006| Ruff Around the Edges with Joanne Yip & Summer

Buckle up for a long podcast episode. Listen to it in two sittings if you wish, because there’s lots of good stuff in here.

In this episode we get to know all about Summer, a Singapore Special as rescue dogs are called in the island city-state.

Joanne gives us a little background info on what it is like to live in Singapore, and what the policies are in place when it comes to stray dogs. She gives us a feel of the general public’s awareness and perception of dogs so we have some more background to understand Summer’s journey.

A two-dog attack on Summer during one of her fear periods left both her and Joanne rattled. Nonetheless, all seemed relatively fine in the beginning, until when it wasn’t anymore.

She has done a lot of reflection and we discuss for example what we would now look for when selecting a dog. How some of the process and thought work that goes into selecting an appropriate breed can also still apply when trying to find your rescue dog match.

We talk about the time when she hilariously ? still thought about getting a second dog.

Joanne and her husband moved to Washington state right at the start of the pandemic. So naturally, we talk about the differences between life in Singapore and the US, and how people in the US seem to have a little more dog awareness.

Joanne also talks about the kindness of strangers and how much she appreciates meeting those humans who are considerate of her and Summer’s needs.

She explains the ongoing work she’s doing with Summer in the USA including BAT training.

Links:

Summer’s Instagram: @summer.oo

The trainer Joanne and Summer are working with on the Seattle East Side to do their BAT training: Wiggles and Woofs