Growing up, I was always surrounded by dogs. My older brother always had a thing for them and it rubbed off on me. From Dachsunds to Dobermans, my brother would introduce me to such a variety of "quality" dogs yet the one that stood out for me was an "askal". Askals or otherwise known as asong kalye/street dogs are mongrel dogs ofnthe Philippines. Their true origin is unknowns since they have been heavily mixed. Mostly considered as pests that pillage garbage dumps along the streets, people would abuse or hurt them. One day my father brought home an "askal" from the farm and we instantly hit it off. My family would wonder why out of all the dogs we ever had, I'd be attracted to this one. Well, maybe because I somehow felt the same way he did. Being considered different from the rest, I too felt that way considering I was born with a defect. Somehow fate brought 2 incomplete parts and made them whole. I would take care of him and and in turn he would for me. He was small yet he would fight the other dogs in the street that would bark at me. Eventually he became this sort of alpha in our block. Oh the fun times we had! But some fairy tales never last and his time came. I had to say goodbye to my friend, my hero. If you're wondering, I named him Zaido which is from the power rangers like series shown in my country. A hero through and through.
This was the last picture I took of him.
This was the first picture I took of him(pardon the quality. I didn't have a hq camera back then).
This is my entry for the #animalphotography contest by @juliank.