{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.

{11aug2012: summer picnic}

Darwin got released from quarantine at the perfect time. The next day, Saturday, was our office summer picnic! They chose a place on the east coast that's dog friendly so Darwin could make her big debut.
Before we could do that though, we had to give Darwin a bath. She was a little stinky from travel and quarantine, and we thought she should make her first impression be a non-stinky one. So she got her first outside with a hose bath.... she was not a fan.

Then the FUN began. Not really. In Singapore it is VERY expensive to own a car so most people get around by taxi, bus or MRT. Dogs aren't allowed on the bus or MRT, which means regular taxis, or special pet taxis. The thing is pet taxi's are expensive. We had called a company and they told us it would be s$65 to take Darwin to the east coast. ONE WAY. HECK NO! The thing about regular taxi's are that many taxi drivers won't take dogs (some for religious reasons, some because they are afraid of dogs, etc). So we called a cab company (Comfort Cabs) we were told were a little more easy to get a dog friendly driver and told them we had a large dog. It took us about an hour standing outside in the heat and 4 cabs to find one that would actually take us.

(We learned that if we book a cab notifying them we have a dog, they can't say no and we shouldn't ask and just get right in. That seemed to work.)


Over an hour late, but we finally made it to the picnic!

We were a little nervous about how Darwin would do with that many people all at once, and also how some people would take to her. She did great and for the most part everyone loved her.

I even got her accessories to wear to hopefully win over some nervous people.

It was a really hot day (who am I kidding, they are all hot days here) and since we were at the beach I thought we should give Darwin some time to cool off in the water.




In all the madness of getting ready to leave in the morning we had forgot to feed Darwin (bad doggy parents), but luckily there was leftover rice after everyone ate so Darwin didn't go completely hungry.

{i love rice!}

We were there for a few hours so Darwin got a fair share of beach time.

 

One of our bosses son's was visiting and he LOVED Darwin. She had a blast chasing him on the beach too.

 
I was surprised that Darwin wasn't scared of the waves on the beach. What she was scared of though was the thunderstorm that we got caught in before we left. Luckily Darwin had a new friend to comfort her.

While Darwin was being comforted, Jason and I were both on our phones trying to call a taxi to pick us up. MAN. That was tough. Being that it was dumping down rain I think everyone in Singapore was trying to call a taxi at the same time. It took us an hour just to find one that would come, and while standing waiting for it we all got soaked. We had a blanket for Darwin though and covered the back seat and thankfully the cab driver didn't make a fuss that we were bringing a HUGE wet dog into his cab.
We survived our first adventure in a cab with Darwin. Whew.