my birthday present

2 sundays ago, on fathers' day, the hub mentioned that he wanted drive to balestier (that's the area we frequented last year when we were scouting for lighting and bathroom fixtures for our new home).

i was a little puzzled and asked if we needed to replace or buy more lights. he gave me a grin and mysteriously replied, "let's go. you'll see soon."

while we got changed, i racked my brains to think of what could possibly be so exciting in balestier. then i recalled that a few days back, the hub had shown me pictures of 2 german shepards from sydney, australia, the parents of a 4-month-old puppy he was keen to buy. the hub was cooing and gushing over how beautiful the mother was, and how strong and handsome the father looked.

i had a sneaking suspicion that we were going to view the dog. i also know for a fact that the hub still misses fanny and wants another canine to join our family. when asked, the hub neither confirmed nor denied my queries but just smiled widely.

i quickly bundled the girls into the car - and (i didn't admit this) was excited over the prospect of seeing the dog. we walked into soo kee kennel and met with kelly who'd been in touch with the hub. (it was only then that i realised the hub had ALREADY visited the shop to view the dog.) there were also 2 other german shepard puppies who'd recently arrived from another australian breeder, so we took turns to view/play with them all for about 2 hours before we decided on the original puppy named hilltop elliot. he was also the most expensive of the lot - S$4,000.

the moment we indicated to kelly our intention to buy the puppy, the hub turned to me and flashed his signature goofy grin.

"Happy Birthday! this is your birthday present!"

wow. i was touched. this has got to be the most expensive gift i've EVER received.

we took him home on sunday itself, and spent another few hundred dollars on his food, accessories and removable metal gate. the hub wasn't too fond of the name 'elliot' so we bounced off a few options. he opted for the popular macho-sounding 'rocky' and scrunched up my face - "you might as well call him 'rambo' or 'arnie'!". finally we all agreed to call him 'arif" since we live on jalan arif.'arif' also means 'knowledgeable' in arabic.

it's been almost 3 weeks since little arif's arrival and he's proving to be quite a handful. but initially he didn't even bark, and the hub was worried he was mute. a few hours after arif came home, he got bored and wanted attention, so he started to whine. thankfully, he doesn't bark unnecessarily. in fact he's barked twice only so far - which is great. otherwise, the neighbours might complain.

arif's pretty good (mild tempered, not overly excited or eager) with young children too having been raised in an environment with kids. xian is especially close to him and since the day he came to live with us, she's played the role of 'big sister' and even helps the hub to wash arif's sleeping area! plus, he actually listens to xian's commands to "eat", "finish your food" and "sit" more often than to mine or the hub's! xian runs around with arif and doesn't flinch with arif starts to lick her legs, hands, face and hair.

wen's a little more terrified of arif although she would cautiously wander close to his gate (when he's safely locked inside) and call out "arif". but the moment he's out, i'd have to carry her and she clings onto me tightly and curls up her legs so that arif wouldn't be able to reach up and lick her feet.

unfortunately for us, arif's been bred on a special all-natural diet: Dr Bruce's Vets All Natural (not available here in singapore) with fresh meat AND a kangaroo tail per day as a gnawing snack! the picky puppy doesn't like processed canned food or dry rations both from Science Diet, a premium (read: expensive) pet food brand and he really got us flustered when he refused to eat. even when we tried to give him his usual Dr Bruce's Vets All Natural, he ate only half the portion.

the hub relented and got arif some fresh chicken meat/bones which he lapped up eagerly. however, his system didn't take to the fresh rations well (we suspect that in our warmer, tropical climate the bacteria in fresh meat spreads faster or the meat isn't so 'fresh'.) and our little puppy prince had the runs for a couple of days. :(

it broke our hearts to see him lose weight - i reckoned he's also homesick and unconditioned to the heat and humidity, which made matters worse. the hub tried a new combination of cooked rice, mutton and yogurt which arif wolfed down eagerly. but when we tried to substitute the meat with processed canned food, he licked the yogurt and nibbled at the rice only.

on wednesday, the hub brought arif to the vet and was given some medication and a vaccination. another $150. at this rate, i'll have to sell my precious LOTR collection to pay for arif's expenses.

ARGH!

i'm happy to say that arif's appetite has improved although he still turns up his nose when we try to coax and wheedle him to eat dry rations or canned food. and he's starting to grow longer and taller. the hub's mood has changed quite a bit too. after fanny died on 12 april 2007, he's been rather moody although he masks his emotions well. arif has brought back the missing joy and many smiles on the hub's face, and perhaps given my animal-lover husband a new purpose. just earlier this afternoon, the hub texted me and suggested we take arif out to the beach this weekend.

heh, i could sniff the hub's excitement through the wireless phone networks.

from now onwards, our weekends plans will have to include the latest addition to our family - little prince arif.