JRM's 12th Anniversary Party!

Mummy and Daddy brought me to Jack Russell Mania's 12th Anniversary Party over the weekend!

Unfortunately, we had to leave the grumpy old lady, Pecan. But oh well, I promised her that I've twice the fun just for her.

Hehehehe...

The event was held at Toa Payoh South Community Club. It was quite a contrast from last year which was at West Coast Park. Though I very much prefer to run on grass, our parents were quite glad that at least I would go home mud and more importably, tick free.

Oh well.... 

Thankfully there was plenty of space and once my parents let me off-leash... 

zoooooommmm...

#youcannotcatchme

I was having so much fun running around that my little ears agreed too!

Sam the Jack Russell Curl!

The thoughtful organizers even set aside a paddling pool for the pooches to cool off!

Too bad for me, my parents only allowed me to have a quick soak before they chased me away.

Wonder why?

Hehehe, I have a history of peeing in waddle pools since my NYC days.

Ho ho ho...

I had tons of fun running around and meeting new dogs!!!!

Unfortunately, there were fights  disagreements breaking out rather frequently (Duh~ we're JRTs, what were you expecting? A party where everyone is holding hands and standing still??). And those who know me well will know that getting involved with fights (that I did not start) is a life mission for me. 

So I was practically dashing from one end to another just to get lend a paw in any fights. 

#Imustbethelastdogstandingineverysinglefight #gotfightgotsam #samthehooligan

Daddy had to intercept me three times by grabbing my harness. 

Booooooo...

Due to the high frequency of squabbles happening, my parents decided to leash me up most of the time. 

I did get some off-leash time still, and when that happened, Mummy made sure that she has some uber high value treats to entice me.

Of course, they had to make me work for it too. 

We also spent some time watching other dogs and their parents play some games. 

I wanted to join but my parents didn't think I could make it. 

#myparentshavezerofaithinme

Unfortunately for me (but good for Daddy), Mummy had to attend a work dinner. As a result, we had to go before the real fun began.

And for the second time in a row, I didn't make it to the group photo.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Nonetheless, I had tons of fun barking at other dogs, trying to get involved in fights meeting fellow JRTs!!

Even though we left early, I was dead exhausted by the end of it!

"Ma~ there's a dead dog here!"

Sucks that it's gonna be another year of waiting for me to attempt to join the group photo. 

Grrrrrr...

Till then.. JRT FTW!!!

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From Snowy with love....

Mummy came back with a handful of yummy home-made Parmesan and Mozzarella Whole Wheat Biscuits!!

They looked amazing and smelled heavenly!!

And we just couldn't wait to get started on them!

Just as we were waiting to get our share, Mummy started explaining where these treats came from.

Apparently, my bestie's, Jager, Mummy baked them just for us.

Awwwwwwwwwww... so sweet can?

That's not all.

Actually, these were baked by her on behalf of Snowy (Jager's brother)... because... he wants to profess his love for Pecan ah ma.

#snowyhasbadtaste #cannotbelievethatahmagotdogslike 

FYI: This is Snowy, the Japanese White Goldie with bad taste in female dogs.

This love declaration came out of the blue and we certainly weren't expecting it at all. 

After all, ah ma really isn't fond of any other dogs. In fact, the last time they met, Snowy was following ah ma around the house. And all the grumpy old woman did was to keep walking away while growling at him. How lovable. 

So how is it even possible that he likes her?!?

Maybe it's because he's an old man (Snow is  9!) and needed an old lady to keep him company.

But still....

#lossforwords

But oh well...

That being said, I've to admit that he's pretty smart. Ah ma is a greedy pig and when there is food involved, everything is O-K-A-Y one.

See how happy Pecan is to receive Snowy's love.

Go...Going...Gone.

As for me, I was still a little unsure.

I mean, what if Snowy just wanted to poison ah ma for revenge and this was a decoy???

#mywildimagination

After some assurance and seeing ah ma hopping around in joy after eating one, I decided to take a bite!

And no regrets!

It was out-of-the-world delicious!

Jager's Mummy is da best!!!

(Pls tell Jager to send me some love too! *Hint Hint*)

PS: Auntie Charmaine actually came up with the recipe herself! So amazing!!!

#mummyneedstobakebetter

In the meantime... we shall wait and see if something good will happen from this...

And of course greedy ah ma just had to take a bite out of the heart...

-_-

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Ikea for dogs!

Mummy loves heading to Ikea for some therapeutic window shopping. Daddy's pretty okay with that. Except that Mummy's definition of "window shopping" is a tad different from others. 

Yap, she NEVER leaves empty handed.

#mummyisashopaholic

But of course, being an obsessive dog parent, more often than not, she would end up buying something for us!

That's the reason why you would find her in the kid's section everything she visits Ikea. Hehehe, in fact, she added some awesome kids toys to my stash during her last visit!

Since Pecan ah ma has been leaving her toys around the house and our original toy box is overflowing, Mummy decided to check out some storage solutions for us. 

And that's when these fun baskets caught her attention.

(Source: Ikea)

And guess what, I think the vibrant colors suit us too!

Plus, they finally allow us to stow away ah ma's many toys.

Basket ONE is for her annoying squeaky toys;

Basket TWO is for balls (most of these are mine. hehehe);

Basket THREE is for Pecan's stinky stuffies (mine are all torn apart, so the intact ones are her)

To earn my own keep, I mean treats, I decided to be a good good boy and help Mummy pack up the house a little.  

I picked up ah ma's squeaky bone...

and placed it into the right basket.

#whyIsoclever #wheregotdogssosmartone

Just when Mummy was praising me for being such a clever dog, sly Pecan ah ma has to sneak in, steal the toy and ran away. 

"AH MA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Of course, Mummy was extremely entertained (she was bursting out in laughter lor. -_-) and actually rewarded Pecan for being a thief!

#howcanlikethat

Anyway, after some thought, Mummy decided to put the baskets beside Pecan's feeding bowl. 

Hopefully, that would make ah ma wanna clean up the house a little more.

Of course, that didn't work. Not at all.

Ah ma only knows how to remove toys from the baskets. Putting them back doesn't seem to exist in her dictionary.

Oh well, being the obedient boy, I decided to help her do it instead.

Keeping my fingers crossed that Mummy recognizes my effort!

And Yap, I got tons of treats for my hard work!!!!

Another great buy at Ikea!!!

Don't you just love shopping at Ikea?

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Our PET Tags

Mummy got her hands on new pet tags for us!

"Put it on for me please, MUMMY!"

Me and Pecan looking great in our new collars and tags.

In case you're wondering what's so good about the tags and why we have the same exact tag.... 

there is something really interesting and special about these two tags...

They are actually Smart Phone Enabled Pet (PET) Tag!

These PET tags are made with a microchip inside each of them.

The amazing thing is that it is the only digital tag in the world that can be scanned using an Android based mobile phone, using the NFC function!

So if either me or Pecan ah ma got lost in the streets and you see us, all you have to do is lure us over with a treat (Aiya, very easy one..we are both greedy pigs), switch on the NFC and put the tag beside the phone.

A preset customized text linked to a phone number will be reflected on the message function of your phone instantly.

Once you get the information, hit send and the message will be sent to the owner (in this case MUMMY!) immediately!

And Mummy can instantly call the person who found us (Please make sure you ask for a reward hor. Since she shouldn't have lost us in the first place. TSK TSK TSK)

Cool huh?

Daddy was so impressed lor. But again, anything techy will get our nerdy Daddy's attention.

ZZZZZzz

Anyway, there are many things that we loved about this tag. For a start, unlike conventional tags, the PETs do not engrave our actual names on them, so we don't have to be wary of any dog snatchers since they won't know our names on the spot. 

Plus, it can resist wear-and-tear. Gone are the days that you spot a missing dog with a worn out tag that is impossible to decipher. Just scan it on your phone and you can be sure that you got the correct owner! And, the information is instantaneous. 

It is also waterproof, so no worries if we wear it to swim too!

There is no subscription fees required and the information you submit will remain confidential!

Since you get to preset the information in the microchip upon purchase, you can come up with interesting texts. 

Unfortunately, our boring mummy isn't all that creative, so she settled for the standard "Hi, I found XXX. Call me."

So much for her being in the creative industry.

Tsk tsk tsk. 

(Top-down view makes me look fatttttttt...)

#idontwanttoposebesideahmaanymore

Of course, there are a few downsides of it too.

To begin with, you need an android phone to scan the tags. Mummy uses an iPhone, but since she is on the receiving end in this case, I guess that doesn't really matter. 

Mummy also didn't like it that it came in just one standard design. She has to make sure that she doesn't mix up our tags as it would be a chore to scan it. 

Oh well, at least no more lost doggies and... 

no need to keep replacing tags due to wear-and-tear!

What a win-win situation!

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Want a treat? Raise your ear!

It's our favorite time of the day...

It's time for a yummy yum yum treat!!!

And how do you know when I'm excited?

My little ears will stand, stand, STAND!

#Samthefakefoxterrier

Actually, I'm not the only one... Pecan will raise her little ears too!

Though I've to say that ah ma looks weird..

#ahmathefakebunny

Raise your ear if you want a treat!

ME ME ME!

Somehow, my left ear seems to be stronger and would remain standing no matter how many times I move around. 

Ah ma's ears will just flip up and down. 

Looks easy to raise your ear for your treat? The truth is..it took a lot of work!

We had to keep jumping up and down for our treats to get our little ears standing!

PHEW~ hard work it was. But dang, was it worth it when we finally got the yummy treats in our mouths!

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Sam's Day Out - Happenstance Cafe

It's been a while since we had a Sam's day out!

For a change, my parents decided to leave Pecan ah ma at home and spend a long nice day with me.

Yap, just me!

Hooooray~

Of course we had to take the opportunity to visit a new Sam-welcomed venue, the Happenstance cafe!

This time round, we also asked a special guest and his family to join us for our brunch quest! (You'll find out who shortly!)

We arrived seconds before opening hours, so we had to hang around the fence for a while.

And when the doors opened, I couldn't wait to explore the cafe!

Located along Opal Crescent, it's hard to believe from the outside that this is actually a pet-friendly cafe. For a change, rather than the typical washed-out/Ikea-ish decor that many pet cafes have, Happenstance has a clean industrial vibe that is up Mummy's alley. (She couldn't stop staring at the brick wall -_-) It could easy pass off one of the up-and-coming cafe that the hipster crowd would love. A perfect fit for a four-legged-hipster like myself!

On a side note: the best thing about being early is that I get to explore the place all by myself!

Every inch and every crack of the place.

Hehehe...

Besides the nice decor, I loved that there is plenty of space for me to run about!

#feelslikehome

After I had my fair share of fun, I settled for the nice window seat to enjoy my meal.

Since Sammy Loo is the King of the household, I am supposed to eat before everyone else.

Ho ho ho...

Since our special guest was a tad late, Mummy went ahead and ordered my meal.

#notgoodtokeepthekingwaiting

She decided on ABC pasta with Pork and Broccoli.

No complaints man. My LITTLE tummy accepts anything, I mean ANYTHING.

My meal was served in a cute teddy dog bowl and no surprise, everything was gone in seconds.

Okay, maybe a couple of stalks of broccoli was left untouched.

Shhhh... I'm a man, I don't do vegs.

After I ate my fill, we sat around a little and waited for our special guest to arrive.

After what seemed like forever (actually it was just ten minutes), our special guest has arrived!

It was actually....Rusty, my cousin!

We haven't met in weeks and he was so excited to see me that he even attempted to kiss me.

Eeeeeeeee.... 

We greeted each other and even spared a few seconds to exchange a couple of secret gossips.

While we did our catching up, the adults went ahead to order their own food. 

The food selection here is decent and dishes are priced right.

Mummy chose to give the Design-yourself pasta a try! 

Not only do you get to choose the pasta type and ingredients you want, you get to name your food too!

Uncreative Mummy named hers "Sam's Brunch".

It's totally fake, as I DID NOT GET A SINGLE BITE FROM HER PLATE.

#mummysucks

Food was served promptly! (another plus!)

Mummy had her pasta, while Daddy settled for the Happenstance Signature Burger. 

They also got a Beef & Mushroom Cheese Fries to share. 

Seeing the spread, we just had to put on our best begging face to earn a treat.

Hehe, and... we did get some bacon from Daddy!

Yeah~

The crowd started flowing in right about when we almost done with our meal, so the adults hung around a little more for us to play around with some other dogs. Rusty had a ball running around and greeting every dog, while I was happy just table hopping and begging for food.

Sigh~ what an awesome day!

I'm totally looking forward to more pet cafe hopping dates with Rusty!

Mummy's note: Happenstance Cafe probably has the best food among all the pet cafes we've been to! My pasta was delicious and the burger patty was really nice and juicy. Unfortunately for Daddy, the spread on the burger was spicy, so he ended up eating just the patty and fries. (Yap, Daddy has ZERO tolerance for spiciness) We did find the cheese fries a little salty, especially at the bottom where all the gravy was though. Nonetheless, we loved the vibe of the cafe and it was a breeze finding a parking lot! We will certainly return for more brunches with Sam! Oh, a good tip: Do head down early if you want to beat the crowd and let your dog enjoy the space! 

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