17 September 2012

{17sept2012: circus freak walk}

Walks with Darwin are always so entertaining here. The staring and pointing and loud gasps of fear, it's like we are walking the bearded woman or wolf boy or some other circus freak down the street. Here's a glimpse at one walk a month ago to pick up some lunch at Holland Village.





The staring and pointing is nothing compared to the screaming we got this weekend though.
We decided to take Darwin to the beach this weekend and getting to the beach means taking a cab (at least til we figure out getting a license here and renting a car). Our first cab experience was a learning one and since then we've figured out texting to book a cab is the easiest way to do it. (You can send a text message to the cab company with your zip code and they'll send a confirmation and cab number pretty quickly. We just add a note that we have a big dog with us and it's worked out fairly well.) Well we got to the beach with no problems and spent a couple hours there (I had a cold so we didn't stay out too long) and we texted to book a cab to go back home.
The first cab showed up (well he had just dropped off passengers at the same location) and refused to take us because he didn't see we had a dog and he's Muslim, ok fine.
So we texted again and was confirmed a cab. He showed up and I walk over and he's like no I can't take you. And I asked why, we had said we had a dog and he confirmed our booking. He said he's scared of dogs. At that point Jason had walked over with Darwin and as soon as Darwin got near his cab he started screaming (like a little girl). Oi.
We were really annoyed by that point and booked another cab. Finally a cab showed up who, though he was scared of dogs (he asked if Darwin would bite him, and I reassured him that she would not), accepted us and got us home.
It's always an adventure with a big dog in Singapore.

14 comments:

  1. Oy is right!! Never a dull moment. There is another blogger in Singapore. When I remember who they are, I'll send a link. DUH....

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  2. sounds like you have a LOT of adventure going on. Darwin is a good ambassador though we bet.
    Wags
    Ernie

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  3. Screamed like a little girl. Ha roo roo roo! I'd like to have seen that!
    Play bows,
    Zim

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  4. Mom is laughing but it's not funny. Poor Darwin. Guess they don't have big dogs there. At least you will never get robbed
    Benny & Lilu

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  5. Well I have never had anybody scream but there is always lots of pointing and questions. I can imagine your frustration. Good on the last cab driver for overcoming his fear and for Darwin not biting...... I might have been tempted to get Max to give him a big lick. Is that bad?

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  6. Darwin, you are a hit wherever you go. You must feel like a movie star with all that pointing and screaming. Have you seen any other Danes in Singapore yet? Hope you meet one soon to share stories. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

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  7. Sheesh! That's annoying! We've experienced some weirdness with people with our dogs before, but not quite on that level, thank goodness!

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  8. Love reading about your adventures in Singapore (often a silent reader now). Are Great Danes really, really rare out there? So funny they don't consider her a 'dog'.

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  10. LOL! And you're sure it's not Jason they're screaming for ? ;o))
    I too, allthough "only" a bullmastiff, get extra attention whenever going out, but so far noone has screamed... What an experience.. hope they don't scare Darwin the Cutiepie...
    Bundy the Bullmastiff in DK

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  11. omg. hahahaha. poor darwin. maybe you should tell cab companies, "Very very big dog!"

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  12. Yeah "big" means lab or golden to most people. I would just tell them you have a great Dane. The pointing is very embarrassing. My momma says she wished she knew how much attention I would bring before she considered a Dane... she doesn't like the attention.

    woof - Tucker

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  13. Oh my God - I know I shouldn't laugh but that bit in your story when you said the taxi driver started screaming like a little girl...HA! HA! HA! HA! No, seriously - knowing how crowded & urbanised Singapore is - and knowing the typical Asian attitude to dogs - I can totally imagine what it must be like going out with Darwin there!! And wow - I'm impressed that you can actually go to the beach there - are there beaches that allow dogs? Singapore must be more dogfriendly than I thought!

    Hsin-Yi

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  14. Ive heard singapore was hard if you had a dog, especially a big dog.

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