LOSING A DOG IS LOSING A FAMILY MEMBER... - TODAY I LOST A FAMILY MEMBER...
Pig - Never stopped putting his paw in the food bowl!
Having a furry friend as a family member, you choose to:
- Take responsibility for someone's entire life. And not like your children, the older they get, the more they want to have their private lives and they can take care of themselves. A furry friend - the older they get, the more they stick with you and the more you have to care for them!
- Accept to take the vulnerability to lose them someday cause their lives will mostly like be way shorter than yours. You see them grow, you see them leave this life.
Just like people said:
"A dog is just a part of your life, but YOU ARE EVERYTHING HE HAS IN HIS LIFE!"
The story I'm gonna share today is about Pig - The dog! - He left this life this morning at the vet's place before we got to bring him home to feel his home the last time... He passed away over liver and blood disease.
I'm in Da Nang and Pig is with my family, I'm 500 miles away. Pig had been so sick in the last whole month and kept giving up his food. The lockdown was too long that the vet just reopened a few days ago and my mom brought Pig there for a serious long term treatment. It's been a few days and everyone was sad missing Pig when he was away from home. This morning the vet called my mom telling her to bring Pig home so he could see home... for the last time. Mom and dad are at work so my little sister came over, and Pig was already put in a box with tape...
Pig - my lovely good boy
While I'm writing this, I'm still in tears while listening to "You've got a friend in me".
To me, to us, Pig is an important family member. A little good boy who had to fight so much for his life to make it through 3 years 3 months of his entire life.
His life is not long, but I can tell he was always very present and did enjoy every single second of his journey. He had our complete hearts and love. I hope Pig knows that!
Pig - 3 months old
Pig - a goofy name my mom gave a little furry puppy that we got in early October 2018. We had 3 dogs already but somehow my mom saw Pig at a grocery store laying on his back in the middle of his siblings in a cage. My mom felt there was a destiny and she and my dad brought him home. She named him Pig and since then he became the weirdest dog we have ever had.
That weirdness comes from how ridiculous Pig was: Always plays dead, always wants food food food and is willing to do anything embarassing JUST TO HAVE FOOD, always EXTREMELY needy, greedy, always follow us everywhere we are, always do silly and ridiculous things to get our attention.
In summary:
Name: Pig - Vietnamese name: Ủn
Age: 3 years 3 months boy - and stop counting from here
Known as: Handsome boy with super long legs, no ears, no neck, big round eyes, spent his whole life sighing like an old man to get attention. Always steal your shoe holding it in his mouth running around the yard while barking - Yep! Barking with something in his mouth - THAT IS THE MOST HILARIOUS THING YOU CAN EVER SEE!
Shoes watcher and also stealer
And that't how he always got all of our attention in his whole life.
Pig knew he was in a family of many dogs that are siblings. Only him was by himself. He always spent time alone to sleep, to eat, and to stick with his human begging for food, love and pet.
You can see him there by the door 24/7 since he was a little puppy - Hold on: where are his ears? Those are a bear's ears!
Biggest passion: Food
Biggest dream: A lot of food and love (and maybe have bigger ears to attract the girls?)
Always stayed closest to the food!
Growing up, he suffered so much sickness and weird diseases like leg paralysis when he was 4 months old and it happened a couple more times later, septicemia, lots of skin diseases that used to happen every two or three months until he got fixed then started to get better and gaining weight!
In his whole life, I don't know how many shots he got for different kinds of treatment or how many times he saw the vet. We always worried about him and followed him step by step like a little baby.
Pig during the skin treatment
The most beautiful thing is: Each time Pig recovered, he came back to life like a warrior, like nothing ever happened. He went crazy for food and attention again, he did hilarious things again, he acted grumpy towards other dogs then came to us with a jealous but cute face and like: You know you love meeeee moreeee!
Pig - He never cared what others thought of him. He only cared about his owners (and well, also how much food he gonna get).
After each recovery
Naming him "Pig", he started to act like a little piggy
Calling him Pig, that was the most funny sound we heard everyday.
Having Pig with us, he entertained everyone by every single thing he did. He loved us unconditionally and waited for us by the gate from morning to night, in the rain or during the afternoon when the concrete yard was as hot as it could burn a whole chicken. He only wanted to see us and keep us in his sight...
Hiding from thunderstorm...
And sleeping like this...
Meditating everywhere...
Having a furry member in the family, he does not care who you are and what you have, cause in his eyes, you are THE ONE and ONLY ONE. They are as greedy for us, they are so loyal and loving that makes them so innocent... that makes us love them too much to be able to let them go...
A dog will sacrifice his life for us human if they are on duty
A dog is not a dog, a dog is a family member, dogs are children.
Losing a child makes me feel like my umbilical cord getting cut again and being grabbed and pulled out of my body.
Pig, I wish I could see you for the last time. I suddenly blamed at myself for living too far away from home and I'm so powerless in such situation. But that's how life is. Pig is grown up and I am grown up. We are where we are meant to be and although we are apart, I believe that Pig has lived the best life he could have.
If the destiny brought him to us, a dog that was born with so much sickness inside his body, Pig would probably be happy now that he is free and does not have to fight his diseases anymore. He had to be very painful that we couldn't know or feel.
Pig, tonight you are probably around here joining the Halloween. And in the next life you'd probably be a human, a handsome, tall and healthy guy. If you're still as crazy for food, remember to go to the gym often!
And Pig, I love you more than anything and I will miss you forever!
"There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and see it through
and though life wasn't as easy for you
But none of people will ever love you
The way I do
It's me and you, boy..." [remade from "You've got a friend in me" lyrics]
When I'm an old lady, I'll be sitting on a rocking chair playing guitar and singing to my dogs!
Let's love and protect animals. They are innocent angels!
Little Beatles ♫