My husband left the kitchen door open while I was having dinner. Four rowdy dogs came crashing in, encircling the dining table, jumping on my chair, bumping my legs. I froze. I just froze. Edmund had difficulty sending all the four out. That was the scene for a while. Four hyperactive dogs running around like crazy around me, with one lethargic dog, Tyler, just watching, while my husband chased the four. I sat there suspended in time while my husband was frantically calling the dogs one by one but no one seemed to mind him. They just kept scampering around and occasionally jumping on me.
I just couldn’t take it anymore. I started screaming and screaming. I just needed to let out the fear, and the stress, and the inis. I threw a big tantrum. When my husband was finally able to bring the dogs out in the kitchen, I had already lost my composure. I was still screaming, of anger. I was so pissed.
I went up to my bathroom and cried. My husband came to say sorry and he pacified me.
Lately, I developed this bad habit of screaming or making a big sigh when I feel so frustrated or inis about something. That is my way of releasing the enormous surge of negative emotions.
It’s not true that older people are calmer. It’s not true that the older one gets, the more at peace or calm she/he becomes. I am not like that. I have recognized early on in my life that patience was not my virtue, but I tried to work on it. But through the years, it’s still not there. Once in a while I am tolerant of my surroundings, but most of the time I freak out so easily.
We have too many dogs. And I am not really a pet, animal, or dog lover. I have come a long way actually. By circumstance. My husband and daughter love dogs and it’s something I have to live with and I have learned to embrace this life surrounded by lots of dogs. I have also learned to love them, touch them, but not too much. But letting big and rowdy dogs roam around me is just pushing it.
When our dogs bark, like right at this very moment, I really get stressed out. Firstly, our immediate neighbor complains. They call the village security office. In a few minutes, security guards come to our gate. The more our dogs bark and get mad. It worsens the situation. And when our dogs bark at night, my stress level doubles.
Last week I got a call from the admin. My co-board member reported that one of our dogs jumped off the fence while she was walking in front of our house. Although our dog didn’t bite her, she said she got very scared. It was reported that our dogs, presumably either Choco or Latte, had done that jumping tricks seven times.
When I arrived she started crying, making lambing, in a few seconds she started growling, merong big furry dog passing by. It was good the big dog just ignored Latte.
A company messenger was sent to deliver documents to Oyen but their messenger is afraid of our dogs most specifically this one. They called to request if our maid can wait outside to receive the document. Takot daw lumapit yung messenger nila. Mukha kasing mangangagat si Latte. He bites naman talaga. Baby pa lang yan kinagat na nya si Emerson.
The good thing about these sisters is that when they accidentally fall off our garden, into the street, they don’t run away. They just stay at our gate and they wait to be rescued or let in. Sometimes they intentionally jump to chase maybe a dog. But they are afraid to wander far so they don’t get lost.
Because of that complaints, and to prevent them from eventually biting our neighbors, Edmund brought them to the farm. They caused havoc to our chickens and ducks. They’ve killed several and the remaining chickens and ducks are living in fear.
We separated the sisters, Choco is still at the farm, while Latte is back here at our residence in Quezon City. Latte didn’t eat for two and a half days. She started eating on the third day but still showing no energy and appetite. Our gardener reported the same thing about Choco. She stopped eating and was crying, obviously looking for her sister. It’s sad. My heart breaks when these things happen. I want these dogs to be together so next week Edmund will bring Choco back here in Manila.
When I am in the farm I no longer want to walk around because the dogs keep jumping on me. They jump high up to my waist.
Last Monday I visited the farm. I just stayed inside the cottage house and because I had very little sleep the night before, I slept on the folding bed. When I opened my eyes, Their faces were inches away from mine. They must have been watching me while I was sleeping. They also licked my talampakan kaya nagulat ako.
Cali gave birth several months ago to 6 puppies. My husband and Oyen wanted to keep all 6. But because it’s stressful to have so many dogs, with a heavy heart, they gave away the four. Two to Derrick’s cousin, Friendly went to Bong Ladrica, our former sales executive in Makati Ford, and Yakin, to a girl working at Ford EDSA. We are confident they would treat the dogs well.
Two are still here. Antonia named them Coffee Mate. We liked the name Coffee, but Oyen changed the girl’s name to Jelly. Coffee and Jelly would be brought back to the farm to be with their mom, Cali. They are still puppies and it’s better that they grow up mingling with chickens and ducks so they would not see them as food. So that they would learn to live with our animals and livestock in peaceful harmony.
Having a lot of dogs is just too much responsibility. All the needed attention, the caring, the medical needs, not counting the money.
We currently have Hugo, Lucy, Jack, Stitch, Tyler, Stella, Coffee, Jelly, Choco, Latte, Cali, Jersey.
Edmund plans to buy a big dog— maybe another German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, or ewan. Sana chihuahua na lang. He would train it daw to ride in his truck.
PLUS, a big PLUS, we have Vision, the kitten my daughter picked up from the middle of the street near our house. Vision is blind. My daughter brought her to the vet to have her checked-up, vaccinated, etc.
She gets the same caring, loving, attention, from my daughter and from her designated nannies. Antonia calls her Beson, Bison, Muning, Kuting.
Vision gets along with the smaller dogs but we keep her away from the bigger ones. Here she plays with Stella.
Oyen asked me if she could keep the cat, or if she should give her away or bring her to the animal welfare. I told her to keep Vision here so she could be well taken care of. She’s blind, so kawawa naman.
My daughter believes that it’s fate that she found Vision. I think so too.
