My Love Affair With Jake Tyler Gurrie

I can recall the 1st time I met him as though it happened only yesterday. It was on 28th of Feb, 2007 and it took place at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. Jakey Boy, my latest nephew, firstborn to Michael & Clara Gurrie was making his way to the birth country of his mother, Malaysia, for the 1st time. The flight was scheduled to arrive at 5.30am local time and along with my trusted pooch Phoebe, I made my way to the airport, driving along the highway covered by the pre-dawn mist. It was dark and very few cars were on the road. It was too quiet and I was shivering from the cold as well as from the gloomy atmosphere. I switched on the radio and started singing along to my favourite channel, MixFM and Phoebe sensing that my mood is improving, started to sing along too... woof woof woof woof woof woof....

We arrived at the airport at about 6.15am and a quick call to my mother in-law confirmed that the plane had just landed but no signs of the passengers at the arrival gate as yet. Being an over excited aunt, I waited patiently in the car with Phoebe eating chocolates and drinking Nescafe Latte (to keep me awake). Phoebe had her favourite snack, beef rawhide and she chewed happily without a care.

At about 6.45am, my mother in-law called to say that the two of them together with the much awaited passengers are making their way towards the car. Plans were then made to meet up in front of the airport so that mom can jump in to my car, baby sit Phoebe for a little while in order for me to run to the ticketing counter. The reason for this was that I needed to collect my tickets to Melbourne, Australia. Mom will then travel with us to Lukut. This arrangement will also create some space for Clara & baby Jake, who were sitting in dad's back seat. The two cars will then make our way to Bandar Springhill, Lukut, the place where my in-laws purchased their recent house.

Once at the house, I could not hold back my happiness at meeting this adorable baby boy. I quickly ran to Clara, greeted her in a hurry as I could no longer contain my excitement to hold Jake in my arms. My God, this bundle of joy is a hefty one. In less than 20 minutes, my arms were aching and I had to let him down. A quick check with Clara revealed that Jake has already hit 7 kgs on the weighing scale even though he is only 9 months old. That's heavy my dear boy. What have u been eating? Kangaroo meat? Just kidding.................





It's no wonder why everyone falls in love easily with Jake. He's such a charmer (like his dad?). Jake seldom cries (unless he sees you holding his milk bottle and has no intention of giving it to him), he smiles a lot and laughs easily at the silliest action that I made.





Best of all, Jake is not afraid of animals. He was so captivated by Phoebe who was running around the house non-stop from the moment we arrived and even tried to crawl so fast as though he was trying to keep up to speed with her.






He flashed me the sweetest of smiles every now and then and his little cheeky grin really brightened up my day. So endearing, this sweet little nephew of mine.





I knew that I was hooked to this little baby magnet and silently in my heart I thanked God for giving my sister in law the wisdom to make my husband Jake's godfather. This means Jake will forever have a strong connection to us and I vowed to take care of him as best as I could whenever given the chance.





I will teach him to respect all of God's creatures, to appreciate nature and how to find joy in playing in the rain.








I will teach him to respect the elders as they are full of wisdom, to be humble as we are all equal no matter what rank we acquire in life, to find beauty by giving assistance to the needy by means of spending a day volunteering at an orphanage or a shelter rather than giving out huge donations without even knowing the actual recipients personally, to have a strong character and will power so that he can face any hurdle that comes his way and lastly to appreciate the uniqueness of being born in a family of mix parentage as he is truly blessed to have the best of two different cultures.





To Jake:
I wish you happiness and joy that life could offer,
I wish you love that is ever so tender,
A bundle of joy you bring us love,
A true blessing you are from up above.





Love, hugs and many kisses,
Aunt Ann.

MKA All Breed Dog Championship Show, Dec 31st, 2006.

My 1st Penang trip was a very exciting one. On our way to Penang, mom let me sit with her at the driver’s seat so I got a crash course on how to manage the steering – yeah right! Then Aragon could not hold his bladder, so that little brother of mine peed on Aunty Ying’s shirt! Upon reaching Penang, mom drove to Kek Lok Si in search for the famous Assam Laksa then went out to eat leaving we three Silkies in the car with the coconut drink seller as our guardian but since Aragorn was small enough to follow them by sitting prettily in Aunty Ying's bag, he got the chance to tag along—UNFAIR MOM!



We managed to reach our apartment un-detected that night and were later treated to a nice dinner. After a short rest, Aunty Cris bathe both Suki & Misty in the bathtub! What a treat. I was given a treat as well as I got to sleep with mom on the soft hotel bed! Morning came too soon and what a hectic one it was. Mom got up, fed us then immediately took her bath. She then gathered all of us and we made our way to PISA. Aunty Cris settled the hotel’s bill which was rather affordable, RM 150++ for a 3 rooms apartment (Vistana Hotel & Apartments). When we reached PISA, Aunty Valerie was already there grooming Pongo. She had also secured us a space nearby so that we could all chat and mingle with her, Pongo, Rita and Winter. I guess mom was feeling very nervous about handling a dog in her 1st competition as she insisted to groom both Suki and Misty on her own. To start the day, mom asked Aunty Julie to gather her hair in a bun and since we only have CC Strong Hold Hair Spray, Aunty Julie sprayed mom’s hair with it. I can now confidently tell everyone that it is a very good product.



Not only it could hold mom’s unruly hair throughout the day, mom told me that it was also soft to the touch. Mom patted me on the head in between brushing both Suki & Misty as she did not want me to feel left out.



Mom gave them a sinful amount of Ice on Ice spray all over their coat and when she was done, they both look like those glamorous dogs living in Hollywood.



To cut the story short, both Suki and Misty got a lot of fans on that day. People were coming over to our station asking about our grooming secret.



We proudly told them about the CC range of products as well as the secrets of feeding Canidae Holistic dog food.






During the 1st competition, mom was a little bit nervous and Suki did not walk well so Misty took the credit by winning Reserve Best of Breed.







That afternoon, during the 2nd competition, Suki did everyone proud by winning the Best of Breed title.



All of us were feeling very excited and happy with the results. Lots of people came around to congratulate us and I could see that both Aunty Cris and mom were very happy with the result after the hard day's work. Thanks to both Aunty Julie and Aunty Ying for their assistance in looking after Aragorn and me when both Aunty Cris and mom were at the ring showing my buddies, Suki & Misty. Without them both Aunty Cris and mom would not be as confident as they were as they will always be thinking of us as well as the grooming kits left on the table.



Once we were over the excitement, mom asked everyone to pack away all the stuffs and made a second inspection as not to leave anything behind. Since mom has decided to start our drive home early in order to beat the traffic, we immediately started packing and made our way to the car park. Somehow on the way back, Suki must have been feeling a little bit giddy from all the excitement of winning such a title that she vomited on top of Aunty Julie’s shirt. Poor Suki. The drive back was very eventful as we were driving along Rawang when the clock struck 12 midnight and the New Year dawns unto us. Both Aunty Julie and mom were wishing each other happy new year and from the car, we could see the fireworks display probably somewhere at KLCC and Bukit Jalil. With two of my best Silky buddies winning, I personally believe that the year 2007 will bring us more good blessings. Congratulations to both Suki and Misty. You’ve done us proud. Ms Phoebe Cates is very happy to be part of the exciting adventure in Penang and would like to wish everyone a Happy 2007. Posted are a few photos of the other dogs taking part in the competition on that day. Have fun viewing. Lots of love, hugs and kisses from me, Miss Phoebe Cates.

Miss Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates - she was this sweet smiling actress that has an aura of innocence about her – something that really appealed to the guys in my hometown way back then. She was the number 1 sought after wall poster for so many years and until today, my friends can still talk about her captivating smile endlessly.




So when my little brother Raymond called me to inform that he’s coming over with an adopted Silky Terrier named Phoebe, I wondered whether she’ll be as drop dead gorgeous as Ms Phoebe Cates. I waited patiently and my anticipation was greatly rewarded. Phoebe the Silky Terrier is not only a beautiful petite female dog with a beautiful smiling face, she’s also very perky and energetic. Phoebe is always dashing around the house but not without stopping by my side to get a pat on her head or a hug. Unfortunate the previous owner was unable to maintain her beautiful glistering coat and did the most unthinkable act by asking a groomer to actually shave her down. A shameful waste actually, as Silky Terriers are truly known for their beautiful coat.



Instead of being disheartened by her odd looking appearance, I did a quick inspection on her skin condition and found out that she has rashes on her back as well on her undersides. Phoebe was not used to being handled so much as her previous owner actually kept her in a very small cage most of the time. She was trying to wriggle herself out of my grip when I realized that she had a few ticks on her as well. It was no longer something fun as I have 2 other cats, Ah Boy, my 14 year old American Shorthair mixed Persian and Sirius Black, a local that I rescued from drowning 3 years back. I quickly drove to House of Groomers at SS15, the Grooming Academy that I was suppose to join and ask them to do complete grooming on Phoebe plus a tick wash. I must say that they did a good job as Phoebe came out looking good (thanks Candy) after two hours with them. My future grooming instructor, Ms Annie Goh then told me that I should find out about Phoebe’s diet as well as medical records. In order to control the rashes breakout, Ms. Annie suggested that I change her diet to Canidae and asked me to apply Vetz Choice cream on the affected areas on the body. I was also told to put Phoebe on Frontline in order to keep her ticks & fleas problem at bay.

As for growing her hair at a faster rate than normal, she advised that I actually brush Phoebe on a daily basis as well as adding Primrose Oil formulated for animals into her diet everyday. She also introduced the Chris Christensen Day to Day Moisturising Shampoo Introduction Kit for me to use on Phoebe as they can help in promoting good hair growth. All these seem to take place so long ago but in actual fact it took place only last July.



Today after nearly 6 months of looking after Phoebe religiously, she has grown into a very beautiful dog with a coat to be envied by many. She has given me much joy by always being by my side and not fighting with the cats (maybe because they are actually much bigger than her). No one actually believed that the Phoebe now is the same dog that came in July. She truly has changed.

So for those who are unsure on how to actually treat their dogs for skin problems as well as growing and maintaining quality coat on their dogs, do contact me and we can share our experiences as well as have a great time talking about our pets.



Some people say that it is impossible to be totally in love with a Terrier as they are very noise, constantly yapping at noises that they cannot identify with. It was not the case with me. Phoebe was ever grateful that she is no longer kept in a cage and she made full use of the space available to run and sniff out every corner. She’s a gentle creature who can have a game of hide and seek with Sirius Black or have a quiet nap with Ah Boy.



She listens to me but has the tendency to think that all the soft toys in the house are meant for her. Everyone who meets her says that she a very adorable gal. Her coat is growing well, she has a very good appetite and is very sociable. All and all, a truly remarkable little gal that has changed my life tremendously. I love you Phoebe.