Like master, like dog

By Marie Lim

SHE came as the character Alice from Lewis Caroll's Alice In Wonderland and her schnauzer was dressed up as a miniature Mad Hatter. Her husband and his Scottish terrier came decked out in matching red kilts.

Ms Tracy Wee, 29, and Dr Chris Lim, 40, were among the 15 animal lovers who took part in the "Two Of A Kind" contest at East Coast Park on Sunday where pet owners and pets dressed up in matching outfits. The contest was one of five held as part of the annual Pets Corner Event organised by CATS, a part of the marketing division of Singapore Press Holdings.

Said Dr Lim: "It's a fun event. We like to dress up and see other contestants' outfits.

"It's also a day out for the dogs, with some excitement thrown in."

Although the contest was open to all kinds of pets, all the contestants turned up with dogs. There was a cowgirl, Snow White and a bumblebee, all with their dogs in matching costumes. Dr Lim said he and his wife have more than 100 outfits - which cost between $20 and $100 each - for their dogs.

"They are living things too. It's just like spending money on ourselves," he said.

"They don't leave home without some clothes on."

Ms Wee, a freelance graphic designer, eventually won third prize in the contest, walking away with a $150 pet shop voucher, a bronze medal and a goodie bag. This year marks the third time the couple have participated in this annual event.

Their dogs take part in about four contests each year but they are not all about beauty. One of the contests the dogs took part in was to pick the one that could eat the fastest.

Dr Lim, who has four dogs, four guinea pigs and three rabbits, said he won a prize last year: "My guinea pig was dressed as a character from G-Force."

The theme of that contest was Super Heroes By The Beach. Ms Tay Aisan, a housewife in her 30s, won the second prize on Sunday.

She and her dog won $100 cash, a $50 pet shop voucher, a silver medal and a goodie bag. Ms Gayathiri, a 20-year-old vet nurse, and her Shetland shepherd bagged the top prize comprising $200 cash and a gold medal along with the $50 voucher and the goodie bag.

Ms Tay and her two-year-old Italian greyhound, Charlotte, wore identical Snow White costumes. She had bought the US$20 (S$25) costume for Charlotte while she was living in the US, but had to hand-make her own outfit.

"I bought the base and sewed on the patterns. You can see up close the stitching isn't very well done," she said with a laugh.

Exciting

While she was slightly embarrassed about her get-up, she was excited about participating in the event.

"There are not many outlets for dogs. It's good for people to come to these events to learn about the different breeds and socialise with the dogs," she said.

The event was a must-go for dog lover Debbie Mok, 40. Never mind that her nine-year-old pomeranian, Trouble, had trouble getting around. The dog had a slipped disc over the Chinese New Year and needed wheels attached to its hind legs to aid its movement.

Ms Mok, an executive in the recycling industry, said: "I brought him here because he loves to be out at the beach. For the past five or six years, we would go to Sentosa every Saturday. I had to stop taking him after he got injured.

"Trouble and I are best friends."

Apart from the contests, there were also more than 20 booths manned by pet merchants and animal welfare organisations offering everything from pet food to pet insurance.

Source: http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110329-270749.html