SY's
Zai Zai & Leng Leng

M Y ᛫ C R A Z I E S T ᛫ W E E K

Zai Zai and Leng Leng came in during my busiest in-house boarding week. The MCO restriction was being loosened and citizens were allowed to travel across state boarders resulting in many families jumping on the opportunity. During this time, I was reaching my maximum capacity in pet services and began to decline further jobs coming in.

I took in Zai Zai and Leng Leng knowing that they have passed my comfortable capacity limit of 4 boarders but I let it slide this once as they were from the same family. Unexpectedly, Casper's boarding which was supposedly ending the night before Zai Zai and Leng Leng came in, got extended as well, placing me with 6 dogs and a cat in house for two whole days.

I took an operational decision to hire a dog-walk assistant to help me on the walks I had to cover for all the dogs. It didn't help that they were all relatively big, Goeppert being the smallest at about 10kg. Teaching someone else how to dog walk, a teenager at that, was eye-opening. Something I thought relatively easy to pick up, was made clear that this may not be natural for everyone (even if they adore dogs). Having self-taught this entire process and experience, I felt a renewed sense of pride in the work I have built up to this date.

In addition, the week's challenges piled up with having to take Casper to the vet for my first time, hearing about Milo's concerning response to her first boarding experience, Goeppert having behaviourial aggression towards her new peers and owners as well, there had been a lot going on that I am recuperating till this day.

M U S H E R S ᛫ A T ᛫ H E A R T

I was warned that Leng Leng was an escape artist. She owned up to her identity during her first walk with me. I decided to bring them out to let out some energy the moment their pawrents left after their drop off. Unbeknownst to me, these dogs were not used to being walked on the leash, and they were mushing their way through. Half way past a block, I made the decision that it was a bad idea to carry on forward as losing control of them on the leash this early would not go well. I figured going home and getting to know each other a little better would help take off their drive to pull me to oblivion.

Upon returning home, Leng Leng with the swiftness of a magician, unleashed herself from the collar and celebrated her victory but running across the road and away from us. Having learned from my previous home runners, I ensured Zai Zai was secured behind the gate before I tended to Leng Leng. I didn't make a show of rushing towards her unlike all the other times a dog has ran out from my gate. Firmly, I called out to her and eventually she ran back towards us. After all, like SY said, she won't be running away far away without her boyfriend.

Walking them still wasn't easy - the mushing wouldn't stop, and it wasn't just because I had a limited vocabulary in commanding in Mandarin. It didn't help that these two were stuck together like magnets, they would not let me walk them separately. Mostly it was Zai Zai that would be having a hard time, if I leave him home he'd cry, and if I take him out, he wouldn't budge, always gazing back at Leng Leng longingly and wouldn't wish to leave an inch further.

In the evening when I had my walking assistant over was the only time I could successfully have them out on a decent walk where they could relieve themselves. But I knew this could not go on any longer, especially when I couldn't take them out in the mornings on my own. I gained a Eureka moment one rainy evening to take them out in Lucky's leash and Dirac's modified tie around the torso. This turnaround went extremely well as the pups got to pee and poop to their heart's content as we made it to the park. I didn't think there would have been this much of a difference in just changing how the leash was set on a dog.