53. Kopi is 9 months old - What is "drip drip?" Rachel asked.

Kopi's owner is quite hard to track down as she is an extremely busy career woman. Lots of paper work. I went to her office without appointment once. She was at the dentist. I managed to see her 2 days ago.

"He stops eating his breakfast," her eyes lit up when she spoke about Kopi. "I took away the food bowl after 45 minutes. I asked a pet shop owner in the East Coast. She told me that Kopi, being a male, may be more interested in females. Does he drip drip on the floor? Some male dogs do that. Terrible... He may need to be neutered. Ask your vet...."

"Small breeds like the Chihuahua are very finicky eaters. They are very smart. They know that if they don't eat, the owner will change the brand of food. And that is one reason. Sometimes, they have tasted people food and will not want to eat the dry kibble. Did you give him food from the table?" I asked.

"Yes," Rachel's mother said. "Some minced meat."

"So, that's the reason Kopi does not want to eat the dry food. He hopes and gets people food."

"Does he urine mark your walls?" I asked.

"Only one spot. But he does urine mark outside the apartment at the common corridors and I have to clean them."

"Yes, many male dogs do urine mark." I said. "Best to neuter him early to stop this anti-social habit."

Rachel's mother rolled her eyes up. It seems to be cruel to neuter him.

"You can train him not to spray urine onto common corridors. Bring him downstairs to do it on the grass," I said.

"Yes, he goes down at 4 pm to wait for Rachel to come back from school. Every child is excited to see him."

"He is very friendly and good looking," I said. "How's Rachel coping with Kopi?"

"Rachel is very close to him. So, she seeks less attention from me." Mum sighed with relief. "But she may be distracted from her homework."
The poor child had piano and ballet lessons, I believe. Whether it is good or bad, I don't know but it sure broadens the child's mind.

"Only thing I can't explain to Rachel," the mum said. "Rachel kept asking me what the pet shop owner was talking about the 'drip drip'?"

I guess the birds and bees lesson has to wait till Rachel grows older. It is really difficult to be a mum nowadays, with so many questions from a 7-year-old.