New hot spot

When I bring Rusty out for his walks these days, he'll steer me towards his new favourite hangout, a place called K1. It's not a park or a pub, but a small pet shop down the hill. This is the same place that Rusty spent a week in while we were vacationing in Phuket.

The pet shop owner must have treated him well because our little doggie would insist on dropping by everyday whether rain or shine. If the shutters are down, Rusty would sit outside the shop, looking so forlorn.

Whenever he sees the shop owner (a burly man with an easy smile), he would run into his arms and wag his tail furiously.

"You want a treat?", the owner would ask.

"Ah, don't spoil him." But my words fall on deaf ears. Rusty gets his treat anyway. And there's never a good time for Rusty to leave, I have to literally drag him out of the shop.

I'm beginning to feel embarrassed showing up at the shop so frequently. Maybe he thinks I am a secret admirer who is just using my dog as an excuse to hang around. Sometimes he gives me little treats too, like a free calendar, dog tag and food samples.

Thanks to Rusty, I have started buying dog food and pet supplies from that store. See, it's a secret ploy for me to become a loyal customer. I've even bought stuff that Rusty doesn't need. If I go on like this, I may be able to set up a mini pet supermarket in no time.

Well, one thing for sure, at least I know where to send Rusty to when we go on holiday in future.