So, life was pretty good for me.After all, I was the precious only child (and grandchild). #thosewerethedays #ineedatimemachine

Then, on one stormy night (okay, I exaggerate. It was a bright afternoon la), she came along.#thenemesisofmylife

Yap, she is Pecan Woods Loo Lim.

In her heart, Mummy had always wanted a second dog. However, she didn’t think that the time was right and hence, was never actively looking. Until she saw this pic of a senior dog (she was 10!) up for adoption. The owner had to relocate and was unable to bring her along. #ahmaactcuteonlylor #sheisabiggerfraudthanme

Mummy’s heart melted instantly as there was a striking resemblance. #istillthinkicuter When she saw a second pic, she knew instantly she wanted to adopt this dog.

However, she had one huge obstacle to cross – Daddy. She didn’t think that there would be any chance that Daddy would say yes. Yet, to her absolute surprise, Daddy actually okay-ed it. OMG #ithinkdaddysecretlyhatesme

The very first time we met, this old grumpy, smelly, stinky and mean woman attacked me. So I did what Sammy Loo does best – I rolled over and surrendered . #oiIamnotloserokay #iwasbeingnice

Well, guess that pretty much settled the dynamics between the two of us. Haiz.

Our first car ride home! #IwasstillhappycosIdidnotknowwhatwascoming

Pecan took to our household immediately. She simply strolled in, as in she belonged. I mean, she was taking all my toys and laying on all my beds. #nomannersone

For the first couple of months, we were fighting, a lot. (More like Pecan was whacking me all the time) But overtime, the fights died off and we even started playing .#iswearmummycriedtearsofjoythefirsttimeweplayed #gotsodramaanot

Apart from her crankiness with other dogs, Pecan was an awesome dog. She was house-trained, great home along, loves people (and tolerate kids) and not a fussy eater at all. Almost everything that I am not.#spoilmarketla

While she is considered rather healthy for a senior dog, ah ma did have her fair share of medical issues. Firstly, her dental healthy was pretty bad. (Her breath was really nasty). Thankfully, this was a simple fix and she underwent dental scaling to sort it out (she lost four teeth!). #ahmaisbogay 

Secondly, she had pyometra (uterine infection) and required to undergo sterilisation. (That came with a cancer scare!) Thankfully, she made a quick recovery and was back to her cranky ways really soon.

Now, she has a clean bill of health and we even celebrated her 11th birthday in 2014. #shockedthatsheisancient

Ah ma is still a work-in-progress and can be slightly reactive when leashed. Thankfully, our parents worked with a trainer to address her issues and we’re proud to say that Pecan ah ma is pretty good with other dogs now! Even better than me lor. #shereallyisspoilmarketleh #nowilooklikeabratbesideher

Well, as much as I wasn’t too pleased to have to share my parent’s attention with a smelly granny, I do enjoy her company. SOMEWHAT. Well, at least there’s someone to bother when mummy is ignoring me. Plus, she’s quite comfy to cuddle with. 

So, yap, she is my sister and I am stuck with her. But you know what, despite my endless ramblings, I can’t quite imagine life without her. So, I guess she is here to stay, and I ain’t complaining no more. #siblinglove #mummydoesnotwantmetotellyouthatsheisholdingtreatsinfrontofmetomakesurethatitypethispara #briberyatwork

Mummy’s note: Many people hesitate to bring home an older dog as they are worried about not having enough time with them, compared to a puppy. But honestly, adopting Pecan was one of the best things I did. She came fully housetrained, affectionate, great with people and kids. She did need some training, but who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? She did amazing (well, we did put in a lot of work too) and has grown to become the sweetest old lady. She has brought so much love and joy to not just myself, but everyone around me. She is truly my favourite Pecan ah ma.

So yes, I will definitely adopt another senior pet in a heartbreak again. If I can.