Behind every great man is a four-legged best friend or two.
Thio Shen Yi & Stefanie Yuen Thio
Shen Yi wears polo shirt, trousers and jacket, all by Berluti; Stefanie wears dress by Balenciaga
Thio Shen Yi, joint managing director of TSMP Law Corporation and president of The Law Society of Singapore, calls his friendly giants his pressure valves. His wife, Stefanie Yuen Thio, who’s also joint managing director at TSMP and director of Operation Smile Singapore, concurs and says it’s impossible to look at her two bundles of ridiculous fur and energy and not be happy.
Why did you decide to name your dogs Josh and Joe?
Thio Shen Yi My wife chose the names. We wanted more human names because dogs have personalities too, so we didn’t want to choose too “doggy” a name for each of them.
Stefanie Yuen Thio The Labrador Retriever was a puppy when we got him. He became my then eight-year-old son Jonathan’s dog and he chose the name. I recited a list of names and when we came upon “Josh”, Jonathan felt that this best described the rambunctious puppy. For Joe, the dog we “saved” from being put down by his previous owner, I named him Joe so the two boys could be “Josh and Joe”.
How long have they been part of the family?
Shen Yi and Stefanie Joe came to us about three years ago. His previous owner was moving to a smaller house and instead of trying to re-home Joe, he wanted to have him put down. The pet transporter hired to send him to the SPCA to be euthanised couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he called his network to see if someone would adopt him. A friend of a friend called us and told us that we had an hour to decide. We told them to bring Joe to us. Josh has been with us since he was six months old, which was about eight years ago. He was a present for our son.
What is your bond with Josh and Joe like?
Shen Yi I would say my wife and son are more dog people than I am, because Stefanie grew up with dogs in the house. I’m not much of a dog person, but I like them. I see Josh as a “people person” who will come and just hang with you. Joe is very good-natured, but is really more motivated by food than anything.
Stefanie I have a special affinity with Josh. He will come look for me whenever I’m around, and will sit at my feet or put his head on my lap as I’m sitting down at the dining table. I’m less close to Joe, who goes to whoever will feed him.
How do your dogs lift your mood when you get home from work?
Shen Yi I think they make quite good pressure valves. It’s also like a stress relief when you see them run down the stairs, because they sometimes miss the steps and you’d see them sliding down instead. It’s like watching them snowboard without a board.
Stefanie I can’t help but smile when I come home and these two greet me excitedly with their tails wagging insanely. They are the loveliest, gentlest, sweetest creatures. They want nothing but your company, or for you to rub their tummy (and maybe to steal your burger or steak). It’s the innocent pleasure of an uncomplicated relationship that’s so lovely.
Seeing how rambunctious they are, do your dogs fear anything at all?
Stefanie We had a small swimming pool before and when Josh was a puppy, we’d bring him for a swim. He loved the water but didn’t know how to climb out of the pool. So he developed a phobia of bodies of water. When we take him to Tanjong Beach in Sentosa and make him swim out with us, he will charge back to shore like an Olympic swimmer. It’s the funniest thing to watch. Joe has a different phobia: Car rides. It’s a Herculean task to get him into a car. It’s funny that two such active and enthusiastic dogs have such unexpected fears.
Mike Lim
Sweatshirt by Berluti
Mike Lim, director of interior design firm DP Design, says looking at pictures of his Cocker Spaniel, Kiro, on his phone lifts his spirits when he’s alone and feeling down during his many work trips
How long have you had Kiro?
Mike Lim I’ve had him for 13 years. It could be my spiritual beliefs talking, but I like to believe that certain things happen in life for a reason. I had originally wanted an English bulldog, but had difficulty finding one — the search took me almost a year. During the search, I happened to be in a pet shop where I saw Kiro. A few months later, I came back and he was still there, in a playpen with other small dogs. I decided maybe I should take Kiro home as it was my second time seeing him, and he had been in the pet shop for a few months now. He was about six months old then.
How close are the both of you?
Mike He feels like a son to me. He has changed my life, and I didn’t expect a dog to change it so significantly. Because of him, I keep my work trips short, try not to keep late nights, and spend most of my weekends with him. It’s often said that for the owner of a pet, we have work, friends and many other things to keep us entertained. But for the pet, their owner makes up its whole world. Since he’s been around for so long, I have even mentally prepared myself that he will be gone one day, and it is a major loss I have to learn to deal with. On my last trip, I had a very long flight. So I took the time to reflect on what Kiro has done for me and how it will be when he goes. I decided I probably wouldn’t get another dog because it would be difficult to go through it again, to have to eventually part with someone so meaningful — the bond that I have with Kiro is irreplaceable.
How does Kiro help you unwind after a long day at work?
Mike Kiro brings me a lot of joy and having him has made me understand why keeping a pet is such a therapeutic activity. I talk and share things with him because he listens unconditionally. When I’m dealing with high-pressure situations or problems to solve at work, he helps me to channel positive emotions like love and care outside of work.
What have you learned from him?
Mike His sweet nature and friendliness to everyone — even strangers — teaches me that even when plans don’t go your way and people don’t reciprocate kind intentions, it shouldn’t stop you from giving especially when it can make a difference in someone’s life. When you are in a position of leadership, we have the means and responsibility to groom the next generation and lift someone up with the right words. Thus taking care of Kiro and giving him an abundant life has taught me to be generous.
Eric Khoo
T-shirt, trousers and sneakers, all by Hugo Boss
Award-winning filmmaker and Cultural Medallion recipient Eric Khoo says his adorable Pomeranian, Woofy, also shares his taste in women.
How would you describe your bond with Woofy?
Eric Khoo We share a really special bond. He's a loyal companion and my best mate. I must have met him before, somewhere in time.
As one of Singapore’s most recognised filmmakers, there must be a lot of pressure to perform every time. How does Woofy help to relieve your stresses?
Eric Woofy is my comfort blanket and whenever I’m down, all I need to do is cuddle him and kiss his fat cheeks. He has a profound way of distressing me with his wonderful nature; he has an old soul, an incredible memory and is always concerned for me. When I’m working late in my kitchen, he scratches the door as if telling me that it’s time for bed. He waits for me by the front door every evening and when I’m late, he waits for hours and my wife will have to text me to rush back. And when I have to travel for film festivals, he gets upset once he sees my travel bag.
How has Woofy inspired your work?
Eric After my second feature, 12 Storeys, I hadn’t directed for over six years — and then Woofy came into my life. He spent countless of hours with me in my kitchen as I banged out tatler_tatler_stories. When I hit a creative blank wall, I look into his eyes and the inspiration comes. He hangs out with me till the early hours of morning, always by my side, urging me on. He actually inspired me to work on my third feature, Be With Me, which he made a cameo in. The film would open the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and receive a standing ovation. It also propelled me to an international platform and I have Woofy to thank for that. He made another cameo in my new film, In the Room, which premiered in February.
Was he ever a diva on set?
Eric No, he was incredible! He would sit quietly beside me whenever I was watching the monitor, and was extremely attentive on the shoot. When it was time for him to perform, he did his takes very quickly. I had several of the tough crew guys who disliked poms come up to me to say he’s special and unlike the noisy, annoying kind they’ve encountered. Woofy also has a way of being charming, especially to women with long hair — he shares my taste.
How else are you both similar besides your taste in women?
Eric We share the same taste in music and he’s a real Kraftwerk and classical music fan — he actually reminds me of that HMV dog. He enjoys watching television with me, too, and we recently did a Star Wars movie marathon over the weekend. When Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered, I really wanted to sneak him into the cinema hall but didn’t have the courage to do so in the end. We’re also both very greedy and constantly hungry, and observers who enjoy studying situations.
Richard and Ginny Wiluan
Richard wears sweater by Berluti; Ginny wears top, shorts and sweater, all by Dior.
Richard Wiluan, executive director of KS Distribution and director of Citramas Foundation, says he can communicate with his wheaten Scottish terrier Teddy without talking, while wife Ginny Wiluan, who’s also supermum to their three children, says both dogs are just as protective and gentle with the kids as a mother would be.
What’s the story behind your dogs’ names?
Richard Wiluan Teddy was originally named Pooky, after Garfield’s lovable teddy bear because he looked just like him as a puppy. But my brother Mike wisely advised against it as the word means quite something else in Tagalog, and he couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of our Filipina helper calling out to Pooky in public. So we settled for Teddy instead. Our eldest son Kristian gave Poppy her name. He was just over a year old and every time he said “puppy”, it would come out as “poppy”. The name stuck and Poppy has been known as Poppy ever since.
What is life like with the both of them?
Ginny Wiluan We’ve had Teddy for almost as long as we’ve been married, before the birth of our three children, and has grown as a member of our family. Poppy was with us before our two younger children Ryan and Isabel were born. They are both wonderful with the children, very protective and very gentle. They have been with us for all the milestones of our lives together and are an important part of our family and life.
Richard I have a special bond with Teddy, because I trained him myself since he was a puppy. He understands me very well.
Ginny Both Poppy and Teddy will do anything and everything Richard tells them to do. Similar to how a husband-and-wife relationship works perhaps? (Laughs). They are really his dogs and he is their alpha dog. Somehow, they know that he is their pack leader and will take care of and protect them.
What’s a particularly memorable experience you’ve had with the dogs?
Ginny Last year, Teddy swallowed a spongy ball that got lodged in his intestines, making him very ill. He was hospitalised for many days and had to have surgery to remove it. At one point, we thought we were going to lose him and that was heartbreaking. But it made us keenly aware of how much we love and need him in our lives. Thankfully, he pulled through and we’re so thankful to still have him beside us.
Are there any similarities in personality between you and the dogs?
Ginny Teddy resembles Richard in that he’s very disciplined and handsome, while Poppy resembles me more with her affectionate and loving character.