Chinese New Year. Every year, it’s the usual rush back to one’s hometown far from the big city. In my case, this means leaving the bright lights of Kuala Lumpur for the historical and heritage town of Malacca.
Well, almost the usual rush home except we got days of non-stop raining and floods this year. Wonderfully though today saw me waking up to sunshine amidst a temperate clime, perfect for driving home. And the highways nearly empty too instead of the bumper-to-bumper madness we get most years. Such good fortune! such joy!
I have been looking forward to seeing my parents again, and my sister and her kids. Some days I worry about my aging parents and their empty nest, even with my sister living close by.
That is, till I reached my hometown and arrived at the house I grew up in. My friends may not have, but my old folks still know how to surprise me:
Meet Mickey.
.
.
The latest member of our family. Just when I thought for sure my parents weren’t gonna have any more kids. I feel like the prodigal son returning to find his position has been usurped by a newcomer. A really cute one, at that.
We are dog people, my family is. In my younger years, we used to keep dogs till the last one passed on and Mom decided that was enough, especially since both my sister and I have flown the coop, so to speak. No more free poo-cleaning labour.
But we remain dog lovers, and any opportunity to play with a dog find us as gleeful as kids with a new toy. Dogs are great – warm, affectionate, loyal, protective of their families. Everything you’d want in a pet and member of the family.
.
.
Not everyone agrees though. Devil and I were having our first loh sang session of the year with Unkaleong and the Diva last night. (A nice impromptu session, what with all of us not having managed to toss some luck-bringing yee sang yet so far.)
First time Unkaleong and the Diva met and they found common ground immediately – they were both cat lovers. Cue Devil and I groaning as the two of them waxed lyrical about how much they love cats. Cats are independent, said one. Cats have character, said the other. And in unison: Cats have attitude.
“Attitude problems, you mean” I said. And they both booed me down.
Yet Mickey… Mickey’s kinda like a cat in some ways. He trots like a dwarf gazelle and has a child-like dignity to him. Dad says Mickey is a Miniature Pinscher and I find out he’s a red Min Pin, to be exact. And he loves posing for my camera. (Kinda like the Devil in that sense. Ahem.)
Devil and I both miss our Kou Kou (狗狗) very much, but we can’t have him in our new apartment as he really needs more space. Meeting Mickey brings back good memories and joy at being able to make more good ones.
.
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Copyright © 2011 Kenny Mah Ying Fye. Photograph by Kenny Mah.
Kenny Mah believes in the good in people. He has been blogging for over ten years. No, his hands aren't tired. Yet.
This reminds me of my previous pet – Milky.
*emo*
@Alby: Aww. *hug hug*
Was Milky a Mini Pinscher too?
Awwww.. so cute! Welcome to the family, Mickey!
Happy Rabbit Year, Kenny :)
@Selba: Thanks, dear – and Happy Year of the Rabbit to you, too!
I understand how your parents feel. Like your family, mine too are dog lovers. After the dogs which I cared for during my younger days died, I vowed never again to raise any more dogs as each time one dies, I would cry like mad. HOWEVER, when my daughter flew the nest and with lots of ‘emptiness’ surrounding my free time, I eventually caved in! hahaha…..
“GONG XI FA CAI” to you and your family.
@ilene ong: Yeah, I know the feeling. It sucks. But it did teach me at a young age that death is a part of life, and not something to be afraid of. I don’t remember the deaths of any of my dogs; only the precious time I had with them when they are alive.
And so, maybe it’s time for my family to welcome new members into our home. (Also, better a doggie than them bugging me for grandkids!)
Gong Xi Fa Cai to you and your loved ones, my friend!
No he is not, but a Spitz.. used to bring a lot of funny and happy memories to me during uni time, but he ran away from home without giving us a farewell…
@Alby: I’m sorry to hear that, bro. Sometimes that does happen.
Cherish the good memories and not the farewell without a goodbye. And maybe make new good memories to come?
Must Love Dogs – would that be a requirement to date you? Hehe…
“GONG XI FA CAI” to you and your family.
@jemima: Not at all, you can love all sorts of furry, scaly and feathered creatures and date me.
Now, if one wanted to live with me and get hitched, that’s a different matter… Dog Lovers Rule!!
Gong Xi, Gong Xi to your and yours too!
Ya, I agree with you–cherish the good memories! Have fun with Mickey! :-D
@Alby: Yeah, need to play more with Mickey before my nephew and nieces come over and then I have dutifully as their uncle let them have their turns. *grumbles grumbles*
What a lovely surprise! Dwarf gazelle indeed! This one looks so sprightly. I love dogs!
Sadly, my dad’s two dogs have mysteriously disappeared recently. Ah well, we never know the length of time we have with them. Just like with family. I am reminded to cherish every moment.
@Camemberu: Yeah – totally like a dwarf gazelle – it sorta trots like a horse or a deer or an antelope… but you know, a pygmy version, haha.
I’m sorry to hear about your father’s dogs disappearing. I hope they return soon. Some dogs just know how to find their way back to their families.
And yes, we have to cherish every moment we have with our families and loved ones. I guess that is what our reunion dinners on the eve of Chinese New Year is partly for – to remind us of this.
Ahahah… I believe your nieces and nephew would looooveee Mickey so much!
Hmm.. should I get myself a Spitz now?
*meditating*
@Alby: They will love Mickey to bits, I bet. Hehe.
And that’s a thought – a new dog for Alby as a Chinese New Year gift! Better than angpows any day, aye?
What a lovely surprise, Kenny! I’m an animal person myself – dogs or cats, I love them. I grew up with 6 dogs running around!
I’m so glad you have Mickey for CNY – I get to play with my uncle’s retriever too, and she’s got the cutest little face and waggiest tail (she also loves Jacobs cracker biscuits, and will come and bark for them with no shame. Admittedly, she’s trained us well…)
@Spindle Girl: Six dogs? That’s way more than me. The most I had growing up was two dogs at one time.
And don’t you agree – sometimes it’s our pets that got us on a leash, and not the other way round? Hehe.
say’hi’ to mickey mah for me and give him a hug! i’m a dog lover too, when i was small, my family had 4 dogs , all spitz. I remember that sometimes i will grab one of them (puppies then) and sleep with them, my brother just cant stand me doing this. One was then given to my grandparents and the rest all died of old age.
After that, we never had dogs…until 8 years ago, i got another dog, she’s a lab retriever, honestly, i find it therapeutic just sitting with her in my garden, the only thing i wish is she doesnt hop and jump on me too much because each time she does that, she will tend to step on my toes, she’s so heavy and overweight and that’s really hurts!
@lena: I think sometimes owning dogs can be a cyclical thing. We have them when we are younger, then when we grow up and go to university or to work, we sorta move out of this until we settle down again, and the longing, the pangs return and we know – it is time to find some canine companionship again.
I only hope one day we shall own a place of our own that is big enough to fit a garden and more dogs – a lab retriever sounds nice!
I wish that would happen this year.. anyway thanks for the ‘thought’ :-)
@Alby: Just wish upon a star… and a Spitz may come to your open arms from afar! *beams*
Cute nyer. Tapi saya tak suka anjing macam itu. Saya suka dog besar dan tak merepek banyak. Ini version, which is more like a cat as u say, is the kind I suka Mak sepak. No offense. I jus prefer mine bigger and hairier. Lol
Anyway, happy new year to u and the devil. Let’s toss to more Yee Sang when ur back!
@alilfatmonkey: I know what you mean, bro. I was just chatting with Devil on the phone and telling him I wanted a place with a garden one day cos I prefer bigger dogs like Kou Kou who can guard our home too.
Plus, I’m not really a fan of toy dogs, really. But Mickey’s far from one. Boy really has some character. But mini pinschers are apparently very family-oriented and possessive. Good luck to my parents! Hahaha…
awwww, so adorable! and he looks really sharp and intelligent (better not try to pull the wool over his cute lil eyes!) :D
love his name too, even though ‘mickey’ makes me think of a mouse. once he gets used to it, you could play him that song that goes, ‘hey mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine, you blow my mind, hey mickey!’ :D
i like both dogs and cats, though i’ve never had any pets besides the odd tortoise or bird. my favorite dogs are golden retrievers and beagles. alas, the closest i can get to canines is watching youtube clips of the national geographic channel’s ‘dog whisperer’ (so addictive!) :D
@Sean: That’s IT! That’s the missing piece of my trying to describe the personality of Mickey in this post – how sharp and intelligent he is.
In fact, I’m sure Mickey would love that song – also titled ‘Mickey’ – though it might just get to his cute lil head.
You oughta swap that kitchen-less apartment of yours for a larger place with a garden/backyard for your golden retriever/beagle(s). Dream it and make it happen, my friend!
oh, the other thing that’s missing is an accurate sense of his size. could he fit into paris hilton’s handbag? :D
kou kou was much bigger, rite. wonder if he and mickey will ever meet. and whether they’d like each other, or would they be jealous rivals, vying for your affection :P
hmmm, actually i don’t wanna stay on landed property because i have a rat phobia. and since rats are unlikely to invade condos, i should just remain on the 14th floor where i’m safe from them. but then again, if i could train my future dog to catch rats (or rather, to just keep them away, preferably)…
@Sean: Mickey wouldn’t. Cos I wouldn’t allow Ms. Hilton anywhere near my dog.
Kou Kou and Mickey will probably be friends and yap happily at each other. Unlike them arrogant felines my best friend loves so much…
And you have murophobia? (Just googled it.) Just train your future dog to be a rat-catcher as you said, and you will be fine. And since you don’t seem keen on a kitchen, I doubt rats will have much interest in your home, my friend.
considering mickey’s smaller size though, would you be able to bring him up to KL for visits? if so, then i’d pop by taman desa with some doggie treats (foie gras-flavored canine crackers?)! :D
cats aren’t snooty. they just behave that way to maintain their regal reputation (just like how queen elizabeth II might be a really friendly lady, but she needs to preserve a air of detachment and decorum in public) :D
errrr, i don’t want my dog to catch rats! then i’d have to actually handle the rats and throw them away! i’m also rather cockroach-phobic (don’t know the word for that either), but i’ve had cockroaches in my apartment about four or five times in the past eight years. once, i got so agitated and flustered, i sprayed it with a bottle of air freshener instead of insecticide :P
@Sean: Foie gras doggie treats? Dude, you are so gonna spoil the market!
Did you just compare them snooty cats to Queen E the Second?
Where do all the rats and cockroaches in your life come from? Maybe it’s the scent from all those decadent dinners you have every night clinging onto you that calls happily to them…
Such an adorable ‘alien’ … hehe. Can’t help by seeing those puppy eyes.
Happy CNY Kenny. And have fun training Mickey …
@J2Kfm: Happy CNY to you too, mate! And no need to train Mickey – he came fully trained! Hooray… no dog poo in the house! Hehe.
eeeks, what are you feeding mickey then? chicken bones?!?
you might be pleased to hear that queen elizabeth II is a dog person. she currently owns three corgis (legend has it that corgis were once used by fairies in the british isles to pull their coaches and carry the fairy queen) :D
sigh, i have been plagued by pests for much of my life. i can trace my roach phobia to the time when i was maybe eight years old and woke up to discover a cockroach crawling in my hair…
@Sean: No, no – a Mini Pinscher will probably choke on small bones like that. We feed Mickey pet food for dogs. I’m not entirely sure what that’s made of, to be honest, but certainly not foie gras!
Well, them fairy corgis may have pulled the fairy queen around the British isles, but our Mickey is probably only gonna pull his cute little blanket around the house. Heh.
A roach in your hair at the age of eight? You must have been traumatised. (Maybe I found some cockles and mangosteens in my hair when I was a kid too – would explain my disgust with that stuff.)
Cat person. =)
Anyway, here’s wishing you and family and loved ones a Happy Chinese New Year. =)
*HUGS*
@Michelle: *meeeooowwww to you, then*
A very prosperous and happy Chinese New Year to you and yours, my dear!
*HUGS*
yikes. isn’t there an urban legend about how some pet food companies catch stray dogs and then kill and grind them into dog food themselves? you could be raising a cannibal canine! :P
hmmmm, maybe you could test tonight whether mickey might enjoy eating yee sang (maybe you could even train him in advance to put his paws together to hold chopsticks and toss the raw fish and veggies with his new family). woof! :D
@Sean: That’s exactly what it is, my overexcited friend, an urban legend. You and cannibalism… sheesh.
I think Mickey would rather skip yee sang and go for the chicken and pork instead. Meatier…
Wow…lovely dog!^_~
Have a blessed new year and union with your family. ^_~
@rachel: Thanks, dear! Was just playing with Mickey just now, before our reunion lunch. Hehe.
Have a blessed Lunar New Year to you and your family too, my friend!
DOGGY!!! <3 <3 <3
(hmmm actually I like dogs but I like cats too! Unfortunately my parents dislike animals in general so can't adopt either…)
@J the chocoholic: Aww… Maybe you can do what we do and simply visit friends with pets and shower all your love and attention on them. (This way, you get all the fun of pampering without the messy bits like cleaning poo, haha.)
Lol. That’s genius!
(sounds like a great plan)
@J the chocoholic: Hahaha, glad you approve! Have a heart-warming and wonderful reunion dinner, my friend!
Mickey is a lil bit skinny la… but he’s cute with a pair of innocent eyes! never have pets in my home, don’t know how it’s going to be especially cleaning the poo ;)
@CK Jr: Miniature Pinschers are meant to be lean liddat lah… we aren’t starving him, haha.
He’s house-trained so he will only go poo-poo when we take him outside to the garden. Yay.
lols… my mom n i are both cat and dog lovers… :)
both very different and distinct qualities and we loved them dearly… but had to give em up for adoption once the family decided to babysit other people’s kids for a living… :(
@asstha: There’s always “adopting” other people’s pets by visiting them regularly, hehe.