I once had a Dalmatian companion. He was flashy because of his spots. He was also trained.
This was in the early 2000s when a trained Dog wasn’t the trend yet. I brought him everywhere because he was well-behaved. He sat at coffee shops, entered bookstores, and even participated in an Offertory procession at an animal companion blessing inside a church.
When a national canine club in 2005 launched a protest rally of Dogs against animal cruelty, photographers saw my Dog whom I outfitted with a protest placard on his back. He was the only Dog who carried his own placard. The camera flashes were blinding.
The next day, he was on the front page of a major newspaper. He became a Reuters and Associated Press celebrity whose photo went viral. My sister even saw him on a morning tabloid in Germany.
This was the Dog who helped me introduce canine agility sports in Metro Manila. In 2006, when Davao held its annual agility trials, organizers asked for him. He was the only entry from Manila.
GRIEF TAKES OVER
Whenever I joined demos or mall tours, he always caught the media’s attention. In fashion shows, he was often the crowd favorite.
I always saw him in the papers. He was in every major newspaper in Manila that time, appearing in major animal magazines and, sometimes, even in morning television shows.
When my Dog reached the age of 15, he bid me goodbye. The hole he left in my heart was shaped like him. Other Dogs followed since but only he lived in my heart. The pain of his loss dug in as the days passed. I watched “A Dog’s Purpose” on DVD a dozen times.
I lost all interest in Dogs. I left the companion animal industry, including all my friends there.
The hole he left in my heart was shaped like him.
ROSES AND EMPTINESS
I grew roses to cope with the grief. Every day, I walked into the garden to check on them. I joined a group of rose growers online.
But I remained empty.
Three months later, something happened. I was doing my morning walk out in the street when I saw a shallow ditch along the road, so I peeped in out of curiosity. I saw flies swarming over a tiny, furry white creature.
Whether it was a Puppy, Kitten, or Hamster, I couldn’t tell. But it was obvious that the animal was alive.
I drew back. I had Dogs at home. They might kill the poor thing if it was a Kitten.
I went home and told our housekeeper about it before I left for an appointment.
UNINTENDED WARD
When I came back that evening, the housekeeper told me, “Ma’am, nariyan na ang Tuta (Ma’am, the Puppy is already there).” I thought, “What Puppy?” Then, I remembered.
I went to the spare cage in the carport and saw him: a tiny white Puppy with his eyes still closed. He must’ve been just days old.
We named him Frodo. Frodo refocused me entirely. I saw that this Pup needed me.
He was also motherless. We had to put a ticking clock with his blanket to simulate a mother’s heartbeat.
NEW PURPOSE
I have never taken care of a Puppy this young. The experience was challenging yet fascinating. I had to fight for this youngster’s life. I didn’t know if he’d make it.
When Frodo’s eyes opened, he saw the world he was going to live in. He was going to be with us. I was going to train him, walk him outside twice a day, introduce him to new Doggy friends, and teach him to do some bar jumps in the backyard.
As I watched Frodo grow, I noticed something: My grief had gone. The pain was replaced by a purpose: to give another Dog a good life.
I have been doing that ever since.
