For Anne Beatrice, coming home from work is a heartwarming affair as she usually has someone special waiting for her: Candy, her precious purebred Shih Tzu.
“When I get home from work, Candy usually wants to sit on my lap, and I spend about 10 minutes petting and kissing her. It’s our routine,” Anne tells FMT.
Candy, now age 12, was given to Anne and her family when she was a puppy.
“She was just one and a half months old, and had brown-and-white patches on her. She reminded my brother of an Oreo cookie,” Anne shares with a laugh, adding that they later named her Candy.
“It seemed fitting as my first impression of her was how sweet she looked.”
Describing Candy as a very loving dog, Anne says: “She senses when any of us are feeling down, and she’ll come over to sit on our laps, wanting to cheer us up.”
The canine’s compassion extends to other animals as well. Once, during a morning walk with Anne’s mother, Candy heard a kitten who had fallen into a deep drain.
“The following morning, she immediately went to the drain to check if the kitten was still there.”
Candy has also learned to recognise the word “help”, and whenever any of her humans say it, she immediately rushes over.
“We were watching a movie and one of the characters cried ‘help’. Candy recognised the word and immediately sprang up,” Anne says.
The family has also nicknamed their beloved pooch “the cockroach buster”.
“I once screamed when I saw a cockroach and Candy came running over. She used her front paws to step on it and gave me a reassuring look, as though telling me not to worry,” Anne recalls fondly.
One of Candy’s favourite words is “kai kai”, meaning to go for a walk. She immediately gets very excited and follows her humans around until they take her out.
Candy also enjoys playing with her toys, getting dressed up by her humans, and taking photos. But she doesn’t like taking baths, and the sound of heavy rain makes her anxious.
The sweet Shih Tzu also has a dramatic side.
“When she was a puppy, she didn’t like to be groomed. Once, when my mother was grooming her, she bit my mum! So Mum ‘spanked’ her, which was more of a gentle tap on her back.
“When my father came back later, Candy went up to him with tears rolling down her face,” Anne shares with a laugh.
Since her arrival, Candy has made a profound impact on Anne’s life.
“I used to be more of an introvert, but I started meeting more people whenever I took Candy to the vet or groomer, or out for walks.
“People would come over and talk to me. So today, although I am not an extreme extrovert, I am not an extreme introvert, either.”
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.