Pickles is blind but you'd not know it. — Photos: DIDI PIRINYUANG
Seven years ago Pickles (then known as Daisy) was in serious trouble.
She’d been attacked and her eyes were damaged. Left at the PAWS shelter, she was inches away from being put down.
Thanks to the PAWS staff, excellent veterinary care and a small miracle, Pickles won through and found a loving forever home with Nikki and Didi Pirinyuang. This week I caught up with the little dog and her mum.
“I can’t believe it’s been so long!” Didi, creative director at an ad agency in Kuala Lumpur, exclaims. “Agnes at PAWS thought Pickles was about 18 months old when they put her up for adoption, so Pickles is now almost nine years old – she’s about to become a senior dog.”
Pickles hasn’t changed a bit: same face and the same wide, panting smile.
The one thing that isn’t noticeable is that she had some bad teeth.
“Pickles hates having her teeth brushed, but last year we had a health scare,” Didi shares.
“When we went for a checkup and a clean, she had several bad teeth, some of which had to be removed. We now brush religiously every night.”
Pickles loves her toys and keeps herself amused while mum is at work.
Like humans, some dogs have bad teeth even if they have an excellent diet. Pickles is ultra picky.
“She eats her gourmet cooked pet food, and she’s a nut for chicken rice, but for the rest, Pickles is not interested,” Didi says.“If you give her a treat she doesn’t like, she takes it and hides it away. It’s a bit disconcerting because I think I’ve finally found something she wants, but then I find it later, tucked away discreetly under her rug.”
Which may be disappointing but it also shows excellent manners!
Pickles is clearly happy and that’s due to her lives a life of luxury and ease.
“She’s just acquired a beanbag,” Didi giggles. “She took over the couch so I treated myself to a Moody beanbag – and she stole it! It’s hers and I am not allowed to sit in it. If I try, she protests. I tell her she’s spoiled and entitled but secretly I don’t care: she’s the love of my life.”
In 2018, Pickles’ story was featured in The Star. — ELLEN WHYTE
Own toy collection
Pickles has an excellent time with her extensive collection of toys, her own veranda, an indoor loo with pee pads, and lots of walks and outings.But like many pet lovers, Didi feels the pang of the shift from pandemic work-from-home and current office life.
“She’s a good girl, always independent, happy to play and be by herself,” Didi notes.“She’s never had separation anxiety. But now everyone is back at the office, she’s alone during the day.”
“I know she plays with her toys and she sleeps, but I feel guilty. Our evenings are for her.”
Pickles has play time, then grooming, followed by a massage and then a wind down before she goes to bed. It sounds a luxuriously indulgent life anyone might envy, but weekend time is even better.
At the end of a long happy day.
“When we go for walks, she’s adorable. Everyone pats her and she loves it. She’s also great with kids.
They take her leash and walk her,” Didi shares.
Pickles is also good with other dogs.
“Dogs don’t know how to approach her, as they can’t make eye contact,” Didi observes.“But as she’s friendly, her posture is good. So they come and sniff her bum but you can see they’re curious. They can’t figure out that she’s blind. The way they act around her, it’s like they’re saying, ‘what are you?’ It’s fascinating to see.”
But sweet Pickles has a dark side. When I first met her in PAWS, we hit it off immediately. But when I visited her in her condo, Pickles became uptight and growly.
In 2019, Pickles just after finding her forever mum. — ELLEN WHYTE
Interestingly, it was not a one-off.
“Pickles is a bully when she’s at home,” Didi confesses. “With visitors, she’s there watching and she is ready to pounce if they move.”
With a sighted dog, you might work with them to overcome this. But with Pickles having a terrifying start in life and being blind, it’s kinder to let her have this.
“I can’t have guests over,” Didi shrugs. “People are really shocked; they can’t believe that she is so adorable in public and mean at home. But that’s how it is. It’s her home, not mine. You might say that I live in her kennel!”
A happy dog
Nikki, Didi’s sister and aunt to Pickles, is the exception.When Pickles first moved in, the sister shared a home, so Pickles sees Nikki as part of her kennel club. However, as Nikki has now adopted a dog too, Pickles’ jealousy has shown through.
“When Nikki brought Mango home, Pickles made the most awful noises,” Didi says. “We had never seen her this way. So Mango can’t visit us.”
Didi confides, “She’s a good girl with just one quirk. It was a real surprise to discover it.” And as Didi loves to laugh, she adds with a giggle. “Every time we talk about how Pickles bullies visitors, I think of you.”
So, Pickles has fallen on her paws. Seven years on, this happy dog rejoices in her full name: Pickles the Daisy dog, with the P in Pickles being a nod to Pixie, a dearly beloved pet who passed away, and the Daisy a remembrance to her rescue by PAWS.
Pickles is living thriving proof that every dog deserves a forever home.
