Guest Commentary: My Two Old Dogs

By Margaret Chan

Do you want a cute, cuddly puppy or a broken, ugly old dog?

You are not wrong to choose the first, and you are not eccentric to choose the second.

In either case, you take in a dog for love. Dog owners will tell that the companionship a dog brings is indescribably fulsome.

A puppy is unbeatable as far as energy and joy go, but a needy dog brings the promise of contentment that all is well in the world.

That is why you adopt a dog - you do not want to give puppy mills business, and you want to give the abandoned a forever home.

The latter philosophy can extend to wanting to bring back those "least likely to be adopted."

This is when you reach out to HOPE Dog Rescue.

HOPE is precious with dogs that are broken of body.

They know that all dogs are endowed with total trust and hope so that no matter how ill-treated a dog can be, that dog would always be whole of a soul, forever ready to give unquestioning love.

So if you have love to give, you might want to give it to those who need love most. To the old and ill for whom time is most precious and love is but a desperate hope.

"Can anyone love me now that I am old, broken, and weary?"

In my 70s, I find myself unwilling to take in a puppy who might outlive me. I cannot contemplate that when my time is up, that I would need to entrust my dog to another. By that time my dog would be older and beyond puppy adorableness.

Whatever.

God, Fate, the Stars destined that Malcolm the poodle would be mine.

The first time I met Malcolm was on Jalan Besar. I was walking my 11-year-old poodle Momo. And there was a guy walking Momo's twin. Another red poodle!

I learnt that Malcolm was under foster care and hopeful that someone would embrace him - though almost blind, terribly anxious, hump-backed, bald legs, breast, cheeks...

HOPE brought Malcolm to my home on 15 January 2023 - which happened to be Malcolm's eleventh birthday.

The HOPE angels checked my apartment very carefully and pronounced baby-gates so Malcolm with his bad back would not climb the stairs to the second floor.

I was impressed. All that care for an old dog which most would not spare a glance for? I understood.

Malcolm was brought to me for the second time, this time for a trial stay. It was on 28 January, the seventh day of the lunar new year, Everybody's Birthday. 人日 (Renri) the day, according to Chinese, human beings were created.

The trial period of three months' passed, by which time I would have fought anyone wanting to take Malcolm from me.

Fortunately, HOPE deemed ours the forever home Malcolm so needed.

Malcolm has brought new energy to the place. Malcolm and Momo, who will turn 12 in June, are our twins Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

Momo and Malcolm (Right)

Momo is energetic, Malcolm is sedate.

Momo is a frisky child, Malcolm is the dignified gent.

Momo trots briskly several kilometres on long walks. Malcolm rides on his Ferrari-red pram coming down for short walks when blind and anxious he would bop his wet nose on the legs of all human walkers, and yes, brother Momo too, and the pram as well for good measure. "Yup, all present, check, good to go."

Can you tell them apart?

Every Saturday is doggy party day when Malcolm and Momo meet to play with the other dogs of our wider family.

Every meal is eaten with dogs at either ends of a doggy table.

Every human meal finds Malcolm and Momo sitting at the main table on their own chairs - not to beg for scraps, mind you, but because they are family. 

Every television show is watched with Malcolm and Momo on the same sofa as Mummy and Daddy.

Malcolm is family.

(clockwise: Margaret, John, Momo and Malcolm)

Margaret Chan, actress-turned-educator. Best known for her roles in local play Emily of Emerald Hill and particularly, as the scene stealer Matriarch in Masters Of The Sea, Singapore's very first English soap on TV5.