I've been a big fan of dogs for as long as I can remember. Dogs are my favorite pet. Who wouldn't like those adorable furry animals, with their tail wagging skills? Just one look into their eyes and you can’t help but fall in love with them. My love for dogs knows no limit. My family once had a cute, big and brown dog. An Ekuke- a special type of dog breed popular in my country. Most Ekukes are known for being stubborn and having a stout growth and skinny body, but our dog, Jackie, on the other hand was different. I'm pretty sure we named him after the famous Chinese actor, Jackie Chan, because we used to watch his movies all the time.
Jackie was different. He was such a unique dog. He was big, brown, shiny, and grew rapidly. One might even mistake him for another breed. He was everyone’s favorite. It always wagged his tail uncontrollably immediately he sets his eyes on me after school. Sadly, fate had a different plan for Jackie. Fate did a cruel hand on him and took him from us. At that time, our house wasn't fenced, so Jackie often go on his usual strolls. That day, he got hit by a reckless driver who didn't even care to stop.
After we lost Jackie, no one thought of getting another dog for a while. It took about 6 years until my brother surprised us. One day, he walked in with a cute little creature in his hands. The dog’s presence brought joy into our home. I remember the first day my brother brought the puppy into our house. The little cutie cried all night long. But when morning came, the new puppy finally stopped crying. The next day, we all started thinking of a name to give her.
“Let's name the dog Jackie,” my older sister suggested.
“Jackie? No. She doesn't look anything like that dog,” my brother objected.
The worst name suggestion came from my mom, who wanted us to name the new puppy “Bingo.” People in my country have a thing of calling every dog they see Bingo, regardless of the breed, shape of the head or color, they all call it Bingo.
“No!” we all roared.
Finally, an idea popped into my head and I let it out. I had been thinking quietly this whole time while my mom and siblings were coming up with funny names for the dog.
“Let us name her Molly,” I said.
Molly is a character from my favorite novel- Night Train by Judith Clarke. I really do not know what I was thinking of that day, but I suggested the idea and they all accepted it.
Molly’s first day
Over time, Molly grew attached to our family, especially to me. She followed me everywhere, becoming my loyal companion. Molly grew out of her shyness and became a cherished member of our household. I had a special bond with her and she was devoted to me.
The most beautiful moment I shared with Molly was when she gave birth to her first set of puppies. I had learnt that the pregnancy period for dogs is a period of 60 to 63 days, and my calculations were accurate, allowing me to anticipate the day Molly would give birth. It was a Saturday Morning. Molly was so restless that day, noticeably moving to and fro different places. I took on the responsibility of protecting her because my parents and siblings weren’t at home.I was prepared for that day, because I had been reading so much about dogs and their pregnancy period.
When I noticed how restless she was, I prepared a place for it and led it there. I read that some dogs become violent during childbirth. But Molly was as gentle as always. It allowed me to take care of her and her puppies. Molly’s first ever litter produced 8 puppies. Sadly, one of them died the next day. I really do not know how it happened. I just found it dead with its tongue out and blue.
Currently, I have two dogs; Molly and Ricky. They are the best pets one could ever wish for. Molly is clingy and a little gentle towards strangers. Ricky on the other hand is hyperactive and extremely violent towards strangers. It is really sad that dogs don’t have a long life span.
This is my submission to the Inleo prompt suggestion for the month of April. The topic is: Do you have stories about your pets? Is there invasive animals in your area?
Note: All images in this post are mine.
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