Strangers at the gate, or even any of the family’s helpers not in uniform, are met by the barks of Bush Jr., a Japanese Spitz whose snowy looks soften his breed’s fierce protectiveness of their masters.
Lucky and Happy, Rhodesian Ridgebacks with their distinguishing whorl of fur at the base of the neck, pace the back service area. Muscular and strong, they deserve their repute as African lion dogs, used to harass a lion before its master moves in for the kill.
The house interiors is reserved for the eldest and the youngest— Ritchie Jr., or RJ, a six-year-old Shih Tzu, and one-year-old Snoopy, a smooth-coat Dachshund, a breed once described by H. L. Mencken as being “a half-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long.”
Ruby, senior vice president and region head of Banco De Oro, doesn’t mind the conquest. Although the death of a childhood pet has made her bedroom off-limits to the dogs, she and her yayas attend to their weekly baths, monthly spraying for fleas, trim-and-shampoo every two months and yearly shots—all these while keeping four aquariums of exotic pet fishes.
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For her award-winning boxers and beagles, nothing is too good for Barbara Tan who has a vet on hand to assist her bitches deliver by Cesarean section.
At the age of four, Barbara, 40, an executive in the family-owned corporation, was given by her parents a Chihuahua, the smallest breed of dog in the world.
An only child for seven years, Barbara came to be known for her love of dogs until about 20 years ago, when the repute of the purebreds she entered in dog shows all over the country came to rival this.
Several cabinets of Kennel Club awards and trophies later, Barbara and hubby Dennis, whom she met during a dog show, know the names and bloodlines of every Boxer and Beagle in their kennels, a not inconsiderable feat as she has stopped counting their dogs.
The pains she takes to ensure that every mating produces offspring better than their ancestors at meeting breed standards is echoed by the care she takes in selecting her puppies’ buyers. “I want to ensure they go to good homes,” Barbara explains as her reason for interviewing and screening prospective buyers. She does not also sell to pet shops.
Unlike commercial breeders, which she compares to “puppy mills churning out” for a quick sale, she regards her breeding of champions as a “hobby.”
If the search for beloved companion or pedigreed champion is neverending, it’s all part of being so doggoned on dogs.
