Ha. That got you! No, not not me. Darling Poppy dog.

Poppy is our border terrier who arrived in our lives in August, looking neat, tidy and really rather respectable

Five months on, she looks more ewok than dog:

Coats on borders can’t be cut as it damages their particular type of fur. I thought about learning how to pull out her dead top coat myself (which is called ‘stripping’ or plucking) but it’s pretty skilled and a very lengthy process and I am not entirely sure I have the right temperament for it.

So, after a chance meeting with Jack – who is most probably the only other border terrier on the island and whose wiry coat and whiskers look terribly smart – I checked Pops into his groomers’ for a tidy up. A decision I would not have been at all comfortable with if it hadn’t come so highly recommended by Jack’s owner.

They say the sensation of stripping, for a border, is the equivalent to eyebrow plucking for us, but on a larger scale obviously. In sympathy, I scheduled a leg wax for the same time.

Here she is post-pluck looking every inch a terrier again:

Poppy was groomed by Eric at Pet Affair just off Farrer Road.  He is the only person in Sing who knows how to properly hand strip a border terrier, a skill that cannot be done using any tools whatsoever. Note to anyone thinking of going: don’t let him cut your dogs claws as he I don’t think he did a very good job on them.

For those really interested, here’s an overview of what the whole stripping process looks like.

Pet Affair: Block 3 Queens Road, #02-155 (opposite Westlake, for those that know and love it).

T: (+65) 9835 0066