I don't want to be presenting the wrong picture, especially since we are going into Christmas season... which is where there is always the chance of people thinking of gifting cute puppies. Chances are that cute puppy is not going to be placid like how you see Donna in our photos. We always knew we wanted to have a child. Which is why when we were looking to adopt, we asked for a medium energy dog who will be good with children. Breed, looks, gender, not a concern. Temperament, personality and health was all important. Once she came, it took years of positive training. Years because I am not a robot that trains every single day consistently HAHAHA. The Donna in the beginning pulled on the leash like every other dog. She ran off when off-leash. It took 2 years before we completed a full walk off leash to and from a nearby park because off-leash walking requires multiple skills. Heel (walking beside me), leave it (so she doesn't eat food or other junk off the ground), recall (instant running back to me no matter the distraction) and also gradually increasing distraction ( from our home to our quiet enclosed car park rooftop to finally a bigger park full of joggers and a few cats ). It also took months of dog-friendly (not dog cafe) visits for her to gradually extend the amount of time she just hangs around and chill on or off-leash while waiting for the humans to be done. The Donna in this photo offered this pose because she was positively trained and eager to earn treats All these I did while baby-free. Knowing what I know about how brainin-draining, time-consuming bringing up baby is right now, I would say Donna would not have been as well-trained. Haha. Donna is a good dog yes. But Donna was also a dog that was adopted and returned to the shelter in her first 2-3 years of life. Because even a good dog is unable to thrive if there is not enough knowledge or commitment from the humans. If you know a friend or family considering gifting a dog to a child, please share this message with them. Thanks! #adoptdontabandon #dogsarenotforchristmas #dogsarenotdisposable #dogsarenottoys #dogsandbabies (at Singapore) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5wBl65A4ZV/?igshid=1eb0p3ytwkpya
