Featuring Lillian Ling and Bao Bao the Samoyed

Images captured Jan. 17, 2024 at King George Park in Richmond, BC by Jenn Lin © All Rights Reserved. Story collected and edited by Jenn Lin, Dec. 2023.

“I’m a frequent visitor at my Dad’s care home. And you know, there’s only so much you can do at a care home; sometimes I bring my Dad to the nearby park or to go eat, but it gets boring because we’re bound to the same area. So when I got Bao and I started bringing her in with me, it was really nice to see how happy people in the home became around her. Their reaction when they see a dog is just so much… more. Their faces would light up with joy, and there’s nothing comparable to it. I later came to realize that going to the care home is a lot like going to a dog park: nobody remembers my name, but they will remember Bao’s name—and that doesn’t change, even with dementia!”

“Even though a lot of the folks in the care home have lost their speaking capabilities due to dementia, they can still interact with Bao without having a conversation. Bao’s a great social connector whose impact is pure joy. She doesn’t care about social groups or language differences. She’ll even scan the room and approach those that aren’t interacting with her. She’ll naturally try to connect with people and break the ice right away with strangers. With smaller dogs, she’ll actually lie down so the small dog can play with her face. She even has the sense to be more gentle with the people at the care home. Bao’s the person I want to be: prosocial and does sweet things to random strangers.”

“Also for me, I’m a bit of an introvert. I don’t usually stop to have a conversation with a stranger, usually, but because I see the impact that Bao makes when she’s interacting with others, I actually do want to stop and see how she brightens someone’s day, just by being her. So that’s the only time I stop. Usually, I’m plowing through trying to get something done. But I guess with her, she helps me get out more, be part of different communities, and basically stop and smell the roses. Not only does she help me make friends in person, she also has online friends! It’s just so much fun connecting with all these different people. So before I had Bao, I was a lot more closed off. Now I let her take the lead.”

“Anytime I leave my Dad at the care home, it’s always so heartbreaking because he’ll always ask where I’m going or why I’m leaving. But if I tell him that I have to go take care of Bao Bao, he’ll be like, oh okay. So Bao’s become an acceptable reason for leaving my Dad that he can comprehend. Before I got Bao, I used to say I had to clean up, but then he would ask, ‘Why are you always cleaning?’ But now he doesn’t ask or question it if I mention taking care of Bao.”

“Initially, I thought getting Bao would be good because my Mom passed away. I thought a dog would cheer me up, and it definitely helped… but the stress from all the surgeries made me think, well, now I have a different problem! Bao had two separate blockages: the first was because she swallowed a piece of wood, and the second was because she swallowed part of her toy. The first time Bao had a blockage, I realized this girl is nuts! She eats everything! And the vet bills are really high. So yeah, it’s been rough. I didn’t expect to go through all of this in such a short span of time. She’s so young… still just a baby. You don’t think it’s gonna happen to you—the never-ending rollercoaster of vet visits and scares. My last dog I had for 17 years and she had no problems, so having her was comparatively cheap. But now I’m part of the 1% of horror stories that you hear.”

“You know she even jumped out of a moving car before? She was a new puppy and I had hooked her leash, which had a bungee-style cord, to the car seat. It was the summertime, so I had opened the back-seat window, but I didn’t know I had opened it completely. I was driving slow, but suddenly I heard metal hitting the outside of my car… so I thought, what just hit my car? And when I turned to look at the back seat she was gone! There’s no way she jumped out of the window, and she was still harnessed in, so I was just very confused. I stopped and got out of the car to find her just outside my car and on the ground, still tethered. I don’t know how she didn’t break anything. She had a little bit of road rash on her paw, but it was very tiny and didn’t require any antibiotic cream or anything. So I’m thinking maybe the bungee cord helped break her fall. I was very lucky that time.”

“Right now, I have to keep her at home mostly because I can’t let her get too excited. If I bring her out, she’ll be so excited, but it’ll make her use up her energy or tear a stitch. She had a brief period where I thought she healed from her second surgery, but then over Christmas she started developing anemia. She’s slowly getting better every day and I’m looking forward to bringing her back to complete her Advanced Training course and being around other dogs again.”

“Before I had Bao, I found enjoyment mostly through material things. I would look for clothing and makeup to buy, for instance. But after I got Bao, I only wanted to spend time with her and so I would spend more time looking for things to do with her… I stopped buying clothing, and buy less in general. I realized I don’t need all of this stuff, I just need her. Especially after her surgeries, my focus changed completely. I seriously thought I was going to lose her, and so I focused on her health and making the most of our time together. The ordeal has taught me to appreciate what I have now, rather than fixate on her lifespan. I mean, I wouldn’t even have thought to come out in the snow to do this photoshoot if it wasn’t for Bao! … While I don’t know what the future holds, I treasure all the happiness Bao brings each day.”

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Are you feeling inspired? Lily and I had been talking about this story for months. We waited until Bao was feeling well enough to venture out. Then we jumped on the opportunity to capture Bao’s first snowfall together!

Don’t wait—get in touch today to share your love story and you could win a free photoshoot plus 3 digital images! Open to residents in the BC Lower Mainland. Please reach out and connect for more details while the offer lasts!

Until next time, leave us a comment to let us know what you loved about this story! 👇