A Dog's Life

ART GALLERY CO-OWNER KENNETH TAN has had pet dogs all his life, so he knows a thing or two about living with them. He's an active member of dog forums and social media, gladly dishing out advice to new dog owners.

When he was house-hunting last year, Mr Tan - who also owns a communications agency, had the welfare of his furkids in mind. He has four dogs - mongrels Rudy and Bailey and English bulldogs Freddy and Paddy, all of which he adopted over the years.

Home for them is a single-storey semi-detached house off Yio Chu Kang Road, with a large garden in front so the dogs can catch some sun and run around, and a park nearby.

He found the house on a website last year and knew he had to live in the retro structure with a pitched roof, square windows, a main door and another door in front that leads to the kitchen. The architecture is nothing to shout about, but Mr Tan fell in love with it because it reminded him of his childhood home.

"I grew up in the 1980s, and houses back then were like this. So this style of architecture really speaks to me," he says.

Little change was made to the house, except upgrading the toilets and improving the electrical wiring. Since moving in last April, Mr Tan has moved the furniture around a few times, so that he can maximise the space as needed. "Had I renovated the home more, the space wouldn't be as dynamic," he explains. The living space also doubles as a home office for him and his staff.

His choice of furniture is a mix of modern and vintage pieces, the latter sourced mostly from second-hand furniture shop, Hock Siong & Co. Sharp-eyed visitors will notice that all of his furniture comes with legs. "Dogs need their own personal space, and somewhere to hide. Often, they like to hide under the furniture," he explains, as Bailey seeks some respite from the excitement of visitors under the sofa.

Mr Tan has given up having rugs around the home, since the dogs will only chew on them. "I give them only one rug," he says, pointing to a chewed up piece that Rudy is especially fond of.

In the bedroom, the duvet on Mr Tan's bed is slightly smaller, so that the dogs will not chew on the edges. The dogs sleep at the foot of the bed on their own duvets.

"Throws are good to have when you have dogs, so that you can cover any furniture mishaps," Mr Tan says, citing the example of a cushion on the sofa which has a large hole where the dogs bit into it, but visitors are none the wiser. There is no coffee table in the living room, because the dogs need that space to wrestle.

The furniture in the living and dining areas are pushed to the side, so that there is a long corridor from the front to the back of the house, giving the dogs enough space to run the length of the home.

While the dogs have gone for his furniture, they have spared Mr Tan's other passions. His books are still intact, despite them being displayed on low shelves.

Mr Tan's art collection, some pieces which are placed on the floor, do not interest the dogs. There are countless pieces on the walls. "I buy a piece of art because I like it. It doesn't matter if they don't match with the others," he says.

The pieces are randomly hung around the home, except in the living room, where there is a Salon-style art wall. The avid collector is running out of wall space, which explains why there is also art on the smaller pillars of his home.

He has also commissioned artwork of his dogs, one of which is a piece by Singaporean artist Andre Tan of Freddy. The painting which hangs in the guest room, has Freddy in the centre, surrounded by his favourite items, such as plastic water bottles and balls. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are also in the picture, because they best represent the closeness between man and dog, says Mr Tan.

"My dogs are my family. I enjoy being creative in how I create the interiors to suit both my dogs' needs and mine," he says.