Category: Community Stories

Featuring stories from real pet owners and resources for all thing pets

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How To Spend More Quality Time With Your Pet

As we are consumed by work, it is inevitable that we spend merely a few hours with our most precious furry companions every day. However, rather than thinking that this should be the least of our concerns, we should realize that even our most popular dog influencers and cat influencers can get stressed out and sad due to loneliness as well. Here are some tips you should follow to ensure that your favourite fur-friend gets to spend quality time with you:

Go on pet-friendly outings!

One easy way to do so is to take out some time during the weekends just to spend it exclusively with your pet, and what better way to do so than to bring your pet to pet-friendly areas and events? Be it just a neighbourhood walk at the park or a large-scale pet-friendly event, your pet will definitely enjoy its time socializing with new (human and animal) buddies, and exploring rather than being cooped up at home alone. You don’t necessarily have to organize social outings with other owners and pets, but do take note that pet-friendly areas are often crowded during weekends!

 Do things for your pet

Doing things for your pet is an indirect way of spending some good bonding time with your fur-friends. Be it cooking up a new treat recipe, or making something for your pet like DIY-ing a pet collar, your pet and you can enjoy the quality time spent. Not only will your furry companion appreciate its new gift, but you might also be able to pick up a new hobby and make some new friends along the way. Many pet owners and pet-related companies post up free recipes and tips online, and some of them may also organize affordable workshops for such activities.

 Spend more time with your fur-friend (literally)

If you can’t afford to take the time and energy out when you are on a tight schedule, just remember that even a few minutes alone with your fur-friend everyday will make it happier than usual. Be it just allowing your pet to cuddle up next to you or a short 15-minute walk, such little moments together can also contribute to improving your overall relationship with your furry friend.

Most importantly, do remember that you should never make any excuses when it comes to spending quality time with your pet. No amount of Instagram likes, followers and comments can replace actual bonding moments and make your pet happier.

Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

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Importing your pet into Singapore

Having a pet is a life-long commitment. The second you decide to bring a furbaby into your life, it’s imperative to follow it through and care for it to your best ability, even if it means traversing across the world with it.

I adopted the two-month-old Simba whilst pursuing my bachelors degree in Brisbane, Australia. Funnily enough, I have always thought of myself as a dog person (sometimes I think I still do!), and would never have imagined I’d become this “crazy cat lady” that all my friends identify me as.

Simba kept me company in my 2 years in Australia, and when it was time for me to come home to Singapore, I knew I had to bring him along. My inexperience in the due processes of bringing my furry best friend home left my helpless and dejected. Thus, I hope that, through my sharing, pet-owners would be less clueless when it comes to importing your pet into Singapore. After all, no one should be separated from their furbabies!

Pre-flight Preparation 

First of all, you need to be prepared to commit time applying for permits (both import and export), bringing your pet to various appointments (i.e. vaccinations, health check-up, etc.), and buying the necessary logistics etc. You will need a Singpass account in order to apply for the import permit, search for “Licence to Import/Export/Transship Animals, Birds, Eggs and Biologics” at this website. Special note for dog owners, you’ll need to apply for a dog licence as well! (not applicable to cats). 

Here are some of the things I prepared for Simba for the flight! 

Airline Approved Pet Carrier
I spent about $120 on this as I had to get the large size. Simba weighed about 8kg back then (yeah he’s a huge cat ?).You can find such carriers at pet supplies shops such as Pet Lovers Centre or Kohepets. 





Feliway Calming Spray
I used this when Simba was younger whenever he was placed in a stressful situation, such as when going to the vet. This spray replicates the natural facial pheromone that reassures, comforts and calms your cat, providing a sense of security in the environment it is located at. It costs around $30 and you can find them easily at Perromart or Nekojam. 
His favourite toy! Put into the cage a toy that your furbaby likes to keep him/her company! Simba loved this snake toy when he was younger. Look how well he slept hugging his favourite friend ?

General Timeline

Potential Costs

Secondly, be prepared to set aside at least $1500-$2000 for this whole process. This includes expenses like license application, vet visits, buying of logistics and flight ticket. The final cost will depend on your export location, and the number of quarantine days required for your pet (~$50 per day for Singapore). Other potential costs may also include food that is being fed to your pet while he/she is in quarantine. The exact number of quarantine days is dependent on which country you are importing your pet from (see table below, click on the link to find out more information). Simba did not require any quarantine as he came from Cat A country, so I was able to bring him home straight away after we disembarked. 

Category A
Countries/Region of export free from rabies		Category B
Countries/Region of export with negligible risk of rabies		Category C
Countries/Region of export with controlled risk or low incidence of rabies		Category D
Countries/Region of export with undetermined risk of rabies
Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United KingdomCayman Islands, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Japan, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Caledonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, USA (Guam and Hawaii only) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, United States of America (except Guam and Hawaii)All countries not listed in Categories A, B, and C.
NParks: Veterinary Conditions based on Country of Import

Cautionary Note

I may not have all the answers, but I will be happy to provide advice on any questions that you may have as well! It’s been 2.5 years since Simba and I came back to Singapore. At the end of the day, despite all the effort and money spent, I did not regret it for one second, and every cent spent was well worth it. Because Simba is my family (or as the Aussies call it – Rellie!), and I will never leave him behind.

The above article is written by the hooman of @simbathemonstercat.

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Famous International Pet Influencers

@mayapolarbear

When people think about pet influencer marketing, dogs and cats with thousands of likes on their photos often come into the picture. However, the world of pet influencers is a creative and vibrant community that is inclusive of many diverse pets and animals. Here is a shoutout to three internationally famous pets that are extraordinarily unique.

MacGyver the Lizard (@macgyverthelizard)

This giant Argentine red tegu lizard-doggo, is a cutie staying in the United States. MacGyver is indeed doggo size (or even larger), and has charmed the Internet when animal fans online saw that MacGyver behaves just like a dog. He responds to his name, cuddles with his owners, and shares a bed with them. 

Juniper the Fox (@juniperfoxx)

Juniper is a North American red fox that goes by the tagline of being “the happiest fox”. As she was born in captivity and is genetically different from other wild foxes, she was unable to be released into the wild, thus giving Juniper the opportunity to become an online sensation as she lives and behaves in a dog-like manner at home. Juniper is so popular on Instagram that he has 2.9 million followers, and even has its own website selling related merchandise! Its owners also rescue other exotic animals, and donations towards their good cause are always welcome.

Hamlet the Pig (@hamlet_the_piggy)

Pet pigs might seem rare, but the heartwarming story of the popular Hamlet the Pig from Nashville shows that they are good companion animals. Hamlet was the one pet that saved her owner from the stress and suffering from experiencing epilepsy in life. Melanie, Hamlet’s owner, started Hamlet’s Instagram account to document Hamlet’s life moments, but the account grew in popularity as people realised that pigs are the most adorable therapy animals! Hamlet’s Instagram posts generate tens of thousands of likes, and she also has her own website with merchandise such as shirts and pins featuring Hamlet’s cute face.

Evidently, this list of unique pet influencers shows that any pet, be it common or not, can become an Internet celebrity, as online netizens are attracted to the quirkiness and cuteness of every animal.

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5 Effective Tips to Train your Dog

@mydogsadventuressg

We know that training your fur kid on your own can sometimes be frustrating and difficult… As such, we want to change that for you and help you through the process. Recently, we have collaborated with a professional dog trainer, Darren Yew (@MyDogsAdventuressg) to share some dog training tips with our pawrents. He was aspired to become a dog trainer since young and finally got to pursue his dream career as a dog trainer!

The top five areas of concern that our pawjourr pawrents face with their fur kids are: Potty training, giving healthy praises and scoldings, conducting basic commands, dealing with aggressive behaviour and separation anxiety. Read on to find out what tips Darren has been using to tackle these issues.

  1. Tips on potty training: For a start, pawrents can begin toilet training their dog by ‘crating’ him or her up during their puppy stage. Gradually, expand the ‘crating’ area as their dog grows up. Once their dog becomes an adult, they may choose to forgo the crate as they have already mastered potty training.
  2. Tips on giving healthy praises and scoldings to pets: Pawrents should give praises only when their dog is obedient or calm. As for scoldings, simple ones like “Hey!” and “No!” will do. Forbid slamming things or shouting at them.
  3. Tips on how to conduct basic command trainings: Pawrents can give treats to their dog like kibbles or small size snacks. An advice that I would give is to start conducting basic command training at home instead of holding it outdoors – safety comes first nonetheless! This is to avoid distractions that will more likely occur outdoors from things like birds and cars etc. Of course, pawrents can transition to training their dog outdoors but only when their dog is more advanced.
  4. Tips to deal with aggressive behaviour: When pawrents think that their dog is aggressive, they are not. Rather, they may just exhibit emotions like fear, uncertainty and defensiveness. When pawrents are faced with such situations, they should observe their dog’s body language. If their dog expresses fear, then pawrents should refrain from approaching them until their dog is more comfortable like if their dog starts sniffing or displaying curious behaviour.
  5. Tips to help with pet’s separation anxiety: Pawrents with anxious dogs should start to build a comfort place for their dog to rest like a mat. Their dog should not be following them around the house but learning to stay put in their comfort place. If their dog keeps following their pawrents around the house, this means that the hooman has become their comfort place instead, which would lead to separation anxiety.

We hope that you have found what Darren shared to be useful. To Darren, dog training is a constant learning process because each dog is unique in terms of their temperament. What matters most is for pawrents to be patient and never give up.

These tips are based on my own experience. There is no right or wrong training method because there are many ways a dog can be trained. These tips that I am sharing happen to work for me, and I truly hope that they would work for you too!

– Darren