TheWongDogs

Post-Christmas at Gardens by the Bay

After reading blogposts by WeLiveInAFlat and some pet owners visiting the Christmas Village Gardens by the Bay, I wanted to see for myself the different Christmas structures with Cory and Cole.

Yes, I guess the beauty of the Christmas Village is best captured at night. But foreseeing hordes of people and not being able to photograph the boys properly, I just made do and visited in the day.

Though the rainy weather made for a big no-go on grass (the muddy patches were a huge turn off!) the cool weather at 8am made one just enjoy the serenity of the Gardens. Daily thunderstorms in the afternoon the past month have robbed us of many evening walks and just exploring the entire area was therapeutic!

In the end, I was not so much impressed by the Italian Luminarie light sculptures but the quiet moments I got to spend with Cory and Cole. In fact, I got to bring mum to visit the Heritage Gardens – themed mini parks that showcase plants linked to Singapore’s four main races.

For those wanting to visit Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay, the light show has been extended till 4 January 2015!

Labels: christmas, dogs, dogsofinstasg, gardens by the bay, miniature schnauzer, mongrel, park, singapore special, the wong dogs

❤ "Post-Christmas at Gardens by the Bay" was Posted On: Sunday, 28 December 2014 @08:51 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Knight - An American Making Singapore Home

Nine years. Almost a decade since I first met Simo Kuar at the then Singapore Fashion Festival 2005. It is surreal how we still keep in contact through the years, even when she went along with her husband, Karam Singh to the United States.

Then came about Knight and Simo says it was love at first sight back in August 2012.

“I was at PetSmart (a huge warehouse for pet products) when I saw an attached animal shelter which had a couple of puppies for adoption. That was when I saw Knight at eight weeks old who was abandoned with his mother and sister at the state capital. We are not sure what his bloodline was though he seems to have German Shephard, Bernese Mountain Dog and probably a little Australia Shepherd. All this doesn’t matter as we love him all the same,” she says.

When it was finally time for Simo to return to Singapore, it was never a question whether Knight was to come back to the little red dot with her. But transporting a pet via plane is no easy task.

“There were tons of paper work regarding his health and there those from EVA Air, which were all in Mandarin! It was less of a headache when Karam’s colleagues rendered their help,” says Simo.

But it was not paper work that was their biggest problem but the flight home. “Knight was in a crate for 30-plus hours from Seattle, transiting in Taipei before reaching Singapore. We even lined his crate as we didn’t think he could hold his bladder. But he actually didn’t poop or pee till reaching Singapore’s quarantine centre where he relived himself for a good 10 minutes,” says Simo.

It has been six months since Knight has been in Singapore and he is slowly adjusting to life here. “He obviously has issues with the heat! Also, he misses his friends back in the States as he saw them almost every day. But he gets quite a bit of attention, especially when he plays ‘fetch!’ at the field. People just stop and watch!”

Labels: american special, dog park, dog rescue, dogs, dogsofinstasg, knight, mixed breed, park, picture, portraits, singapore special, stories

❤ "Knight - An American Making Singapore Home" was Posted On: Thursday, 30 October 2014 @00:34 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Meet To Play! - The Dogs Of Zhong Shan Park

I am not a morning person. But okay, okay! I will be making a commitment to wake up earlier by next week! Also, you would have realised by now that The Wong Dogs are fairly outdoor-sy. If it is not the dog park, it is hiking/dog hashing or the dog swimming pool. Singapore is as such that we do not have that many options to let our canines expand their energy.

Imagine our pleasant surprise when an early morning jaunt led me to uncover a pack of pet owners in my very own backyard - at Balestier's Zhong Shan Park.

One of the pioneers, Judy Low says the idea came about a three years ago, “I live nearby so I am always looking for a place for my dogs to chill out after their walk.” From the original four to five canines, The Zhong Shan Park gatherings now boast more than 10 dogs on weekdays to a whopping 20 to 30 on weekends!

The group gets quite a bit of attention and has garnered the interest of visitors who are usually with young children. In fact, there are a couple of young kids who will be down daily just to look and play with the dogs.

“It really is through word of mouth and many have come from around the island to Zhong Shan Park. In fact, there are some expatriates from Australia, Europe, Japan, China, Korea, United States and Indonesia joining us in our gatherings. I always love it when I get to talk to tourists as you never know who from around the world you might meet. So far, all of them are genuinely happy to see our canines and they can’t seem to stop taking pictures! Some have even told us that this is their way of getting their ‘dog fix’ as they miss their pets back home” explains Judy. She also adds that these gatherings are beneficial as pet owners are able to learn from one another. Conversations between paw parents range from furkids’ behaviour to hot button topics such as treats and diet options are enthusiastically discussed.

Of course, The Wong Dogs would much prefer that there are fences but that would be a luxury for such an unofficial gathering spot. “Fences would be great to stop occasional heart attack moments where these dogs dash across the road towards the Wan Qing Yuan - Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. There have also been a number of people who passed mean remarks on our dogs being there but we usually ignore them,” laughs Judy.

Want to join in their daily gatherings? Get ready to be an early bird! The casual group meets Mondays to Sundays from 8am to about 930am at Zhong Shan Park. Be there or be square!

Labels: balestier, dogs, dogsofinstasg, gathering, miniature schnauzer, park, singapore special, zhongshan park

❤ "Meet To Play! - The Dogs Of Zhong Shan Park" was Posted On: Thursday, 2 October 2014 @20:27 | 0 Wong comments ✿

The Sun And The Pool: Swimming at Sunny Heights

Cory and Cole has not been swimming for a while now. It was not till their furry buddy, Sam Forrest LooLim posted pictures of their latest watery escape that it was high time to get these boys on a hydro-work out again. Besides the dog park, an hour at the dog swimming pool knocks them out for a good two days!

So, why did the boys fall out of habit? Cole had a serious bout of dandruff issue earlier in the year which upon the advice of the vet, said he should abstain from swimming for a period of time I was just not impressed with many of the dog swimming pools, service and cleanliness-wise.

So imagine my excitement when I realised Sunny Heights (previously named K9 Kulture) had renovated the pool into looking quite classy. In my opinion, certainly one of the better-looking (and cleaner) swimming pools for dogs in Singapore.

Derrick Tan, Head of Operations at Sunny Heights say the place was really old when they first took over and it took a lot of planning to get the place to start looking decent, “The unkempt state of the pool had many people complaining about its set up. In addition, we faced a couple of challenges during renovation as we had to source for the right materials that would beuaitfy the place, while brainstorming for what was comfortable for both pet and owner.”

Early reviews of the place have been positive and many have commented on the set up and improvements made to Sunny Heights.

But, how will Cory and Cole like the place?

THE WONG DOGS REVIEW

Sunny Heights’s pool for dogs is quite the sight to behold as compared to a couple of months ago. Besides the cannot-miss water features added, pet owners will love the introduction of sun beds and a gazebo which offer a relaxed environment and shelter from extreme weather conditions.

The Wong Dogs love how both swimming pools have been re-tiled, giving it a refreshing look to visitors who had to bear with cement flooring for the past few years. However, please be careful when threading through the water. Even though they have been treated with anti-slip solution, I found myself almost falling face-first into the water a couple of times.

Of course, how can we miss out the fun-looking water features that have been added? To date, these have only been seen at children’s pools in Singapore and is really eye-catching for first-time visitors.

Cory seem to love playing or swimming through the jets of water (it is really cute seeing him manoeuvre through each feature.

However, Cole took a while getting used to them. At one point, he refused to go past the shower feature though he eventually did with a little coaxing.

Though the service was not in use when we visited, The Wong Dogs was intrigued by the Z9000 Dog Wash, a mobile rinse for pets! For a small price, dog owners can now choose to bathe their dogs after their swim instead of just hosing them down. Besides the typical shampoo and conditioner rinse, options such as Flea & Tick rinse and Blow Dry are also available!

This is just the start. Besides plans to add another gazebo, the people at Sunny Heights are looking to introduce night swimming though the scheduled start of this service has yet to be confirmed. “This is to cater to pet owners who are busier in the day. Allowing swimming at night will definitely see many more people coming with their furkids,” says Derrick.