'Gold from a goldie': Family gifts helper with bracelet for taking care of pet dog

How do you thank someone who has taken care of your golden retriever for years? 

One family decided that a shiny gold bracelet was an apt gift for their domestic helper. 

The dog in question is Cooper, a pet influencer with 140,000 followers on TikTok. 

"[Our domestic helper] has been taking care of Cooper since he was a little puppy," shared the employers in a video uploaded onto TikTok on Jan 3. 

At the start of the 20-second clip, three-year-old Cooper was seen holding a long red jewellery box in his mouth. 

When the domestic helper entered the room, Cooper leapt up and approached her, pressing the red box into her hands. 

Inside the box was a delicate gold bracelet, which someone helped clasp onto the domestic helper's hand while Cooper watched. 

"When your golden retriever retrieves gold," wrote Cooper's owners in the caption.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@wreckitcooper/video/7194303123270176002[/embed]

His owners explained to AsiaOne that the money used to buy the bracelet was accumulated from several campaigns Cooper did last year and the gift was not sponsored by any specific brand.

"We thought it would be something nice as a gesture to say thank you and what more, gold from a goldie himself," said Cooper's owners, who shared how he's "really attached" to the helper.

They also shared that while the domestic helper wasn't hired specifically for the golden retriever, she has taken care of him since he was born in July 2019. 

Part of her duties includes bringing Cooper on four walks a day and grooming him twice a day. 

"There aren't any kids in the household, so Cooper is somewhat like the only 'kid' for her to care for," they shared, adding that they have another older, 10-year-old dog that is not as playful as Cooper. 

Another employer's surprise for helper

Last December, another employer decided to surprise their Filipino domestic helper with a visit from her kids.  

The helper had not seen her children in six years and was supposed to fly back and spend Christmas with them. 

However, as the employer needed her in Singapore during that period, she had no choice but to postpone the trip till June. 

To make up for this, they decided to fly her children into Singapore instead. 

In total, it cost $3,000 to fly the domestic helper's children to Singapore, inclusive of passport applications, visas and travel insurance. 

Despite the final amount going way over the original budget of $1,000, the employer expressed that he had no regrets. 

ALSO READ: Singaporean family gives helper of 20 years 'long service award'

melissateo@asiaone.com