A chance visit to Bishan Park let me learn that the swing within that sculpture on Recycle Hill was always meant to be a swing but an unfortunate welding mistake ensured that kids will never have to fight over who gets that swing first.
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Something is off with Donna…
Something seemed awfully off one morning, when the human woke up to find Donna looking very suspicious!
There’s nothing here, human. Move on please!
And then what’s this! The human found tell tale packets of treats from the Halloween Insta-meet in Donna’s crate all torn up and empty.
Somebody surely was having a not-so secret midnight feast of her own!
Hmmmm….
You know how this is the moment where you grab that camera, hang a sign on the dog that says “I stole and ate all the treats” for that #dogshaming photo?
Yah well, we don’t have those.
Punishment for the thieving dog!
The weliveinaflat-brand of punishment is more torturous than that! TRUST ME!
Referencing the most awesome historical references for the following creative dog torture Instagram accounts:
The so-near-yet-so-far, can-see-cannot-touch Leave It torture!!
1st attempt… wonky kibble text hahahaha
Donna is not impressed. Yah well…
Some dogs will tell you this is easy. Harmony the Golden Retriever and Cocker Spaniel mix from Minnesota says – just don’t look at the food.
I will not look at the food.
Honestly, if it were that easy, then you wouldn’t need to not look at the food.
Some like Sunny would even laugh at the challenge in the face.
Hahahahahaha! – Sunny the Golden Retriever and Border Collie mix
Hehehehehe! – Santo the Golden Retriever
But the wise will tell you this challenge is nothing to laugh about.
We are all very serious here, says Whitaka the German Sheperd Dog from Pennsylvania.
Very serious! – Odie the Shihtzu
Because there is nothing worse than water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.
How long do I have to keep still please? These are my Halloween treats you know, human. – Donna, mongrel
Come on now, human! – Pepper the Miniature Pinscher, with her name spelled in dog biscuits.
Not really punishment
Of course, the human’s perspective is different from the dogs.
I’ve been playing around with dog food art more as a “leave it” training exercise and a huge lesson in patience with a camera, dogs and dog treats for me.
– Wendy Claypool
And you know what, for every good job with the Leave it’s and the Sit-stay’s, Donna gets a reward.
Sometimes, the rewards are hefty as an elephant! :P
I want!
Gimme!
It’s mine!
SO GOOD!
Teach a dog to Leave it
– http://youtu.be/EVJiwa9LHiw
– http://youtu.be/MHVRg98tBuk
Much thanks to the named IG accounts who have given us permission to use their photos on this blog!
And you know what, humans need encouragement sometimes too!
Little treat from @ Beaniebeenboo for the humans. Yay! Humans can haz treats too!! Thank you! #notforyouDonnanehnehnehbooboo :P
Last Saturday evening, some members of the Dogs of Instagram SG facebook group had an Insta-meet Helloween event at Marina Barrage.
This is the first event for us where:
1) The dogs are encouraged to come in costume
2) We implemented the Ribbon System
Socialisation is an on-going process for every dog. Some of us may be hesitant about bringing our dog because your dog may not be so friendly to other dogs.
Sometimes, it’s just that the dog is shy and needs more space from other dogs. If we always keep our dogs at home, they have less chance to socialise well.
Therefore we are implementing the ribbon system.
– YELLOW – my dog is shy, please approach my dog slowly(ALL dogs will start with default yellow because no dog likes to have strange dogs or humans rush to pet them or interact with them without respecting their space. So please always ask the human before approaching the dog.)
– GREEN – my dog has no incident with other dogs in the last three events
– BLUE – my dog is training in progress, please Do Not Disturb.
(All humans please supervise your dogs when off-leash and on-leash and make sure your dogs DO NOT approach the BLUE dogs at all.)
Blue is not meant to denote aggression. It is what it is a dog that is training in progress. In Donna’s case, she wore the blue ribbon because I was going around handing out ribbons and may not have the time to supervise her.
Because the ribbon system is new to all of us, we probably still need time to develop the habit of checking for the ribbon as our dog ran around. Of course, nobody is perfect so there are times when dog runs around without close supervision.
There were also a couple of incidents of dogs growling and one incident where a scuffle left a dog with a bleeding eyelid. That tells me that we had better prepare to come with a first aid kit for future events.
The Foobler
During the picnic, Debrah from Nekojam.com took the time to show those who were interested the Foobler.
That’s actually a very cool treat dispensing ball that Donna has since been playing with. I really like the timer function which controls the dispensing of the kibble within the ball, that really helps prolong the game time for this toy.
Donna, Mango, Cookie, Cotton and Jacko are 5 of 10 #FooblerAllStars chosen to test out this product that is created from a Kickstarter project.
The Foobler is currently available at SGD$59.90 for pre-order. This discounted price is only valid until the end of the month. Last two days! Usual price SGD$70. More about the Foobler on nekojam.com
The walk
The plan was to take a walk along the Gardens of the Bay East after the picnic.
Most dogs made it across the bridge from the Marina Barrage here, where we took the photo. I think I count 23 dogs in the photo below. Hahaha.
That end of the bridge was the brightest spot possible for pictures in the night. The route gets fairly dark after that, with street lamps interspersed at regular intervals.
All the better to enjoy the night view…
But what I was surprised to find was… ONE firefly glimmering among the grass. I heard there used to be fireflies in Singapore, but with the built up of urban areas, they disappeared. So I must have been exceedingly lucky to see ONE of these tinkling fairylights :D
Only a handful of dogs made it to the end of the route we were taking. Nice work everyone! Much regrets on the way back the same route since we were dead tired by then. Hahahahaha!
It was still a fruitful outing for Donna who got lots of packets of treats from the kind humans who came with their dogs. Of course, the human confiscated all of them since Donna wasn’t allowed to eat them all in one sitting. Boo!
Roahe St Night Market is not far from Wufenpu, so it always made sense for us to hit both spots in the same day. I’m not a big fan of night market food really, but Mr P is, so a tour of the night markets is something we do when we visit Taiwan.
While we were there, this dog caught our attention because it was walking along by itself but was dressed in a harness with lights. So we didn’t think it was a stray.
We soon lost the dog in the crowd, but bumped into other shop dogs instead.
Including a dachshund manning a stall for dog toys and accessories. Life is hard for a shop dog. At first the dachshund was snoozing on his perch in a round ball, but was poked awake by tourists who were wondering if the round ball of fur was “real”. – –
Anyway, we made our way around the market and what do you know, we suddenly found the dog we were hunting for. I couldn’t see the dog very well when we were following it. I only saw that it had blinking lights on. But now that we had a chance to look at it, it actually was wearing pretty halter straps, with the lights. So I couldn’t understand why it was left to its own devices outside.
Since Mr P was buying food from the stall. I grabbed the chance to ask the staff more about the dog that appeared to be quite happy hanging around them at that moment.
The young man denied that the dog belonged to the stall. Apparently, nobody in the market knew where the dog came from! He shared that they only know that every evening without fail, the dog will visit, all geared up, and make its rounds around the market as if on patrol.
And during its rounds, it does what all dogs do best, hang around and beg for food. Hah!
Certainly looks quite excited at the food smells if you ask me…
I guess we shall never solve the mystery of the patrolling Roahe Street Night Market dog. Maybe you can solve it when you next visit. ;)
Getting to Raohe Street Night Market
Description: Raohe Street Tourist Night Market is 600 meters in length, near Shongshan Railway Station. There is a decorated-archway in front of the entrance.
Opening hours: 5pm – 12am.
Address: Raohe Street Night Market, 105, Taipei City Songshan District, Taiwan [map]
By Taipei MRT:
Take Taipei MRT-Bannan Line (捷運板南線) to MRT Houshanpi Station (捷運後山埤站). Walk towards Yongji Road (永吉路) from exit no. 4 of MRT Houshanpi Station (捷運後山埤站) and make a turn at Songshan Road (松山路). Raohe St. Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) is reachable after passing the overhead bridge of Songshan Railway Station (松山火車站) to Raohe St. Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)More modes of transport and directions from travelking.com.tw
More blogs on Raohe St Night Market
– Noobcook
– Uncle Tehpeng
– My Kafkeasque Life
– Kampung boy city gal
I had this video taken of Donna’s play behaviour with Rudolph the Chihuahua when we visited Dog Dot Cafe here.
It’s the first time for me seeing Donna playing with a chihuahua. :) It was really fun for me.
If I don’t remember wrongly, the chihuahua is 2-years-old versus Donna’s 5 years. Guess age and size doesn’t matter when you have fun. :)
See reviews of Dog Dot and more Pet Cafes in Singapore here
Donna passed the temperament test at Therapy Dogs Singapore more than a month back but the tardy, useless humans only managed to take her to her first therapy session yesterday!
It was there that the human realised there was so much to learn about managing patients more than managing the dog!
But you know what, Donna says,
No sweat! I’m just gonna lie here and hope the patients know they are supposed to feed me treats when I’m Relaxing. – –
This is a home picture. But you know what, the dog really did that at the home we went to. Lie on the small platform stage where we were sitting on with the patient, and did Relax just like we were at home and she’s trying to wheedle a treat out of me! Haha!
*Relax is when she is supposed to lie calmly on the floor or with her head in my lap and not move.
According to Dolly the Doxie, who participated in a Pet 360 survey this year (2014) and received the results in an email,
71% of pet owners who buy Halloween costumes for their pet dogs and cats want their pets to look cute.
I don’t know about you, but if Merlin the Corgi dressed realistically as Thor is not cute, I don’t know what is :P
15% want their pets to look funny
Somebody cue that Lion King song please, so British Bulldogs like Zeus can fly…
My superpawer is fighting for justice, treats and now #love. Figured today would be a great day to start practicing how to fly to Florida so I can be with my love…
Gotta give points for the human who lends a hand!
Although Lebowski here doesn’t really seem to see the funny in his get up. :P
I love his happy look here as a sand-witch.
Lebowski SoCal Ridgeback Mix is a lucky mutt who has found the life he always deserved. He was dumped on a farm, rescued, and is a cancer survivor turned therapy dog!
12% said clever
I just love Christina Li’s @pupsnponies Just keep swimming – Underwater – Floundering around series! So creative!
Oh, and 2% want their pets to look scary.
Cosy the Harlequin Great Dane scares her herself even. *Just joking :P*
But you know what, I think they actually left out a category!
Because Indie Daniel sure looks heroic to me.
It’s actually not a word I’ll associate with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels because they are such sweet looking dogs. But somebody’s got to smash the stereotype, I guess. ;)
Thank you so much to these six awesome dogs and their humans who allowed me to share their photos on this post!
So how do you choose your dog’s Halloween costume? Leave me a comment below ;)
Halloween is a funny holiday.
We don’t celebrate it over here, so it’s very commercialised. When we were over at the Universal Studio Singapore at Sentosa last week, we saw parts of the place under maintenance in preparation for Halloween Horror Nights 4 – Demoncracy. SGD$68 dollars to gain general admission to be frightened out of your skin. Hmmm…
So what has this dog blog got to do with Halloween, besides the fact that a moderate amount of pumpkin is good for dogs?
How about Halloween events for dogs? Sound good to you?
HALLOWEEN EVENTS FOR DOGS
October. Happenstance Cafe
Cost: $28.90 (meal) / $22.90 (snack)
Location: Happenstance Cafe
Address: 35 Opal Crescent, Singapore 328425 map
Event organisers: Happenstance CafeWe’re having a Halloween contest for the month of October! 10 x $50 Happenstance Café dining vouchers to be won! Dress up your furkids and bring them down to Happenstance Café. Take a photo with us in our Halloween playpen to receive a complimentary Halloween doggy beef pie* Top 10 photos with most likes on the Cafe’s facebook page will win the vouchers. – See event page
25 Oct, Saturday. Happy 3 Bites & Haru Halloween Special
Cost: $28.90 (meal) / $22.90 (snack)
Location: Happy 3 Bites
Address: Blk 6, Everton Park, #01-18, Singapore 080006 [map]
Time: 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.
Event organisers: Happy 3 Bites Cafe & Haru CafeEnjoy a new level of butler and meido experience in a pet cafe. You are most welcome to bring your pets along. – See event page
25 Oct, Saturday. Dogs of Instagram SG Halloween Meetup 2014 [members only]
Cost: FREE – bring your own picnic dinner and treats for dogs
Location: Marina Barrage
Address: 260 Marina Way, Singapore 018976 [map]
Time: 5:00p.m. – 9:00p.m.
Event organisers: Dogs of Instagram SingaporePicnic, Doggie Treat or Trick, followed by a doggie parade along Gardens by the Bay East. Feel free to come in costume ;)
Group members only. To join the group, follow @dogsofinstasg on Instagram and join the Dogs of Instagram Singapore Facebook group. See event page
31 Oct, Friday. Clubpets Halloween Party
Cost: $35/dog owner + 1 dog
What you get: 3-course meal for human, Doggy pie for dog and Goodie bagLocation: Paw Pet-radise Cafe
Address: 530 Balestier Road Monville Mansion, #01-07 Singapore 329857 [map]
Time: 7:00p.m. – 10:00p.m.
Event organisers: ClubpetsCome with your furkid dressed up in the most creative, unique Halloween get-up you can think of, and stand a chance to win attractive prizes – or to even be featured in our next issue of clubpets magazine!- See event page
31 Oct, Friday. Doggywood Halloween Pawty @ Pawlicious Pet Bakery
Cost: $26.90/dog
What you get: Halloween special meatloaf and egg, Photobooth, Goodie bag and Light refreshment for humansLocation:Pawlicious Pet Bakery
Address:110 Turf Club Road Singapore 288000 [map]
Time: 7:30p.m. – 10:30p.m.
Event organisers: Pawlicious Pet BakeryCome dress in your best Hollywood outfit and win!
1st prize: $50 worth Pawlicious’ hamper & voucher
2nd prize: $30 worth Pawlicious’ hamper & voucher
3rd prize: $20 worth Pawlicious’ hamper & voucher – See event page
I’m not sure if there’s any other Halloween events. Those above are what I’m aware of. ;)
VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN EVENTS FOR DOGS
Our current photo theme challenge on our Dogs of Instagram Singapore @dogsofinstasg Instagram account at the moment is #sgdogshalloween
Stand a chance to win a Halloween pupcake courtesy of Feed My Paws (you can see the pupcake on my sidebar to the right) when you join this photo challenge. :) Follow the rules to make sure you qualify.
Three Important Skills a dog must have this Halloween for Photos!
Meanwhile, here are three dogs who will show you the Three Important Skills a dog must have this Halloween to Treat or Trick for more Treats! :P
Dawnie the Dachshund @macdawnalds says:
You need to have some Acting Skills to make your own scary face, especially when your mom has no time to make you a costume! ;)
Tiana the Mongrel @stichy88 says:
You need to be skilled at Misdirection.
She’s pretending to be a Snuffleupagus by the way. :P
Lucky the Yorkie @chocbanaa says:
It’s easier when your human gives you more options on what to wear. Costumes and accessories definitely help you up the Showmanship!
Can you believe Lucky’s five looks are all made from a $2 Halloween cape from Daiso? Ingenious!
Now I really have to ponder on Donna’s costume because we will be at that first event right at the top of the list – the Halloween Picnic and Parade at Marina Barrage. Can’t wait to see all the other dogs and what sort of strange and wondrous getup they will be in. Haha!
Note: Much thanks to the linked Instagram accounts for permission to use their photos.
with 2 Brown Dawgs
and Heart Like a Dog.
