“She just ran to her heart’s desire,” Huang recalled fondly. “When she ran back, she looked at me like she was saying, can you run with me?”
For Huang, that moment summed up everything Cookie had come to represent courage, joy, and the ability to live in the moment.
“I’m someone who worries a lot about the future,” Huang admitted. “But with her, I’ve learnt to just enjoy being in the present – like running in the rain, sitting by the sea, or just watching her be happy.”
Cookie wasn’t always this confident. When Huang first met her at a park four years ago, the rescue group described Cookie as timid, fearful, and “not friendly”.
But when the little black dog walked straight up to her, Huang knew something special had clicked. “They really undersold her,” Huang said with a laugh. “They said she was afraid of people, but she came right to us. It felt fated.”
That encounter changed Huang’s life. She hadn’t been a dog person. “I never saw myself as one,” she admitted – but something about Cookie’s story tugged at her heart.
Cookie had been rescued from an industrial area, the last of her siblings to be adopted because of her black fur.
“In Malaysia, black dogs are often neglected,” Huang explained. “She was the one nobody wanted. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t walk away.”
Cookie’s first week at home was pure chaos. “She gave me a hell house,” Huang laughed.
“She had diarrhoea every five hours! But I told her, I’m going to adopt you – can we stop the diarrhoea? And literally the next day, she just stopped.” It was as if Cookie had decided she was finally home.
Since then, the once-timid pup has blossomed into a sassy, affectionate companion. Cookie now even joins her at work – because Huang is the proud founder of JWoofButler, a pet-sitting service she started after being laid off from her corporate job in 2022.
“People used to say I had a skill set with animals, so I thought, why not try?” she said. “I call myself a pet butler because I customise everything – even weddings! I’ve had brides hire me just to make sure their dogs could join their big day.”
Cookie sometimes tags along, helping other dogs learn to socialise. “She assists clients’ dogs that don’t get to go out,” Huang explained. “From a dog that didn’t like interaction to one that knows when to ask for help – she’s come so far.”
They’ve also shared plenty of adventures together – hiking at odd hours, camping, stand-up paddleboarding, even weathering a thunderstorm in a tent.
“She trusts me enough to jump on the board and go into the water knowing I’ll always back her up,” Huang said. “And when we got stuck in the rain that night, she enjoyed it so much, I didn’t mind running with her in the rain!”
Their bond deepened through joy and grief. Just recently, Huang lost a client’s dog in her care. “It was really hard,” she said quietly.
“When I came home, Cookie had so much understanding that she walked up to me and she just sat there. She looked at me, and knew I was broken, but she just sat there throughout the night. She gave me peace when I couldn’t sleep.”
Indeed, Huang describes Cookie as her best buddy and biggest cheerleader.
“I never thought I would end up loving a dog so much that I will grieve when she’s still around,” she said, eyes glistening with tears.
“She’s also set the standard so high – if I ever get another dog, that poor thing will have to live up to her.”
Follow Cookie on Instagram.