FEATURE – KIDS IN CHARGE
These two young dog owners prove that age is no barrier when it comes to caring for their fur siblings
Two young dog owners prove that age is no barrier when it comes to caring for their fur siblings
The saying goes that “dog is man’s best friend”. Look around you and you will find great examples of this. While it’s also true that the main caregiver of a pet dog is often an adult, children can play an active role as well.
It all starts with the right mindset: often, adults introduce dogs into the family as playthings for the children. But having a pet is much more than owning an interactive toy: dogs and children can forge strong bonds and having a dog can help children develop kindness, understanding and respect for living things. Dog companionship can also improve a child’s social skills with people and taking care of Rover will encourage responsibility. To be sure, a child has a lot more to gain from pet ownership if he or she is encouraged to take a more active role in caring for the animal.
Here are two capable kids who play a significant role in helping their parents with their doggy siblings.
ADOPTING A HANDS-ON APPROACH
Lucas, 12 year-old owner of 4.5 year-old adopted dog Shoyu
Twelve-year-old Lucas is quiet, and even shy, at first. However, bring up the topic of his dog Shoyu and he opens up immediately. “I have always wanted a dog and when I was in Primary Four, my mummy said I could have one if I performed well in the end-of-the-year examinations,” says Lucas. He achieved good results and got the go-ahead to get a dog. However, his parents, Amie and Ernest, wanted to ensure that he was prepared for all the work that was required to care of a dog.
The family also agreed that they wanted to adopt, instead of buying a dog, hence
Lucas volunteered at local shelter MercyLight Adoption for two months during the 2017 school holidays. “After I finished volunteering, we began to look around for a dog to adopt. We
visited a few shelters including SPCA Singapore and SOSD and it was at the former that I first met Shoyu,” explained Lucas. That day, Lucas and his parents participated in the shelter tour which SOSD conducts bi-monthly. “Shoyu and the other shelter dogs were returning from their morning walk and she approached me for belly rubs and I instantly liked her!”
Interestingly, things could have turned out differently as
Lucas and his parents were interested in another dog named
Indie. However, Indie wasn’t as friendly. Also, the volunteer who attended to them shared that Indie had other potential suitors. It has now been almost one-and-a-half years since Shoyu was officially adopted (her actual adoption date is March 30, 2018 which also happened to be Good Friday) and she and Lucas are inseparable.
Despite a very busy school schedule — and increasingly packed days as he approaches PSLE — Lucas makes it a point to walk Shoyu every morning before he heads off to Anglo-Chinese School (Junior). “I walk her at 6am and the walk takes around 20 minutes. In the evenings, I take her on a longer walk — around one hour at least,” he said. “I also bathe and groom her every Sunday as well as brush her teeth once a month.”
Besides taking care of Shoyu, Lucas has also completed a basic obedience course with her. It comprised six one-hour sessions which included and a compulsory assessment at the end of the course. This was necessary as Shoyu was adopted under a programme called Project ADORE which allows mixed-breed dogs to be adopted by people who live in HDB apartments. Lucas has taught four-and-a-half-year-old Shoyu quite a few commands including sit, down, stay and paw. He is now in the process of teaching her how to roll over.
“My most favourite activity is bringing her to the beach to swim. She feared water at first but she’s comfortable playing and swimming in it now after I showed her it was nothing to be frightened of,” says Lucas, proudly.
Shin Ji’s first experience with a dog ended in tears. “Four years ago, we had a pet Bulldog named Bulkie in Malaysia. However, when we moved to Singapore two years ago, we had to find a new home for Bulkie because our landlord didn’t allow dogs,” explained Sally, Shin Ji’s mother. “I cried when mummy told me that Bulkie would be put up for adoption,” said Shin Ji. Nowadays, this eight year-old student at St. Gabriel’s Primary School still feels sad whenever anyone talks about Bulkie.
However, the good news for this young dog lover is that his family has moved into their own home and he has a new furry sibling now — a seven-month-old Shih-Tzu named Bingo. “We bought Bingo from a pet shop and I chose him because I loved his cute face. He was also the most responsive of the Shih-Tzu puppies there,” said Shin Ji. Bingo was named after a dog which was featured in a Taiwanese TV show. “My mummy liked the actor and, in the show, he had a pet Poodle named Bingo!”
Shin Ji accompanied Sally, when she signedup for a puppy playschool programme at a dog training school in June this year. Even though the minimum age for a participant to handle a dog was 12 years old, the trainer allowed him to assist his mummy as he proved to be a good learner. “Bingo is very clever — he knows how to sit, stay, paw, catch and jump! I am teaching him how to flip over now and I learn how to teach him by watching YouTube videos with my mummy,” says Shin Ji.
As Shin Ji is still relatively young, he does simpler tasks when it comes to caring for Bingo. “I wash his pee tray whenever it’s dirty and I comb him weekly. I also take him for a walk weekly. During mealtimes, I give him his bowl
after mummy prepares his food. He loves salmon and veggies!”
When asked what are some of the naughty things that Bingo does, Shin Ji says: “He likes to steal my things such as my erasers and toys and then he hides them in his bed. When I catch him in the act, I take him to his mat and give him the ‘stay’ command.”
“But I cannot get angry with him for long as he looks so cute and I just love to hug him! In fact, if I was granted one wish in the world, I would want Bingo to live forever and ever.” And if he had another wish, Shin Ji wants another dog — a Golden Retriever!