Pet of the Month

At 6.45 every morning, before the lift lobby fills up, Mochi is already at the door with his lead in his mouth. The two-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi lives with the Tan family — Marcus and Priya, their two children (Ezra, 8, and Mei, 5) — in a condo near Kovan MRT. On paper, a herding breed bred to move cattle across Welsh hills is an odd fit for an 1,100-square-foot flat. In practice, the Tans have built a routine that makes it work.

“Everyone warned us Corgis are high-energy, and they’re right,” says Priya. “The trick isn’t the size of your home — it’s the walks. Mochi gets three a day, and the long evening loop around the neighbourhood is non-negotiable.” That loop — down past the hawker centre, along the park connector, and back through the HDB void decks where Mochi greets what feels like half of Kovan — does double duty: it burns off the herding drive, and it’s become the family’s wind-down time together.

The kids are part of the deal. Ezra handles the morning walk on weekends; Mei is in charge of the water bowl. “We wanted them to learn that a dog is a responsibility, not a toy,” Marcus says. “Mochi’s taught them more about routine and patience than any chart on the fridge ever did.” The Corgi, for his part, has appointed himself chief herder of the household — gently corralling the children toward the door at walk time and, occasionally, nipping at heels when dinner is late.

Condo living has its own playbook. Mochi’s short legs and long back mean the Tans are careful about the lift and the stairs — no jumping off the sofa, a ramp by the bed, and weight kept in check (back problems are the breed’s best-known health watch-out). The tropical heat shapes the schedule too: walks are early and late, never midday, and there’s always water on the route. “In Singapore you plan your day around the weather as much as the dog,” Priya laughs.

Asked what they’d tell another family eyeing a Corgi for a flat, the Tans are unanimous: be honest about the walks. “If you can commit to getting them out properly, every day, a Corgi is a brilliant city dog — affectionate, clever, hilarious,” Marcus says. “Mochi runs this household. We just hold the lead.”