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If you follow local celeb couple Shawn Thia, 27, and Xenia Tan, 29, on Instagram, you might have already seen snippets of their daily life with their adorable pup, Aiko.

Earlier this month, Shawn posted a touching Instagram reel of Aiko, which included a clip of the very first time they picked her up, and moments of them pampering her over the past year.

“Impulsive decision to adopt Aiko but turns out to be one of the best decisions we ever made!!! We’re so blessed & grateful to see how one year of love can change a broken dog into a floofy ball,” wrote Shawn, who is now starring in new Mediacorp drama My One and Only.

From celebrating birthdays, to going out on adventures and getting all the belly rubs she could want, Aiko definitely looked to be very, very loved.

After watching the reel that made us collectively go “aww”, 8days.sg reached out to Shawn earlier this week (July 18) to find out more about Aiko’s adoption journey.

It was early last year when Shawn and Xenia got connected to a dog rescuer through a friend.

They weren’t given much information about Aiko prior to seeing her. All they knew was that there was “a dog, between three to five years old” that was up for adoption because “the breeder was done with her”.

“For us it was kinda like… let’s just head down to have a look. Just a look,” said Shawn.

The couple drove down to Sungei Tengah the next day, and upon seeing her, Shawn recalled turning to Xenia, saying: “This dog is not going back inside the cage today. She’s coming home with us.”

And so she did, in a move that Shawn excitedly described as “the best decision ever”.

Shawn initially wanted to name the pup Tornado, but “Xenia protested vehemently”.

He explained that Aiko was never named, and they wanted a meaningful one for her. He said: “Aiko means ‘little loved one’ in Japanese. We named her this because we want her to know she’ll be loved from now on, and forever with us.”

It was love at first sight for the couple and Aiko.

“We didn’t know we were ready for another dog because my late doggie passed away at the end of Feb last year. But when we saw Aiko for the first time, I knew we had to bring her home. This dog has never been outside - she has never walked down stairs, never touched or smelled grass, never lived the life she deserves,” said Shawn.

However, it did take some time for Aiko to get used to her new family. According to Shawn, she was “terrified of everything” when they first brought her home.

She was cautious of everything and would “hide at the corner of the house while being fully alert”.

Training her also required some ‘sacrifice’ on Shawn’s part. He hilariously recalled: “For some reason, she was very afraid of the leash. At one point, to show her that the leash meant no harm, I was being leashed and Xenia walked me in public.”

Aiko eventually warmed up to her new family, not without the help of some treat bribery. “Now when she sees her leash, she jumps and spins around. Her personality has truly blossomed. She’s now unapologetically clingy with both of us,” said Shawn.

In his IG caption, Shawn also wrote: “The rescuer told us she was a Cavapoo. We did a DNA test on her. She is NOT a Cavapoo.”

Shawn told us that always had a feeling the breeder had lied about Aiko’s breed.

He explained: “We knew Cavapoos were supposed to be hypoallergenic, and they don’t shed. But Aiko sheds so much! And her legs are stubbier than normal. Then we thought aiyah, let’s just try a DNA test on her. When the results came back, everything made more sense! She’s 50% Cavalier, 30% Bichon, and 20% Maltese.”

Having given a second life to the sweet pup that lived the first few years of its life in a cage, Shawn has some very good advice to give to those who are looking to adopt.

“You might not understand why newspapers or rolled up X’mas gift wrappers might scare them ‘til they tremble. But trust me, every difficulty you are facing is a chance for you to understand their story. They’re trying their best to learn too!” said Shawn.

He continued: “When you see them blossom from being scared and lost, to being confident and loved, the sense of satisfaction is indescribable. They’ll teach you the true definition of unconditional love.”