Ros - Dog Mum to Lele

Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them: Alfred N. Whitehead

Ros with her pack on a dog walk

This quote by a renowned Anglo-American philosopher and mathematician was taken seriously by Ros. She got the idea and she worked on it. And guess what??? It became a success. Journey of her playschool started after she became a pet parent 8 years back to a fur ball of energy, Lele, a beagle.

I have heard about kennels, dog training centers, shelters, cafes, but never a dog playschool. When I met Ros for the first time at a dog run with her pooches in a park in Singapore, I was amazed to see how she was handling 8-9 dogs alone and the obedience level of all of them. I mentioned about Ros and her playschool in one of my blogs.

A Day at the Dog Run

If you are in Singapore and visiting a local park on a weekend, there is a chance to meet Ros with her pack while giving them some great exercise. And once she blows her whistle everyone is back to the pack leader.

Me: I still have your picture in my mind the day I met you first. Everything in command and control with a treat pouch and cap.

Ros: Thank you. Both cap and the treat pouch are my basic needs now. Don't even know when I wear them or probably remove them.

Me: Share your journey of being mum to Lele.

Ros: Lele is 8 years old beagle and I got her as our first dog without knowing about the journey. But now I see, Lele was the best decision ever made in my life. After I got her, I search the Internet fanatically, started reading a lot on dogs and watched almost every dog training video on YouTube to train a puppy. Through the process of initial learning, I hit roadblocks when Lele did not learn much.

After going through the positive and negative moments, I finally understood that dog training is about consistency and motivation. It takes lot of patience and most importantly love and trust.

Me: So in this entire process of training Lele, what did you learn?

Me: Right. Simple but important lessons for life. How did the idea of dog playschool strike?

Ros: I was very attached to her in the first 2 years of growing up Lele and I wanted to spend more time wit her. So I decided to work as a dog walker and a pet sitter with the help of a friend. After some time I started giving pet visits, outing and transport services to the clients. With time, my interest in training other dogs also grew other than Lele and within few years I got completely involved in dog training and dog sports.

I attended professional obedience classes using positive reinforcement methods for dogs and participated in dog agility training too. While I was still working as a pet sitter, I felt that most of dogs have to stay long hours at home. Then I thought of starting a playschool, which is completely different from a kennel or training center.

Me: Even I found the idea of a dog playschool very unique when you told me about it.

Ros: Yes. Just like kids even dogs need some form of socializing for few hours and then they want to go back to their parents. So LeBliss Paws & Friends combines a curriculum of activities of both indoor and outdoor that helps the puppies and dogs to learn, adapt and socialize. Exercising the dogs, bringing for pack walks or letting them run and play chase happily at the dog park is one of the most beautiful thing to watch.

Me: I have seen that happiness on your face. But handling so many dogs at the same time. How do you manage to keep them stay together without being violent with each other.

Ros: It is important to understand about dog's behavior and reading dog's body language. Through experience, we ensure that dogs mingle well within the pack. But as we are professionals in this field and to make this method understand to parents, we have to take all the dogs visiting our pet school through a day long session of temperament assessment.

Me: Oh that sounds very professional.

Ros: Yes. It does and without this assessment we don't allow any dog. If a dog does not clear the assessment or due to behavioral issues we don't find the dog suitable, we suggest alternative solutions to the parents. We have records of every dog who comes to our playschool with their history and characteristics marked. We make a note of everything from their eating habits to the way they play or wrestle with other dogs.

Me: Sounds lot of work and series of observations.

Ros: Yes, a lot of work but observations are part of working. It is not a separate activity. It just comes while you are working with them. I don't observe consciously.

Me: True. So if anybody wants to adopt or buy a dog in Singapore, what is the right process?

Ros: Sincerely, I would love to encourage adoption best possible as first choice. There are several pet adoption Facebook sites including dog rescue groups and shelter to make a good choice. As for buying puppy, looking for reputable breeder in Singapore can be challenging.

Other than those import from overseas, it’s a good thing if you are able to see the parents of the puppy before making a decision. By seeing the parents, you will be able to understand the health and other characteristics of your pup.

A happy workplace of Ros

Me: Great advice. So what is the most beautiful as well as challenging part of being a dog mum.

Ros: Returning home from a hard day of work to that wet nose and wagging tail takes away all the tiredness. I love the way Lele greets and welcomes me back at the door The most challenging is not able to spend more time with them and seeing them grow older.

And for those new dog mums, I always advice, enjoy the puppy-hood and that includes the potty training which is the most challenging.

Me: That's sweet. Would you like to recommend any ideal diet for a dog?

Ros: Personally, I would recommend raw diets for dog. But before anyone decide to dip into raw feeding, a thorough understanding and read up is a must. Lele was on raw diet for the past 6 years. Recently I have changed her diet to home cooked using Petcubes as it is very convenient to readily prepare her meals.

Me: Share your thoughts on "Dog is the man's best friends".

Ros: Dog is not just the man’s best friend. They have made our lives complete. Before Lele came into my life, I did not understand how can someone love another person more than themselves.

Since I have her, she taught me what unconditional love looks like and how to never give up on giving love until the person is transformed.

Me: What are services offered by LeBliss and where it is located in Singapore. Are visitors allowed to come and see your playschool?

Ros: We are located in vicinity of Beauty World MRT, at 21 Lorong Kilat #01-07. Our playschool offers basic yet important services. We provide daycare sessions in a conductive, joyful and stimulating environment with the freedom to learn through play and games. We advocate positive reinforcement, bonding sessions through clicker, training games like basic obedience cues, sit, down, stay and tricks, such as give paw, roll over, spin and turn.

Thank you Ros for being part of blog series, Dog Mothers. It was definitely an enriching experience talking to you about your playschool and your journey as a dog mum.

Happy Reading!