Author: Amanda Tan

She Isn’t The One… Is She?

Under a tight budget, Shermin initially had no intention of buying a dog when she was browsing at the K-9 Salon. When Shermin saw darbear, she felt a connection, as it looked like darbear was in her own world, similar to herself. Although she thought darbear was cute, Shermin went on to look at other dogs.

But when Shermin asked the staff to show her another dog in the crowd of pets, the staff picked up darbear again! What’s more interesting is that darbear’s microchip number is the same as the last four digits of Shermin’s bank account number. These left Shermin pondering over what had happened.

Eventually, Shermin was convinced and she paid the deposit. Comparing the market price for 2 kg Maltipoos, all her peers also pointed out that she was lucky enough to have gotten darbear at a lower price.

My Darling Bear

“darbear” is inspired by Shermin’s parents calling each other “dar” — darling and how she thought that the first dog she saw was a walking baby bear. Hence, darbear or db, actually helped Shermin relieve and fulfill her childhood dream of owning a darling bear! 

Even more interestingly, darbear prefers humans over dogs, and this showed through her behavior. At home, darbear is “active and crazy,” according to Shermin, but starkly different from when she is outdoors, where she is “anti-social” and doesn’t pee, poo, eat, or drink much. 

Shermin describes darbear as being very fierce-looking because she seldom sticks out her tongue. Playfully, Shermin also let us in on the fun fact that darbear “snatches her daddy away from me.” The Maltipoo is very territorial over her food and dislikes it when people force her to do something for her own well-being.

Home is where the sweetest memories are made

After realizing that darbear gets stressed out and growls at other dogs when they invade her personal space, Shermin turned their weekly weekend mingling into playing dress-up at home. 

The hoomum loves to get customized items because it reflects what darbear is like in her eyes — a one-and-only unique presence. “Every piece is like a token of memory,” Shermin explains, fondly stating that darbear will come to her side whenever she is packing the wardrobe, and pawdeling new apparel!

The mother and daughter bond after their bath day, where Shermin will shower darbear with kisses while brushing and talking to her precious baby. Mischievous, darbear closes her eyes and pretends to sleep when her mother nags at her! 

“I want her to have everything her way.”

It is impossible to not worry as a guardian. As a carnivore, darbear seldom eats vegetables, fruits, or non-meat food. Naturally, the imbalance of nutrients becomes the top of her list of things to worry about. 

Another item on her list are the common conditions associated with Maltipoos: luxating patella and hip dyslexia. From time to time, Shermin gets darbear to go for health checks during vet visits. Via an embark dog DNA test, she had found one copy of a risk variant associated with IVDD. Fortunately, darbear is still young, and there are no signs of an occurrence despite darbear’s habit of jumping and standing whenever she is excited.

So, some of the things Shermin worries about are accidents, health issues, and, worst of all, death. After admitting that she overthinks sometimes, we asked her how she reassures herself. Shermin gave an inspiring answer: “[Negativity] is inevitable, but thoughts can be redirected”, whereby she simply brushes off those negative thoughts.

Buying protection

Shermin came across AON Happy Tails as an agent selling general insurance. She explains that in addition to the convenience of getting darbear insured, AON is chosen because it can set her mind at ease with its wide coverage. 

“Many people think that [buying insurance is] redundant and not needed. Especially when no claim is made,” Shermin said, raising a common viewpoint that many have about insurance. Yet she argues that insurance saves one unnecessary costs; it is a form of protection.

When asked if pawrents should consider insuring their furbabies, Shermin gave a short yet succinct answer: “Don’t buy when it’s too late; we will end up incurring more costs than expected.”

Do note that while Aon is known for its comprehensive coverages, pre-existing conditions are not covered and such exclusion is typical with health insurance. Click here for more information.

*Bonus Content* 

 If Darbear could speak hooman for 7 days, what would you say to her, or do with her?

We do Animal Communication quite frequently, once every month or every few months. I’m not a gentle mom, so there will probably be nagging and scolding during these sessions.

Actually, for my next session, I will be catching up with darbear who was just sterilized two weeks ago. I want to make sure that she understands why I put her through this pain. For these 7 days, I’ll also be taking leave from work to spend time with her – just to fulfil all of my baby’s requests 😄

#pawjourr #contentcreation #petcreators #petgigs #thewoofagency #freelancer #barbiegirlchallenge 

The Heart Gets What It Wants

When Josephine first interacted with Truffle in one of the pet kennels, her heart was drawn to him. Very active and happy, she knew he was the brindle Frenchie boy she wanted. 

“When he was younger, there was a period where he wouldn’t sleep if he wasn’t on my lap.” The hoomom reminsiced and we can see why she has since revolved around Truffle’s happiness every second that she is free from her own duties.  

Coffee dates, swimming, playdates with Truffle’s siblings and friends, and socializing events are just some of the exciting activities Josephine brings Truffle on, fulfilling both their desires for an active lifestyle. 

A Language Only They Know 

Josephine and Truffle communicate via buttons, the ones we have all seen on the Internet before! 

Insistent on playing with his hoomom all the time, Truffle will press “Mommy”, “Play”, and “Now” to get her to play with him whenever she is on her phone.

Or if Josephine gives him a toy to play by himself, he will hammer the “Mommy” button ten times, demanding her immediate attention.

The same thing also happens every morning when Truffle delivers his very own special wake-up call. Pressing “Mommy” followed by “Outside” is his way of getting her out of bed to entertain him. Certainly one smart boy!

The Road To Happiness

Josephine is a firm believer that a well-behaved and trained dog is a happy doggo, which is why she does mental and physical training on Truffle. More than these, she also includes training during his mealtimes.

She fondly shares that one of Truffle’s favorite things to do is to guilt-trip her during her mealtime. He will sit right next to her and drool as he watches his hoomom eat! 

We are not sure how Josephine can endure Truffle’s cuteness. 

Another important factor in her doggo’s happiness is having his needs and wants understood. 

While Josephine is well aware of this, there is also the notorious fact that Frenchies can be a stubborn breed, and Truffle is no exception. Thus, to resolve this, she always observes his body language to learn about his telltale signs. 

Through her continuous efforts, she is able to tell when Truffle is uncomfortable, nervous, bored, or tired. Not only can she tell how he is feeling, but Josephine can also point out what Truffle wants to do, such as when he wants to drink water during walks, potty time, or go home, from this non-verbal way of communication. 

Fascinatingly, this amazing bond between the two of them is not a one-way thing, as Truffle also reads his hoomom’s body language. He knows that Josephine dislikes him for being stubborn and understands her cue. “Just two words are needed from me — ‘UH OH!’… Eventually, he gives in.” Josephine shared with us. 

By taking the time and effort to understand what Truffle wants and needs, Josephine manages his stubborn personality well by making him a happy puppy who occasionally gets his way. 

The Fear that All Moms Share

According to Josephine, this is her take on pet insurance: “Although it might not cover everything, it’s certainly better than having no coverage at all.” 

One experience she recounted was when 5-month-old Truffle swallowed a 10cm beef tendon during a chewing session. Josephine had just looked away for less than ten seconds when the incident happened. Fortunately, he did not have any breathing or choking issues and underwent induced vomiting to remove the tendon, but the incident still severely scared the hoomom. 

On top of that, knowing that French Bulldogs are prone to having a lot of health problems and known for being a “walking vet bill” breed, Josephine naturally fears when Truffle gets sick or uncomfortable. Such cases prompt her to secure pet insurance. 

She explains that it is the same reason people get insurance. Ultimately, it is to protect themselves from exorbitantly high bills by transferring the risk to the insurance company. Paying a smaller monthly premium ensures that they are covered for big, unpredictable bills. 

After conducting extensive research and evaluation, she has settled down on Aon Happy Tails which provides the highest value. 

Do note that while Aon is known for its comprehensive coverages, pre-existing conditions are not covered and such exclusion is typical with health insurance. Click here for more information.

*Bonus Content* 

If Truffle Could Speak Hooman for 7 Days, What Would You Say to Him, or Do With Him?

Sometimes, Truffle gets his body clock confused, which happened a lot during his adolescence period. During times like this, he would press buttons at 430 am and whine non-stop. 

Or, there would be days when he wants to embark on some nighttime adventures, cueing me with his “Play” and “Outside” buttons at 11 pm.

So, I would definitely use this chance to teach him how to read the clock!

“The Best Thing That Happened to Me”

As the world fell victim to the virus, the COVID-19 pandemic was for many people a fever dream. But if Sheryl was asked whether there was a silver lining, she would name Princess, Cookie, and Monkey in a heartbeat. 

Meeting each one at different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, fate would have it no other way. 

Princess was adopted from a shelter at the start and became a companion to lean on for comfort and relief. A steady pillar of support that has helped Sheryl get through the toll on her mental health. 

Just as Princess has found her way into Sheryl’s life, so did Sheryl into Cookie’s and Monkey’s. Sheryl rescued Cookie when the latter was sadly kicked on the streets when people were trying to shoo her away and Monkey was to be put down if no one adopted her after some time. 

Their stories were something that significantly impacted Sheryl as a TNR cat rescuer. She could never ignore nor let it continue, and thus, the beginning of a family sticking together till the end of time. 

In Between the Past and the Future  

Being rescues, there are gaps in Princess’s, Cookie’s and Monkey’s backgrounds that Sheryl is not able to fill in. It makes concerns like dormant hereditary diseases much more worrying.

There is also the worry that the three will get into accidents.

According to Sheryl, being blind fuels Monkey’s fearlessness. Like any other young adult cat, Monkey is just as crazy and exhibits her fearlessness enthusiastically. There is a lot of jumping, leaping and chasing but sometimes, she misses and bangs her head. 

As with any other moms, the only thing Sheryl could do is to prepare her kitties for the future.

Princess, Cookie and Monkey had up-to-date vaccinations and annual health checks. Sheryl also makes sure they are leashed and harnessed or secured in the stroller while they are outside. With Cookie and Monkey being active furballs of energy, the balcony is also cat-proofed to prevent any accidents from happening. 

Better Safe Than Sorry

Despite her best attempts to understand and care for her three girls, Sheryl knows that there are some things beyond her abilities. 

For instance, the current DNA test available for cats has a lesser accuracy when examining the potential for health issues based on their guesstimated breed.

With the future being unpredictable, Sheryl doesn’t want to gamble fate. Naturally for her, the next step is to obtain insurance. 

Just as much as she prepares her girls for a variety of potential problems, Sheryl also wants to be fully prepared herself. 

So, when she learnt about AON Happy Tails at the Pet Expo event, Sheryl was undoubtedly relieved. 

It covers hereditary issues which were among her major concerns for her three girls who have unknown medical history. This excitedly makes it a good fit for Princess, Cookie and Monkey. 

The only thing holding Sheryl back is that it wouldn’t cover Monkey’s pre-existing condition. 

Sheryl believes that it is “Better [to be] safe than sorry” when it comes to managing her girls. 

Do note that while Aon is known for its comprehensive coverages, pre-existing conditions are not covered and such exclusion is typical with health insurance. Click here for more information.

*Bonus Content* 

If Your Girls Could Speak Hooman for 7 Days, What Would You Say to Them, or Do With Them?

Actually, we do animal communication!  😆 

All 3 are different because Princess whines as if she is being treated like a peasant. In the meantime, Cookie is overly concerned about me and Monkey just wants more food, treats and playtime. But yeah, they are all my babies.