We have just celebrated my dog’s 9th birthday two weeks ago.
I
have always loved dogs and almost went through the adoption process with a
rescue shelter, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be (some scheduling
and other issues). After that, I decided not to get a dog at
all since I was traveling quite often, I didn't want to leave my dog in
boarding houses often.
My
colleague learned about it in a passing conversation, and a few weeks
after that, she offered me a puppy for adoption. It was a coincidence there
were three new puppies in her home (on top of the existing four dogs), and they
couldn’t take care of all of them. Since she knew my difficulty, it came with a
perk: I can put him with them whenever I travel.
My
dream dog back then was a big dog, a mongrel, like the ones my family had.
Mongrels dominate rescue shelters, as people here prefer pricey, purebred,
‘cute’ dogs. So, I was looking at this puppy picture and thought, oh dear, this
looked like those fancy celebrity dogs. I hesitated, but how could I resist
helping give this puppy a home with a perk that solved my problems?
When
I brought him home, he was scrawny and smelly. He loved eating rocks and was
scared of other puppies, waves, water, and the sea. He pooped on his bowl and
tipped over everything. But he is the most intelligent dog, and with some
training and patience, he becomes the most confident dog who surfs and is
fearless. He is a well-behaved dog, never destroys anything, and has many toys
because everything is as good as new, and he loves to play. No bias!
Here
he is on his 9th birthday. He is my best friend, my companion, my therapy dog.
He is not a lap dog; he would push me off with his paws for unsolicited
cuddling (unless it’s pretty cold!), but whenever I am sad or angry, he would
sit on my lap and nudge or lick away my sorrow until he is convinced that I am
no longer sad or angry. One of the reasons I quit my job was because I wanted
to spend more time with him. I arrange my life around him, and there is nothing
I wouldn’t do to make sure he is happy. We have an unbreakable bond, and
everyone says he takes after me. He doesn’t like people, screaming children, or
high-pitched and repetitive sounds. We howl together every time an ambulance
passes us in traffic and bark at the neighbor’s chickens when they get too
rowdy.
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