Celeb Pawrents: Actress-host Vivian Lai says joy on her six dogs’ faces is indescribable

SINGAPORE – Actress-host Vivian Lai is a big animal lover and has always wanted a pet dog – and a big one too, like a giant poodle.

While getting a dog in her native Taiwan was relatively easy and affordable, she could not have one due to parental objections.

It was not until she moved to Singapore over 26 years ago and was crowned the female champion in talent show Star Search in 1999 that she got her first pet.

“I used some of the prize money to get a female shih tzu, which I named Pipi,” the 48-year-old Singaporean tells The Straits Times.

Pipi was her companion for about 12 years until a traumatic experience put her off pets for almost five years.

Lai had returned home late after a Chinese New Year show rehearsal in 2012 and discovered Pipi lying motionlessly in a pool of blood.

“Her belly was split open and I thought someone had killed her,” Lai says, adding that it happened after her family had gone to bed.

She covered Pipi in a plastic bag as she was still bleeding and rushed her to the animal hospital. But Pipi could not be saved and the veterinarian was unable to determine the cause of death.

That episode scarred Lai and she became fearful of having any more pets.

However, in 2013, her friend asked her if she could adopt a four-year-old female bichon named Baby who was badly abused by her owner. “I was told the owner would take his anger out on Baby and constantly beat her,” Lai says.

Lai, who is married with two daughters aged 15 and 19, was initially apprehensive because of Pipi’s death. It was her elder daughter who convinced her to adopt Baby.

Baby helped Lai overcome her trauma and the family subsequently bought another pup, a female white lagotto romagnolo puppy named Coco, in 2018.

As her two daughters are big dog lovers too, Lai would take them to help out at local shelter Voices For Animals (VFA).

It was at the shelter that the trio grew to love rescue dogs.

They went on to adopt five breeding dogs from VFA – Cotton, a white bichon, in 2019; Brownie, a brown toy poodle, in 2020; Oreo, a black toy poodle, in 2022; Lola, a white lagotto romagnolo, in 2023, and Lucky, a cream labradoodle, in 2024.

She now has six dogs as Baby died in December 2024 from cancer at 15 years old.

Lai’s last acting role was in Channel 8’s long-form drama The Heartland Hero (2021 to 2022). Represented by local veteran actor Li Nanxing’s talent management agency LNX Global, she is one of the co-hosts on Channel 8 infomercial series The Wonder Shop (2022 to present).

She manages her e-commerce platform Vivian Awesome Store, and she goes overseas about once a month to sell beauty and lifestyle products via live stream.

Lai admits raising six dogs can be a handful and expensive. Her monthly pet expenditure is about $1,500 to $2,000.

Calling herself an organised taskmaster, Lai will delegate pet chores – such as walking, feeding and showering – to her daughters and helper.

“My daughters love the dogs so much. The dogs will take turns sleeping with them,” says Lai, adding that her kids are hands-on pawrents too.

The trio will take the pooches out for daily walks around the neighbourhood after dinner.

“The dogs are so cute. After the walks, they will sit on the bench side-by-side in the garden and wait for their turn to get their paws cleaned before entering the house,” says Lai, who lives in a landed property. 

She also takes four of her dogs to pet-friendly venues, such as One Holland Village and Star Vista, leaving Oreo, seven, and Brownie, eight, at home.

“Oreo is fearful of strangers because she is still traumatised by her past abuses,” Lai says. “It took her almost a year to be comfortable with us and in the house. She would recoil if we go to her and would always be under the couch. She is still scared of humans and will hide if someone comes to our house.”

Brownie, says Lai, is “too fat” to walk long distances. The 5.6kg toy poodle’s current state is a stark contrast to when Lai first adopted her.

“Brownie was in such terrible shape. Her teeth were rotten and the vet had to extract all of them,” she says, adding that the mutt was also deprived of food. “When I first gave her food, I could see tears in her eyes. I did not know dogs can express gratitude that way.”

Still, toothless Brownie loves to eat.

The dogs are fed a diet of cooked beef, pork and vegetables. “I’d cook their food at the start of the week and then freeze them in small batches,” says Lai.

While she insists she has no favourites among the six, she says Cotton, nine, is the “stickiest” to her. “She will follow me everywhere, even to the toilet,” she says.

Having adopted so many animals, Lai says the love she receives from them is “very different” from what she gets from Coco, six.

“Coco acts like a spoilt princess, thinking she is different from the others,” she says.

“Cotton, Brownie, Oreo, Lola and Lucky are very well-behaved. When I tell Coco to do something or discipline her, she will sometimes yelp back and give me a dirty look.”

Though she has not fulfilled her dream of owning a giant poodle, Lai will not grow her fur family any further. “I don’t think we can handle any more,” she says.

Her pet peeve is people getting pets on impulse. “Owning a pet is like raising a human child; it’s a lifetime commitment. The animals are your responsibility for at least 10 years and more.”

She adds: “I want to encourage potential pet owners to adopt instead of buying.

“The joy my adopted fur kids have on their faces when we get home is undeniable and indescribable. They know they are no longer neglected and are well-loved.”