Singapore toa payoh vets, dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, sliders, turtles, terrapins

"I just can't believe her story," I said to my REA (Real Estate Agency) classmate, Mr Chua as we went into the subway train to go back to Novena after visiting another classmate at her office.
"She has no reasons to lie," he replied.
"No reasons at all," I said. "I mean that what she said was incredible. It is an unbelievable doggy story."
"A dodgy story," Mr Chua said.

Well, it was a fine Tuesday August 2, 2011 afternoon when we met up for lunch. A Caucasian agent who was marketing overseas properties, introduced to us by our REA lecturer met us for lunch to present his business. He had to take the REA examination although he does not sell or deal with Singapore properties and so that was how we met.

My lady classmate came late. "The most flamboyant lady in the class is here!" Mr Chua announced. I just can't understand why he said that. She was not offended nor make any comments.

Why did he say she was flamboyant? What does it mean? I googled "flamboyant" now. It said: "Being too showy or ornate, gaudy, flashy". This fair lady in her late 30s does dress up well. Today she was in plain grey with flowery high heels. I remember her as having well dressed in class in high quality clothing material and sporting tinted brownish red hair and showing red painted nail accessories. A bit on the big side. She was friendly and easy to converse. If flamboyance can make one stand out and be successful as well, you may also want to be flamboyant as she was certainly one of those successful estate agents with an office in downtown Singapore.

When she heard that I am a vet, my flamboyant classmate would consult me about her Siberian Husky getting thinner and thinner during lunch as she sat to my right at this oily Korean hotplate restaurant in Novena. "One day, my car had broken down. So I rented another," she said. "My Husky would howl all night long. The next morning, I wanted to drive the car to work. He would tug at my skirt," she said as she pulled her lower half of her grey dress outwards with her right hand. "He just would not permit me to get into the car."

"Do you think that the dog can see some spirits inside the car?" I tried to frighten her with demons and devils. "Once you drive the car, you will be possessed."

"I don't know," she said. "My dog just would not let his grip off my dress."

"Dogs have been known to warn their owners of impending dangers," I said. There was a story of a dog warning a Japanese lady of the impending tsunami wave and got her to move to higher ground. She was saved by her dog's action. So, was this a case of the dog sensing danger? A supernatural spirit or worse?

"So, did you brush away your dog?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I got the rental company to change the car."
"What happened after that?" I asked.
"My husky was just quiet and did not bother with me."
"Was there any bad odour or smell in the first car?" I asked. "A smell of blood from somebody who had died in the car? A smell masked by perfume? A fishy smell?

"Come to think of it," my classmate said. "There was a smell." She could not describe it.

Well, she is alive today and that was thanks to this dog she rescued from being abused by the previous owner.

And so, that was the end of the incredible doggy story, I thought. I asked Mr Chua to visit her office with me. To see a success story as she had an office in downtown Singapore. No realtor without success would open an office in this area.
Must be expensive, being downtown.

My classmate left first as she had to pick up a Japanese expatriate to buy condos. I could imagine her zooming in her 2-seater Maserati with this Japanese prospect in keeping up with her true image of success as a realtor. A lady realtor who knows Japanese, Mandarin and English plus flamboyance and high energy is a man-killer. The equivalent of the femme fatale. Backed up by protective canine spirits. Far fetched? Wait till you read her second incredible doggy story later in this article.

She had made time to network with us as the organiser had invited her to attend the lunch. She was not present during our first celebration lunch meeting. As she rushed off, I made an appointment to visit her. She said 4 pm and at 4 pm, Mr Chua and I were there. I hate being late for an appointment and so did Mr Chua. Mr Chua wanted to drink coffee badly but I told him to wait. Why pay for coffee when our flamboyant classmate has Nespresso coffee in her office? I don't drink coffee much but I know George Clooney was the face of Nespresso and therefore it must be good if one is susceptible to such advertisement. In any case, Nespresso is not cheap and therefore cannot be bad quality coffee. "Have you heard of George Clooney? He is the face of Nespresso in some advertisements." I asked Mr Chua who is a self-employed chemical trader. "No," he said.

So, we went to the office at 4 pm and had the Nespresso. That was where our classmate narrated her second doggy story. Being a vet, I get to hear doggy stories of the other parties but this second story was way beyond belief. I will continue in another time as it is 8.03 am and I have to go to work.