📍  Welcome to Truly Expat Podcast. In today's episode, Paula and I will be diving into the world of pets with insights from our two guests, Mark from Barkberry Manor and Anya, who is another dog owner in Singapore.

 We'll explore everything from planning vacations with your furry pets to finding the best pet friendly spots in Singapore. Whether you are looking for advice on choosing reliable vet or navigating pet vaccinations, we've got you covered.

Mark and Anya will share their experiences on making life abroad a joy for you and your pets. Let's get started. So Mark and Anya, thank you so much for joining us today. Let's have a little background on how you got to Singapore and how many pets You have.

 Well,

we came here more than five years ago with two dachshunds. And, um, we had a bit of experience with moving abroad with a dog, because we also lived in Thailand. And, um, we moved there with one of our dachshunds that we already had at that time. And when we moved back from Thailand, we got a second dog from a shelter. 

And, uh, when we, uh, decided to move to Singapore, for us, it was not a question the dogs would come. So 

yeah,

so we got our dogs to Singapore and yeah, we have been living here over five years now. And unfortunately we had to say goodbye to one of the dogs last year, but we still have  Dachshund. 

Nice. Max.

Very cute.

Very good. And what about you, Mark?

Um, so we've been here nearly four years, and we moved here with two dogs, Bentley and Watson, and a cat Millie. Um, unfortunately Millie was 18 and passed away last Christmas, so that was a bit sad. So, um, But we found it quite easy. I spent my life in the army, so we're used to moving around and the, with the dogs and everything.

But um, yeah, importing them into Singapore was quite easy. 

How did you, how was the import, how does it go? 

So for us, we hired a company, because you can't do it yourself. Well, some people do, but it's It's  a lot of paperwork and you've got to invest a lot of time into it, um, because on certain days you've got to work back.

So like two months out, they've got to have this in, um, vaccination. They've got to have that. So we just let our vet and the, um,  and the export company do everything. And then we put ours into a kennel for a month beforehand because we packed up all their stuff early and just to get it on its way. So, um, but it was expensive, like all up for three animals, it cost us just over 12, 000

dollars australian to get them here.

But then once we got here for us, because we're a class A country, no quarantine or anything. It was straight to the house. Um,  yeah, so for, for Australia, it's a lot easier going to a lot of different countries because, um, yeah, there's no rabies, there's no anything. So. But yeah, overall it was good. Um, the only hiccup we had was because it was during COVID and there was limited flights because once the dogs are out and the cats or any animal in the, um, carriers, they're not out and they're not fed.

So they're only watered. And so the pet company rang us and said, Oh, there's been a delay in flights. They're going to be on this flight. And Calculate they would have been in the crate about 18 hours And I just went no way because one of them's my service dog and I just went nope So we pushed it back 24 hours, but they were still in the crates about 10 hours So

Oh my 

it's a long time. Yeah.

so that was really the only hiccup we had was that um, there was only limited flights and And everything but other than that it went quite smoothly.

So someone was planning to come from Australia, would it be six months out you'd have to start Yeah.

because there's a lot to do and you've got to get your head around what to do.

So even on the day of saying to Anya in the car, even on the day  When they're leaving, the captain of the plane has to do certain paperwork and that's why it's hard to do yourself because you've got to then be airside and it's just too difficult. Um, yeah.

And I guess also for me coming from Malaysia was a little bit easier cause we could drive her, not me, the vet again.

Cause I wouldn't have been able to do it, but we had to do six months out cause it was a rabies country. Right.  Um, but did you have the same problem in, in Thailand? 

Is rabies country?

rabies country? From Holland. 

not from the Netherlands and in Thailand, 

um, 

there was some sort of quarantine, but the quarantine you could do at home.

Okay,

So that was different, uh, when we moved to Singapore because we did the whole process 

Wow, okay. I'm

We thought it was doable. We did it also to Thailand, so we thought we can do it again.

Yeah.

And, um, yeah. You need to invest the time and you really have to, uh, plan

ahead, 

but we think it's doable to do it yourself. If you have the time and if you want to do the whole process, uh, it will save you a lot of  Um, so what we did from the Netherlands, to start it, it's a rabies. country.

So you have to do the rabies vaccine. And that takes time because your dog has to build antibodies

Yeah.

and they have to do a blood test. And, um, unfortunately with one of our dogs, uh, he didn't make enough antibodies. So he had get an extra booster. 

Oh, Um, 

but that's okay. If you have the time,

it's okay,

But you have to keep that in mind when you start planning to bring your dog abroad.

Yeah.

How long does that take to take effect?

Well, take at least six weeks. But if you know you are going to move abroad and if you have time, I would say plan at least two to three months ahead

Yeah.

so that you are not rushed and that you can do all the paperwork and that you can do the vaccinations and can do all the blood work.

And, um, especially this rabies antibody test is important. Also, when you want to move Back into European Europe.  So, um, you get, uh, an official form. And the original form you have to keep. It's very important. It's the rabies serology, uh, yeah, you know what I mean? I can hardly

serology.  Serology

Yeah, that's the word serology, uh, form and, uh, keep the original one because some, uh, authorities will ask you for the original, give them copies.

Keep the original one for yourself. So if you ever, uh, Uh, have to move back or if you're planning to move back in a few years, you need it because you can more easily, uh, export your dog again to where you came from, or maybe to another country.

Yeah.

Um, so that's, uh, important and, um, Here in Singapore, you can find actually all the steps you need to take to bring your dog online.

Uh, you can find it with the AVA website, which stands for the Agri Food and Veterinary. Authority,  and they have all these steps depending on which country you come from  and

what you'll have to do and what the requirements are. Um, for us, it meant we had to book the quarantine and depending on the procedure you follow, the quarantine was 10 days or 30 days.

I think at the moment it's different,  um, from the Netherlands where we come from. But. At the time when we did it, more than five years ago, we could choose 10 or 30 days of quarantine, depending on the procedure. But we had time, so we chose the 10 day quarantine because we didn't want them  as long in quarantine, as short as possible in quarantine.

Yeah,

And actually that turned out quite okay.  Um, in the beginning we were a bit like, okay, they have to, Yeah, go on the flight on the plane and everything but that all went quite well And what I would recommend is also prepare your dogs when you were at home

um,

When you travel with them 

What we did because we did a process ourself you  As soon as you know when you're going to fly 

uh,

We chose KLM because that's an airline that's going to It's quite well known that they treat animals quite well, and, uh, it has a good reputation.

So we thought, well, we just fly with KLM. And as soon as we got our own flights, we called the airline and we booked dogs in because they have limited space to bring pets. And they go in the special cargo area, which is heated.  So they are not with, uh, at the place where your suitcases are, but it's, 

frozen dogs.

because some people think that they are next to your suitcase.

No, 

not. 

And,

um, uh, you just buy an airline ticket for your dog, which is not really 

expensive, I think, especially not compared to, uh, uh, for a person. I think we paid.

200 dollars or something 

Wow. Don't please tell me that.

For 200 euros. 

Yeah, I don't exactly. It was dollars or euros, but yeah,

still not as expensive as if

you

went through an

Yeah, and

while we still had to pay, uh, also, uh, import tax and we had to pay the quarantine.

So, in total, in the end, we, uh, paid 1, 500

500 or something

get our dogs

here.

You don't want to know how much I

For

Malaysia

So

yeah

dogs.

So, uh, and, and the most, uh, the biggest amount we had to pay was for the quarantine here in Singapore. And, um, when you bring them, uh, to, uh, the airport, uh, they have to be in a special crate and you can, uh, Find usually on the website of the airline, uh, what kind of crate you need to buy, because it has to be IATA approved.

Yeah.

And, um, what we also did, because sometimes you hear the horrible stories that it opens or whatever, we put some tie rips so that at least they couldn't get out. And what's also important is the size of the crate. It shouldn't be too small and it shouldn't be, uh, too big. Uh, your dog needs to be able to stand up.

And it needs to be able to turn around.  And, uh, then it's, it's the right size. And what we got as a tip from a friend of ours, because he, uh, worked at the time, um, at the airport, he said, if you bring your dog,  um, give them water. But. Don't give them normal water, give them ice cubes, because with the whole  onboarding process, the ice cubes don't spill easily and they have time to melt, and by the time your dog is thirsty, you have water  the dog.

So that was one thing, um, we thought was quite practical advice. And, uh, we just Took the dogs and our suitcases and everything to the airport and, uh, what is good? Um, let your dog get used to the great crate before you are going to travel.  I think it's very important the first few weeks before you well.

Before your

travel,

a couple of weeks ahead, start getting them used to the crate. So put cookies in it, let them sleep in it, make them feel comfortable and not just on the day that you leave. Oh, here's the crate

Yeah. Yeah. you later

is

is

not gonna work, I think. And, um, so that's what we did. And then, yeah, we went with the suitcases and the dogs and everything to the airport and you give them at, um, Mm hmm.

Um, at least in Amsterdam, you have the, you know, old luggage department where you go to,

like the oversized come there.

Yeah. Yes.

there you, uh, yeah. You give the dogs, you hand them over. And, um, what we did, because we were also,  yeah, it's, it's still sort of exciting and sort of nervous. So we asked, um, when we, uh, boarded,  we asked the, uh, the purser, is our dog also on this plane or, yeah, Two dogs when we went to Singapore.

So we said, are our dogs here? And then it was quite funny because when the captain did his, uh, welcome talk and everything, he said, yeah. And he announced our names and he said, yeah, your dogs are on the plane as

the plane as well.

So

at least we knew they were on the same flight as us. And, um, and when we arrived here in Singapore, my, uh, husband had to go to a special area and, um, then there is this FED that will do some global check and everything. 

And

maybe that is also good to mention if you, uh, do the process yourself, uh, we had to go in, uh, in the Netherlands also, uh, to the vet to not only for the vaccinations, but also to get a health declaration and you have to legalize that and then in the Netherlands, we had to go to the, uh, food and consumer authority, I think, and they have to legalize documents for you  and, um, yeah, something similar here in Singapore.  My husband had to take them to the quarantine center  

Did you

visit? I visited every day.

Yes,

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I visited every day.

Well, we weren't planning on doing that. But the quarantine center here is in Sembawang and we had the first, uh, we were staying in a hotel the first 10 days and we had a rental car.  And, um, yeah, we, we went one day just to see how they were because when they came out of the flight, it's a more than 10, 13 hour flight from Europe.  They weren't looking that fantastic.  Yeah, we are tired as well, of course, and they were also a bit like  where did we end up? And yeah, so,  but, so we were like, well, we need to check them. Uh, so, so we went, but the dogs actually responded really good on it or something, because we thought, well, maybe they want to come with us or, but they were sort of, okay, so we could, um, take them to

grass area

where  

around and

walk and yeah, we just stay an hour or so with them  Yeah, and they were sort of okay. And after 10 days, the oldest one, uh, Taki, she,  she was like,  she wanted to go back to the,

the To

place where she was staying 10 days. And then she was like, Oh, can I come with you?

I come with you  

So cute. Yeah, 

hire, um, an aircon or no aircon. Yes. We did with the aircon as well, but the room was so cold. When I went every time I'd go in, she'd be shaking in her little,  I'm like, but there is a door you can go, they can go out to, there's a little outdoor area. So she could go in and out, which was not a problem.

But I don't know if it was worse to go see her every day. Because every time I left her, she was like, I'm not going with you. Oh, sorry. There's a few more days. 

Yeah, we probably wouldn't go and visit them for that reason. Yeah, it's

harder, right? Because then they're wanting to with you.

And that's the other thing people need to take into account. It's hard to get into quarantine. Like you just can't. Get the dates you want, because that's what you want.

Um, you've really got to, like from here, we've had friends who have to like book six months in advance. And, um, and then couldn't get the dates and you've got to beg where we're going. So, otherwise you've got to leave them with friends and, um. And the other thing for Australia is they've just changed the laws in January.

I think making it harder, if you're coming from certain countries like Indonesia and I think Malaysia. You're right. and a couple of others where you used to be able to come to Singapore for six months quarantine and then go, where now they've just said a blanket no. If your dog's been in certain countries they're never allowed back into Australia.

So they've

really tightened up. So it's something for people to be aware of. Um, it doesn't affect Singapore, but does some other countries.

The

other thing when, because my dog's now in Australia, the one thing I noticed that was different there is that you can't go visit.

No, that's right.

You don't get any photos either.

And there's only one station in Melbourne. Yes. So for us there's no domestic flights, but yeah, if you're anywhere else, there's only one quarantine station now.  

Oh, that's so sad. Why don't they let you?

We don't even get photos.

Well, because it's quarantine. We don't, what happens if they do have a disease, then you're spreading it into the community.

Yeah. That's good. We have the, some of the harshest, um, agricultural laws in the world. For that reason, like, could you imagine, um, foot and mouth, the rabies getting into Australia would decimate the cattle and the sheep

the

So, you just can't let it happen. 

you 

Yeah. Okay.  Okay. You won over. I get it now.

Yeah,  Okay, you won't let it happen.

Um, importing and exporting pets are so,  um, all right. What about, uh, when you've got them here finally, um, where do you source, you know, food options and like,  you know, good, good quality pet food. Is it easy to get here? 

We, um,  so we just go, so in the morning our two get just dog food, a little, one of those little square things.

Because dog food, people like. Screw their nose up. It actually has all the vitamins and minerals if you get a good quality one. So they get 

The wet one or

Yeah, the wet one. Yeah, we don't,  cows don't eat dry food much So we're giving them a wet one and then of course they've got to have cheese on it Because you've got to pay the cheese tax every day

tax every

Without that, they just look at you.

And then, and then Fiona my wife cooks their dinner every night. So they get

goodness.

They get pork mince. They get um, they get She does it in big batches. Um, so it's got pork mince, um, sweet potato, um, carrots, all that sort of thing. So they get that every night with some bone broth and, um, because a lot of dogs we found out here are allergic to chicken. 

And that's why, yeah, so many dogs, and I didn't know this, are allergic to chicken. And they get that skin rash, but they also get skin rashes from the heat. Um, so one of ours gets it, um,  Quite mild, uh, moderately. Yeah, so we don't give them hardly any chicken, but pork's the, the best thing. And you can get pork mince quite cheap.

We go to Foodie, Foodie Mart. Yeah. 

Yeah. So why are they, uh, why are dogs allergic to chicken.

I don't know. They just seem to be a lot of, uh, dogs are more likely to be allergic to chicken than anything else. 

Hmm. I never knew that. Nope. Neither do

do I. Isn't that interesting?

Yep. So if your dog's getting allergies, drop chicken and give them pork. And some can even be allergic to beef as well. Wow. Yeah. But not as many. Yeah. But, but I think chicken here, because like in Australia, no chicken has any, um.  stuff put into it. Yeah, we're all, um, it's all hormone free.

There's nothing put in chickens that are bad. But it's here, because a lot of the chickens come from Malaysia, I don't think it's as, um,

It

is pumped up on steroids and stuff. 

Yeah.

Okay. 

Oh, that's interesting to know. Wow. What about you, Anja? What do you

feed? 

Well, I think if I tell my dog this  very chic menu menu that they get at Mark's place,

not want not want to live with us us anymore. our dog

I'm out of here. Yeah. His little, his little suitcase.

Knocking  your door Mark 

 uh,  we gave our dogs always kibble

at the it at the store. Pet lovers place. And we of course sometimes give them some fresh stuff as well, but not every day. And we definitely don't cook separately for them.

Yeah. 

on the weekends. They get a boiled egg. They really love a boiled egg and, uh, they liked it, but, uh, yeah, we, we have the, the normal cookies that you can buy at the pet store.

And, and I think that is quite easy available, but, um,  yeah, it depends. I think if you. Even if you want to give them fresh food every day, it's good.  Quite easy to come by 

here.

Yeah,

it is. Yeah. Yeah.

yeah. They've got quite a vast majority, a vast range of, of dog 

Yes. 

get anywhere.

And 

I

think in that way they are, it's quite common to have a pet here, I think.

Not only if you come from abroad, I think locals are also very into having dogs and  other pets, 

yeah. 

And there's so much, like, after just doing the Pet Festival, there's so many people bringing on, um, so many varieties of food and a lot of it's now, um, Like they're pushing the organic food and this and that.

So there's all these fads out there, you know, like raw diets and,

and all that. So, so  yeah, if you name it, you could like get it. You just got to know where. 

My dog eats organic, but on organic kibble.  Well, 

had never been big

I was just thinking like raw diets for dogs. I mean, isn't it get breezy in your house, 

Well, we're, we're not, because Bentley and I volunteer, um, with an organization here, we go to hospitals and

Which organization is that?

Animal Assisted Integrations Singapore. So,  um, so they're not allowed to be on raw food diet because, um, when you go into old people's homes, they're susceptible to things. So yeah, so any dog that volunteers with them has to be on a normal diet, can't be raw food at all.

Isn't that interesting.

What about choosing a vet  here?,

That can be hit and miss.  

How do you, how do you, how do you do just like hunt down the qualifications?

Well, yeah, that's what we did. We, uh, well, we also looked in the neighborhood where we were living, uh, when we just arrived and we were just looking at reviews because yeah, that's the only thing you can rely on.

We ask around in our condo, um, other dog owners, what, where they were going. And then we picked one and, um, the, um, we went to River Valley because we lived  Not in River Valley area, but close by, and we chose vets for life, and we were quite okay with them, actually. They, yeah, they have different FETs, so it also depends a little bit on your personal preference, because one FET is not maybe the other, but I think the quality of FETs here is quite okay.

A lot of them have studied abroad in Australia, or in  UK, or in the U. S., So, 

yeah, I

think it's on a pretty high level. it  

But it is hit and miss. Our first vet in Novena was amazing. But when we had to move her, the vet, I'm not gonna name the vet, but the vet here got it all, everything wrong, gave her two bouts of, um, vaccine for rabies and she  I thought, Oh my God, we're gonna, we've, we've killed her cause she was lethargic. And then they realized that accidentally  given her two shots of the vaccine and she's old. So it is hit and miss. And people make mistakes. I get it, but. That's a big mistake.

Yeah, well we weren't happy with our first vet and then we found, so we go to Frankel Vet now and they're really good. But,  because you want the continuity of care, you don't want to have to explain it all the time and you want them,  their vaccinations up to date.

And not every vet we found out gives you what you want. Like we, ours get the heart and the lungs. injections every six months for heartworm, 

so

So we had to go to, first time we had to go to a separate vet for that. Like we had to go to Frankel to get that, but the other vet for everything else. So then we found out that well, Frankel can do the lot.

So that's why we swap vets and they're quite, they're quite nice there and everything. But I think sometimes hardest thing is reminders. So like in Australia, when you vet your pets due for something, you get a reminder in the mail. Whereas a lot of vets here don't tend to do that. So you've got to rely. 

On yourself to remember and if you don't get that rabies injection or that vaccination on time, it can mess with when you want to go home years later. So you've really got to 

be on the ball with

with and someone that can give you that continuity and, and reminders, just little things, but it is a lot more expensive here.

I think the consultation fees a little bit cheaper, but everything else is. more expensive than in Australia. 

So I have two questions for you then, right? Firstly, if there's an emergency, is there a 24 hour vet you could go to here?

Yes, there are

Are your vets, or do you have to ring up a special

place?

No, there are some, there's a couple in the east, there's a couple, but they're super expensive though. 

Yeah,

it's like everywhere, right? Yeah,

like everywhere, yeah.

And the second question for me, for you is, pet insurance or no pet  

We don't have any

pet insurance. 

And also because the most common things that they can get are usually, uh, excluded. 

So we're like, okay, we have dachshunds, right, with the long backs, the sausage dogs, and they're very, um, sensitive for back problems. So usually when you have an insurance,

they 

don't cover it

yeah. So,

Yeah.

So we're like, well, we have dachshunds. We chose to have dogs and we just know that they will cost at some point. 

yeah. And also in the Netherlands,  it's not cheap. So you just know if there's something serious going on. Yeah. You just have to pay for it. Besides the regular affectionations and things that also already  money, but

yeah 

Are vaccinations covered under 

No.  Nope.  point 

if they do their, we don't believe in it either, but it's to do, like, if you do a knee or something like that, that can cost you thousands.

So, but once again, yeah, you've got to. Not all coverage is the same like people insurance and everything. So yeah, we don't believe in that either, but lots of people do So I think it's an individual choice.

choice.

I think so too, and it maybe depends because, um, yeah, if they get in a car accident or something, which is quite extreme, I think insurance will cover that probably, and it's usually very unexpected, so then it's maybe nice if you have the insurance, but yeah.

cover all the stuff like  teeth.  Cleaning or, um, vaccinations or, you know, so we've gone from, we've, some countries we've had it, some countries we haven't. We've just gone off it in Australia, touch wood, um, because I was sick of going and paying all this money and not getting anything back anyway.

So I started, so I just 

The only time I've really needed in all the years, the 12 years I've had her, is that she had a biopsy done when she even got her teeth cleaned. She got a biopsy and she, they thought it was cancer. So we went through a whole process of that. That's the only time I've ever used it. 

Other than that, 

you know,  I'm with you. I, I'm on the with that. That's why I asked. I thought 

was 

interesting. Yeah, no, that's a good question. Yeah.

was interesting. Yeah. For sure. So being in this environment as well, like you, tend to travel a lot because it's a great springboard for, you know, local destinations and that. So what do you do with your pets when you, when you go away?

Do you bring them with you, or do you? 

No, we don't bring them with us because  Then you have the whole procedure again, because Singapore is just an island. And even if you go to Malaysia, you come from another country if you want to come in. So we don't travel with the 

Yeah. 

Um, but, um, when we first arrived here, we, uh, found this  dog kennel and it was quite good. We, we liked it, but then COVID hit, we weren't traveling anymore. Then at the end of COVID.  I think this place where we used to go to didn't exist anymore. So we had to, uh, find a new place, uh, for them to stay.  And, um, we found, uh, in the end, uh, a place through Petbackers. 

And you also have Pawshake. You have a few websites where people offer their services. And we found a really nice Singaporean couple that, uh, Yeah, have dogs

of  their own and they live in a landed property. So yeah, we now, uh, bring our dogs or now the only one that we have left. We, we bring him there 

and yeah, we're quite happy with it, but you also have to make a budget for it because it's 

So, uh, you have to add that to your traveling as well.

How much do you pay a day?  

$45 

for 24 

expensive if you go away for a  yeah,

Yeah.

no, definitely. So, well, we don't travel that much. So, for us, it's sort of, yeah, and we just, if we go to Europe, then we just sort of, 

travel

budget. And, ideally, uh, It would be great if we would have had friends or family here, but we don't have friends or family that can take care of  So yeah, we are happy that we found at least people that yeah, we trust and we  Yeah. Yeah. And the dog seems happy if he's picked up 

and 

Yeah. And we, before we decided to bring, uh, the dogs there, we also visited the location and the dogs seemed quite happy and comfortable,  

mark? Yeah, we don't use kennels at all. 'cause we find they're all mostly indoors and there's no outdoor area and. So, we find that, but we use a website called Trusted House Sitters. Fantastic. So you pay a fee and the house sitters pay a fee. So there's no daily costs or anything.

Um, it's all fully insured. They're all checked. So,  so we've got two couples that we reach out to first, who we've become really good friends with. So if they're around Singapore and they can do it, then either of them will do it. Um, But we've had no dramas whatsoever. So they stay in their own home because I've got fish tanks as well So they just stay in your own home and we so the two couples we even went to Bali and stayed with one of the couples who have

housed us before because they were sitting in Bali for six weeks and said, oh come over.

So we went and visited them in Bali And yeah, so we've made it's I can't recommend it highly enough  And once you pay the fee every year, then it's all free Um, yeah,

incredible.

it's, and you can tell when the dogs are happy with house sitters. Um, because if dogs are not happy, you know, but, um, no, it's been absolutely fantastic.

Can't recommend it highly enough.  And you get to choose, so you can actually interview people. But, um, if either of those couples aren't available, Fiona will interview people over zoom. And so we prefer a couple that way, at least, you know, you know. Maybe one's going to be a home because we get international people sometimes they want to go and travel around and so yeah We like to at least try to make someone home during the day or yeah, so you get a feel for people Yeah, but it's really good

Oh, that's so nice. Yeah, well we'll, we'll actually post those links in our, in our um, show notes so that people can use that information. 

obviously,  uh, parks, there's an abundance of parks here in Singapore, right? Can you take your dog to any park, and do you have any parks that you recommend? to take your dog.

Right. This is like a hot topic in the expat community.

Yeah. 

There's certainly not, I would not say, and this is my opinion, not the podcast people's opinion, but

If you're Australian or New Zealand or the UK or American and other places, it's nowhere near as dog friendly. 

You can't just go to a park and let your dog run free, sniff butts, play with other dogs, do all that. You can't.  We live near the East Coast Dog Park run. That would be ours. We never go there.

It's in the shade. It's muddy.

the parkland green, or?

Yeah, we never go to that one anymore. It's It's horrible. It's always wet and muddy. It's not big enough.  Um, big dogs are in with little dogs and owners have no control over their, their big dogs. There's been lots of arguments about, you know, take your dog out because it's bowling over little dogs.

Um, if we do go to a dog run, we go to Bishan because it's a lovely park. They've got two dog runs, little dogs and big dogs next to each other. So you can choose. Um, where to go. You just can't go to any park and let your dog run free. It's a thousand dollar fine, I think. And then, um,  So, if your dog's used to freedom,  then it's hard.

But then that leads to the other point of training for dogs and socialization. So you can't just walk your dog and say hello to another dog walking, because you don't know what you're going to get. Because a lot of dogs here, they're not trained, they're not socialized, So, and they're very reactive. And to me that all stems from they can't be dogs.

They can't just. treated. And there's

so many rules about condo areas and  um, you know, you could just go on about how unfriendly it is and like little signs on the streets when you're out walking, please don't let your dog pee here. Yeah. Well, it's a government nature strip. It's not your nature strip.

Yeah. But there's so many signs where, how do you stop your dog weeing on a tree? 

Like it's, 

so it's very,  

it's not 

all bad, but it's not, it's certainly not as dog friendly as a lot of other countries.  And what 

about the beach in  Have you ever, I've seen lots of dogs down there.

we go once, but even East coast park, I, I, I, in my opinion, I don't care if we go to the beach, we'll just let the dogs run around the beach.

And, but our mine are highly trained. If I call their name, they'll react straight away. So I don't have to worry about kids or other dogs. My dogs will recall straight away. Yeah. So, um, but got to let them be dogs. I'll have some freedom and go for a swim at the beach at East coast park.  You know, does it really matter?

Your 

you? Um,

well,  

we 

have, uh, pretty small dogs and, um,  we have only one left and the other one was already quite old. old when we moved here. But when we just moved here, there was no pandemic or whatsoever. So we used to go every Sunday to Sentosa. 

And we would let the dog swim because especially, uh, uh, Taki, our dog, she loved She

was a really

good swimmer and she liked that. And, and we really enjoyed going to  at, uh, Sentosa. There were more dogs  was

just a really nice Sunday.

afternoon

thing to do. Uh, unfortunately the pandemic happened and I think we went  

during 

the

How do you get your dog there if you haven't got a car? In a

pet grip because we don't have

a car

And, uh, what I think is a pity, they are not allowed on public transport at all. So you're depending on,

uh, 

pet, 

uh, 

prep drivers

or taxi drivers. 

And then you have to ask them in advance if they are okay to take your

dog

Okay. 

Uh, because not all of them, 

uh,  

car 

And, uh, and then we would go to the beach.

Then definitely  uh, book a

pet grab because

yeah, they can

sandy and much wherever, even if we, uh,  

shower them 

a bit

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

It's Still

not ideal. So then you want somebody who doesn't mind that there's a dog with dog hair and scent in his car.  Uh, and that, that worked quite well. 

yeah, we were quite happy with that. And,  I agree with Mark. If you really want to have, um, what we were used to just let your dog run free, it's not  because it's not allowed in a lot of places. And I agree with the dog runs. They're not always the  place. And they're always not always big enough if there are more dogs around. 

But yeah, there are at  Possibilities. So that

is, 

is yeah, there are options, but it's not like, uh, what we were used to when we would live in, uh, Europe. Um, and especially in our home country, the Netherlands,  just let them run and  yeah. Or to the beach and just let them run on the beach.

That's just different,

but  yeah, we don't have a 

really big problem with it and our dogs don't 

to 

had a problem

with it either. And we also lived in Thailand where. It's actually a lot less dog friendly, especially in the city of Bangkok, because there are not a lot of parks. Most parks, dogs are not allowed.

So what we did there, we would go every Sunday to a dog swimming pool. 

Because our dog

love to swim. So we would do

that.

Yeah, And 

that was also a really nice way to socialize with other,  people  and make friends. So, um, and that was 

our,  

our way to get our dog some exercise because yeah, otherwise you had to go out of the city because if you go to the countryside in Thailand, then with dogs.

but

in the city itself. 

then is a more dog friendly because there are parks here,

uh,

where you can walk and okay, they have to be on a leash, but at least you can make the walk 

you can do it. And there are also quite a lot of, um, food and beverage  and

cafes

I've noticed that now actually.

Yeah. Yeah. They are starting to do that.

do that one.  

Well, my dog isn't very 

fanciing

cafes. 

So,

we hardly ever 

take him out. Um,

He'd not a cafe dog

no, no. no. I think our dog, uh, has

some, uh, 

He's very

sweet.

He We got him 

from a shelter and he has sort of a, yeah, I call it a manual. Yeah. He's very friendly to people and kids, but he's not always very friendly to other dogs either.

So, 

yeah.

You just have to be 

Yeah. 

Well, we go to Baker and Cook at Opera 

Oh, yeah. 

outside. The food's

there, Yeah.

we go there. And Barking Bean in Siglap. Yeah. Yeah. So you can actually take the dogs in, it's a dog cafe.

Let them off the lead. So we go there probably once a week. Can't recommend barking bean high 

enough. So 

dogs just go in. Bentley's ball obsessed. So he knows where the basket is. He'll walk in, go straight to the basket, get a ball, look around, find a person, put the ball on their lap, say throw the ball for me.

The staff play with the dogs as well. And we've got to know quite a few other dogs as well. Um, around the neighborhood from Barking Bean. And there's lots of places, like, we used to go to Five Oars, but they now,  um, they had a little area, but that got shut down. So,  because you've got to have a license to have, even have dogs outside, I found out.

So, yeah, you've got to have a water stop. So, you've got to be able to provide fresh water, um. The dog's not in the way of people, so a lot of, and it costs money, so a lot of cafes don't do it because you've got to have the room, but, um, but we certainly don't go to, we like to take our dogs out, especially on the weekend, um, so we tend to gravitate to cafes that we know you can take dogs, um, yeah, because we don't like to leave them at home or things, and especially if you can walk there, 

like

Yeah. P. S. Cafe, you should listen to this, the one at,  the one at East Coast Park, perfect opportunity for a dog cafe.

Yeah, for

their outside area and dogs are not allowed. 

Isn't that 

Yep, and you're in the middle of East Coast Park, hundreds of people walking their dogs and you've got a cafe that's got an outside area and they don't allow dogs. 

Yeah, 

figure.

That's so sad. Yep. Yeah.

Yeah. So it can be different. You've just got to look around. But there are more like Holland Village, the new shopping centre, apparently is dog friendly. We haven't been over there. Um, yeah, so they encourage people with dogs to go there. There's certain shops you can take them into and, and things like that.

Yeah.

Oh, what's the name of that? Is it like a shopping mall?

mall?

called One Holland, isn't it? One, I think. Yeah. I think it's called One Holland. Okay. It's a new shopping centre. Um, so they encourage you to take your dogs there and things like that. Yeah, so there are, you just got to look around, just ask friends and, like, where do they go?

And once you meet other dog people, they sort of say, Oh, have you tried this place or whatever? 

Yeah.  Oh,

that's really good. Yeah. That's really interesting. Um, and what about, what about other pets?

I mean,  you said you've got a cat.

had a cat, yeah. Poor Millie died.

But then you can have full on funerals. They do full on funerals here. You can just get your pet cremated, or you can go and do a full funeral, like you would for a person.

So, yeah.  Yeah, so poor Millie died on Christmas Eve, and then um, yeah, so then we just rang. That's a sad timing. I know it was, I know. But she was 18, she was getting, it was close to making a decision, so, 

yeah, so she just went to sleep outside in her favourite spot, and Fiona found her and went, hmm, I think Millie's dead. 

And

with

cats, 

are they, are you allowed to have them outside or you in, you know, like in other countries you're allowed to, the cats are allowed to roam 

the streets Well, she was 

an indoor outdoor cat, because we've got a doggy door, because we're in a house. But she would never, even at home, she'd never leave the yard.

So 

was fine with that. She was more dog than cat. But, um, but yeah. And then, so they just came, picked her up, cremated her, gave us the ashes back. So it was quite easy. Wow. Mm. Yeah. But.

And so, what about, um, Is it the same with the rabies and everything? Like she has to be in a crate and everything to come come in?

Yeah, exactly the same if you are a cat or a dog. Exactly the same. Yeah.

Do you have to worry about like other wildlife? I've heard about showdowns with monitor lizards and things like that.

Um, 

No, I've never, no, no.  I think the 

there 

are a lot of those, uh, wildlife, uh, animals,

Dogs

are not allowed 

come in. 

So the only, uh, place I think are the botanical gardens where you can run into a monitor lizard with your dog.

But,

uh, McRitchie, dogs are not allowed, uh

Reservoir we've seen monitor lizards, like big ones. Um, and Pasir Ris, we go up there a lot. And you've got to watch out for monkeys. We've definitely seen monkeys stalking little dogs.

used to chase my

dog. 

Yeah, so, yeah. But people sort of let you know.

that there's monkeys around, but yeah, you've got to watch them. They can be quite hostile to little dogs. Um, yeah, so they're around, but, yeah, a lot of the national parks, you can't take dogs in anywhere. 

Yeah, that's right.

I

 know in Australia you can't take dogs to the national parks 



 So I don't think and cause you're supposed to have them on the lead anyway, so I don't think it's, um, too much of an issue.

Oh yeah, muzzling and snuff nose. That's the other question I had for  before. Snuff nose dogs, um, the issue  and from, because a lot of  take them anymore, All Yeah, yeah. So

dog was half boxer and they always  a snuff nose,  issues I would have  wording the documents correctly, but a lot of, especially during COVID, a lot of airlines just stopped taking them. 

And

can you explain what the reason  

Yeah, the deaths, people, dogs were dying in the planes. Yeah. 

Just

the risk and

the airlines

want to take the

risk anymore. Yeah.

Because, yeah,  something you want to happen on a plane, 

you are carrying 

a

dog, and  And there were a spade of deaths, like there was quite a few within a few months as well.

And certainly in Australia it hit the news and I think Qantas and all that just went, well it's not, it's not worth the dog's life and it's not worth us getting in trouble. Um, cause they have a lot of breathing problems. They do,

right? Cause it's, cause the other thing is, I remember when I was living in Hong  um, my friend had to fly her, her dog to France and then to Australia.

That 

That was the only  

because like you said, Qantas,  would

no longer take.

Um, so is there anything else you'd like to add that you think would be, you know,  

Why are big dogs tend to be

Muzzled?

Why do they have, like, there's a law about it or something, isn't

is, but I think it's more a perception that an Alsatian or a German Shepherd or these dog breeds are seen as dangerous. But you know, German Shepherds can be as lovely, they're  from their own environment.

So, but that's the law and you should obey the law because it's not worth the fine and it's, and people will out you.  So they have no hesitation in ringing up and dobbing you 

in.

fact, they look more vicious with a muzzle on. Like, the perception of them, you know?

exactly right.

will look at a German Shepherd walking towards you with a muzzle and go, Wow, stay away from me. In fact,

it's probably 

That's right. But also religious reasons as well. Like, it's a big Muslim country. The government tries to  pander to everyone. So, someone's going to be upset about something all the time. But Hmm. But, and it must be hard, I don't mind the muzzling bit, what I object to is some of the dog breeds that they do allow, like Huskies and

Yeah, it's so

must be so hot.

And running a doggy business you see them all the time. It's incredible how many Huskies live in Singapore. You 

You know what's interesting, so huskies are allowed in, but um, staffies  

Yeah. 

No. Is that because they think they're going to be vicious? 

Yeah, that's right, yeah. Because I think they're hooked in with, um, 

Pit bull terriers, like a terrier's a terrier, you know, that sort of thing. But I, I have seen a couple of staffies around. I saw one at the dog festival the other day. So they are here.

are here.

But not

Um, but I think they were, I don't know when the rule came in.

So they must

they must have 

bred them during that.  Interesting.

Mm Mm 

But muzzling, I don't think, don't have, you probably, oh you obviously see a lot more, but I don't have,  I haven't seen that many muzzled.

No.

But then I haven't seen that many German Shepherds. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen German Shepherd. Oh really? No, 

they are around, and some, some will muzzle them, some won't. 

the ones

in our neighborhood are

muzzled, but

they're actually really nice dogs.

that's right.  sweet, sweet,

So, 

Um.  I

think

you need to muzzle the owners

owners.

yeah, well true and like,

like,

and I think it just like you said adds to the perception that it's dangerous because you see a dog with a muzzle and what are you going to do?

If you're a mum with kids, you're going to cross the road.

Yeah.

Because you think that's a dangerous dog but it's the sweetest dog in the world. Yeah. So it's sort of.

true. It's all about perception. I mean, my dog, I used to have to put a, when she was a puppy, not puppy, but like I said, I used to have to put a, um, metal chain around her and leash because she used to eat through when she was anxious the, the, the lead.

So like a Martingale collar. Yeah. And

And so everyone used to think she was this massive bikey, know, like walking up the street with this. But in fact, she was the most blasted, lovely dog. After a while she stopped doing it because she was anxious, but it's all about perception, right?

Yeah, it is. But bring your dogs.

If you're moving here and you've got dogs, bring them with you.

Yeah. Yeah.

The weather's always nice, you can do, walk them every day, even when it rains, it's not cold. Um, and there are things to do, you've just got to find them. You know, like people say, there's not a lot to do in Singapore for people, but there is, you've just got to find it. 

it.

There's Huge

amounts of things

to do. Yeah, that's right. You can, you could be out every day doing something. You've just got to,  like your other podcasts, you've got to find your tribe.

Yeah.

Oh, nice plug there, Mark. Well, I think

well I think that was your most fascinating one because it just, that resonates with every expat.

You've got to find, you've got to find friends, we're all in the same boat. We don't have family here so you've got to put yourself out there and if you've got dogs find dog friendly people, if you're just you, find people.

And how do we find these, um, community, if we, how do we find our tribe and the pet community here in Singapore?

Just go walking and talking to people. Yeah. Yeah, 

And, 

um, well here not so much, but in Bangkok for us, this dog swimming pool was really, 

a really good

way to meet like minded people with

other dogs. 

And,

um, that was really nice here. Yeah, 

Facebook groups?

is there any, there are Facebook groups. Yeah, even for 

special breeds, because I

know 

for 

example,

that there's a 

dash wound  

on Facebook and they, yeah, they have meetings and meetups  go there if you want.

So there are, uh,  

I

think. Yeah. And I agree

totally with Mark. For us, it was not a question at all. We just bring our dogs. And of course, you have to follow the procedures. And you have to keep in mind that maybe here the regulation is different than where you

come from.

But still, I think this is, in general,

Quite a pet

friendly

dogs and

cats, think.

Just remember, pick up your poop.

Oh yeah,

I

actually like like that.

Yes.  oh, in countries where

it's not mandatory to pick up after

your pet, sorry,

it's it's So  

So I don't

think that's a bad

habit. I do 

do like,

those signs they use.

Oh yeah, you see on the thing, yeah, please pick up

please pick up

Don't let your dog poop in.

poopy

poop Um, and you've, just to, uh, finish up, just tell us a little bit about your Barkberry Manor.

See

Okay, so Barkberry Manor is one person little doggy business, me. So I hand make everything I sell. 

from 

Yeah. Um, dog leads and collars to roll up beds, um, bandanas, um, anything doggy accessory and all custom made. So I can make you whatever you like, um, within reason. Yeah. And definitely if you're on the East coast, um, 

we

run, I give discounts to people on the East coast or just anyone.

So, but yeah, it's great. I love it. So, and Singapore people really spend a lot of money on their dogs and everything. But no one does what I do, which is hand make everything. And

And how do we get, how do they get in touch with

they get in touch with you? Uh, on my website, so barkberrymanor. com. au because it's an Australian website.

Perfect.

We'll put that in the show notes anyway.

Yeah,

No, and it's fun, like, and it gives, because I'm a dependent, it gives me something to do. 

Oh, cool. That's nice.

 📍 yeah, no, it's good. It gives me something to do.

Yeah, yeah, it keeps you out of trouble. Yeah, that's right. I heard that you can get in trouble.

that you can get in

whoops, don't say that,   

 My Wife is Listening

yeah, I'm always in trouble.

Alright, well, yeah. Okay, well, thank you Anya and Mark for joining us today. We really, really enjoyed  talking about your fur babies. 

That was fun. Thank you very much. Bye.

us. Bye.  Bye.