Once a street mutt, this cool dog now goes on motorcycle adventures with his owner

Every dog has its day, and that definitely rings true for Buddy, a Singapore Special that once roamed the streets of Chua Chu Kang.

Now, he's the coolest furkid in the shed, zipping down the road on the back of a motorcycle with the cutest pair of doggy shades. Buddy's even found fame on the internet, after a photo of him and his owner, 29-year-old Mark Lin, at a stoplight along Toa Payoh went viral.

He's also Lin's colleague, helping to rehabilitate dogs with behavioural issues at the Society for Animal Matters, a non-profit animal welfare group founded by Lin and a friend.

Looking at Buddy's sweet dopey face and cuddly tendencies, it's hard to believe that he was once abandoned.

Lin and his co-founder found Buddy in 2017 – hungry, lost, and alone but still friendly.

"We suspected he was given one last bath and meal, driven far away, and abandoned," Lin shared with AsiaOne.

They immediately took him in and after a few fosters and homestays with potential adopters that didn't work out, Buddy joined the shelter Lin worked with. During that time, the two got to know each other better.

Lin said: "I just knew that I had to bring him home the moment I could. Out of all the dogs under my care, our bond easily stood out as something very special."

Biker beginnings

Buddy started riding pillion for a simple reason — private hire cars that catered to pets were too pricy.

As Lin and Buddy were joined at the hip, going pretty much everywhere together – to buy food, to the supermarket, to friends' places – Lin wanted to find a more wallet-friendly way to ferry Buddy around.

Since he had a motorcycle, Lin thought: "Why not?"

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Getting Buddy used to riding on his back definitely took some time. Over the course of several weeks, Lin had to ease Buddy into being comfortable and even excited about being zipped up and carried around in a bag, before he moved on to getting Buddy familiar with the motorcycle.

After several weeks of slowly riding around their neighbourhood, Buddy finally graduated and the pair stepped onto the main road.

In response to netizens' concern that pillion riding for dogs might be unsafe, Lin — who is also a professional dog trainer and behavioural specialist for dogs — reassures that Buddy is calm and confident on the motorcycle thanks to his training.

He added that the goggles reduce sensory input, which helps to keep Buddy calm.

"I'm glad people ask and show concern," he says. "If [Buddy] was anything less than completely at ease, I would not be riding with him."

Not only does Buddy enjoy his outings, Lin also shared that Buddy comes over to sit inside the backpack on its own accord whenever the bag is brought down from the dresser.

The two have since gone on many adventures together — from forest hikes to going on boat rides to other offshore islands, watching countless sunrises and sunsets together.

"I am always thankful for our incredible relationship," Lin added. "The companionship [Buddy] gives me lets me experience life unfolding in a very meaningful way, full of growth, lessons and beauty."

rainercheung@asiaone.com