Golden retrievers are known to be faithful, loving and friendly animals. Joy Soh found this to be the case eight years ago, when she was given a golden retriever puppy as a gift by a family friend.
She fell in love with the little one and named her Coco.
True to their reputation, “Coco is affectionate and intelligent,” Joy, 34, tells FMT. “She loves getting her fur combed, and is friendly but wary of strangers.
“She hardly ever barks though, so if she doesn’t take to someone, we will take note of it.”
Joy, who runs a resin art business, has her hands full with her canine companion as well as a little hedgehog, Pom-Pom. There also used to be a rabbit member of the family named Lolo, who Coco got along swimmingly with.
“She was good pals with Lolo and they were very adorable together. Coco was always gentle so as not to injure her.
“Coco did, however, leave quite a bit of slobber on the bunny,” Joy laughs.
In true Malaysian fashion, Coco adores food and is always begging for snacks. She eats everything that dogs are allowed to eat – even fruits and vegetables.
“Coco is very greedy and asks for food throughout the day, most frequently in the morning when we wake up. If you forget to give her a morning snack, she will follow you and make noises until she gets them,” laughs Joy.
Golden retrievers are usually medium to large, but despite her size, there are a few things that make Coco nervous.
“She’s frightened of thunder and is deathly afraid of the vacuum cleaner,” Joy explains.
Joy recalls that Coco had hip problems as a puppy and had to undergo surgery, which thankfully went well. Over the years Coco has proven to be an invaluable and entertaining member of the family, especially when she performs tricks – “Sit, stay, come, walk, and balancing food on her nose before eating it!”
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.