ONE OF THE FAMILY

Pets don't just occupy the space in your home, but also your heart. On this note, we check in with some of our Tatler friends and their beloved fur kids

- Aaron Pereira

VALERIE ONG

The first personality we got to meet was Aki Bear. Entering the home of Valerie Ong’s parents, we are initially greeted by her Shiba Inu, Aki. But as we all have learnt, looks can be deceiving, and as I go in to pet him, Aki, who doesn’t usually bark, lets out a small growl and tries to get a bite.

We were quickly warned by Ong and her husband, Travis Loh, to not get too close. Kept isolated during the pandemic, Aki isn’t accustomed to people as much and can get very protective about his territory and loved ones—we were, after all, encroaching into his space.

“I got Aki in mid-2019, when my best friend decided to ship him over to me because she thought that our new house lacks warmth. So she wanted to inject a bit of life into the new place I just moved into,” Ong laughs.

Although excited to receive Aki, who is now four in human years, Ong and Loh were first unsure of how to manage him, because Shiba Inus are typically winter dogs. At the time too, the couple had just started getting to know each other.

Aki was like their own baby; he was six-months old when they got him. Curious to know, we ask how did they decide on their baby’s name?

“Both Travis and I love Japan, where Shibas, which are hunter dogs, originate from. Aki means autumn, which is the colour (reddish-brown) we feel he represents, and both Travis and I call each other Bear, so Aki Bear it was,” shares Ong who’s also now expecting a (human) child.