DATING is going to the dogs.
That is if Mr Herbert Lim, 40, has his way.
You could say he is a rare breed: A professional dog trainer turned self-proclaimed 'dating guru'.
'Maybe it's not humble - but what else would you call me?' he said.
Already he has tried to pair up hundreds of people using dogs, he said. And that includes himself.
The name of his matchmaking agency is Love Me Love My Dog, but in his own case it was more a case of Love My Dog Love Me.
Two years ago, the dog enthusiast was having breakfast at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where he takes his Golden Retriever for walks, when he saw three pretty girls at a nearby table.
He wanted to approach them but how? It was time for his pooch, Major, to work his magic.
When he sent his dog over, only one of the girls went straight to the dog. Her name was Joleen.
She is now his wife.
'If she was terrified of dogs, we probably won't be here today,' he said.
'I was more focused on Major than on him actually,' said Mrs Lim, an air stewardess who owns a West Highland Terrier.
Since he has to work seven days a week, their dates were often spent with his dogs.
She didn't mind.
And it was his dogs that helped get the relationship going - all 225 of them.
DREAM COME TRUE
That's because Mr Lim used to run a kennel, until he shut it down last October to concentrate on dog training and matchmaking. The dogs were his pets. They were not for sale.
They have since been rehomed.
For Mrs Lim, who thought he was joking at first, getting to play with so many dogs was a dream come true.
She admits: 'Maybe if he wasn't a dog trainer, without so many dogs, I wouldn't be interested.'
But it wasn't just his own experience that led him to found Love Me Love My Dog.
A former property developer, he turned to dog training in 1999. Running a dog training company (Uncle Herby's Dog Training Centre) allows him to meet many singles.
'They do tell me their problems... I tried to matchmake them - and it works,' he said.
Dogs, he said, are 'date bait'.
'They pull the other person to you,' he said.
In his experience, he finds that people behave differently around a dog. And it helps shy people come out of their shells.
He currently has about 400 members enrolled with his agency.
So far, the toughest part has been finding the right partner.
'What they say they want is not what they want, but a fairytale of what they want,' he said.
Very often, he sees people hook up at the events he organises with people who are the very opposite of what they say they are looking for.
There is, of course, the financial challenge. He reckons there are 175 dating agencies out there - but most of them are about lunch, dinner, travelling.
But none of them offers dog training and dating at the same time.
And as he points out, the dog business is a multi-million dollar business.
He doesn't know for sure the number of successful matches made. But he knows of four couples who are getting married. And another 24 are seriously dating.
'GET DADDY A WIFE'
One pair who hit it off because of their dogs are pet shop owner Albert Lim, 28, and accountant Charlene Tan, 25.
They met last February when they brought their dogs for obedience training. It was their first Love Me Love My Dog event.
Ms Tan caught Mr Lim's eye, and he sent his German Shepherd, Yessy, to 'talk' to her dog.
'Get your daddy a wife!' he told his dog.
Yessy did his job. He got her number.
Said Ms Tan: 'I'd chat with him whenever I've a problem with dogs. It's a reason for communication. Because without dogs, there's no reason to call.'
Over the next few months their love blossomed.
She fell for his sense of humour. He, for her caring and thoughtful personality.
They are planning to marry in December. They just need a place big enough for their three dogs, they said.
But considering how good dogs are for attracting the opposite sex, aren't they at all worried their future life partner may get unwanted attention outside?
Not at all.
'No, because girls don't really like German Shepherds,' said Ms Tan.
And they usually walk their dogs together.
Mr Lim said he wouldn't try to cheat, because 'got surveillance camera'.
Eyeing Ms Tan mischieviously, he said: 'Wait, if detected, bomb explode, how?'
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