TheWongDogs

LOCAL FARE - SUNSET RAILWAY CAFÉ

No, I did not totally abandon this space. But it just seems most convenient to post about The Wong Dogs solely on Facebook. However, when you visit a café that truly knocks your socks off, it is hard to just give it a quick mention. A couple of weeks ago, a quick visit to Sunset Railway Café had me intrigued.

Great food aside, fellow pet owners will experience a sense of warmth and acceptance when visiting with their furkids. You can tell that the café owners are truly dog lovers. In fact, our latest visit had one of the co-owners come out with treats for both Cole and Cory.

Would The Wong Dogs come back on a regular basis? With such local fare, why not?

The Food

No matter where I go with the boys, my taste buds need to be satisfied first.

The first visit had me digging into their delicious Mee Siam. But today, it was all out Nasi Lemak. Now, why is it their signature? For starters, I love how they used Basmati rice which gave it extra texture. The chilli was sweeter than I was used to but hey, no complaints there. And to top it off, generous portions of Ikan Billis with peanuts.

Of course, how could we leave without having dessert? Finish off your mains with a portion of Pulut Tekan with Kaya and Sugee Cake! The former is traditionally known as a Nonya glutinous rice dessert and it came with smooth kaya. Kaya lovers (I am a proud kaya aficionado!) will appreciate that the owners revealed they made it their own simply by adding a touch of gula merah!

One of their dessert signatures, the Sugee Cake is soft and moist. Lightly drizzled with sinful condensed milk, it enhanced instead of being over cloying.

For more information on their opening hours please vist the Sunset Railway Cafe Facebook page.

Note: This is not a sponsored post and every morsel was paid in full.

Labels: pet friendly, sunset railway cafe

❤ "LOCAL FARE - SUNSET RAILWAY CAFÉ" was Posted On: Wednesday, 23 March 2016 @03:32 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Instameet – COACH PUPS

“We wanted the Instameet to reach dog owners who spend lots of time on Instagram,” said a Coach spokesperson.

Well, before you know it, The Wong Dogs along with Sam and Pecan were parked outside Coach’s flagship store to check out all the fuss.

Because of the international advertising #coachpups campaign, Coach threw a store event unlike anything I have attended before.

Forget free flow of drinks and tapas, this time it was about out furry friends.

GET A CARICATURE!

There is just something that gets me excited when someone illustrates my furkids. On one hand, I am telling their stories, while the artist got to work.

STYLE & SHOOT

Okay, I skipped the fuss of the styling station and went straight to the photoshoot. Oh, each picture was accompanied by Coach dog tags with the names of my boys engraved!

LET’S SHOP!

Last but definitely the coolest, bringing our furkids into the store! Granted, our pups needed to be in tote bags (Coach no less) and due to Cole’s size, he could not enter. But hey, it was quite experience and it was quite hilarious displaying Cory and Pecan at various sports in the store!

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COACH PUPS is an international campaign by the accessories and lifestyle brand which “celebrate the dogs in our lives and captures pups’ unique personalities as they model Coach Fall 2015 star bags”. Photographed by Stephen Miesel, pop star, Lady Gaga is the first celebrity to showcase her French Bulldog, Miss Asia Kinney for the launch of the campaign. Model Miranda Kerr (Frankie) and singer Ariana Grande (Toulose) are the latest COACH PUPS to be featured. More than just a campaign to push their leather wares, Coach has also donated towards animal shelters such as the No-Kill Los Angeles shelter and Downtown Dog Rescue. What is even cooler to me, these are not made in the names of their celebrity owners but the canines themselves!

iPhone users can download the Coach App and start sharing pictures of their furkids modelling various Coach totes and accessories. Simply #coachpups on Instagram and your picture might be featured on the brand’s website.

For more information on COACH PUPS, visit their website here.

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Labels: coach, dogs coachpups, event, instameet, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, mongrel, singapore special

❤ "Instameet – COACH PUPS" was Posted On: Tuesday, 4 August 2015 @01:10 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Cole’s Latest Obsession - Jax & Bones Louie the Lobster

Recently, I have been clearing out many of Cory and Cole’s old toys (also meaning, getting my Singapore Special to destroy them in the process) and now, we have finally gotten to the “NEW” pile. Jax & Bones Louie The Lobster!

Cole is obsessed with his newest toy and there are so many reasons why I rather have him playing with a Jax & Bones-made product!

1- Hand- tied and dyed using non-toxic vegetable ingredients (phew!)

2- I love how the frays of the material become dental floss for Cole. Let’s see how different his teeth look once he is done with Louie the Lobster.

3- Official distributor, Tiny Krew also told me that I could dip the toy in water and freeze it, making it the perfect hot weather solution!

4- Unofficial but hey, still a reason for me. The toys actually look so cute!

PROMOTION!

Tag #tinykrew on Facebook and Instagram and you will receive a FREE GIFT! Now, that is something you do not her every day!

For the latest happenings, you can visit Tiny Krew’s Facebook page or visit their website for details on other Jax & Bones products.

Labels: blog shop, dog toys, dogs, jax and bones, pet-friendly, singapore special, tiny krew, toys

❤ "Cole’s Latest Obsession - Jax & Bones Louie the Lobster" was Posted On: Thursday, 30 July 2015 @02:39 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Healing Paws @ Assisi Hospice

Cory attended his first Animal-Assisted-Activities (AAA) at Assisi Hospice last week! Earlier this year, I made a resolution to do more volunteer work around my schedule. So far, the Healing Paws program seems to fit the best as it allows me to schedule time out to spend with Cory. *Cole is not suitable so for now, it is the SOSD FLAG DAY*

Do pardon for the lack of pictures as guidelines state that the faces of beneficiaries cannot be show. Also, the main focus was to interact with the beneficiaries, while ensuring our furkids are on their best behaviour. However, I will see how to work something out for future sessions.

How did it the session? Read on…

THE WONG DOGS EXPERIENCE

As it was after lunch, some of the participants were experiencing a little food coma. But those who love animals, their eyes lit up immediately when they saw Cory and Napoleon (Owned by Sheen and Eugene) walk in. It was heartening to see them hug, stroke and massage Cory while they revealed stories when they owned pets. From loyal kampong dogs to collecting up to 10 canines at one time, there were so many to tales to be heard. Ultimately, all they want is to have a listening ear and given some attention.

If you ask me, I could not have asked more of how Cory performed. He was so giving towards being hugged and even gave some of the senior beneficiaries’ kisses, to squeals of delight.

Cory’s next session? Thye Hua Kwan Hospital!

Photo credit: SOSD

AAA is not therapy work and as such, do not follow a structured program which has to be documented and evaluated. Instead. AAA sessions are extremely casual that are meet-and-greet sessions at homes and institutions.

Photo credit: SOSD

Want to get involved? Express your interest at the Healing Paws site and you will get an update on when the next assessment session is happening.

Labels: aaa, animal assisted activities, assisi hospice, dogsofinstasg, healing paws, miniature schnauzer, save out street dogs, sosd, volunteer

❤ "Healing Paws @ Assisi Hospice" was Posted On: Tuesday, 14 July 2015 @01:57 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Discipline vs. Training – The Wong Dogs Are Still Learning!

Puppyhood is not the only part of our pets' lives that training takes place. It is perfectly normal for some people to think I take Cory’s and Cole’s good behaviours for granted. But many do not know it takes loads of consistency... Hey, I love going out with peace of mind you know! Imagine just heading out for brunch at a café and reading a magazine, knowing that your furkids will know their boundaries. As such, the incident above might surprise some…

A couple of days ago, I was faced with a behavioural incident. While chewing on his Deer Bone, the usually docile Cole reacted by growling towards Cory who was being his typical “kaypoh” self. I literally flew from my seat, scolded Cole, got him into a submissive position and held on to his muzzle for five seconds. After which, I separated Cole to be by himself for half an hour in the living room. The whole time, he treated to a guilty look with his shoulders hunched forward. After the entire incident, I had Cole manja-ing me for affection.

This got me thinking and I decided to ask Rao Canine’s dog trainer, Vivien Chin (who was also his fosterer) on whether I had been too harsh or strict with my Singapore Special. Here is what she had to say.

Vivien with Kafka

“I would scold my own dogs if they did that (growling). But I will also teach them not to bother the other canine when it is preoccupied with a treat during meal times. Patricia McConnell, one of my favourite authorities on canine behaviour and training, says that, “Every owner has to decide what is acceptable in their own household; my criteria are quiet warnings like head turns or stares are acceptable, anything else is discouraged.”

You said that, “the usually docile Cole reacted by growling towards Cory who was being his typical “kaypoh” self.” This reminds me of my own dog, Lulu. Lulu used to be Dog B in Scenario 2 of this Pat Miller’sarticle on resource guarding. When Kafka, my German Shepherd, was a puppy, he used to snatch her food from her, she would give it up and walk away. I’d praise her and reward her with another treat. For a long time, she would defer to Kafka. However, after fostering a few puppies that did not know what manners was, her patience gradually wore thin. Lulu now defends her food when intrusive puppies and even Kafka comes too close. Lulu is a gentle dog, when I verbally scold her, she would look remorseful. She knows I do not approve of her growling and a light smack on her butt also serves to tell her my disapproval. However, unless you know your furkid extremely well, I do not encourage pet owners to do that because the dog might turn around and bite. At the same time, Lulu counts on me to maintain law and order. On hindsight, I should not have taken Lulu’s patience for granted, just as you might have taken Cole’s docility for granted. Now, I make sure Lulu gets to eat her food without any disturbance from any other dog and Kafka would wait patiently for Lulu to finish her food before he licks up what’s left in her bowl.

I do not do alpha roll as it does not seem useful. While holding on to Cole’s muzzle may not to be too harsh and your actions were not too strict, it might not be fair and you could be stricter with Cory by not allowing him near Cole. If possible, consider counter-conditioning techniques to get Cole to like the presence of Cory around his treats and during meal times.”

I am not perfect and only by being teachable, I can become a better pet owner! Thank you, Vivien!

*The opinions expressed in this blog post are of The Wong Dogs and Rao Canine’s own. Every case is unique and pet owners should check back with their own canine trainers before attempting any methods on their own.

Labels: dog training, dogsofinstasg, miniature schnauzer, rao canine, singapore special, the wong dogs

❤ "Discipline vs. Training – The Wong Dogs Are Still Learning!" was Posted On: Wednesday, 3 June 2015 @03:14 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Let’s Sail Away – Pet Cruise x Petfie

It has been more than three years since I first heard about Singapore’s very own Pet Cruise. As I have always been yearning to go, I got really excited when I received an invitation from Petfie. Along with my mum and The Wong Dogs, we headed to Marina Country Club at Ponggol (Yes, spelt Ponggol)

Skipper, Joe started Pet Cruise in April 2012 and knows the North-Eastern waters very well. In fact, one of passengers who usually suffers from serious sea sickness found the trip bearable.

For this trip, I was joined by Lucy a Cocker Spaniel and Muddy a Singapore Special of The FurryTales. Seeing as how we had a couple of common friends, it was such a treat to make new ones and allowing The Wong Dogs to interact with other canines.

ANCHORING AT SELETAR ISLAND

Once we reached, the four-legged-creatures were allowed to roam off-leash for about half an hour. Rubbish and pollution aside, I had a great time running up and down the shoreline with Cory and Cole. We then realised that due to low tide, there was a stretch of beach that went out towards the sea, making for priceless picture moment with the boys and their friends.

OPEN WATER SWIM

You know you are in safe hands when Joe makes a last-minute decision to change the location of the open-water swim due to choppy waves. No matter how good a swimmer Fido might be, it is best he or she wear a life vest for extra safety against strong undercurrents.

It still amazes me how well Cory and Cole can swim. It is always cute to see their apprehension before they dive into the water.

Soon, it was time to head back to Marina Country Club for some lunch. The great people at Petfie generously catered pizza for us. Thank you!

Prices start at $30 per head (both pet and human) on weekdays and $40 on weekends and public holidays. The catamaran can take up to 10 passengers, perfect for cosy gatherings,

Thank you Joe of Pet Cruise and Petfie for such a memorable experience. I cannot wait to bring Cory and Cole for their next trip soon. Anyone wants to join me?