Before the pandemic brought life to a standstill, the parking lot of the school in George Town would be swarming with cars and idle parents. But today, it is Olly’s playground.
On all fours she chases after her red ball, running back and forth excitedly, her brown-and-white coat contrasting with the green of the shrubbery threatening to overtake the lot.
When she jumps into her daddy’s arms, it is heaven on earth for dog and human alike.
“We welcomed Olly into our lives in 2019 and it’s not been the same since,” Tsen Seong Fook tells FMT.
“She was three months old when we drove all the way to Ipoh to pick her up,” he says, explaining that they got Olly from a kennel.
Tsen recalls how his family doted over the little puppy, showering her with snuggles as they drove across Penang Bridge headed for home.
Olly quickly settled in and wanted nothing more than to chase after Coca, her new furry sister, as well as the cats that roamed the house.
Her humans shortly discovered the puppy couldn’t stand the Malaysian heat and would cool herself down in whatever way she could.
“She was always stepping into her water bowl and the pond,” Tsen laughs. Three years later, Olly has grown too big but still tries her luck fitting into things.
“She’s a fast learner; she picked up basic skills like ‘sit’, ‘shake hands’ and ‘down’ at just five months old,” her proud daddy says, adding that it only took a day of training and a little patience.
Tsen even brought her to weekly obedience training classes where he spent hours with Olly, learning from a certified dog trainer to sharpen her skills.
“She has mastered searching for things, fetching her leash, and finding her red ball,” he says, in addition to tricks such as sitting between his legs, moving left or right, and keeping watch over his belongings.
Tsen loves going for runs with his beloved pooch by his side.
“My best moments with her were when we would go for runs before her class,” the avid marathoner shares, recalling how her tail would wag excitedly as they went.
“After class, watching her play with the other dogs really warmed my heart.”
However, one day of training took a turn when Olly bit a dog sitting next to her.
“The beagle kept barking non-stop and Olly must have grown tired of it as the next thing I knew, she had her teeth on the beagle’s ear!”
Tsen immediately jumped into action as he pried Olly’s jaw away with his bare fingers.
The incident left Tsen in dismay as Olly normally “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, but proved even a gentle giant’s patience can wear thin.
“I was really scared at that moment,” he admits, but adds thankfully that he’s not had any similar encounters since, and will be sure to stay Olly away from yapping hounds for the foreseeable future.
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.