Well, one lucky doggie has the latter checked because he has the privilege of calling Little Habitat, a sprawling pet campsite in Bentong, Pahang, his home.
Say hello to the handsome Blackie, resident canine of Little Habitat. The pooch, who is only one year old, has been living at the campsite since he was a puppy.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Sim Casheen, the founder of Little Habitat, shared that the sweet pup was a gift from a friend who owned Blackie’s mother.
“He was so adorable and small. But he was already very energetic!” recalled the 27-year-old fondly.
Since then, Blackie has charmed the hearts of many visitors to the campsite. In fact, Sim says that he is like the “star” of the campsite as there have been guests who asked about him upon arrival, having seen him featured on Little Habitat’s social media accounts.
And on his part, Blackie takes his job of welcoming guests to his home very seriously.
“He’ll greet you at the car and bring you to the check-in counter,” said Sim. A heartwarming welcome, indeed!
Nevertheless, Sim revealed that the clever Blackie somehow knew how to differentiate between visitors and non-visitors. “He’ll bark when it’s not a guest. It’s amazing!” said Sim.
According to Sim, Blackie loves to swim and it’s something that he indulges in every single day. How nice that he has a pet-friendly swimming pool in his very own backyard!
The funny about Blackie is that although he loves to swim, he detests being given a bath. “He’ll just run around. So, I’ll need to pull and grab him. So, every time I give him a bath, I end up bathing myself!” Sim shared with a laugh.
During FMT Lifestyle’s visit, Blackie was spotted sprinting happily around the campsite, clearly relishing being in nature.
And while he is generally friendly with humans, he doesn’t like unwelcome visitors to his home. Sim recalled an incident when an anteater wandered into the campsite.
“He started barking and it was then that we realised it was here. It was the first time. So, he’s very attentive to what happens around here,” Sim recalled proudly.
When he’s not guarding the campsite and helping Sim with host duties, he enjoys chasing birds and flies.
There are also two other things that he loves: food and belly rubs – and there is little doubt that his humans indulge him in both!
Sim added that Blackie is also a brave boy who’s neither scared of thunderstorms or trips to the vet.
For Sim and the Little Habitat team, Blackie is simply a source of pure joy. “He’s just special,” Sim concluded.
This article was written by Sheela Vijayan. Read more pet stories here.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.