Abby, or Bii for short, is a relatively new and surprising addition to Alyssa’s household.
Alyssa’s boyfriend, who goes by the nickname SS, is a huge fan of Jack Russell Terriers and had previously taken care of four other Jack Russells.
Sadly, three of them have crossed the rainbow bridge, and it is due to this reason that SS had been putting off getting another furry friend. He simply could not bear the heartbreak of losing another pet.
After coming across Abby on Mudah.my and after much contemplation, however, Alyssa and SS followed their hearts and decided to throw caution to the wind. They got into their car and drove all the way to Ipoh from Penang to pick up their new family member.
“The funny thing is she was not the excited little puppy clinging onto people. Instead, she slept the whole two hours back to Penang,” laughed Alyssa at the recollection.
The first week of getting Abby settled in was not without trouble. This was because, according to Alyssa, Abby was everything but obedient.
“Her chief trait is that she is an attention seeker. Once you stop paying attention to her, she will unleash her wrath,” said Alyssa.
She recounted the times Abby would defecate in the living room on purpose, step on her mess and walk around everywhere – leaving Abby and SS no choice but to clean up after!
“This is her ultimate weapon. If we are alert enough, we will see her doing her business in the toilet, but she’ll carry one or two out just to create some mess for us to see – all in the name of attention.”
The couple did try their best to potty train Abby, but the little pooch is somehow too stubborn (or cheeky) to listen.
“Luckily, our other 12-year-old Jack Russell, Leng Lui, came to our rescue. She played a huge role in potty-training Abby.”
Explaining that Abby is a copycat, Alyssa noticed that once the pup saw Leng Lui doing her business in the toilet, she followed suit. That was how Abby ended up being fully potty-trained.
But, despite all the literal mess Abby has caused, the couple loves the fact that she is never sad.
“No matter how much you reprimand her or scold her, she’ll still look at you with that happy, lovable face,” said Alyssa, who confessed that this is a trait she wished to learn from her pet.
When it comes to entertaining Abby the attention-seeker, Alyssa admitted that she has spent a considerable amount of money purchasing toys but ultimately, Abby has chosen balls and T-shirts as her favourite.
Alyssa also said that she makes sure she takes Abby out as often as she can, as the little Jack Russell may be tiny, but she is extremely energetic.
One would think that with such an attitude, Abby would be quite a picky eater. Alyssa was quite pleasantly surprised herself when she found that Abby would eat absolutely anything – including vegetables and fruits.
“If I were to choose a favourite food of hers, it would have to be steak. I cooked it for her on her birthday and she scarfed it down within seconds!”
But when it comes to water, though, Abby is most certainly picky.
“There was once that she was whining near her water bowl, and she stood there pawing at the bowl and whining. Guess what? She wanted us to change the water for her because the water was over six hours old and was not as fresh as she would like.”
Though Abby may be small and does not come off as fierce, she does have advantages over other dogs: she loves fireworks, has no problems with loud noises and is not scared of going to the vet.
She even loves playing with children and would whine if she’s unable to do so. She is clearly a people person – or shall we say pooch?
Just make sure you keep your attention on her though, otherwise, she might cause a scene or worse, a mess! But with such a happy, lovable and innocent face, we’re certain that Abby would get away with it anyway.
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.