I'm Diana Chiew. After being employed for more than 20 years, I now stay home to care for my mum. With me is Santa, my first dog. She's a 3 year old miniature schnauzer.What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?
I needed that cup of coffee to jumpstart my day. My day starts with a cup of coffee at my pc checking out emails and reading blogs. Santa and Minnie [photo, below left, with Christmas] are lying around me, still snoozing away while I enjoy my cup of coffee.
What's brewing?
My cup of coffee is just Nescafe Classic with coffeemate and no sugar.
Any goodies to go with the coffee?
Sometimes a piece of cake that I have made the day before or some biscuits or pastries.
Any treat for Santa and Minnie on this occasion?
No, they will be snoozing away while I am having my coffee.
How did you come to be united with Santa and Minnie?Well, Santa doesn't actually belong to me. It's hard to believe that I have never been a dog-lover before. I have been terrified of them!
One day in January 2007, my sister, Cindy and her son, Jerry, brought Santa to visit me and mum. They knew I have this thing about dogs and they've kept Santa, who was then about 8 weeks old, all wrapped up in a towel and tried to hide her from me. When I asked what that was, Jerry put the bundle down and out came this furry ball that made me squeal!!
Cindy spent most of her time outside and didn't want to leave Santa home alone and so she has been taking Santa with her everywhere and sometimes leaving her in the car while she meets up her clients. That was when I took a big step forward to offer to doggie-sit Santa for her and was when I started my love for dogs and how Santa came to stay with me.
In early 2009, we felt Santa was rather lonely being the only dog in my home and, as I have come to love dogs, I wanted to have one of my own and wanted a playmate for Santa.
I had been looking and found this picture of two cute puppies staring at me from the computer. Immediately, I showed it to Cindy and she made the call and a week later, Minnie arrived. Minnie, a silky terrier, is now 9 months old.How did they get their names?
Jerry named Santa saying that she looks like Santa Claus and I named Minnie because of her size.
Cat, rodent, postman...?
Oh...they just despise those cats and rodents! They bark at those cats that walk past our back door and those squirrels running by our small backyard.
Stick, ball, Frisbee...?
Surprisingly, they don't prefer to play with sticks or balls. Santa prefers stuffies and Minnie prefers squeaky toys.
What's an ordinary day like for Santa and Minnie?
An ordinary day would start with me giving their coats a good brushing and cleaning their ears! Then they get their treats for being good on the grooming table. A little training and playing their favourite game of hide and seek.
We've just passed Christmas: is it a fair guess that Santa enjoyed the holiday more than Minnie did?I would say that both of them enjoyed the holiday as they both enjoyed company; we had relatives coming over during the holiday and the kids love playing with them.
Where do Santa and Minnie like to go for walks?
Santa and Minnie love to go to the park. They don't get to go out during the week and during the weekends Cindy and I will try our best to find time to take them out to the park for them to have a run and to meet other doggies.
Who are Santa and Minnie's best pet-pals?
Santa and Minnie are best pet pals to each other.
What's each dog's best quality?
I would say both of them are friendly, especially Minnie, who likes to kiss anybody whenever she gets the opportunity.
What are their proudest moments? Their most embarrassing?Santa's proudest moments should be coming out a winner in the Ear-resistible Contest; her most embarrassing must be the times when she is mistaken for a goat!
As for Minnie, her proudest moments are showing off tricks that she has learned and the most embarrassing must be her aggressiveness, protecting her bone.
Lastly, we have another addition to the family. She is a female white miniature schnauzer about 2 years old. We adopted her as her previous owner does not have time to care for her any longer. Since she arrived in December, we named her "Christmas."
Visit Santa's blog and Minnie's blog.
--Marshal Zeringue
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