President,
toastmaster of the evening and friends. Yesterday a report in the news channel
caught my eye. There was an adoption drive organized by the Action of Singapore
Dogs, and 80 dogs were up for adoption. As I watched the news clip my heart
melted at the sight of these furry friends, all waiting to go to a good home.
And so tonight, I was moved to share with you my experience as a dog owner and
hoped that after my speech you will be motivated to adopt a dog for your family
too.
I still
remember that fateful day that I stepped into the pet shop at Balestier 8 years
ago and looked straight into the dark brown eyes of a golden retriever puppy.
She has a sweet dainty face as compared to her sister, both just arrived from Australia.
It was love at first sight. I know we are destined be with each other for the
rest of her life. I have to admit, it was out of impulse that I decided to buy
a dog. I was merely window shopping then! But that moment of folly turned out
to be the best decision of my life. Six months later I was not repentant at
all, I fell in love yet again, to a second dog, a husky cross, adopted from an
accidental litter by a husky mother and a golden retriever father. She is no 3
from a litter of 8. And so I stopped at 2, my family is now complete with Hana
and Pika.
To be
sure, life with 2 babies at home was not easy. From house breaking to obedience
training, it was a journey filled with both toils and sweat. House breaking was
the toughest, I still remember crying over having to clean the floor for the
tenth time in the same day when they are still confused over what to do when
they need to go. It took me one whole week for day and night cleaning before
Hana got the idea. And thank God it only took Pika, the cleverer one, couple of
days to get the same. Indeed, those were the darkest days of our lives.
Obedience training was another tough one, from teaching of simple commands such
as sit, stay, to the tough ones such as heel and about turn. I felt like I was
training a circus full of pigs, that all that I got were blank stares and
panicked looks. Little did I know that it was through such hardship, toils and
sweat that strong bonds were built between us. We were inseparable from then
on.
My labour
finally paid off after they grew out of their puppy age. Hana and Pika turned
out to be the bright sparks in the family. They inject life to an otherwise
lonely house of a homo sapien by their silly games such as tag of war or
chasing your tails. Imagine being greeted by yelps from behind the door even
before you step into the house and opening the door to 2 ecstatic kids
celebrating your return by bringing their favorite toys to you and leaping up
and down. It is as though your presence is everything to them and you are the
only person they ever wanted in their whole life. It feels good to be needed!
Over
the years we got so used to each other's mannerism that every glance, every
expression and every move is immediately understood. When I am angry at them
there is no need to shout, I just need to stare into their eyes and they will
hung their tails between their legs. When I am sad and sat there crying, they
will come and gently put their heads on my lap. They never need to say a word
but it was all the comfort I needed. However, be not deceived! Dogs are
naturally born opportunists. They play you at their fingertips with their
pearly eyes and pitiful look. Your heart will melt when that happens and you
ended up giving in to them, usually with a treat in your hand.
Some
say that dogs make better companions that humans, and I fully agree. Where
would you find a person that never talks back at you no matter how much you
scold them? Dogs are gentle creatures and wait patiently for you to give them
just a little bit more attention and that’s all they ever really asked for.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope tonight, I have given you a taste of the joy of
being a dog owner, and I hope you are now motivated to adopt one yourself. Just remember though, dogs are for life, your
love for them will be reciprocated million folds, and you will find that while
they needed you to take care of them, it is our four-legged companions that
complete our lives.
Thank
you. Toastmaster of the evening.
Self-evaluation - did a fairly good job at memorizing the speech, but neglected on timing the speech delivery. Found out it is too short during actual delivery and had to improvise additional content; which resulted in incoherence and a lot of fillers.
Missed out on the Ah-counter report this time, but I am so sure it is a record high.
