Adorable, playful and affectionate are often how French bulldogs are described. And no one would agree more than William Liewn, who has two in his home.
Named Popeye and Olive after, you guessed it, the classic cartoon couple, they are just as loving as their fictional counterparts, if not more.
Case in point? They’re always grooming each other, and it doesn’t matter to them if the humans are watching or not!
Popeye was initially an only dog, but worried that his pup might be lonesome, Liewn got him a companion called Olive a year later, much to his dog’s delight.
“They hit it off right when they met without any issues, luckily,” Liewn said, smiling.
The two may look almost identical but they do have noticeable differences in their personalities.
The seven-year-old Popeye is more independent, and has no issues lounging or snoozing by himself when his humans are preoccupied with mundane things (in his eyes, at least) like chores.
One year his junior, Olive is more affectionate, always snuggling up to Liewn and his family in the living room. More hugs for the girl, please!
Friendly and easy-going, both are “people” doggies and get along well with children too. However, Liewn added that Olive does have a tendency to get too excited and that scares some kids.
“For my own two children though, they grew up with Popeye and Olive in the house and love them to bits.”
Charming as she is, Olive can be mischievous too. Apparently when no one’s looking, she shoves Popeye off his cushion and plops herself on it, despite having a cushion of her own – talk about queen control!
But far from being the underdog, Popeye can be just as cheeky too. When he senses that Olive is about to get in trouble (pooping on the floor instead of going to the bathroom), he runs and hides in a corner, removing himself from the situation. Quick-thinking Popeye!
Mealtimes are super easy as both French bulldogs are not picky. While their meals consist of kibbles mostly, they get the odd serving of fruit and vegetables too as well as nutritional supplements.
Both pups love durian and rush for treats when they get a whiff of the pungent smelling fruit, cementing themselves as “Malaysians” through and through.
Of the two, Popeye values his beauty sleep way more than Olive, and happily naps throughout the day. Any soft cushion or surface does the trick.
When not catching forty winks, both Popeye and Olive love to chase remote-controlled cars in the park. And once they’ve pounced on a car, they hold on to it for dear life. Having remarkably strong jaws, Liewn said it’s quite a job prising the cars away from them.
While many non-animal lovers feel a pet is just another mouth to feed, Liewn sees his two dogs as important family members.
“I hope they can stay happy and healthy for as long as possible.”
This article was written by Toon Kit Yi @ FMT Lifestyle. Read more pet stories here.
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