Okay, I've been away for the past weeks and I know I need to catch up. I also have a lot of things to share. But I think I need to share this one first.

You know, I experienced that phase in my life wherein I question the purpose of my existence.

I thought about:

1. Why am I here?
2. What am I supposed to do?
3. How can I make a difference?
4. There are a lot of people out there who could do what I can do... so why do I have to be born?

And honestly, those questions are hard to answer. We weren't born with a manual to know exactly.

Years ago, when I was in my elementary years, our neighbor gave us this cute little puppy named "Bokbok" (actually, we had dogs before Bokbok but I was just too young to even remember the names). He was a cute little furball and I didn't realize I've been attached too deeply. However, my mother decided to give him away because his siblings were also in the neighborhood and Bokbok seems to keep on crying because he wants to be with them.

I didn't like my mother's idea, though. But they still gave Bokbok away.

The next day, when we opened our doors so me and my sister could go to school, we saw Bokbok lying on our doorsteps. Dead. For reasons, we didn't know.

The once happy and playful puppy is now lifeless and cold.

I had to muster up all my courage not to look at him and cry. But I did cry, anyway. We were walking to school, me speeding up a little, when my tears fell down uncontrollably. I had to bit the insides of my cheeks so my sob wouldn't escape my throat.

That was also the day I realized how loyal dogs are. That even when they are at the brink of death, they would still come home to you so they could spend the last minutes of their lives with you.

So from that day onward, I believe that the purpose of my life is to help dogs who were neglected or abused by their owners to find their fur-ever homes. I wanted to become a bridge for these dogs to find the love that they deserve. I wanted to give those dogs another chance at a happy ending with a human who would love them dearly.

By the way, before I forget, I have a dog named Greigh and he is a Siberian Husky. He’s 2 years old. We’ll talk about him in the future.

So as of the moment, I already helped five (5) dogs to find their fur-ever homes:

1. Two of them are Chowchows - I gave them to my friend, Patricia. And they were all well taken cared of.
2. One Golden Retriever - he wasn't neglected or abused in any way, it's just that his fur mom needed to go to abroad, so he needed some fostering for a while. Anyway, I gave him back to the owner's parents.
3. One American Bully - he was so close to me and he looked at me like I was his favorite human. I had to give him again to Patricia because my mother couldn't handle another dog at home.
4. Labrador/Golden Retriever mixed aspin - I recently met Cockie (pronounced as Cho-keh) from a Cebu dog pound who badly needs help.

Please, help me help Cockie.

You see, his owners, for unknown reasons gave him up. The one who rescued him turned him up to the Cebu City Dog Pound. I didn't have time to take a photo of the facility but... it's not good for any dog or for any humans to be there. The place smells foul - dog feces and dog urine are almost everywhere. There are dying dogs, pregnant dogs, mother dogs with puppies, dogs with skin problems, etc.

Anywyay, let's just focus on Cockie instead. I already feel bad about not being able to help most of the dogs in that facility.

The picture above is Cockie before we adopt him (sorry for the quality, it wasn't me who took the picture). You can see the prominent Golden Retriever features in his face. But the very first thing that captured my heart was those sad eyes.

I asked the one who posted this picture if I can adopt him - not for me, but for my uncle. However, a friend of mine was also interested in taking Cockie in. So I gave him to her.

We set the date for the turn over of Cockie. And they also gave me another pic of him being carried by a man to assure me that he is fine.

I noticed how behave Cockie is and by further inspecting the picture, I suspected that he has hotspots in his genital area.

Hotspot (also known as pyotramatic or moist dermatitis) is a condition which involves an area of skin which has become inflamed and infected. The affected skin often appears as a moist, oozing, reddened area that is painful and very itchy to the dog. Hair loss may also be seen. Continued licking and chewing at the area by the dog worsens the condition dramatically. Source and to know more about hotspots

Personally, I thought it's not a big problem. We just have to buy him a soothing ointment that would stop the itch in that spot. He would also need to take a bath using a medical soap every week to lessen the pain and kill the bacteria.

No problem, I thought.

So came Saturday, the day we set up to get Cockie. My friend was already filling up the forms to adopt Cockie when I came. Cockie was waiting by the entrance door as I entered the office - he was wagging his tail. At the moment I entered, he nuzzled my knees almost immediately. I patted his head and scratched his ears and jaw. He seemed to like the idea of being touched.

Let’s note also how malnourished and thin Cockie is. He seemed that he isn’t getting enough food from his previous owners.

I can’t touch him too long since my immune system sucked at being an immune system as of the moment. So I just gently took his leash while he sat near me.

We also have to take note that my friend never had dogs before and was very afraid of dogs. But Cockie was really different. He already caught her heart in an instant. He liked her. She liked him.

It’s even a surprise that he knows how to thump his paws on the door just to let you know he wants to get out.

Notice how malambing Cockie is. He wants to cuddle. He will rest his face on your lap just like a kid trying to win his mother's favor. He is really a behave dog.

However, I noticed a dripping blood whenever Cockie walked around. We were told he was neutered last Wednesday and that we shouldn't be alarmed because it was natural and that he would heal easily if we put the ointment that the city vet recommended.

Neuter refers to the removal of the testicles in the male animal. Source and to know more about Neuter

After taking Cockie, we went to Parkmall. I love Parkmall because they allow you to take your pet inside the mall. Sometimes, they do events for dogs and cats and other pets like pet adoption, pet exhibit, pet shows, etc.

We went to get a snack. However, we kept noticing how Cockie would lick his genital area and that it won't stop dripping blood. Neophytes with neutered dogs, we thought it was normal like the public vet said until we passed by a private veterinary clinic in Parkmall.

We were supposed to buy dog food for Cockie and a dog treat for him. However, an attendant of the clinic noticed the dripping blood and the open wound in Cockie's genital area. He was genuinely concern and he begun asking us questions. Then the doctor's assistant also checked on Cockie because they noticed the swelling and reddening.

And so my friend, decided to have Cockie checked up. The vet took blood tests and we found out he has inflammation and blood loss.

I'm not a veterinarian so I'm not sure how to interpret the blood test results. But the vet explained that Cockie has infections, inflammation and is suffering from blood loss.

I WILL BE POSTING PICTURES OF COCKIE'S GENITAL AREA TO LET YOU SEE HIS CONDITION. PLEASE, FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENSITIVE, REFRAIN FROM LOOKING AT IT AND JUST SCROLL DOWN.

With the help of the Vet's attendant, we had Cockie stood up so they could inspect him. I took the opportunity to take pictures so I could also send it to the one who gave Cockie to us.

Upon seeing this, I immediately felt betrayal. They mutilated Cockie and it wasn't even done neatly because one of his balls are still there. And look at that punctured wound - the vet tried to touch it and Cockie cried. It was so deep; we could see his flesh.

I was furious.

They should have taken the two balls. They should have let the wounds heal first before letting him go. They should have not assured us that everything is fine with Cockie, when he is not!

That was a life and death situation for Cockie and yet they told us everything is normal. IS BLOOD LOSS NORMAL? Anything that has to do with blood isn’t normal!

We were watching as they tried to examine Cockie’s genital area and we can see how painful it was. My knees were even shaking by just imagining the pain Cockie is feeling.

My friend decided to buy this neck cone for Cockie so he won't be able to lick or scratch his wounds that would possibly lead him to get more infections.

We also put him in a cage so he could rest and to stop him from walking around - this would speed up the healing process of his open wounds.

My friend also purchased all the meds Cockie needs. And boy! That was costly.

I saw how devastated my friend was. She was clearly attached to Cockie, she started to cry. She doesn’t even want to leave him. I coaxed her and said he was going to be okay by tomorrow morning. I was wrong, he didn't. He pooped blood in the morning, didn't eat his food. He was crying because of the pain.

I remembered very well when my dog, Greigh, refused to eat and play. I cried so hard, thinking he's going to die and I'm going to lose that one special living thing who's not even human but could totally understand me and love me. I felt so hopeless that time and I didn't want anyone to feel that way.

My friend didn't mind the medical expenses and the fortune she spent on Cockie. However, when she decided to have him confine... I thought of helping her out to cover those expenses (and other costs that would be needed). At least, with this initiative, I could make her feel that she and Cockie is not alone in this fight.

We don't know if Cockie is going to make it. But we must do anything within our capacity to help this sweet, gentle dog get the life he deserves after all the cruelty he suffered.

Hence, all SBD rewards I get from this post will all go to Cockie's medical treatment. I will also update you, guys, what happens to Cockie. I will try to liquidate everything so you could be sure that the money will go to Cockie and his welfare.

I hope you will help me.

Anthony Douglas Williams once said,

"Be kind to every kind, not just mankind."

 
 
Written by Ysa, 030418