It's been a while since I last wrote anything of value. What prompted this journal entry is a random thought while I was trying to go to sleep a few nights back. Coco (my baby Beaglet) was sleeping soundly beside me, while I was caressing his tummy and I suddenly remembered Candy, and then Chiqui, and then Choco, and then Casper and then Coffee, and then thought of Cloud & Cotton & Chuckie & Champy (who are still with us until now), and realized how a dog's role in ones life changes over time, as we grow older.
Bestfriend
Candy was the first dog in our household that I can remember. I was told by my siblings that they had dogs prior Candy, but when I started to walk and talk, it was Candy who was there. Candy was my constant companion at home. My parents were workers - they were not home most of the time as they work incessantly Mon-Sat. My siblings on the other hand are 10 and 8 years older than me, and already have their own barkadas/group of friends that they hang out with. They were teens in highschool when I was in Kindergarten. So it was either Kuya Sanny (my yayo) or Candy who would play with me. We live in what seemed then as a faraway subdivision from where my cousins live. Candy was really my best friend. I even remember promising her we'll leave this world together when we get old. I didn't know then how limited the years of a dog was.
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| A printed photo of Candy, found in my HS Scrapbook, taken at our childhood house in Pines City |
Sibling
When I was in 5th grade, we had both Chiqui & Choco. So a year later when we changed residences to a three-story commercial/residential building at the heart of Antipolo, we had three three dogs in tow. The move I'd assumed stressed Candy the most. She was a big dog, and the house that we lived in didn't have greens and grass and enough space to run around. My parents decided it would be best for Candy to be given away, and asked one of my Titas to take care of her. It was sad and heartbreaking, but inevitable. I would visit her some times and would feel guilty about it but I was just a gradeschooler and no amount of tantrums can reverse this decision. Candy later died of old age.
It is to note that four years later, we've transferred (again) to our now current house (my Daddy suffered from a heart attack and was half paralyzed; living in a house with stairs would be challenging, they decided to move to a bungalow. This is important because we again have a space for MORE MORE dogs :))))) ) It was around this time when we had Coffee, our official bunso. He was my parents' delight. My parents doted on him. He was also like a sibling to me. He was there for my parents when I was busy in college and in my OJT, and eventually when I started my career and left home.
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| Coffee's 1st day with us |
Furbaby
Since the two sernior dogs (Chiqui & Choco) were really old and their health were declining, my parents decided to have another dog. Cloud was supposed to be my baby (he was like a baby I'd have when I had just graduated and was starting in life). However, since I had to move to Makati, away from our home, it was my parents who took care of him. Cloud mated with a she-dog, and we were given one of the pups, whom we named Cotton (supposedly my grandpuppy).
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| Cotton & Cloud |
I never really had a furmom-furbabies relationship with Cloud & Cotton. It was probably because they spent puppyhood not really knowing me (I only went home during the weekends when we had them). Plus, when they grew bigger, Daddy didn't allow them to go inside the house. Huskies are energetic and I think there might be an incident where he almost fell down the floor so it was kept that way up until now.
Nephew
When Coffee died in 2016, it was heartbreaking for the whole family. I remember getting the call while I was at work and I really wanted to go home. A few months later, we suddenly got a dog delivered to our doorstep. We named him Chuckie. He's my brother's first born dog, and I'm the tita who took care of him while his furdaddy was working abroad.
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| Chuckie when he was a puppy This was taken on the day that he was given to us |
The REAL Furbaby
It was the year 2020, when the pandemic happened, that I finally have a REAL furbaby. REAL furbaby in a sense that I feel like a furmom to this furbaby -- he sleeps beside me, he wakes me up at 6AM, he barks at me at 5PM (he knows 6PM is the time that I should get off from work, or my laptop for that matter as I am working from home. I take care of him when he's sick, we regularly visit the vet, we celebrate birthdays together, and I felt my heart stopped when a tricycle accidentally rolled over his tummy - he's safe and no broken bones thank God).
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| Coco, on his first year |
It is just so amazing how dogs help us cope in every stage of our life. How they were there - sometimes as a friend, most of the time - as a family. I can't imagine life without a dog in it - in fact, I've never lived a life without a dog in it. I sometimes wish they have more years to their lives, so we can spend more days together. But I guess, what makes living so special is the very fact that our time is so limited.
To all the dogs I've loved before, if I may say I still love you now. You are all remembered, and have left your pawprints in my heart!
PS. It is Coco's 2nd birthday in a few days. Happy Birthday Coco!
PPS. Year 2021, when Champy was given to us. I thought he would be Coco's brother, but he developed an affinity with my brother and has now become his second fur-baby, and my fur-nephew.
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| Champy |
