Hb and I randomly brought up the topic on owning a dog one day and to my delight he likes the idea too!!! Now that we have our own landed property, owning a dog is just perfect!!! Besides, there's only the 2 of us in the house, the new addition will be fun!

So our requirements are pretty simple:

• We're not looking for watch dogs i.e. not the bigass nasty ones cos' I am afraid of big dogs
• We're looking for companion dogs more specifically, lap dogs... the small tiny kind that loves to cuddle and snuggle while we be couch potatoes so that means not the overly active type
• Hb also wanted a dog that is kind and cute looking, not ugly looking like a Pug or aggresive looking like a Rottweiler
• I just wanted a cute little dog... (shallow, hahaha)

So after scouting endless hours on the net, we nailed it down to 3 of these breds (descriptions taken from Wikipedia):

• Maltese: Bred to be cuddly companion dogs, and thrive on love and attention. They are extremely lively and playful, and even as a Maltese ages, his energy level and playful demeanor remain fairly constant. Some Maltese may occasionally be snappish with smaller children and should be supervised when playing, although socializing them at a young age will reduce this habit. They also adore humans, and prefer to stay near them. Available only in pure white but prone to tear stains problem...
• Yorshire Terrier or Yorkie in short: The ideal Yorkshire Terrier character or "personality" is described with a "carriage very upright" and "conveying an important air. Though small, the Yorkshire Terrier is active, loves attention, very overprotective and should not show the soft temperament seen in lap dogs. They are a little harder to train than some other breeds of dogs. This results from their own nature to work without human assistance. Yorkie tends to bark a lot. This makes them excellent watch dogs because they will sound the alarm when anyone gets near. This barking problem can be resolved with proper training.
• Shih Tzu: The Shih-Tzu is an alert, lively, little dog. Happy and hardy, packed with character. The gentle loyal Shih-Tzu makes friends easily and responds well to consistent patient training. They make a very alert watch dog. Courageous and clever. Playful and spunky, this affectionate little dog likes to be with people and are generally good with other pets. The Shih-Tzu needs all of the humans in the house to be pack leader, with the rules of the house made consistently clear. Owners who allow their dogs to take over may find them to be snappish if they are surprised or peeved.

Maltese, Yorkie & Shih Tzu

We're gonna continue scouting since our place will only be ready in a few months time. Better to get it then so that we don't have to potty train it at 3 different locations (current home, KS home then Setia Alam when we move in). Thought it might be too stressful for the little one... :)

Ohhhh, and we've also agreed on the name!!! We shall name our future doggie, BUDDY... cos afterall a dog is a man's best friend... :))

Remembered when I bought my first property, there wasn't a stress test with any electrician or plumber. So when we were told that we need to make appointments to go through the stress test, we were pretty amused.

My appointment date was on 13-Aug-2012; Monday at 11am. Instead of going straight to our house, we detoured to get McD to "tapau" breakfast. When we reached our house at 11.05am, there was already a group of people in front of our house!
... 1 x Site Supervisor
... 2 x Electrician
... 1 x Alarm Guy
... 1 x Plumber
... 1 x Cleaner

• The Site Supervisor first took us through the long list of 'inventories' in the house e.g. number of electric points, taps, trap holes etc...
• Then the Electrician took over and tested every single plug point in the house including lights and fans wiring for electricity flow. Lucky thing of all, only 1 point was faulty but that too they fixed it on the spot immediately
• Then the Plumber also tested every single basin and toilet bowl in the house to check for leakages. Again, the leakages were also fixed on the spot. Just some loose bolts and nuts somewhere.
• Then the Alarm guy thought us how to use the alarm system
• Finally, they opened up the manhole; located at the backyard and told us to see if water comes out freely while they pour a bucket of water each down every traphole in the house
• Subsequently, the Cleaner that came along mopped the floor before they left

The entire joint inspection took approximately 2 hours. All in all it was pretty impressive how the unit was handed over to us. We were then asked to submit our defects upon inspecting the house... most of the defects we submitted revolve around:
... Crack lines
... Uneven wall / surface
... Stains on tiles

Submitted our defects form on the day itself, although we were told that work will only begin after Raya... Next step, the design part from my bro... :)

And so keys were collected on 04-Aug-2012 after 2 long years of waiting. The whole family went together! Hb and I to collect keys for our unit, parents, brother and his wife for their unit! So happy!!!

3 sets of keys here... :D



Me at our gate... :)



Hb opening the door to our house officially for the 1st time!



My parents at their unit... :)

Such a happy day for us all... our dream homes are finally ready!!! And to think that we are on the same row, only 6 units apart makes me feel OH SO HAPPY!!! YIPPIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!