My Favourite Things: My Favourite Pet!
I’ve always been a pet lover since young. Dabbled at keeping fish, hamsters and star tortoises (before they were classified as endangered), I still found dogs more … endearing and huggable.
Other than my family’s Japanese Chin, I’ve got my own beloved furry friend too. Piccolo (or Picco for short) is a Shmoodle. He inherited his boundless energy from his Shih Tzu- Maltese mum and his intelligence from his Poodle dad.
Designer dogs like Piccolo are supposed to be stronger than their pedigree peers, due to what some believe to be the operative law of natural selection. Having spent three good years with us, we can confidently say that our lil’ chum has proven to be very hardy and less susceptible to illnesses that commonly plague other dogs. And he’s a lot smarter too!
Character traits aside, lil’ Piccolo has become such an important part of us that it would difficult to imagine life without him. He’s really a joy to be with, especially when you are greeted by THE TAIL as you step through the door. For those of you who are dog owners, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
My hubby bought him for company through the final semester of my undergrad days with the University of Queensland. This was especially comforting for us since we were in a place where nothing really belonged to us, except for this little bag of fleas. Lil’ Piccolo was all that we could call our own. Now that we’re back, we would recall those days in Australia, and are glad to have brought a little piece of downunder back with us. He has become somewhat an Ebenezer for us – a milestone to remind us of how far God has brought us.
So, why Piccolo? Well, Piccolo is really “little” in Italian. And boy was Piccolo really little when we first got him. Just a tiny ball of fur with two beady eyes, looking so like a teddy bear! And this lil’ boy had such a way of winning our hearts that we took to him immediately, amongst three other siblings we had to choose from at the breeder’s. So, we did the usual tests of loyalty, alertness, and sound check, and decide then and there that this lil’ shmuck was it! You can say we’re biased (as with any other dog owners), but this lil’ shmuck is probably THE cutest dog ever! By the way, he’s also called Piccolo because he makes such high-pitched sounds when left alone for too long or when he’s not getting our attention enough – like a lil piccolo flute! So, what’s in a name? Plenty, I’d say.
The joys of having your own dog are indescribable. Yes, you would have the hassle of not having much freedom to go for overseas vacations without first finding a nanny for him (mum and dad are good for this!), but nothing could ever replace the way a dog waits patiently on you, forgets easily, is completely honest with you, and most of all, loves you unconditionally!
