Well worth the wait

One day, while waiting for a lift at her university, Pin came across her love at first sight when a smart dog leading a blind man approached her and joined her in front of the same lift. That event marked the start of her whirlwind romance.

"When I saw him, I immediately fell in love with him. He had big, black eyes with curved eyelashes. His eyebrows and moustache were neatly aligned.

"His sideburns on his white cheeks charmed me. I stole a peek at him, hardly able to hide my great admiration. But I had to contain my excitement because he looked so solemn," recalled Pin.

After that day, Pin could not suppress her hope of seeing him again, and, fortunately for her, her wish was partially granted. Although she spotted him again occasionally, she did not have the chance to get to know him, or even to ask what his name was.

"It all happened while I was studying for my master's degree in the US. I couldn't believe that I had fallen head over heels in love at first sight as I am more a 'I love me' person. But things completely changed after he came into my life that day. He was on my mind constantly," she said.

Time flew by quickly. Eventually, Lady Luck came to her side. While browsing inside a bookshop near her university, Pin accidentally saw a picture of her "dream man" and learned his name for the first time. That coincidence brought her enormous bliss and led her to accept the reality that she was totally and unconditionally in love and that she still had the opportunity to get closer to him.

"His name is Schnauzer," she revealed.

"His beautiful name is compatible with his handsome looks. As soon as I became aware that there are miniature schnauzers in this world, I felt like I had just met the soulmate I had been waiting for all my life since that fateful day in front of the lift. There and then, inside the book store, I made the decision to spend my whole life with a schnauzer," she says, laughing merrily.

But her love story did not have a happy ending until much later. In fact, she had to suffer a lot of pain before happiness entered her life again.

Here's what happened after she made up her mind to live with a schnauzer.

Before returning to Thailand, Pin asked her mother whether she could bring a schnauzer home, but her request was turned down.

"I was dumbfounded by her answer, and I felt extremely miserable. My mum told me that dogs can carry many kinds of germs and that she was afraid that I might not be able to take good care of my pet. At the time, schnauzers were not available in Thailand, so I had no chance to live with my soulmate in Thailand," she said.

It took Pin years before her wish was fully granted. One day, while making a stop at a pet shop, Pin and her mother saw two schnauzer puppies playing with each other. Pin took a male puppy out from a cage and his reactions towards her tugged at her and her mom's heart strings right away.

"He turned around himself three times and barked joyously when I placed him on the floor. At the sight of his antics and his adorable appearance, my mum gave in voluntarily and gave me the green light to adopt him.

"You know, his price was higher than my whole month's salary. But I was more than willing to surrender my month's earnings just to have him. He has become my dearest sweetheart ever since," Pin said.

Pin named her four-legged "younger brother" Bung Ern ("By Chance") because they had met each other by chance. Bung Ern has a cute English nickname, too - "Ernie".

"We're the ideal siblings. I take good care of him, and I sacrifice what I have for him. Bung Ern is a good brother to me. He is very obedient, polite and well-mannered. He sleeps with me in my bedroom. He probably thinks that he is a human like me because, when he meets other dogs, he acts as if he doesn't see them," said the dog lover.

While Bung Ern was growing up into a young lad, Pin didn't hesitate in finding him the right girl. In fact, Bung Ern's bride was still in her mother's womb when Pin decided that it was nearly time for Bung Ern to settle down. She acted as the matchmaker by contacting the owner of the mother of Bung Ern's prospective bride and made the engagement arrangements, so to speak.

"I went to pick up Bung Ern's bride later, when she was one month old. When I saw her, I immediately knew that she was suitable for Bung Ern. I named her Cupid. Little Cupid soon became the apple of my other eye, and Bung Ern also loves Cupid very much."

When Cupid turned two, Bung Ern mated with his bride, and soon three newborns came into the world. The Schnauzer Gang of Five is an absolute source of delight to Pin.

"I couldn't have been happier if the babies had actually been my own children. I gave Bung Ern a precious gift, namely Cupid, and Cupid has given me the three most precious furry gifts in my life. I am eternally grateful to Cupid for her wonderful presents," Pin said.

Every morning, Pin makes it a point to drop in at the living area of the quizzical-looking gang to say hello to the three young ones, who are her beautiful angels although they are all male. Seven years have passed since they were born, but she still performs this ritual every morning. The "three boys", as she calls them, are still her angels, no matter how old they are.

Pin named the eldest puppy Bozo while the Wednesday Child is called Giggo, and the youngest member of the gang is Pizza. All the members of schnauzer family are living in harmony. Cupid has already been neutered, and all the male members of her family never fight with each another.

Pin is always impressed by the comedic and humorous behaviours of her three angels.

"Among the three lads, Giggo is the handsomest and smartest one. He could 'sawadee' ever since he was two months old. He was also the first to climb the stairs. One day, when I was with him at a pet shop for his haircut, a dog lover told me that she wanted to buy him. Oh, no! That's impossible. I won't sell him to anybody, no matter how high a price they offer," she said.

"As for Pizza, he is very innocent and the cutest. He likes to play with hairy toys, just like his mother. I always think that he should have been born a girl, and I nearly changed his name to Patricia to suit his personality," she said.

Although Pin is happy being around her schnauzers, she has no plans to bring more schnauzers into her home as she already has a perfect family.

"As a childless person, I am contented with my perfect family. So is my husband. I have never wanted more schnauzers in my house. Previously, when I saw any schnauzers, I would approach them and give them a big hug. I love all the schnauzers in the world. But now I feel that no schnauzers are as cute as mine as I feel much more attached to my own darling schnauzers."

"This love that I have makes me appreciate and understand the true meaning of the word 'enough'," she says.

But it is also this love that led her to another episode in her life that kept her in great anguish for a long while.

Read the second and third parts of the story of Pin and her schnauzers in the following weeks.