Hello y'all! Today's blog post will be different, I promise. As I indicated in my introduction blog, I missed the dogs in the Philippines because my family owned seven dogs back home, and having pets is expensive in the US. So whenever I see owners dog walking their pets, I could not hide my excitement to pet them. š¤
To start I will be introducing them by age.
This is "Feather," a Chow-chow about six years old who passed away last summer. What really makes her unique is her fur, which resembles feathers and is how she received her name. Because she is particular about the food she eats, I may say that she is high maintenance. She has thick fur, thus she has to be in a cool place. Since I am hands-on with Feather, I do her trimming. She truly treated me like her sole owner because I am the one who gives her showers, feeds her, and plays with her.
She became blind as a result of their prone health condition, eyelid entropion, which requires surgery to treat and causes the lashes to touch the eyes.
This is Snow, who is six years old and of the Jack Russell Terrier breed. She has blue and black heterochromia, or two distinct colored eyes. Sadly, the three puppies that this brave mother gave birth to last year did not survive. Still, she remains the most energetic and jumping jelly bean among the group. Also the photogenic one. š¤£
These two miniature condiments are named Salt and Pepper, and they are six-year-old Chihuahua sisters. They were initially in a cage with four, but since my cousin also breeds dogs, we gave them to him since he especially wanted Sugar (the brown girl) and Cinnamon (the brown guy). They are twice as big as typical Chihuahuasābelieve me. They inseparable. Usually I'll take Salt for a bath and Pepper will cry too much, so I'll take the other one with me anytime I get the chance to bathe.
Say hello to Bria, a seven year old Shih-tzu (princess type). Her previous name, Bea, was inspired by my grandfather's favorite teenage Philippine actress, "Bea Binene," who he claimed had a resemblance in appearance to our youngest sister Mary. She was given to us by one of my uncles, who trusted that we can better care for her than he could. She plays with other people rarely, has her own seat on the couch, and never moves from there unless it's mealtime or time for a dog walk. She truly acts and behaves like a princess. Because of this, Bria usually gets rewarded with a seat next to me whenever I go for a ride, much like in the photo.
Choco is an Aspin dog (Aso means dog, Pinoy is Filipino in tagalog) and a rescued dog of my sister who is almost six years of age now. Another sibling of his passed away at a very young age. Aspins are intelligent and loyal dogs that are truly meant to protect not just the home but also the family to which they belong, thus we chose to keep him as a guard dog in the house. When he senses that someone is going to knock on our doors, he lets out a really strong bark. I think what sets him above the rest of the pack is his keen perception. One thing I appreciate about Choco is that he did not require my help to know how to sit, roll over, or shake hands. He also constantly extends his hand or paw to ask for a pet, and I have to admit, it is just too cute to handle.
Sushi, the boy with the coffee hue, is four years old. We adopted Sushi from my sister's friend because his original owner was unable to keep him in the house. My sister informed us that Sushi suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss, but thankfully, after months of caring for him and giving him the food and medication he needs, he is now fluffy. He is the most clingy dog we have ever had. This little guy is the real image of the phrase "small but terrible." The moment Choco signals to him that someone is approaching our gate, he barks. Although not frightening, the house will undoubtedly hear his bark. He actually enjoys taking long strolls even without a leash, so I've never had any issues when it comes to dog walking. He always goes beside you, feeling like a bodyguard, and he always asks for a belly rub, which is what makes him unique. He always goes with Bria because he is also a shih-tzu.ā„ļø
Our first French bulldog is named Shadow. Surprisingly, my assumption about this breedāthat it is aggressive and difficult to care forāwas wrong. He is such a cute puppy. I always joke with him that he is not cute and then still gives you cuddles and saliva. :D We put chicken heads in his dog food since he loves them so much and won't eat it otherwise. Whenever he is excited, he does zooms (runs fast back and forth) and will drink water after. However, having limited of male dogs, we thought that Sushi and him would be friends, but Sushi chooses claws over smiles and chase over playtime so we separated them after an incident of a fight.š¤£
The cutest Shih-tzus we recently adopted are at the bottom of the list (before I left home). We came up with Cookie's name because of her brown nose (liver), and Bella is the smaller one. They both came from my uncle's home province of Lipa, Batangas. He is the one who inspires us to have dogs at home besides my grandpa. Among many other breeds, he raises Chow-chow, JRT, Beagle, Shih-tzu, and Chihuahua. They can only have a limited number of pets and must relocate to Cebu. He wants to give his dogs to those who would truly take good care of them, which is why he asked all of our family if they could adopt some of them. These dogs are tamed and good to stay in the living room. Cookie always wants to sleep beside a family member and Bella loves to sleep on her pink bed. I hope they are well adjusted now to in the house and still remember me in the summer.
Our dogs are all house-trained. Since some breeds do not get along well, not all of them are outside the cage; yet, we were able to make accommodations for each of them because they are more than just dogsāthey are members of the FAMILY. Initially, there were seven of us living there, so each of us had to look after one dog. The ratio is now 2:2 because there are four family members living at home. They have been our strength, especially throughout the lockdown. They keep us safe and sane at the same time. It is important that you cherish your pets, if you have any, as we all know that their time is limited. Make sure they know how much you care for them before they leave.
This is the end of my another blog with teary eyes.
How about yours, may I know the name of your pet and what made him/her special? š
*Banner made in Canva
*All images are mine unless stated otherwise