I wanted to own a dog for a really long time now. I even started saving up to get one for myself. Owning a dog was one of the sweet dreams I had.
I didn't really like dogs from the beginning. When I was younger,I lived in the fear of getting bitten by one. We owned four dogs when I was little, big German shepherds. Some people would think I should be more familiar with dogs, but it wasn't just easy for me. Sometimes, I would even have dreams of getting chased and bitten by the dogs. I wasn't bitten by the dogs any day but I couldn't keep count of people who had been bitten by the dogs, both insiders and outsiders. My mum even got bitten one night, so who was I to have the courage of even getting close enough to pet them? We sold ours shortly after the incident with my mum.
I took a liking to the animal when my sister got a little puppy. She left it with me most of the time and even let me name it. It was a female dog so I named her Lyla. I was very fond of Lyla and I loved carrying her like a baby. With her, I wasn't afraid of getting bitten. We soon developed a bond so much that she got used to my voice and could recognize me from a distance. I also felt she had my scent too. Lyla grew my understanding of dogs. With each waking day, our bond grew stronger . I could say that she was my best friend. When my sister had to resume school, she took Lyla with her, because I didn't have the finance enough to take care of her, she couldn't be kept in my care. And since my mum wasn't much of a dog lover, I knew asking her assistance was a no-brainer.
As for me, I was sad that Lyla had to go, I even thought of ways I could convince my sister to let me go with them so I could be with Lyla.
Lyla still remembered me anytime I went to see my sister. But still I wish I had a dog of my own. I even looked up dogs and had my mind set on getting myself a Caucasian puppy that I could raise till it was big. But it was really hard since I had nothing doing and I was only able to save from the little allowance my dad gave me.
It was the COVID-19 period and we went to stay with my grandparents. I was happy cause I normally spent my birthdays in my boarding school, so I was really happy for having to spend my birthday with my family in a very long time. The d-day, my birthday was two days away, I was praying we would find somewhere we could go on an outing since almost every social gathering spots was locked down due to the quarantine. The day before my birthday, it was confirmed that there was no where we could go to celebrate. It was already bad enough that my dad couldn't be there because he was at work when the lock down started.
The morning of my birthday, I slept in for quite a long time. I wasn't feeling any of the birthday vibe due to the circumstances.
"Happy birthday, sleepy head", my elder sister said as she shook me to wake up.
"Thank you" I said with a smile trying to hide the fact that I wasn't really that happy that we couldn't go out.
The day began well. My mum ordered some food, drinks, ice cream and a cake from a restaurant that still delivered food, although it came a little late.
The first gift I received was from my mum. She gave me a pair of shoes. My brother got me a wrist watch, while one of my elder sisters gave me a reasonable sum of money. I received lots of gift and most were monetary. Later that day, I was lightened up and very happy. My other elder sister told me she got me a gift but some circumstances hindered it. She later gave me some money.
Towards evening, while I sat watching TV in the sitting room, my sister came in and sat with me to watch the movie.
"Joe, help me get my phone from my room," she said.
Joe is the pet name my sister calls me by.
"Okay" I said as I went to get the phone. I got into the room and saw a basket covered with a cloth and a card. The card read on it "happy birthday, lil bro", and I knew at once that it was from my sister. She had used the errand to make me go discover it. I assumed it was a cake or maybe even chocolates.
Just when I was about to grab it, a small bark, almost like a whine, came from the basket. I jumped. The shock I felt was soon replaced by a rush of excitement. I was so happy that day, I could barely believe it. I took of the cloth wrapping to meet a cute, black and white furred puppy. The cutest I had ever seen.
I finally had a dog of my own and didn't have to worry about feeding it cause I had some money already saved up. I named him Skipper.
I could never forget that day. The day I received a sweet gesture from my sister, the loveliest one at that.
Thanks for reading.