1. Dogs proved to me that "Love at first sight" does exist
I have yet to meet a person who won't be moved by cute puppy face even for a second. The connection between a person and a new puppy is almost instantaneous. No rapport needs to be built, the moment you hold the puppy in your hands, you would know that its love. I brought home my dog Bruce (a.k.a. Banchi) four years ago and we adopted Chester (a.k.a. Chechi) 3 years ago and those are among the best decisions we made ever.
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| Banchi at 2 months old |
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| Chester at barely 2 months old |
Unfortunately, there are pet owners who keep on forgetting that puppies grow up. Sometimes they grow bigger than you hoped for. They grow big enough to make such a big mess inside your house or at your garden, needs to be fed more than once a day, bathed at least once a week, needs to go out for a walk at least once a day, needs to be brought to the vet at least once a year. In short it grows big enough that he will actually need a chunk of your time and a lot of your TLC.
Sad but true that there are some pet owners who would rather give up their pets especially if they become too sick, hard to handle, or simply because they just don't have the space, time, and money for it anymore. And the poor dog would be abandoned to fend for himself and most of the time they would become victims of hit and run, undernourishment and cruelty from the hands of moronic people who don't know any better (redundancy intended).
Most dogs have an average life span of around 12-15 years, some live much longer. So have this in mind when you bring home a puppy because its so cute, and you felt love at first sight. Please make sure that you're ready to give it the care and love that it deserves no matter what the cost. Yes, you will have to love your dog, but remember that no amount of love that you can give to your pet could ever match the kind of love and loyalty that he will ever give to you for as long as he lives. So between you and your pet, you're the luckier one because as far as your furry friend is concerned, the love at first sight never dies down.
2. Dogs teach forgiveness and unconditional love day in and day out
There are times that I would call Banchi or Chester's attention (in a firm or angry tone) for chewing up a slipper or peeing on the rug or they did other similar (sometimes annoying) dog habits like that. The moment they hear my voice, they would bow their heads and sit quietly in a corner. I believe they knew they did something that I didn't like.
But almost immediately, I would realize that dogs do stuff for a reason. They could be bored because they need more exercise, or they're irritable because they're sick, and sometimes, they just want to catch your attention. There was one instance that Banchi literally got my phone on the couch and chewed it up (my theory was he was jealous of Milo, the new puppy, he was trying to say something to me I guess). I became mad for a minute but realized that I should check on him for he might have swallowed something sharp or poisonous from the cellphone. Thank goodness all parts were complete and he did not ingest anything.
But anyway, the main thing was, even if there were times that I wasn't in a mood nor had the patience to "understand" why they did what they did, and scolded them for a bit, they are still always happy to see me even I was just raising my voice at them 5 minutes ago. They don't care if I had a bad day or I was tired, or if I was just angry a few seconds ago, they are always excited to see me each time. I would come home and they would prance around, bark with excitement, and announce my arrival as if I was some sort of celebrity. Because for them, I am a celebrity, I am the most important creature that they ever laid their eyes on. Not because I am special or because I took good care of them (that is my responsibility), but because dogs are naturally loving and loyal that way. All they want is to be with their pack and pack leader, and as far as Chester and Bruce are concerned, that's me. And I consider myself lucky.
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| That's Banchi in his favorite corner. He would always stand up and greet me with this kind of happy face each time I come home :) |
3. Dogs always take away any feelings of sadness, anger, and exhaustion
I may be fuming with anger and impatience, or feeling lower than low, or feeling crazy exhausted, but the moment I sit beside Chester and he would lift my hand with his head, asking for a pat or scratch behind the ear, and my arm would just rest on his furry back, all the negative feelings would just subside. Its like hearing a word of assurance from a longtime super close friend. Only Chester did not utter anything, he did not even bark, he just sat beside me, and everything seemed to feel lighter.
There are a lot of times that I believe that my dogs understand my sadness and frustration. They may not know how we humans call those kinds of ill emotions, but they always know when I am not ok, and they would be there for me. There a lot of books, movies, cartoon plots that are based on canine-human friendship, and I know that though the plot and characters are fictional, the love and loyalty portrayed between the friendship of man and dog is always true to life.
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| Chester sitting on top of our favorite hangout - a low table on our veranda. I would sit there, and he would hop on the table and sit beside me. No questions asked. |
All dogs deserve a home and a family. Sadly, there a lot of stray, malnourished dogs everywhere. Unfortunately, though organizations such PAWS and CARA strive hard to save as much animals as they can, they too have limited means, funds, and shelter space. They would need all the help they could receive from concerned individuals and animal lovers. I salute people who make it their mission to foster rescued dogs and cats alike. I was watching a documentary show called Front Row aired in GMA News TV a few days ago. The segment was called Aglahi. It was about dogs who have been victims of neglect and cruelty, and how said organizations and volunteers stay true to their mission to rescue (and some foster) animals to the best of their abilities. I must say that the situations of the dogs that they rescue are beyond heartbreaking. There was one dog (Monzo) who rescued, one of its front legs need to be amputated because of a bad injury. There was another dog (Fifi) with a permanent muzzle made of metal wire (alambre). The wire was wrapped around its neck with some parts of the wire sticking inside the dog's mouth. I can't imagine the kind of people who would do this to helpless creatures. I've read this in a bumper sticker or poster somewhere in Makati a few years ago, it says: "Those who are cruel to animals are just getting started". And I absolutely agree to this.
I only have one wish for these rescued animal friends, that they too will have a shot at experiencing what its like to belong to a family and have their forever home, that they in turn, can show their owners what its like to love, forgive, and share friendship in its purest form and essence.
To know more about Monzo and Fifi, please visit the FB page of CARA and PAWS:
https://www.facebook.com/CARAPhil
https://www.facebook.com/pawsphilippines
Inspired by the Aglahi Documentary.
And also written in fond and loving memory of my faithful furry friends, Miko and Milo.
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| Miko, 9 years old, May 2011 |
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| Milo, 2 1/2 years old, Sept. 2011 |
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