Daniel Boey loves dogs. From growing up with his beloved Ah Hock, to adopting his first rescue dog Leia, Daniel is a proud paw-rent to all his fur children, and has dedicated his life to bettering theirs. Besides treating them like family, spending quality time with them and giving them well-deserved rewards, he’s also constantly advocating for animal rights across Singapore in the way he knows best – writing.

All of that came together in 2019, when he put together his first collection of dog rescue tales, titled We Adopted!, which documents the tales of rescue dogs saved by humans. Four years later, he’s back with a sequel to the well-received collection, with the aptly titled We Adopted Too!, which continues with even more incredible stories of strength and resilience, as these dogs survive the odds and learn to love and trust humans again.

“I’ve always been interested in writing, and both books and dogs have always been an important part of my life, even before fashion,” says Daniel. “In a way, I’ve always been a storyteller, where even in fashion I was telling and communicating stories effectively. When the opportunity came to write my autobiography, that gave me the freedom to write whatever I wanted, and it rekindled my love for the medium, beyond writing functionally for exams or for work. Now with We Adopted Too!, it’s my 9th book since 2014, and I’ve explored all these topics I’m passionate about, whether it’s eczema or fashion or rescue dogs, where I’m writing for a cause.”

Indeed, the stories in We Adopted Too! are emotionally charged ones, as they dive into tragic tales of dogs are betrayed by the humans that they put their trust in, given up or abused in the most horrific of ways. “One thing we wanted to focus on more this time was with about how dogs were affected during the pandemic, like how my dog Luna was bought as a puppy and thrown away after the pandemic,” says Daniel. “There were so many impulse buys that took place back then, or people travelled back to their home countries and left their dogs behind.”

“The lucky ones found new homes or shelters, while others got euthanised. There were also so many cases of owners trading in older dogs for younger dogs, and these are the people that don’t love dogs – they just treat dogs like a branded accessory, coveting them and then sending them away when it’s no longer fashionable or it becomes too hard,” Daniel continues. “A dog is a member of the family, and leaving a dog behind is like leaving your own child behind. That’s why dog ownership is not for everyone, and neither is adoption. It takes a special person with a lot of empathy who’s also practical and in tune with the world to treat animals right, and open their heart to adoption.”

Daniel happens to be one of those people – beyond Leia and Luna (who’s also the bull terrier illustrated on the cover of We Adopted Too!), Daniel also adopted a third dog – Leopold, a former show dog who was let down by his previous owner and his fosterer, who Daniel painstakingly nursed back to health. “I’ve always been very close to my dogs, and I believe that every owner thinks that of themselves. I think my dogs do understand when I speak to them, and I have strong emotional attachments to all of them,” says Daniel. “They’ve also shaped the way I lead my life now, where I found myself part of the volunteer groups or various animal welfare groups, and I feel I’ve become more tolerant, more giving, and more patient as a result. That’s why I feel I need to give back to the dogs, not just giving my own a good life, but also amplifying that by helping the less fortunate dogs by spreading the word as well.”

“There really are many stages of my life, each one gained through new knowledge. In the past, I was an introvert, then tried being an extrovert in the fashion world, and there were times I became an asshole,” says Daniel. “And I realised that’s not who I enjoyed being. When I started to work with nice people, when dogs came into my life, I think I’ve finally entered the phase where I begin to enjoy things as an older person, relishing the wisdom and experiences and all these years of struggling and success and learning, where I can do my best work, to best so proud of being a good paw-rent to my dogs.” 

Leopold eventually passed on earlier this year, but if anything, lived a good life while under Daniel’s care. “The loss of Leopold was very different from Ah Hock, who I grew up with, and was subject to a choke chain and not allowed indoors,” he says. “With Ah Hock, he felt taken away too soon, and there were so many issues I wish he could come back that we could resolve together. But with Leopold, he passed peacefully, like he was ready to go, with no need to hold on longer than he had to. That’s the kind of good death I hope more dogs get, where they’re not holding on for the sake of their owner or hooked up to machines. That’s also the kind of death I hope to get, that I pass before losing all my faculties and mobility and senses.”

In spite of all the struggles and challenges bringing up a rescue dog involves, Daniel resolves to remain strong. “Dogs pick up on energy so easily, and if I freak out, they’ll get anxious too,” he says. “Leia is particularly strong, where she’s gone through so much as an ex-breeding dog, has alopecia, had cancer and gone through two leg surgeries. But she’s happy, always waking up with a smile and kissing me goodnight. I think to myself, if she can be that strong, then I can be strong for her, so she can recover when I project positivity and optimism.”

How indeed does Daniel balance all this on top of a career? “It’s easier than you think – I do all this because I enjoy it, and the dogs have proven to me that I no longer have to work 20 hours a day to prove to myself that I’m successful,” he says. “I used to feel guilty about sleeping in and not working, or like a failure if I wasn’t working away in front of my laptop. But the dogs have show. me a new gauge for success – not how many shows or articles you’re featured in. I finally feel I can can stop and smell the roses or pet the dogs and have me time, and that it’s so important to raise your quality of life and think about how much you can give back to society.”

“And before you know it, it becomes a part of your identity. By being true to self and being true to your dogs, you attract like-minded people,” he adds. “Not all the dog owners resonate with what I believe in and vice versa, but by living my life a certain way, treating dogs a certain way and radiating that energy, I hope to attract those of the same tribe, and that’s how we build community. These are the people who adopt for the right reasons. Not all superheroes wear capes, but when you successfully adopt and care for an animal the right way, you’re giving them a new lease on life and saving them.”

And it is these everyday heroes that go into the story selection for We Adopted Too! “The people in the book are those whose beliefs resonate with me. I wanted to show a variety of rescue dogs, where there are puppies, show dogs, older dogs, Singapore specials and pedigree dogs who have been through this,” says Daniel. “I want to dispel the myth that they’re all Singapore specials, and believe that if you are a true dog lover, there’s a dog out there for you. So the breadth and diversity was important, and also to remind people that even when it comes to training, it can be so important to ensure all ground is covered. For example, you can’t take a dog to the UK without preparing them for it, and there’s all these stories of dogs who get lost in airports and are terrified of planes. I want to tell these stories of these heroes who do make the dogs feel better, and really save them with a better life of care and love.”

In terms of community, Daniel not only trusts his core team, who’ve returned to help design the book with him, with Sam Lo, Hao Soh and the team from Black Mongrels, and publishers Marshall Cavendish, but also the beneficiaries and groups he continues to support. “I enjoy working with my creatives and have built this great working relationship – like with Sam Lo, who said yes to doing the cover of my first book before we even met up. And now with him returning to do this second book, it feels like a series, and I was so thrilled by that, like creating this brand identity and sense of continuity,” he says.

“Meanwhile, I do also like to incorporate design and fashion into my campaigning as well – like the tote bag we’re including with the launch stems from a conversation between myself and a fashion designer I’ve known since he was a student at NAFA. It’s about finding ways to weave these messages into your daily life, wearing it proudly on your sleeve. Hopefully, that also helps people to start discussions, potentially converting people into dog lovers too.”

For Daniel to have come this far is nothing short of a miracle, and the community he’s built has been filled with genuine love for animals. Among his allies in the fight for animal rights, he counts SPCA Executive Director Aarthi Shankar, Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant Fred Leow and ‘The Dog Listener’ Tony Knight, all of whom have contributed guest commentaries to the book. And beyond that, Daniel also works closely with partner groups such as Good Dog People, Wholesome Paws, Paws Fur Life, and other stockists to help promote the book, with proceeds going to causes such as Chained Dog Awareness and SPCA.

“There are so many myths and harmful beliefs that spread, so it is most important to have conversations with people so they can dispel those beliefs. People can think for example that oh, German Shepherds are the most aggressive working dogs, but I heard there are trainers who simply use positive reinforcement rather than adverse tactics, and these ‘unadoptable dogs’ are not as difficult as people say,” says Daniel. “Everything starts from education and wanting to be educated, so we become one source of education for people to seek out. We can’t have people going on social media to ask strangers for advice on things like surgery. So why not make an informed choice, have conversations and do research on data from real experts, and you too can make a difference to these dogs.”

Daniel knows that there won’t be a paradigm shift overnight, but keeps fighting the good fight. It is only through such dialogue, conversation and teamwork that change can finally happen, together. “Knowledge is power, and the more people we can gather to work towards a common cause, there’s more strength in masses,” says Daniel. “Even say government organisations, like Animal & Veterinary Services under NParks, they may seem hard to approach, but I’ve met them and the current group is really made of genuine animal lovers who we can work together with. We work hand in hand with whoever wants to be a part of the cause, whether government groups or grassroots organisations, but the first step is to just try, and come together to effect change.”

“This is a book that wouldn’t have been possible without having written the other books first, where I’ve learnt to trust and write from my gut. The key message I want to pout out there is that adoption is important, but it’s also not for everyone, and you can still show your love and support in other ways, such as donating to good causes, and spreading awareness about not supporting illegal breeders, and really, just treating dogs right,” says Daniel concludes. “Through the process of writing both We Adopted! and this book, I’ve found a support system of fellow adopters, and it’s been therapeutic in learning how to channel the energy and anger at being angry at the people who put my dogs in this position into learning how to be better paw-rent to them, and learning from each other how best I can treat my furkids.”

We Adopted Too! launched on 18th November 2023 at the National Design Centre. It is now available from select stockists and major bookstores. More information available from @furrytalesbyleia

The first book in the series, We Adopted!, is available from all major bookstores.