Maltipoo Daisy thanks Kate Torralba for the music

I didn’t want to get a new dog; I thought I was done with them,” says Kate Torralba, fashion designer, musician and mom to Maltipoo Daisy.  â€œNo more dogs — either they die or turn bad.  I was done with dogs. It’s funny, like I am talking about men I am done with.”

The trauma for Torralba was with her last dog, Miu Miu, a Terrier whom she says bit 37 people (this writer included).  It had come to a point where Torralba had to re-home Miu Miu in Cebu because of his aggressiveness.

“But, Miu Miu is now happy living in a farm where he goes on morning runs with his new human,” says Torralba.

Enter Daisy

Torralba had remained doggy-free for a few years since the thought of getting another dog and losing it was too painful for her to bear.

“There were several occasions where people would tell me that they had puppies for me so that they said I could move on from Miu Miu,” shares Torralba.  â€œI was like, no more na talaga. It was my ninang who told me that I looked sad and she advised me to get Daisy, an ‘accident’ between her Maltese and tea cup Poodle.” 

Torralba made every excuse not to get Daisy. But when the two met on New Year’s Day, 2011, Torralba was smitten.

“I looked into her eyes and oh, no, I knew I liked her,” laughs Torralba.  â€œShe really gravitated towards me even if there were other dogs.  I was smitten. But my mind was saying, no you’re not ready for another dog, for another relationship.”

A few months later on Easter Sunday, Torralba took Daisy home to Manila.

Since they’ve been together, not a day goes by that Torralba does not wonder about how Daisy is doing. No matter where she is in the world, she goes as far as calling Manila to ask about Daisy.

Torralba shares with me that she does not know when Daisy’s birthday is, but that won’t stop her from celebrating Daisy’s birthday next year, in March.

Never the same

Daisy is the one who sits beside Torralba on the piano when she is composing a song or just singing.

Torralba has opted to shift careers for now, although she is quick to add that she still designs clothes. Because, she adds, there are people who still ask her to.

Torralba shares that when she was growing up in Cebu, she fell in love with the stylish clothes of her great-grandmother, who was a dressmaker, and her grandmother, owner of a Cebu boutique. She first started making clothes when she was in college and realized she had to be more resourceful since she could not keep buying all the new outfits she wanted. With the help of her family seamstress, she started coming up with her own colorful outfits. Soon, friends and relatives would ask her to make clothes for them, too.

She worked in a vacant apartment in her family’s compound with a staff consisting of three people and made party outfits, kids’ clothes, and uniforms. She used her earnings to shop for her own wardrobe and occasionally used some pieces that did not get sold.

Torralba started her love affair with music at a very young age because she grew up surrounded by a music-loving family. Although she was busy with her fashion career, Torralba would always find time after her day job to make her way to a gig so that she could do what she loves most — sing.

“It is so fulfilling to hear people say that my music has touched them,” shares Torralba. “There is really no other feeling that can compare with being able to touch another person’s life.”

Late last year she released her debut album, “Long Overdue.” She says she has had to keep her focus on the music.

“This,” explains Torralba, is why she spends many nights on the piano with Diasy as her ear.

“I don’t think Daisy will ever become a singer. She is such a chill doggy,” shares Torralba. “She is just the best listener there is. I play and she sits with me. When I am busy composing songs on the computer, she sits under the table. Her presence is a constant with me.”

“Have you ever written a song for Daisy?” I ask.

“I write songs every day for Daisy. When I wake up I have a new song for her. I sing to Daisy every morning. I make songs for her but I have never recorded any of them … yet,” smiles Torralba. “She seems to like what I sing.”

“Is she socialized?” I ask.

“Yes, she has an Instagram account @daily_ Daisy, which we set up last week. As of last count she has 140 followers,” says Torralba.  â€œShe has lots of friends from all over the world since we use #maltipoo. There are Maltipoos from all over that follow her and like her posts.”

Torralba adds that she is actually happier looking over Daisy’s Instagram feed than her own.  â€œThe pet owners are so passionate and it is so positive.”

The right time

“I got Daisy around the same time I started working on the album after another pause in the project,” shares Torralba. “This is why I guess she is so calm around my music.”

Bonding with Daisy is Torralba’s chill time. “Daisy loves to be cuddled a lot,” Torralba says. “She likes to be on my lap all the time. She sleeps when I sleep. And when I am working late at night, she is my companion. Just waiting until it is time for bed for me.”

Torralba excuses herself to get ready for the pictorial. I take the opportunity to ask Daisy to let me in on a few secrets about Torralba that only she knows. Here’s what she shares:

1. Mommy is a vampire. Mommy sleeps when the sun rises. She can’t sleep until she sees morning light. When Mommy is awake, I am awake.

2. Mommy is very disciplined when it comes to my diet. She has never let me eat anything that is bad for me. I want to try Mommy’s sweets but she doesn’t give me. She eats lots of icing. She likes a little bit of cake with her icing.

3. Mommy has no boyfriend. I know about her love life and right now she is married to her album. She loves me.

4. Mommy is constantly singing to me. She sings even when she is not in the shower. She sings when she is tidying the house and when she is sitting beside me. She is always singing.

5. Mommy has an MP3 player in her head. When she is not singing, then the MP3 player is playing music. What she hears in her head is music. So if anyone asks for a request from her at a gig she hears it in her head and finds it on the piano and then she can sing it. She has no music on her iPod and she doesn’t have any music on her phone, either.

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The joy that Daisy brings to Torralba is evident when they sit together. They really snuggle a lot and Torralba is always talking to Daisy in a singsong voice. Daisy laps up all the attention and then closes her eyes as she dozes off.

“It takes a lot of responsibility to have a little fur baby,” Torralba points out.  â€œIt is a commitment — it is not enough to want one because it is cute. Owning a dog is just like a relationship: give and take. Dogs really love us unconditionally.”

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Kate Torralba performs at Saguijo Bar, San Antonio Village, Makati, on Nov. 20 and at Live Vibe Café, third floor, A. Venue Mall, Makati Ave., on Nov. 22. Both shows are fundraisers for Typhoon Yolanda victims. For more information on KT’s Long Overdue Asian Tour, follow her on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @katetorralba. Daisy is @daily_daisy on Instagram.