We all know the famous ‘Friends’ sitcom, which amassed a cult following until today. Who could ever forget the signature theme song with that memorable guitar riff and the funny adventures of six friends in their 20s?

Well, for Eunice, the show means a lot more to her – especially since she named her late pup after one of the characters, Chandler.

“I lost my boy Chandler to an unknown disease very suddenly on Oct 7. He died before I woke up that day and well, to be honest, a part of me died with him then,” said Eunice sadly.

She related how she couldn’t stop sobbing five hours later, even after her best friend called her to come over as she wasn’t allowed to mourn alone.

“I did receive a lot of loving and heartfelt messages when I broke the news of his passing, but an hour into my mourning and with all the good intent in the world, my father sent me videos of puppies and asked if I wanted any.”

Eunice said she knew Chandler couldn’t be replaced. She didn’t even want to think of replacing him. But, something in her told her to look for a dog.

So, she told her father to let her search and that she would let him know once she had decided.

“All I typed into the search bar of my phone were four words: ‘golden retriever adoption Malaysia’,” said Eunice.

The first result she got was a photo of a dog on Petfinder with the biggest ears known to the dog kingdom. Eunice said she immediately felt an undeniable pull towards her and messaged the person who put up the advertisement immediately.

Eunice got her reply a few hours later: “Yes, she’s available.”

According to Eunice, this pooch had been abandoned by a family. They had moved out of their landed property and into an apartment, so she was running on the streets, surviving somehow, before her rescuer took her in.

“That was three weeks before I got in contact with her. I had a broken heart, and I think in some way, it was the same for her,” recalled Eunice.

Plans were immediately made and at 9pm that night, Eunice and her father ended up in a very small neighbourhood next to the main road in Klang.

“Then I saw her, the dog in the photo, barking away at me,” laughed Eunice.

However, the dog refused to come towards her, even after Eunice had squatted and cooed. She even tried some baby talk, which did not work!

“She didn’t even sniff my hand, and I thought that maybe it wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t want to take her if she wasn’t going to be comfortable with me,” said Eunice.

Just as Eunice was about to walk away, her father told her to let the dog off the leash.

“I thought he was nuts and so did her fosterer, but what did we have to lose? With me poised to catch her in case she attempted to run, I watched her sniff the grass and a passing cat.

“And then without any prompting, she sat next to my dad’s feet and looked up at me as if to say, ‘hello, pet me!’.”

Eunice remembered saying, “Seriously? You let me get down on my knees for 15 minutes and that’s all you wanted?”

Laughing at the memory, Eunice added that it only took a couple of belly rubs before she knew this rescued pup was meant to be hers.

“I had been thinking about what to name her. Chandler was named after Chandler Bing from ‘Friends’, so I turned to her and said, ‘Phoebe. Phoebe Buffay. Do you like that?’”

Eunice then noticed that the just-rescued pup’s ears perked up at that. So Phoebe it was.

Fast forward to a year later, and Eunice and Phoebe’s friendship is still going strong.

“I sprained my ankle a month ago and Phoebe wrapped her body around my leg to keep me from moving. Then, when she got spayed, I was prepared to sleep on the floor to keep her company,” said Eunice.

She admitted that at times, she wonders about whether it was she who rescued Phoebe or the other way round. Either way, she says it’s a pretty happy story that’s going to get better.

But one thing she really does believe is that Chandler gave her Phoebe when she needed a friend the most.

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.