So most of my friends know that I have (had) a dog and I loved him more than almost anything else.
He was my pet, one of my best friends, my little brother, my baby – most of all, he was and forever will be a part of my life.
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| One of my favourite shots of him! |
I took him in when he was about 9 years and he gave me hell on the first night.
As soon as his previous owner dropped him off, he kept on whining and crying really loudly by the main door. I was just grateful that I only had afternoon classes, so I didn’t have to worry about showing up looking like a panda thanks to a dog.
I decided to let him weep a little… I knew he missed his previous owner and wouldn’t be able to comprehend why he was left at a stranger’s house.
I walked out to the main door and as I approached him, he snarled at me. He barked really loudly and almost bit me. I saw fear, hurt and anger in his eyes – but how could you blame him?
As soon as I stopped walking towards him, he cowered by the door and started crying again.
I have a heart like a marshmallow sometimes… So I decided to spend the night comforting the poor boy.
I walked over to my piano and starting playing a few notes.
As soon as music started playing, his crying got softer. 🙂
Then as soon as I finished playing the introduction to the song, I started singing the lyrics. And he just stopped completely.
…probably he was like, “With her singing… Already noisy enough… I better not add to it.” -.- LOL.
And after I finished about 3 songs, I walked over to the door to find him sleeping soundly like a little baby.
I stroked him gently and told him, “I know your name is Apple, but you’re my dog now – and you’ll be my Baby, okay?”
I then left him by the door and went back to get some shut-eye.
So the next day, I came back from school immediately after I was done with lectures. And he didn’t seem to be eating his food well enough, so I stopped by the Chicken Rice Stall to pick up some meat!
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| Finally someone looks interested in eating… |
A couple more nights, I had to play the piano and sing for him to fall asleep by the door. Soon, he was sleeping by the piano.
And before I knew it – he allowed me to bring him to my room to sleep.
That was when my life as Baby’s new-found master began.
It wasn’t easy…
He was such a little brat! He refused to eat his food… Oh gosh. He would only eat the chicken from the chicken rice stall!
I knew it was unhealthy… so I stopped giving it to him. Hoping he’d be forced to eat his regular food the previous owner left for me.
Then soon one day, he fell ill!
He was utterly lifeless, he was pooping and peeing weird… I panicked!
So I brought him to the vet immediately.
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| Waiting patiently for his turn |
Vet: Oh, your dog is perfectly fine!
Me: …but he’s been pooping and peeing weird! He doesn’t even want to eat!
Vet: Could it be he hates his food?
Me: Well, he is new in my house. I just gave him food the previous owner left behind.
Vet: *expertly goes over to the shelves and pulls out this posh-looking tin of dog food*
And once she flipped the cover open and put it in front of Baby, the contents went down his throat in matter of seconds!
Vet: Yes, your Baby is fine. Just very picky.
Me: *glares at the adorable bundle of fur*
Vet: I’ll just give you some glucosamine, since he is a little old. And you can give him some pet’s milk too.
When I went to the counter and saw the bill… I was like, “$xxx to tell me that my dog is fine?!”
Me: *turned to glare at adorable bundle of fur again, who was enjoying the attention given by some children*
So little genius wasn’t too favourable to glucosamine… It had to be expertly done!
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| Hide the evidence! |
I ground the glucosamine into powder and mixed it into some wet food.
It worked!
…for a few weeks. Then he wised up. Sheesh.
And royal highness also didn’t want to eat his dry food unless they came with milk. Like cereal.
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| “Make mine cereal style, human.” |
And it was awfully hard toilet-training him.
Well, to be exact – he knows how to pee in the washroom.
But he would throw his temper tantrum if I came home too late by peeing around the door area. -.-
And he poops without aim!
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| “Catch my poop, human!” |
And he’d continue trotting around the house with his butt out like a chicken… Waddling.
Usually comes to a point I just give up… And then go looking for the little smelly nuggets later on.
There was this other time a friend left his dog, Paris at my place while he went overseas for a bit.
Initially I was a tad hesitant, because I knew his dog was super active and all. Mine was like a lamb, that just sits around and looking adorable.
I was afraid that his dog would bully Baby.
Little did I know…. totally ended up being vice versa!
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| “MY territory!” |
When the dog jumped onto my bed in the morning, you should’ve heard the way Baby snarled and barked. He refused to stop till Paris got off the bed.
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| The only dog I know that LOVES to take his weekly bath |
He loves loves loves his bath. The groomer said it was the only time during the grooming that he actually is absolutely obedient.
His first grooming wasn’t easy… He was being very edgy and kept on whining when he saw me walking away.
Initially I thought I could just go home first since the pet salon was nearby… but being the little nut I am sometimes, I couldn’t just leave puffball there alone!
So I literally spent three full hours in the shop, waiting for him.
TA-DA!! Look who came out looking absolutely charming?
Grandma loved to try and get his attention somehow.
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| “What a small giraffe!” |
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| He was an absolute hit with the children! |
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| Always with that smile when I carry him in the car |
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| Was trying a home dye and he just stepped all over the instructions page! |
I had to pat him and cajole him to move away… If not he wouldn’t let me continue!
Then one day, my darling Ker and I decided to bring him to Botanic Gardens!
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| Can you see the dog in the bag? |
He never really liked his carrier. He always preferred to be inside my bag…
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| “Are we going for a picnic??” |
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| Finding a good spot for a picnic for 3! |
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| Ridiculously photogenic |
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| Sometimes he doubles up as a nice carpet |
There were nights that I had to stay up overnight because of schoolwork…
Guess who
always stayed with me?
My cousin Kathlyn who used to deny his cuteness… One day succumbed to it!
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| “Why you letting this happen??” |
So friggin’ cute!!! Omg.
And Kath even drew Baby on the glass board in my room….
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| Drawn by a designer. Modern art. 😛 |
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| I was happy everyday coming home to see him |
Then before I knew it… Years passed… And he was evidently growing weaker.
He was no longer able to come to the door to greet me anymore.
He didn’t even wake up in the mornings when I was dressing up to go out.
He would usually just lie there and sleep all day long.
It slowly got worse when he stopped eating altogether… We had to feed him via syringes with glucose water. It was heartbreaking.
He was such a part of my life. I’d see him everyday and no matter how shitty my day went, he’d lick up my tears. Countless nights I spent crying and he just refused to sleep, he chose to lie by me instead.
Soon it got to a point whereby he could almost hardly walk. And we had to put on diapers for him, because he couldn’t even stand to pee.
So many of my decisions revolved around him – now there’s nothing left, but I feel even more burdened. 😦
The vet told us to prepare for the worst.
I knew his time was coming soon… it was inevitable.
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| You did good, old boy. 🙂 |
And one day at work, I received a phone call from my mother – weeping and telling me that he had passed away.
I couldn’t control my tears there & then, they just started streaming down endlessly. A part of me knew it was coming, yet a part of me wished it never would.
I rushed down to the vet and held his cold corpse in my arms. I held him close and wished that I could see his head move again, or at least his breathing… but nothing.
His eyes were open, cold and grey. Little patches of decay was already showing up on some parts of his flesh. His fur was already falling off a little and he looked… different.
As I laid him on the metal table as the nurse told me to, I just kept on crying and crying.
When I first took him in, I thought I was doing a good deed by taking in the little guy.
…little did I realise, this little guy was about to change my life.
I grew up pretty much alone and all. I didn’t really know how to care for anyone or keep anyone by my side. Everyone just leaves or they die at the end of the day anyway, right?
The interesting part of it all was – I knew he was going to die off faster than anyone else, but why did I still choose to be so attached to him?
Then I remembered a conversation I had with someone.
Me: There’s no point loving anyone too much. In the end, you’ll just get hurt.
S: Well then, you won’t enjoy love then. You’re missing out on a lot.
And I was.
All those years I spent being Baby’s owner were blissful.
They were utterly tiring, sometimes terribly frustrating… Expensive… but I was happy with him. He always gave me hope to go on and smile. He taught me that loving someone doesn’t just stop once the person is gone – love can go indefinitely. And to not love the ones that God put around you is pure silly. Life is already hard enough as it is and God put people in your life for reasons – some of them are fuel for you to carry on. I learned the put my heart out there again.
You cannot stop love – you just love. And you should do it with all your heart.
If that little dog could have placed so much trust in me that I’d come home everyday; that he’d be fed, cleaned and put to sleep – why can’t I trust anyone else too?
For the happiness that I got from him, the pain of loss is nothing.
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| I’ll miss you forever & ever. Be good and I’ll see you in heaven. |
Baby passed away a few weeks back… I apologise to people whom I didn’t tell. It was awfully painful. I cried a Niagara Falls for a few nights. But thanks for everyone’s support! 🙂
P.S. Dear God, if I do get to see Baby in my home in heaven… Please don’t let him pee on my soft toys, he always does that. Please don’t him eat my McDonald’s, he always liked them. Please don’t let him walk over my stuff on the floor. Please don’t give him too much milk, if not he will pee in the middle of the night. Most importantly, please love him a lot. 🙂 He’s the best dog in the whole wide world.
Gera Shen 