The RETURN of JEDI
This article was first published in Animal Scene, June 2008
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By Ninang Corie
For a neatnik like me, owning a pet is out of the question. And being childless is no reason at all because my husband and I had sealed a covenant to stay together, just the two of us, forever. But the first amendment to our covenant was ratified when I came out of the hospital after a delicate surgery. Chained near our front door was a puppy gnawing on my old slipper. With the prevalence of petty thievery in our neighborhood as the pretext, I submitted my membership to the silent majority with an understanding that the white-haired rascal would stay out of the house. Despite the black shade on both ears and half of its face that gave it a mischievous guise, the little creature canine surrendered its borrowed toy to my tugging hand. What you see is what you get in pets because, unlike humans, animals have no pretenses.
The puppy competed with the shadow of my husband. And whenever we arrive home, its brown-spotted tail would wag like an electric fan blade with matching yips and yaps to express its excitement. It shared in our food and even increased the consumption of our purified water. My husband would take time in bathing, grooming, and even nitpicking the puppy’s ears for sniping ticks. It is common knowledge that pets provide quality companionship, the reason why pets are popular with senior citizens and childless couples. A lot have been written on the therapeutic effects of caressing pets - from the cure of a simple headache to the astonishing recovery of stroke victims. In fact, some hospitals employ the so-called “pet visit” to cheer up the patients. To a pet lover, touching is the best stress reliever outside of medications.
When the puppy got sick, I didn’t have the heart to disagree with my husband in confining it to the nearest animal clinic. We were about to leave the clinic that night when we heard the puppy whining like a lost orphan. With genuine compassion, my hand reached for the steel matting of the cage. And when the puppy started licking my finger, I yielded to the fact that it had rightfully earned a place in my heart. To animals, especially pets, touching means love. Maybe that’s reason enough why some people treat their pets like an extended family member. It’s good to note that some people love pets but all pets love some people.
Jedi enjoys the grooming I give her
When the puppy came back from its sabbatical, it solicited my attention blatantly by constantly following me during my gardening hour. There were times it would ignore dinner unless I supervised her feeding. And although a far cry from Saver, the local wonder dog oftenly featured in television, our puppy easily learned to obey simple commands like sit, stay and stop. Plant lovers talk to their wards but pet lovers have the advantage of eliciting a reaction most of the times. Also, pets can behave like humans when given a fair treatment like our puppy who displayed proper decorum even during meal times where it just stayed under the table with a sheepish façade.
Soon, the yips and yaps turned into menacing barks that drove away pestering solicitors and messengers alike. Often mistaken for a he because of her ruffian looks, Jedi would sometimes present to us her prized trophy of a dead rat. We would like to believe that her threatening presence foiled any thievery attempt. Pets, especially dogs, are very protective of their loved ones. They exude genuine concern in times of distress. The brawny St. Bernard dogs earned their popularity by rescuing mountain climbers in the northern part of the globe and there are heroic tales where pets have forewarned their owners of a fire breakout.
Before Jedi’s first birthday, we acquired a home that we could call our very own. The iron-grilled front porch served as a spacious kennel for Jedi whose pet name is Jeding. But in a month’s time, she got sick again. We hied to the nearest pet clinic in our town of Cainta. The vague prognosis professed the amateurism of the young vet. The next vet was better with his suspicion of bladder stones (after confining Jedi for 3 days). But the fear of an operation got the better of me so we proceeded to Makati for a second opinion. Jedi was again confined. There is truth in the saying that the dog is man’s best friend because a pet and its owner normally develop some kind of bonding.
Playing coy while waiting for a bath
During Jedi’s series of confinements, her images haunted my nights. It was pathetic to see her under sedation. Her tongue suffered a big cut due to the misplaced muzzle by careless caretakers. But behind the physical pains, affection was always evident in her glassy eyes. There is that tendency in pets to reciprocate the affection showered on them regardless of the situation they are in. What compounded my worries was the idea that Jedi may have been the IOU of my redemption from the brink of death during my surgery. Superstition aside, I got a feeling that Jedi, like most dogs, would gladly offer her life just to save mine.
After several days of missing Jedi, the amiable lady vet of Animal House along Jupiter street, broke the sad news. It was finally time for Jedi to return home because she was suffering from a heart ailment and there’s no cure. Jedi was very weak so we had to carry her. But as we entered our house, Jedi’s wagging tail temporarily obliterated the hopelessness in my heart. As I lay her down near the doorway, I gave up all efforts in restraining my tears. Unknown to me, my husband had made a last ditch effort by contacting another vet in town who, just over the phone, immediately proclaimed that the dreaded distemper caused Jedi’s loss of strength and photophobia (blindness to light).
Enjoying the new year joyride on Jan. 1, 2007
I used to wonder why there are people who treat their pets like their own kids. Now I know because I have been keeping a sort of diary for Jedi containing her medical records, pictures, old collars, shed hair and baby fangs. Jedi was born on the Easter Sunday of 1997 to an askal (unknown mixed breed) mother courtesy of an anonymous father. When my husband got her from my sister-in-law, the commercial of the Star Wars trilogy reissue was playing on the car’s radio. It was a coincidence that my husband was thinking of a name for the puppy that time.
Hopefully Jedi will be with us for a longer time. And I guess she would because she is enjoying our final covenant – an unconditional permit to sleep with us in our airconditioned bedroom.
Jedi's birthday in 2007
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By Ninang Corie
For a neatnik like me, owning a pet is out of the question. And being childless is no reason at all because my husband and I had sealed a covenant to stay together, just the two of us, forever. But the first amendment to our covenant was ratified when I came out of the hospital after a delicate surgery. Chained near our front door was a puppy gnawing on my old slipper. With the prevalence of petty thievery in our neighborhood as the pretext, I submitted my membership to the silent majority with an understanding that the white-haired rascal would stay out of the house. Despite the black shade on both ears and half of its face that gave it a mischievous guise, the little creature canine surrendered its borrowed toy to my tugging hand. What you see is what you get in pets because, unlike humans, animals have no pretenses.
The puppy competed with the shadow of my husband. And whenever we arrive home, its brown-spotted tail would wag like an electric fan blade with matching yips and yaps to express its excitement. It shared in our food and even increased the consumption of our purified water. My husband would take time in bathing, grooming, and even nitpicking the puppy’s ears for sniping ticks. It is common knowledge that pets provide quality companionship, the reason why pets are popular with senior citizens and childless couples. A lot have been written on the therapeutic effects of caressing pets - from the cure of a simple headache to the astonishing recovery of stroke victims. In fact, some hospitals employ the so-called “pet visit” to cheer up the patients. To a pet lover, touching is the best stress reliever outside of medications.
When the puppy got sick, I didn’t have the heart to disagree with my husband in confining it to the nearest animal clinic. We were about to leave the clinic that night when we heard the puppy whining like a lost orphan. With genuine compassion, my hand reached for the steel matting of the cage. And when the puppy started licking my finger, I yielded to the fact that it had rightfully earned a place in my heart. To animals, especially pets, touching means love. Maybe that’s reason enough why some people treat their pets like an extended family member. It’s good to note that some people love pets but all pets love some people.
When the puppy came back from its sabbatical, it solicited my attention blatantly by constantly following me during my gardening hour. There were times it would ignore dinner unless I supervised her feeding. And although a far cry from Saver, the local wonder dog oftenly featured in television, our puppy easily learned to obey simple commands like sit, stay and stop. Plant lovers talk to their wards but pet lovers have the advantage of eliciting a reaction most of the times. Also, pets can behave like humans when given a fair treatment like our puppy who displayed proper decorum even during meal times where it just stayed under the table with a sheepish façade.
Soon, the yips and yaps turned into menacing barks that drove away pestering solicitors and messengers alike. Often mistaken for a he because of her ruffian looks, Jedi would sometimes present to us her prized trophy of a dead rat. We would like to believe that her threatening presence foiled any thievery attempt. Pets, especially dogs, are very protective of their loved ones. They exude genuine concern in times of distress. The brawny St. Bernard dogs earned their popularity by rescuing mountain climbers in the northern part of the globe and there are heroic tales where pets have forewarned their owners of a fire breakout.
Before Jedi’s first birthday, we acquired a home that we could call our very own. The iron-grilled front porch served as a spacious kennel for Jedi whose pet name is Jeding. But in a month’s time, she got sick again. We hied to the nearest pet clinic in our town of Cainta. The vague prognosis professed the amateurism of the young vet. The next vet was better with his suspicion of bladder stones (after confining Jedi for 3 days). But the fear of an operation got the better of me so we proceeded to Makati for a second opinion. Jedi was again confined. There is truth in the saying that the dog is man’s best friend because a pet and its owner normally develop some kind of bonding.
During Jedi’s series of confinements, her images haunted my nights. It was pathetic to see her under sedation. Her tongue suffered a big cut due to the misplaced muzzle by careless caretakers. But behind the physical pains, affection was always evident in her glassy eyes. There is that tendency in pets to reciprocate the affection showered on them regardless of the situation they are in. What compounded my worries was the idea that Jedi may have been the IOU of my redemption from the brink of death during my surgery. Superstition aside, I got a feeling that Jedi, like most dogs, would gladly offer her life just to save mine.
After several days of missing Jedi, the amiable lady vet of Animal House along Jupiter street, broke the sad news. It was finally time for Jedi to return home because she was suffering from a heart ailment and there’s no cure. Jedi was very weak so we had to carry her. But as we entered our house, Jedi’s wagging tail temporarily obliterated the hopelessness in my heart. As I lay her down near the doorway, I gave up all efforts in restraining my tears. Unknown to me, my husband had made a last ditch effort by contacting another vet in town who, just over the phone, immediately proclaimed that the dreaded distemper caused Jedi’s loss of strength and photophobia (blindness to light).
I used to wonder why there are people who treat their pets like their own kids. Now I know because I have been keeping a sort of diary for Jedi containing her medical records, pictures, old collars, shed hair and baby fangs. Jedi was born on the Easter Sunday of 1997 to an askal (unknown mixed breed) mother courtesy of an anonymous father. When my husband got her from my sister-in-law, the commercial of the Star Wars trilogy reissue was playing on the car’s radio. It was a coincidence that my husband was thinking of a name for the puppy that time.
Hopefully Jedi will be with us for a longer time. And I guess she would because she is enjoying our final covenant – an unconditional permit to sleep with us in our airconditioned bedroom.
posted by Sonny G at
10:41 AM
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