HEAD SPACE
Welcome to the Head Space column, where we’ll discuss all matters related to mental health and how it relates to our lives here in Singapore. By Andrea McKenna Brankin
Happy Tails and Tales: Dogs Make Everything Better Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020, we’ve all noticed how many more dogs are now in Singapore. Puppies, babies, new businesses, working from home and fold-up cycling all seemed to explode as people had the chance to decide just when the right time was to do things that mattered and made an impactful change. All around me and my family, neighbors were getting dogs and making them part of their pack. Adding a family member of the furry kind is no small task, as it’s a major life adjustment. But everyone seemed happy with the change including waking up for morning walks, as well as additions to the weekly grocery bill and even in education (via doggy training and daycare). I have it on good authority that getting dog can change your life. I know it did for me! I was lucky enough to be able to rescue a pitbull named Loki back in 2003 amidst a difficult time dealing with Bipolar Disorder. Loki gave me purpose and the unconditional love and support that I needed to rebuild my life. After Loki died in 2009, I took a really long time to decide when to get another dog.
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[You can read more about how Loki became my psychiatric service dog and assisted me with managing the illness and getting to a point where I could reclaim mental health wellness in my book, Bipolar Phoenix, available on Amazon.] Enter Sunny. Two years into the pandemic, I was struggling, mainly with my relationship with my little girl, age 9, who I believe had just had it with all the isolation of COVID-19 restrictions and regulations. I knew we all needed a boost of love and affection in the family and came to the conclusion that adding a dog to our lives was the right thing to do at just the right time. Yes, we had to consider adding walks, dog park visits, feeding times and obedience training to our daily family routine, but it was time. We asked around to our friends who were happy with the places they’d gotten their dogs and settled on a place that imported “doodles” from the United Kingdom. Though labradoodles and goldendoodles have become extremely popular here on the East Coast, based on daily our walks
