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Thursday, December 21, 2006

Goodbye, Mommy Lyka...

Lykantim

When you introduce a pet into your household, there comes a point in time that you don't look at them as animals anymore, they become a part of your family. Lyka, our Doberman, was just supposed to be a guard dog, but she ended up as a very welcome addition to our house here in Sum-ag. My dad bought her when we first transferred here a little over two years ago.

I wouldn't consider myself to be a dog lover, but Lyka was the type of dog that you couldn't help but get attached to. She was really sweet and affectionate. I could hold out a handful of dog food and she'd quickly but carefully lick it out of my hand. If you stopped rubbing her head for a while, she'd start to nudge you to get your attention again. You could even put your forearm in her mouth and she'd just slobber all over it. If you waved your hand near her front paws, she'd raise one of them and shake your hand.

I remember the first time I realized that Lyka was more than just a dog to us. There was one time where she got cut from running around chasing frogs and cats in our lawn. Most probably from poking around some broken bottles in the garbage heap. The cut was pretty deep and Lyka was a bloody mess. She had to go to the vet and needed stitches and antibiotics. Back at the house, we wrapped her up in a blanket and kept close watch over her. It was a real scare for us, but she got better.

The past few days, Lyka wasn't her active, playful self. We thought she was just having her period, so we didn't really mind it much. However, just last Sunday, she didn't eat much at all and was hardly moving. Before I left to attend Simbang Gabi early Monday morning, she was sitting next to the front door and I gave her a quick pat on the head and rubbed her behind the ears. Then I came home and we noticed that she was back in her usual spot where we usually kept her tied up. At this point she was barely moving and my brother decided to bring her to the vet as soon as they opened. At this point I was really drowsy, so I went to bed.

Around an hour later, JP came up and woke me up and told me Lyka died on the way to the vet. I couldn't believe it and ran down to see her. She was just laying there on the floor, motionless. I knelt down beside her and the sight just left me dumbfounded. I couldn't find the words and the tears just welled up in my eyes. Yep, I cried for my dog. Our beloved mommy Lyka. It couldn't be helped. I went upstairs and sat in front of my PC, just staring at the screen while the tears kept coming.

We buried Lyka here next to the house. Everytime I walk out the front door, part of me expects to see her back in her old spot, keeping a watchful eye over the area. It's still hard to accept that she's gone. I do find comfort in the thought that up there in Heaven, God's got himself a really great doberman.

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Shadow

I dunno if it's just a coincidence, but yesterday one of the runners at dad's office gave a puppy to us. He's a cross between a black lab and a dalmatian. My sister decided to call him Shadow. Sounds like a good name for a ninja dog.


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