“Royal, Handsome and True”
In Memoriam
Prince Sponge Yeo
Golden Retriever
05.10.2010 – 07.11.2025
You are my first dog, and will always be my first dog.
On June 3rd, 2011, I spotted you in a pet shop in Pet Lovers Centre at Holland Village. You were 8 months old, and I was 8 months to ORD from the Dog Unit.
I couldn’t adopt Max or Chip, so I wanted a dog of my own and I saw your Golden furry tail wagging around the open area, bringing the smaller dogs to the retail area to beg for snacks. Apparently, they called you the “Gang Leader or Tua Tow”! I liked the sound of that. Curious, I asked, how much were you?
They said that you were going for a price of S$2200, and I negotiated that down to S$1800. A good bargain. They mentioned that you were unable to be sold and came from Nex Serangoon to Vivocity and finally was to be permanently based here. I wondered to myself, it must have been because you were so long!
I asked what was your name and where were you from? They said your name was Sponge from Perth, Australia. I thought, wa, ang mo dog huh? like the cleaning scrub? What kind of name is that?
Your brother, Chester, was sold to the vet working at the clinic next door. I told Mum that I wanted to get you immediately. The next day on June 4th, 2011, we returned. She saw that you could sit and paw paw and had your vaccinations done, and so we did. I paid for you with my savings from my NS allowances and off we went to the vet next door. The vet wanted to buy you from us but we said no. You were mine.
Sis got you your accessories, Samy made you a customised cage, we hobbled down the stairs of the shop and hopped into the car with your starter kit and our journey in life began.
That evening that you came home, Grandma made a big fuss and wanted to leave the house. She was terrified of dogs and didn’t want you to come in. I waited outside with Bro for 3 hours before we even could bring you into our living hall.
That night, we slept on the mattress adjacent to the cold hard floor in the living room together. I remember stroking your head as I drifted off to sleep, thinking “wow, this is my dog, all mine”.
We needed you to behave, so we signed you up and brought you to obedience classes, and I eagerly taught you come, heel, sit, down, stay from my dog handling days. I used aversive methods taught by the instructor but you were still a good boy and always listened without hesitation. You always had such a good temperament. So patient, calm and gentle.
Every week on Sunday after my run, we would shower together at the front porch, and I would clean your teeth and ears and wash you down.
Bro would walk you daily without fail at 5pm, and I would walk you when he could not.
You helped Bro open up and speak to us more and taught our family the meaning of love. Conversations in our family now revolved around you and less about money.
Bobby came into our family, and I knew that you tolerated him even though you did not like to share your things. You did it because I thought that you needed a sibling when the real reason was because I needed another dog to get over my uni heartbreak. But you tolerated Bobby for me.
Dad would give you food off the dining table and pat you, Mum would scratch your head “洗头” once she was finished with her shower. Grandma would feed you your meals and always bake sweet potato and feed you and Bobby daily by hand at 3pm. You would attack Seri on the weekends. Lionel and Sis will watch you shred your favourite ropes. Jasline would clip your nails, shave your overgrown fur, and trim you pretty.
When you were 10 months old, I was in camp at Seletar and I received a call. Sis threw a tennis ball across the living room and you broke your ligament when retrieving it. I was in camp and so angry, I cried.
We sent you for surgery and for the next 3 months, I had to carry you to the grass outside. But you recovered well.
I hated that you would sleep on my bed immediately after showering, so wet, so irritating. And kicked me off the bed many times. You even tore my Simba that I had since I was 3 years old, into pieces (which I then painstakingly sewed back together).
We started Pawrus together, Jasline, Kevin, Sponge and Bobby, the 4 of us, a 4-man team out to change the world of pet care together. But the real reason was because Jasline and I wanted to spend more time with you and Bobby under the disguise of “work”.
You were such a handsome model, our media on our channels are evidence of your joy – complete smiles, suaveness and true royalty. We called you the Prince of Villa Verde.
I went to Karen Pryor Academy and you were my partner, we learnt and grew together as a team. You enjoyed the handmade minced pork and chopped chicken franks that I used for “training”. Positive training is so good, no more corrections, scoldings or punishment, just food, food, food although you had to work for it. Visual, verbal, tactile, opposite, compound, advanced discrimination, concepts, behaviour chains. You did it all with excellence.
We trained daily, 4 times a day, in Bro’s room, for 1 whole year. That 10-part behaviour chain, you were so amazing. It was the best year of my life.
We passed our final training assessment and you were awarded Certified Canine Graduate. I was so proud of you when you received that black dog tag.
Pawrus got busy, COVID arrived and I had lesser time for you. We did the same routines, and time flew by, but you were always there when we needed you, quietly but surely hiding under the dining table, waiting for that opportunistic table scrap to drop into your field of vision, or found entertainment trying to eat that random fly going by.
I started to offer training classes and you were my Assistant Instructor for my training courses. I was always so proud to bring you to appointments and clients would always comment “so handsome and smart!”. I was beaming inside from overwhelming joy. We took many trips to the homes of clients and you demonstrated the exercises perfectly and always. You were flawless.
These 15 years, we had so many photoshoots, so many excursions, so many outings on Monday, our off days with Bobby. We explored the entire Singapore. You especially loved the long walks and going to new places. (Bobby not so much… lazy bum…).
Time caught up and soon, I would shower you in the toilet with warm water as your joints and spine started to hurt from arthritis. You started to walk slower and shorter. Soon, your pace was way behind mine on walks.
Every Saturday without fail, we would gather at home in Verde Crescent – you and Bobby were there, barking fearlessly at dogs that pass by.
I enrolled into my Masters during the pandemic and again, you helped me with my training exercises and aced it even at 10 years of age.
You trained our grooming students at the Clementi Campus with Bobby, and continued to do so even until we closed the shop in 2025.
You trained so many students, training and grooming, our “big dog” instructor.
Losing Bobby was so difficult for you and me. We both didn’t know where our dear brother went.
When I was depressed with losing Bobby, you were there for me and allowed my tears to fall on your long face and beautiful coat for nights on end.
I finally moved into my own home and we took many lots of long walks around our “Disneyland” ramps around our estate, imagining that we were queuing up for a ride at the theme park. You always managed to identify which unit was ours from the lift lobby. So smart.
Then we went swimming at Sentosa and at Clarke Quay. We had so many fun days filled with water. You could not go for long but you enjoyed every moment of it. Stubborn Sponge, we called you.
Soon, Jasline got pregnant with Juliet and we went less frequently.
4 months ago, when Juliet was born, you aged quicker and more. I wanted to show you how proud I was to be a father now. When you saw Juliet for the first time, you sniffed Juliet gently and walked away. I noticed that you found it harder to get up from lying down, walk and even to get up our Pawrus van.
I wrote my project topic in my Masters on Canine Cognitive Dysfunction just in hopes that I could help you more if ever you contracted this disease.
When you needed me the most, I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t tell the vet to euthanise you and let you go. I choked. The words got stopped midway in my windpipe. I wanted you to live. I needed both you and Bobby to live.
I taught you Sit, Down, Stick, Roll, Touch, Chin, With Me and more, but there is no need to do these behaviours anymore.
When you entered my life, you filled it with colour, love and joy. But now you and Bobby left, this world is so quiet now.
I don’t know how I will ever practice professionally again without the two of you. I tremble and shake when I think about how I couldn’t even do it right for my own dogs. I lost so much time from gaining credentials, recognition and caring for other pets, when time with my own has insidiously slipped away forever.
What am I going to do now? I honestly don’t know.
My only consolation is that I envisage that you are on the Rainbow Bridge now with Bobby, waiting for the day that I come to you both. I can only hope that our souls are still connected by the invisible leash that our eyes cannot see but our hearts feel.
Finally, on the Rainbow Bridge someday, if you find someone covering your eyes and blowing your ears from behind,
It means that I am here, ready to keep the promise I made
Sniff, look around and try to spot me. When you do, race quickly to my arms open and unite as I grip you tight, I will bite your muzzle again and play cannot breathe all night.
Once again, you will hear the familiar voice that echoes, “rest well, sweet dreams my punky, don’t let the bed bugs bite bite”
For together then we must be, only this time, nothing can ever tear us apart again, for all of eternity
I need a lover to keep me sane
Pull me from hell bring me back again
Play me the classics, somethin’ romantic
Give him my all when I don’t even have it
I always dreamed of a solemn face
Someone who feels like a holiday
But now I’m in pieces, barely believin’
Startin’ to think that I’ve lost all feelin’
You came out the blue on a rainy night, no lie
I’ll tell you how I almost died while you’re bringin’ me back to life
I just wanna live in this moment forever
‘Cause I’m afraid that livin’ couldn’t gеt any better
Started givin’ up on thе word “forever”
Until you gave up heaven so we could be together
You’re my angel, angel baby
Angel, you’re my angel baby
Baby, you’re my angel, angel baby
See you soon, my doggy brother
Love You Punk Prince,
Kevin Yeo
11.11.2025
