Ever since I was a kid, my family has always been fond of dogs. I literally grew up admiring them, with how they respond to my uncle’s soft touches at the bottom of their jaw, how they would either sit still or would run around the house when they are bathed and how they can feel if you’re having a bad day and suddenly, you’d just find them sitting beside, as if they’re sharing your pain.
I have seen a number of dogs in our house. I saw them grew from puppies to big bullies and I can clearly remember how each of them were taken away from us. But this time, it’s quite different. From all the dogs that we had, this dog was really special. I knew right from the moment that I saw her, she is one dog that will change our lives forever.
It was 6:30am, Saturday, October 29, 2005 when I heard a tiny barking sound at the house. I knew that I was not dreaming, it had to be real, it has to be a puppy. We were expecting Papa to arrive that day, he came all the way from Laguna to bring mamaold to the airport who was bound for London then. When I heard the sound again, I immediately rose from bed and went downstairs. When I reached the stairs, a tiny puppy was staring at me, she was sitting at the center of our sala and was barking hard at me. I said to the puppy “Aba, ang tapang tapang mo ah, ang liit liit mo lang ah” and as if she understood me, she barked even loudly. I called my mom and asked where the puppy came from, she said papa brought it home from Laguna. The puppy was placed in a box with a tiny hole while they were traveling from Laguna to Bicol and mama mentioned that papa didn’t get enough sleep because he has to check on the puppy from time to time. From that day on, our lives changed.
My family decided to call her ‘Bunso’ but mamaold suggested to call her ‘Spotty’ because of her tiny black spot on the back. Spotty was not an ordinary dog. There was days when she would amaze the entire family. There was one instance when it was raining hard and her abode was already transferred to mamaold’s place when in the middle of night, I heard a puppy crying outside. I had to call my mom to let her listen to the sound, I was convincing her that it was Spotty. My mama was trying to explain to me that it would be too impossible for Spotty to reach the door because it would be too dark for her to find her way to our house and she can’t possibly recall how to get to our house. When the crying didn’t stop, I had to open the door to see what’s making the sound and there, I saw her, dripping and chilling under the cold rain. I immediately embraced her and dried her fur and we decided to let her stay in the house overnight.
For 7 years, Spotty never failed to amaze us. She’s not the rowdy type of dog, she’s more poised and smart. Whenever we would spend Christmas and New Year together, Spotty would always have a special spot at the house where she can watch TV and eat at the same time. Spotty knows how to behave inside the house. Whenever papa would bathe her, she would always go to each of our rooms to check if everyone is there. She would sniff the bedsheets, the computer chairs and would even put her paws in mama’s lap whenever she’s too busy with her uniform deadlines to notice her.
Up until this time, I could not believe that she’s gone. She passed away this morning, pregnant. Mama said she was not able to endure the pain during birth labor that’s why she died. We did not expect that. We were too excited for her, for her babies, for a bigger puppy family.
I could not believe that she was suddenly taken away from us. I know that for some this might be crazy but we really treated her as part of the family. The dog became part of us. We will definitely miss her. Her kaartehan with food, her sweetness and the joy she brings us everytime. By the way, she loves Asado Pandesal from Graceland, she never eats leftovers, she’s given Tiki-tiki for her vitamins and cheese-flavored crackers for her snacks.
Maybe, if there is a puppy heaven, I think she’s up there looking down at us, still trying to protect. She has been a good dog. She has never hurt anyone. She was our source of happiness especially to my parents. Nevertheless, I am glad. I’m glad that God gave us a dog like her because if not for her, our family would not be this close. Thank you, Spotty. I will miss you old fellow… a lot.
