Relocating with Jake-y

Maybe most of you don't know that our family will be relocating soon to Singapore See October 7th post. I am overjoyed to the max, but also over-terrified of what's ahead for all of us. In this entry, obviously, I mean Jake.

The past few days, I have been intensively researching on HOW TO bring in dogs from Germany to Singapore. With that said, I am worried like h*ll for Jake. First, he's not that young anymore, though, not that old either. (around 7 yrs.), but the stress of the journey, the 30-day quarrantine, the heat and humidity there...will he be fine? Am I doing the right and best decision for him? How would the authorities treat him on his arrival? He will be terrified and will feel alone!!!

(Did you know that I was evil enough to consider leaving him because of the fear that something terrible might happen to him during the trip, that none of A's family can adopt him because he's too big, or that he won't be able to play in parks there because all big dogs must wear a muzzle and must be on a leash....blah blah blah---NONSENSE! That was the most stupid thought I ever did regarding my beloved dog.)

The truth is, knowing him and his experience in life before we took him (he came from a shelter in NY and we are his first and ONLY family), the worst thing we can do to him, is to leave him. I might as well put him to eternal sleep before we go, than kill him slowly witn emotional pain of being abandoned once again and missing us every single day of his life.---Honestly, God forbid something really bad happens to him, atleast he knows that we brought him with us.---til death do us part is what I vowed to asawa and my children, but that goes for him too.

Just for sharing my INIS experience:

Some dumb-dumb dared to tell me, "eh what if you bring him, tapos he dies during the trip? eh di nagsayang lang kayo ng pera?!"----lecheng 'to I thought.

Instead of slapping her stupidity out of her non-existent brain, I sharply replied with, "ha? do you mean that if someone you love is sick, and you know that he will die, eh you won't bother paying for a possible way to prolong his life anymore kasi SAYANG din naman?!"

Her answer? "eh iba naman yon kasi tao yon at minamahal mo."

I gave her a cynical smile and flatly answered, "hay nako, kung ikaw lang ang nasa posisyon niya, di ako mamomroblemang iwanan ka."

That said, I turned my back and chatted with someone else. grrr, people can be SO insensitive!

A Special Day!

from us three, we wish you all brothers and sisters out there a stressfree, lots of treats, all day-long attention and great playtime W.A.D !

lots of hugs and kisses to: Matilda, Jake, Yuree, Kirei, Boo, PJ, Pao, Murphy, Gretchen, Milli, Collloquy, All Cheryl's babies at her mini zoo,Padme, Meg, Hermes and Jackie if we missed some names, our apologies...




WORLD ANIMAL DAY October 4

Pet owners throughout the world will be celebrating on October 4th - World Animal Day, the feast day of the Patron Saint of all animals - St. Francis of Assisi.

St Francis, born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy, was the wealthy son of a cloth merchant. In 1206 he rejected all his worldly goods and founded the order of the Franciscan Monks. He loved all God's creatures and called animals his brothers and sisters and it is this love and respect which is celebrated on his Feast Day.

In Rome on World Animal Day, stray dogs are temporarily spared from the city's dog catchers and offered free bones from the butcher!

In Australia, World Animal Day has been set aside to recognise the important role pets play in the everyday lives of millions of Australians.

Over 64% of Australian households have a companion animal which makes Australia one of the most animal-loving nations in the world.

Research has shown that owning a pet is beneficial to health with pet owners living happier less stressed lives than people who do not include a pet in their lifestyle.

The objectives of World Animal Day celebrations are to highlight the enjoyable aspects of pet ownership and to publicly recognise the important contribution animals make to society, yet at the same time enable groups associated with animals to unite in the promotion of responsible ownership.

Many schools throughout the country will be holding a Blessing of the Animals in conjunction with the Pet Week activities co-ordinated by the Australian Veterinary Association. Pet Week will run from 2nd ­ 6th October in all States except W.A and Northern Territory when it will be held between 9th and 13th October.

Missing Cha-Cha

Cha-Cha in February 2003. (JAYRED)


I don't have a dog in Switzerland right now, and I don't think I'll ever have one now or ever. First, my strict Hausmeisterin (caretaker) has made it clear to us that no dogs are allowed in our apartment building for "sanitary reasons." Second, I don't think that my pet dog Cha-Cha is replaceable.

Although it has already been more than two years now since Cha-Cha died due to complications after giving birth to her first litter, I still find myself in the grieving stage; the pain of losing her still pierces my heart to this day. So great is the loss that every time I discuss her with my husband or my friends, I still cry.

These days, every time I spot a black, hairy dog that closely resembles Cha-Cha in the neighborhood or in the town center, I get stirred beyond my expectations. I can't help but remember my happy days with Cha-Cha -- playing in my Mom's big garden, eating spaghetti and chocolate cake together during family parties, sleeping side by side in my bedroom, and yes, even joining me in our family Sunday Bible study meetings in the living room. These are priceless memories only true-blue dog lovers can understand.

Cha-Cha was an incidental gift to me given by a journalist-friend. Joining our household in November 1995 as a cute, little pup, she became our constant source of canine joy for many years. We nearly lost her when she suffered from a lung infection during her third month with us, but the local vet was able to revive her.

I will always love Cha-Cha for many reasons. She was there to keep me company in my workroom each time I burned the midnight oil, finishing a report or two for my graduate school. She was there to comfort me every time she "felt" I was in a depressed mode by sitting beside me or on my lap; almost always, her presence would immediately cheer me up. She was there to walk with my Dad -- who's now suffering from Parkinson's Disease -- around the garden and, later, to have afternoon nap sessions with him in our nipa hut. She was there, too, to get rid of the mice in our not-so-well-kept dirty kitchen (this made me think one time that, maybe, Cha-Cha was a cat trapped in a dog's body).

It was hard to leave Cha-Cha for good when I had to migrate to Switzerland in February 2003. The two of us never really had a proper farewell rite just because Cha-Cha refused to say good-bye the afternoon I had to hie off to the international airport. She stayed put under my Mom's car, refusing my incessant pleadings to hug me one last time before my next, indefinite return. That fateful day, she refused to acknowledge the fact that my departure was a start of something long-term or even permanent. She was clearly in denial. So there was no real closure between us, and an e-mail from my sister four months later devastated me completely. "Cha-Cha died," she wrote in her first line. A part of me died, too.

I miss Cha-Cha terribly so, and every time I see her slightly torn picture on my bedside table, my chest tightens again. It's something that my husband cannot fully understand sometimes, this latent grief. Probably because he's a cat person, and probably because in the general scheme of things, it really looks and sounds so trivial.

One can never explain, I guess, the depth and magnitude of losing a dog you have loved so much with all your heart and who (not which) has loved you back with the same intensity. Words are not enough, and there are really no apt words for a generic explanation. For this reason, I can only say: I can never own or love a dog again.