Trending Now: Celebrity twins Hayley and Jayley Woo secretly bought their dog while their parents were away – Fans React

SINGAPORE – For years, local twin actresses Hayley and Jayley Woo dreamt of having a dog.

Their mother, however, did not. She had been bitten by a dog when she was younger, leaving her with a deep-seated fear that followed her into adulthood.

Growing up, the sisters reared fish and terrapins and had hamsters. “We wanted a dog so bad, we even got scammed online,” says Jayley, 34. “We wired about $300 to a supposed seller and nothing came back.”

Hayley adds that they were then about 20. “We were young and did not know better. We did not come from money, so $300 was a lot of money to us at that time.”

Yet that did not deter the sisters in their quest to have a pet dog. About half a year later, a tiny pomeranian they chanced upon at a pet farm caught the twins’ attention. “Maybe because the puppy had a twin too. It was like we were fated to meet,” says Hayley.

After forking out about $1,300 for the three-month-old dog, the sisters took him home and named him Buibui after a video game character.

“Our parents were conveniently away in Malaysia, so they couldn’t say no,” adds Hayley with a laugh.

That was in 2012, when Jayley became a full-time Mediacorp artiste. She left the broadcaster in 2018. Hayley was managed by JM Artiste Network from 2013 to 2017.

Jayley was last seen in the Channel 8 drama The Heartland Hero (2021), while Hayley starred in director Eric Khoo’s Hungry Ghost Festival-set miniseries Hungry Souls: From Hell, With Love (2022). Hayley also runs a business, Hay Its Me, selling customised press-on nails and crystal bracelets.

Today, Buibui is 14 years old and the question of “whose dog is he?” is more complicated than it sounds.

The twins have moved into different life stages, with Jayley in her own home with husband Bryan Tan and their three-year-old daughter.

Buibui continues to live with Hayley and their parents, and sleeps in Jayley’s old room. Jayley says: “I still see Buibui every day. Physically, he feels like a younger sibling because he’s so small, but mentally, he’s like a grandfather.”

He does not have a favourite human, they insist. “It’s whoever feeds him and gives him the most attention,” Jayley says, laughing. “He just goes to the person who gives him what he wants.”

Health challenges are now more prevalent with Buibui in his senior years, although he has always had respiratory issues because of his small stature.

Although he was sold as a pure pomeranian, Buibui’s smaller-than-average size and features suggest he might be a mix. “When we got him, he was so tiny that he could fit into a two-tiered hamster cage,” Hayley says. “That should have been our first warning sign, but we didn’t know much about dogs then.”

Buibui now has an enlarged heart and cataracts in both eyes – one eye is almost completely clouded over. He is also a little hard of hearing.

His daily routine includes taking three types of medicine every morning, including one for breathing and another for his joints.

Regular check-ups and medicine mean the bills can add up – about $300 to $400 every three months, depending on what he needs. But the Woo family considers it manageable and, more importantly, necessary.

Despite his health issues, Buibui still enjoys a good life. He sleeps a lot and, when food appears, so does he.

“If we bring food into the room, he’ll wake up and follow us,” says Jayley.

Their 72-year-old mother, who retired when the twins joined show business, no longer has a phobia of dogs. She is also the one who prepares Buibui’s meals. Says Hayley: “Buibui eats what we eat, just a blander version. Our mum usually prepares rice with steamed meat.”

For years, the family organised their schedules around him. Holidays were negotiated so that someone would always be home.

“Until my daughter was born, he was the precious one, the baby of the family,” says Jayley. “Everything kind of revolved around him.”

Buibui also plays a role in the upbringing of the girl. The toddler’s relationship with the dog is still evolving.

“Sometimes she likes him, sometimes she doesn’t,” Jayley says. “When she’s eating, Buibui will come near her because she’s low to the ground, and she gets scared and calls for us. So, it depends. If I’m there to show her that he means no harm, then she’s not so scared.”

Her daughter has asked for a pet of her own – a hamster – but the family feels she is not ready. “She doesn’t fully understand the concept of being responsible for another life yet,” says Jayley.

She adds: “When the time comes, we’ll make sure she knows that a pet is not just a short-term impulse thing. It’s going to be a large part of her life, at least, and a full life for the animal.”