10 Ways to Celebrate Your Dog’s Birthday

Our four legged fur babies are family, so it is only natural we would want to celebrate their birthdays!

1. Pool Party

If you have a kiddie pool in your backyard, you can turn your dog’s party into a pool one. If you don’t, you can always head to the beach or a dog friendly pool. In our Singapore heat all year round, most of our dogs enjoy cooling off.

Not a birthday party but a beach party all the same!

It’s my birthday and I’ll drink if i want to

2. Dog Cafe Party 

When some of our dogs turned ONE, we had a joint birthday party at Paw Pet a few years ago (time flies! Sob). We ordered a big dog boned doggie cake for them to share, and made them party hats.

Happy Birthday doggies!

Meatballs and Cake

3. Cycling Party

Head to East Coast Park and rent some bikes. Dogs love to run and they can run beside you on your bicycle. Or if you’re like us and have your own bikes, you can make a day of it. We ride along the river and then stop for everyone to have drinks to cool off. Check out one of our cycling posts.

From L to R: Olive, Lucy, Kafka, Lulu and Muddy

From L to R: Vivien with Kafka and Lulu, Tanya with Muddy, Sisi with Lucy and Vicky with Olive

4. Pup-cation

If your dog doesn’t enjoy the company of other dogs, you can treat him to a staycation in one of the few pet friendly hotels in Singapore. Which dog won’t enjoy a bask in the tub and spending the day in a lush robe and bedroom slippers. =P

When’s my bath ready?

Finally away from the hustle and bustle of everyday dog life

5. Dog Park

Round up all your dog’s best pals and head to a park where we may or may not let ours off leash. End it off with doggie pupcakes for all! We love Mount Emily Park and Fort Canning Park. Lots of shade and big green spaces.

Having a ball at Mount Emily Park

Fort Canning Park

6. House Party

The Furry Tales do this a lot. We make use of any reason to celebrate with our dogs- dog birthdays, human birthdays, etc. We order cake, make hats and lets the dogs play (supervised). Here’s a peek into one of our house parties.

Pupcakes by Furrific

TFT and pals

7. Stand Up Paddling

SeaBreeze Water Sports at Siloso Beach in Sentosa is dog friendly and rent boards for $35 per hour. Stand Up Paddling is really fun. Even if you can’t stand up, you can sit or kneel and paddle.

L to R: Sisi with Lucy, Vivien with Kafka and Lulu, and Tanya

8. Pet Cruise

If you have a bigger budget and have a whole day to spare, you can organize a pet cruise for birthday pooch and his best pals. Boat owner, Joe, started this boat company in 2012 and is the only pet cruise company in Singapore. His motor catamaran carries a maximum of 10 pax (including dogs – 1 dog counts as 1 pax). A basic cruise lasts 2 hours and costs S$300. To book, please call 96375009 or email: petcruise88@gmail.com

Lucy and Muddy went on a pet cruise with The Wong Dogs

9. Picnic Party

Pack along a picnic for your pooch, bring some party hats and a mat and head to a secluded spot like Singapore’s Little Guilin in Bukit Batok. Hardly anybody is there during the weekday mornings and you can take pictures without having to crop anyone out. The dogs will enjoy the space and water.

Our dogs enjoying their romp

Pampered pooches get a tent

10. Doga Party

If you like Yoga and you have dogs, combine the two and have a Doga party! Head outdoors, bring your mats and stretch together. Here’s the link to some easy dogs poses with your pooch.

Muddy, Olive, Lucy and Kafka doing their best downward dog poses

 

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!

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Cycling is an efficient way for us to work off energy in a dog. Let’s face it, most of us can’t outrun our dogs, either in speed or distance (especially for us who are not runners). And if you do it with your friends, it’s super fun!

Group outing at East Coast Park!

The Furry Tales all have bikes so we bring our dogs on riding outings around Robertson Quay, Alexandra Park Connector, or even all the way to the MBS/Gardens by the Bay/Marina Barrage area. We’ve also rented bikes at East Coast Park (it’s S$8 to rent a bike for two hours on weekdays, and double that on weekends). For those of you cycling with your dogs for the first time, there are a few important things to keep in mind (do as we say, not as we do in this video – we are also works in progress) …

(1) Start slow. Let the dog get used to running on one side of you (we prefer that they are on the left of the bike), next to you, not ahead. The predominant pace should be a comfortable trot. “The trot is a common gait in all domestic quadrupeds. It is well-suited for rough, irregular ground and for traveling long distances at a fair rate of speed. Work is spread evenly over all four limbs, and diagonal support makes it easy to maintain equilibrium. The trot is the natural foraging gait of most wild animals.” (Gait Foot Fall Patterns) When you are starting off, do shorter distances and work up to longer distances over time – both to build endurance as well as toughen their paw pads. Also, please don’t start cycling (or jogging long distances) with your dog if it is still a puppy (9-12 months is probably a safe bet for the smaller breeds, and older for the larger breeds, but to be safe, please consult your vet first).

Fun riding at Alexandra Park Connector.

Biker gang at Robertson Quay where we usually start our journey

(2) Keep your dog on the left and beside you. Be sure to stop them from moving too far ahead because it is dangerous if they cut into your path while you are riding at higher speeds. Only dogs that are seasoned cycling companions should run with you on the road. While riding on the road, your dog should always be on the left side. This protects them from cars that will be on your right, prevents them from running out onto the road or getting run over because they are too small to be seen by drivers.

(3) Do not wrap the leash around your hand or wrist. Hold it in your hand and hold on to the handlebar, so you can let go immediately if something happens. If your leash is too long, fold the leash instead of looping it. This is the same principle for holding onto the reins of a horse. You never want to loop it around your wrist because you will be dragged along if a horse gets spooked and takes off. Do not give a long lead when your dog is still learning to run next to you, but give it just enough slack to run one meter away from you. In fact, do not give a long lead even when your dog is familiar with running next to you while you are cycling.

(4) Basic commands the dog should know or for you to teach them: Stop, Slow (down), Wait, Leave it (if your dog has a tendency to lunge towards other dogs, squirrels or birds). It can be very dangerous if your dog suddenly yanks on the leash. While riding, your dog should understand that it is not allowed to sniff. It can only sniff when you have stopped and give it permission to do so. This is important because you do not want it to suddenly pull toward something that it wants to smell. “Turn left” and “Turn right” are not strictly necessary but it is useful for your dog to know which direction to take at a T-junction or a fork especially if it is a left turn. You can warn your dog about an upcoming turn by making it slow down by gently pulling the leash and then saying “Left” or “Right” before turning. Over time, your dog will begin to understand which direction to turn towards.

These are other tips that we find useful:
(5) Be aware of the road conditions. Refrain from cycling when it is too hot (as the asphalt may be too hot for a dog’s sensitive paw pads or the dog may overheat). After the rain, cycle slower and give yourself a longer braking distance.

(6) Allow your dog do its business before you go for your ride (so you don’t get jerked off your bike suddenly when they need to go).

(7) Put a blinking lights on your bicycle as well as your dog when you are cycling at night.

(8) Work at your dog’s pace (you aim for your dog to be at a steady trot, but be prepared to slow down to a walk if your dog is tired).

We had an extraordinarily fun “circus” outing once at East Coast Park where we rented a carriage and tied several dogs to it (the special event was Vivien’s birthday). This was a good introduction to wheeled contraptions for dogs like Lady-Mae, who is afraid of bikes, and for dogs to get used to running at a constant pace next to wheels.

The traveling circus on Vivien’s birthday – not sure who had more fun, the humans or the dogs!

Vicky has started cycling with Olive offleash along the quieter stretches of Robertson Quay and Alexandra Park Connector. The command “Walk with me” is used to get Olive to trot next to her (the same command used when Olive is offleash walking, hence the ‘walk’), and if she allows Olive more freedom to run ahead, the command is “Okay, go!” Both “Come” and “Walk with me” are useful when you pass other dogs and don’t want them to meet (a strong recall is required) – however, this has only been tested a few times and Vicky is still careful to leash Olive during ‘peak hours’ of dog walking. And offleash riding is never advised next to a road.

                         The gang at East Coast

In line with Christmas this year, we decided to go cycling along Robertson Quay all decked in Christmassy getups. We brought Christmas tree balls, tinsel, boughs, and ribbon to drape on our bikes and donned Santa hats. Our dogs were not spared and they had to trot along with reindeer antlers. It was really fun and many people stopped to ask if they could take a picture of us. Guess it is not everyday you see a bunch of girls in skirts and dresses, wearing Santa hats and cycling with dogs. We end this post with pictures that we took during this Christmas bike ride.

The Furry Tales with bikes

The crazy dog ladies show their faces

Lucy disappeared

Bike traffic jam

Taking a break because some of us don’t have gears on our bikes

                              End of bike ride

Merry Christmas again to one and all! Next year around this time if you see some ladies with santa hats on their heads cycling with dogs, it might just be us!

More Fun at Alexandra Park Connector

The dogs appreciate the shaded ‘gazebo’ (L -R: Leto, Lucy, Muddy, Lulu, Olive)

Alexandra Park Connector (APC) is another one of our training hideouts. Right beside Sisi’s house and also nearby to the rest of the Furry Tales gang, we like to bring our dogs there for some training or offleash play. APC stretches from Tanglin Road to Great World City/Zion Road. Near the Delta Road intersection, there is a shaded gazebo-like area we train at – it is quiet and completely sheltered, and if there is no one around in the mornings on weekdays, you can let your dog run off leash, provided they have good recall.

Training group sit stays.

Everyone loves to jump. Olive is demonstrating the Singapore antelope.

Along this urban park are also several large fields for lots of running and romping around. While these fields are next to small roads, there is hardly any traffic to worry about. In the mornings and evenings, the fields get popular with the owners and maids walking dogs in the Jervois area. However, it can get muddy during the rainy season, like now.

Spot Olive finding a new scent as her owner plays with an old rope swing at one of several fields at APC.

The paths at APC are also good for cycling, if you are feeling too lazy to walk or jog.

The Furry Tales cycling home.

We come to one of the best things about APC: the food reward at Zion Road Hawker Centre (for the humans)! Situated along the canal, this is an awesome hawker centre to end off at for some yummy lunch. There are a few tables along the boardwalk next to the canal which are popular for those with dogs (there is a sign that says ‘no dogs allowed,’ but no one has complained so far, and in the worst case, you can tie the dogs up along the canal fence and the closest seats are 1-2 metres away).

Waiting patiently at Zion Road Hawker Centre (L-R: Beau, Olive, Lucy). In the worst case, our dogs can be tied up along the wooden fence – not technically part of the hawker centre.

We leave you with more pictures of our dogs enjoying Alexandra Park Connector and Zion Road Hawker Centre!

Leto, Kafka, Lulu and Lucy enjoying the scenery and fresh air.

Lucy uses the sun as an excuse to be fashionable.

Goofy Twinkle says hi.

Cotton and Lucy are ready to head home.

*Someone* won’t sit.