

A widespread belief is that dogs love petting. And many do enjoy being manhandled like a panting Koosh ball. With their belly rolls and kicking hind legs, it’s almost as if evolution had designed them for this very purpose. But it’s sometimes not true for dogs that have been abused or are hand shy, or with normally chill animals going through certain provoking situations.

“There’s something called barrier frustration, or when a dog is on a leash and can’t do what it wants to do naturally,” says Molly Kenefick, who owns Doggy Lama Pet Care in Oakland. “It can’t get away from you, and it’s more likely to be reactive,” aka aggressive.

Then there is a normal canine behavior called resource guarding. Say you have a parent walking a dog while pushing a stroller. “The dog might be guarding the baby,” Kenefick says. Or maybe the dog has a stuffed squirrel in its mouth, its favorite plaything in the world: “It might be reactive because it’s guarding its toy.” This phenomenon stretches to any object the animal sees as a resource, including ones that might not be obvious in a public setting (say, a pile of stepped-on corn chips on the sidewalk).

Dogs indicate whether they’d be up for a little petting through their body language. Many folks don’t know how to read it. That thing about dogs wagging their tails when happy, for example? Total myth. “We seem to be distracted by ‘cute,’ ‘fluffy,’ ‘small,’ and are not actually looking at the situation in front of us,” says Kenefick. For those wanting to learn dogspeak, look for when the creature curls its lips, holds its body rigid, shrinks away, or puts its tail between its legs. These are all signs it’s stressed and might lash out if you invade its personal space with groping hands.

 

So what is the proper way to pet a stranger’s dog? First, see if it’s wearing a yellow ribbon. That’s a sign it’s a member of the Yellow Dog Project, an effort to publicly identify pooches that need their own space. (Either that or it has a buddy fighting in the war.) Then ask the owner for permission. Go for under the chin rather than above the head, as the latter could be interpreted as an act of aggression. Avoid touching areas the dog might be sensitive about, like feet and ears.

But if you’re going to pet without asking anyway, at least have the courtesy not to be on your phone at the same time.

“The way people live their lives now, all the multitasking, it drives me crazy,” says Kenefick. “People just aren’t paying attention. They’re looking at the screen and see fluff out of the corner of their eye, and then all of a sudden they’re on top of you.”