Pawfect Companions(完全無欠の仲間だワン!)
Most people give me the same wide-eyed reaction whenever I tell them that I have 11 dogs at home. Some drop their jaws in awe, and others just straightforwardly ask me WHY we have so many pets. “Your house must be big,” they often say. How I wish that is true when in fact we live in an apartment building. I have four sisters and that number is a lot to have in a family. Our abode is just about the right size, I may say. To be honest, I actually do not know how to answer the question exactly. We believe our dogs are heaven-sent. One thing is certain though, and that is I will never regret being a fur parent. I guess the right question to ask is, how did it all begin?
Tootsie(我が家の1匹目の犬)
This may come as a surprise, but I used to be afraid of dogs as a child. I was scared to be bitten and get rabies. However, my fear dissipated in 2016 when my younger sister suddenly decided to buy a 12-week-old puppy. She was a fresh college graduate at that time and clueless about what to do with her monetary gift from our parents. Without thinking twice of the responsibility and effort needed to care for a pet, she purchased Tootsie, our first dog. She was bought from a man selling her along the streets of Colon in Cebu City for about 10 USD. At that time, we could not tell her dog breed, but I was sure she was an Aspin (short for asong Pinoy or native Philippine dog). Regardless of that, I thought she was adorable with her dotted golden brown and white coat, and innocent puppy eyes. Instantly, I knew it was love at first sight.
On her first day with us, Tootsie immediately captured my heart and I could not explain how I felt that moment I was holding her in my arms. I just melted and instantaneously, my fear of dogs went away. The following day was a shock though. My sister realized she was not ready to take care of the pup and said she would return her to the seller. I was furious at her immaturity. She should have thought about it before making such a hasty decision. The poor thing was not a toy she could just bring back to the shop and ask for a refund. Thankfully, my mother and my two other sisters opposed and since then, Tootsie has become the fifth daughter in the family. It was exhausting in the beginning, especially when we had to clean up after her pee and poo, or stop her from biting everything in the house, but we managed to raise her well and now she is turning seven. I thought she was going to be our only dog but everything changed six days before her third birthday.
Peanut and Her Pups(2匹目とその子たち)
On the eighth of October 2019, my two sisters rescued a street dog who just gave birth to five pups. She was no ordinary stray because for almost a year, my youngest sister had been feeding her with excess food from her lunchbox. Actually, they were not leftovers at all; rather, she always set aside portions of her lunch each day to give to Peanut after school hours. That is what we named her, Peanut, and it is because of her fur’s light brown to deep red color and small stature. Months before the rescue, I would see her daily as I walked home from work and noticed how malnourished she was, but her cuteness still outweighed her poor condition. During that time, other villagers were also feeding her with scraps and some would also pet her. Deep in my heart, I wanted to adopt her and take her out of the streets so she could live better as a normal dog. The only thing stopping me was my mother because she said she was not ready to have more dogs in the house.
Despite her reluctance, my mom could no longer object when my two sisters brought Peanut and her puppies home one stormy day. Before our youngest left for school, she was worried about Peanut because she could not find her anywhere near our home and it was pouring hard. My other two sisters went out to search for her upon hearing the information and according to them, they found Peanut under a discarded and worn sofa on the side of our village’s basketball court. We were not even aware that she was pregnant and it was another spur-of-the-moment decision to adopt her. Unfortunately, the harsh weather that day caused one of the puppies to be dead while the four survived. Fast forward to today, Peanut and her pups whom we named Coco, Cassie, Olive and Oreo are part of our pack. Once it was just one dog, then there were six.
Lexi and Her Litter(7匹目とその子たち)
In January 2021, I had to leave Cebu for Nueva Ecija to help out a relative in need. Since I had been working freelance, it was not difficult for me to work in a different city for a while. In my sixth month there, my grandfather gifted my eight-year-old cousin a white and black-spotted puppy which my aunt straight away disliked. She ordered my uncle to take the pup with him when he goes back to Manila for work and let it roam the dirty streets. My heart dropped because she did not even think twice about getting rid of Lexi (her name). Without hesitation, I told her I want to take Lexi back to Cebu when I finish my business with her. In November of that year, I finally flew back home and I could not believe how I did what I just did. Honestly, it was costly to fly with a dog (about 211 USD for the dog’s fees and 88 USD for my airfare) but I will do it all over again in a heartbeat. As of today, Lexi is enjoying the comforts of my home. Then, with an unexpected turn of events, Oreo and Lexi became parents last 2022. Yes, we had five more puppies - Uno, Crouie, Trixie, Porsche and Twinkle. From seven, the number went up again to 12.
Along with the increasing number of pets, the responsibility and expenses have also gone up. It has become challenging for everyone in the household to tend to our pets and it is inevitable to lose one of them. Parvovirus took one of our fur babies recently. How could something the eyes could not see take away life in a snap? I was devastated. It was tough for me and my family to accept it. Nevertheless, it is also an eye opener for us to be more cautious. From 12, it is now 11. Promises are something I rarely make because they often get broken, but after everything, I have promised myself to be a better fur mom. Some of my friends ask me if I want to settle down and I often respond with a yes, but if it is not possible then I do not mind being a dog lady for the rest of my life. My dogs are my children and I will cherish every moment we share until it is time for them to cross the rainbow bridge.
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