Mark and I had been mostly satisfied with Colt’s previous kennel, Mutts & Mittens, but with a 3 week trip to The US fast approaching and them somewhat dropping the ball with his reservation, we decided it was a sign for a change. We were a little concerned leaving him there anyway for such a long period of time since there’s not as much social interaction or activities as we would like.
So, we decided to do the 5 days of trial “daycare” at K9 Kulture, a different kennel, to see if it was a better fit. At M&M, Colt had an air conditioned cage that although a nice size, was an individual unit meaning he spend most of the day by himself. But at K9 all the dogs are kept together. They are outside during the day in a fenced in area and in an indoor air-conditioned area with shared beds at night so he gets unlimited interaction with other dogs. There is also a lot more organized activity at K9 with a daily 2.5km walk and swim (which Colt LOVES) versus just two 15 minute outdoor romps at M&M.
Colt being introduced to the pack
Swimming with friends
Just chilling
On the 3rd day of his 5 day temperament testing period I went there to see how he likes it. For spying, there is a very convenient K9 Kafe where you can order coffee or food and watch your dog play – they even serve dogs there too! All seemed well enough and Colt acted like he was really enjoying himself. Although, he wasn’t paying too much attention to the other dogs instead choosing to make his rounds amongst the trainers to see who he could lean against and sucker a few pets out of – he had a 100% success rate from what I saw.
Colt stalking one of his favorite trainers for attention
Making friends with one of the few other Great Dane in Singapore
Hot so taking a break by sitting under the shaded area with fans
Enjoying his playtime
In case I wasn’t convinced enough that Colt thoroughly enjoyed himself, he decided to show me. Each morning before Colt would get picked up, the driver would call my phone and by the 3rd day Colt picked up on this. Now every time my phone rings Colt rushes to the door and does tail-wagging circles by his leash. Talk about a blow to the ego. I mean, he could have at least pretended to not to be so excited!
Sleeping sound after a long day at daycare!
Anyways, after Colt's extended stay at K9 we are pretty happy/satisfied with his care and all signs point to the conclusion that he enjoyed himself as he still goes to the door when my phone rings and has now taken to longingly barking at and chasing after vans (the K9 pick up vehicle). Also, my friend Hayley went for a coffee at the K9 Kafe to check on Colt while we were gone (Thanks again Hayley!!) - she said Colt looked healthy and was getting attention. Our only complaint is that they failed to properly give him his medication for a foot infection which led to a few complications and a vet visit. But, can't complain too much since they did try to rectify the situation by not charging us for the transportation or vet costs. So, all-in-all, Colt was happy so we are happy. We will definitely use K9 in the future.
Photo of Colt playing ball that Hayley sent me while we were on vacation
In other Colt news...We need to give a shout out to my mother-in-law, Gayle, who introduced us to the Thundershirt. We've only used the shirt a few times now since it's not storming as frequently but it has transformed Colt from a blubbering mess during storms to his calm alter-ego "Thunder Colt". We would recommend Thundershirt to anyone whose dog has storm anxiety.
To make the start of the New Year even better, during the first week of January a few of my “Ladies of Leisure” friends (yes, this is really what we jokingly call ourselves) and I did an outing to Universal Studios!The park is small but it was still a lot of fun reliving our childhoods through futuristic teacup rides and roller coasters. I mean, of course, we all only went to keep our friend with a son (Dan) company…That’s the only reason…You believe me right?!
Entrance at Universal Studios
The streets of "Hollywood"
Which way to go?! Oh the decisions!
This part of the park had a fun Shrek 4-D ride
Two roller coaster intertwined together
Ready for the 4-D ride
Grace, Sarah, and I on The Mummy ride. Disregard my awful face
Anyways, in all seriousness, Universal Studios was a lot of fun but the best part was spending day with some great gals who I’m really thankful to have met.Having friends to do things with has made this move halfway around that world (literally) so much easier : )
At the Madagascar photo op. R to L: Niki, Sarah, Angela, Grace, Julie, Dan, and Zoe
To help us ring in the New Year, our friend Scott came over from Chennai, India for his 3rd and final trip to Singapore before heading back to The States in February 2012. He arrived early Friday morning on December 30th. While Mark was at work Scott and I made preparations for our poolside grill out which took place later that night. Preparations included menu planning (burgers and pasta salad) and a trip to the store where we were also able to get Scott’s precious cold cuts. Cold cuts are a Scott favorite and difficult, if not impossible, to get in Chennai so he always likes to get plenty of them while in Singapore.
Most of Friday night and Saturday daytime were spend with the three of us relaxing by the pool as we wanted to make sure we had ample energy for New Year’s Eve on Saturday night – and we had to take full advantage of being able to be poolside in January since that's definitely not something we were able to do in Indiana or even Texas for that matter.
Scott and Mark relaxing by the pool
After a day of fun in the sun, we got ready for our night out on the town with included a delicious sushi dinner at En which was not only reasonably priced (happy hour specials on food and drinks until 9pm on New Year’s Eve?!) but had a nice ambiance and we were able to get a good table without a reservation. After dinner we went to our “go-to” hangout Black & White to visit our friend Jay which is always a good time! We rang in the actual New Year at midnight in Clarke Quay where there were various musical performers and views of the Marina Bay fireworks display.
Happy New Years' from Colt
My favorite sushi at En - salmon eggs!
Mark and I ready for 2012 at Black & White
Scott and Mark at Black & White
The Black & White crew
Midnight Kiss
Marina Bay Fireworks show from Clarke Quay
Mark in front of fireworks show
At about 1:00pm Mark and I realized we are old since we were already ready to go home. Overall, it was a great start to the New Year and what will be our first full year in Singapore!
As a side note: Since I haven’t blogged since Christmas, I haven’t had the chance to brag yet about the fact that in Fantasy Football I got 1st in the regular season and 2nd overall, which means not only did I kick Mark’s (and the rest of the boys) butt(s) as the only girl in the league but I also won $600. That’s right, toot – toot. Now let’s just hope this paragraph doesn’t get me kicked out of the league for next year…
