After Joanne and her husband Dale tied the knot in July this year, they immediately worked on expanding their family. Naturally, they began looking around for a pet dog.
“We decided on a toy poodle as they don’t shed, are easier to train and small enough to be in an apartment,” Joanne told FMT.
On top of a rather lengthy discussion on the type of dog that would be suitable for their home, Joanne said they also agreed that they would opt for a red or white poodle – getting a black one wasn’t even in the cards.
But when the couple met Biji, their minds and hearts were changed.
According to Joanne, Biji was lounging around with her sibling (a red poodle) and immediately scurried over and started playing with the couple.
“She was so excited to meet us, but the red one wasn’t. It was as if she knew that we weren’t her owners,” said Joanne.
“Biji warmed up to us really fast while her sibling was ignoring us! I believe she knew that she would melt our hearts and we would be a family.”
Joanne said that they initially wanted to pick up Biji the next day, but decided that they would very much like to take her to her new home that same evening instead.
Along with getting a new family member, Joanne and Dale went all out by purchasing a number of new toys such as balls, squeaky toys and strings for Biji.
Two of the toys – Ellie the elephant and Octi the Octopus – are now Biji’s best friends.
Life is certainly much more colourful since the addition of this little furball, according to Joanne.
“She whines during every single potty session, and being a puppy, she does lots of it! I wake up in the middle of the night to the smell of her mess and the sounds of her whining for us to clean her!” laughed Joanne.
This used to happen at 6am every morning but as time went on, Joanne said that Biji has started waking up after 7am.
At 12-weeks-old, Biji is said to have developed a taste for toes, despite having so many other toy options available. However, Biji knows when she’s crossed the line and will offer a gentle lick as an apology.
Biting and chewing aside, Biji has such a healthy appetite for a small frame.
“She loves food! She whines to be fed, and whines when we’re eating. Dale used to be able to hold her with one hand, but it’s harder for him now that she’s so chubby!” said Joanne.
Although keeping up with and raising a puppy is a tiring task, Joanne admits that Biji has made life better and not once has the couple regretted taking her home.
“I know some people say that we won’t fall in love with our puppy straight away as black dogs are generally unpopular, but we fell in love with Biji at first sight.”
In fact, the couple is certain that this love is sure to last a lifetime, and will continue to offer their toes for Biji to chew on for as long as she desires.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.