Tuesday, July 4, 2017
13 years ago, i made a bet. A bet between my uncle and me, if i were to win the bet he'd get me a dog. What was on the line? Either i get a dog, or i lose face and don't get one. So i figured, face wasn't important, i'd rather have a shot at getting a dog. Guess what? I won the bet and my uncle had to get me one.
Really liked Schnauzers back when i was Primary 6, coupled with a couple of others like shetland sheepdogs. Well these breeds were too expensive so my uncle knew a friend who's shih tzus just gave birth so i thought, oh well shih tzus then!
Went there, saw a bunch of pups! Some were already reserved and we had a few choices. Mum figured that male dogs are weird with the genitals dangling while they run so a female dog it is! And i got the privilege to pick the lil pup i wanted. Immediately, transaction was made and we brought our new lil pup back home in a tote bag or something like that. It was extremely adorable when her little head popped outta the bag. I knew i fell in love with this dog.
Well, Autumn was her name and the entire family kinda forgot who gave her the name. So let's just leave it as my sister and I came up with it. Reason was because she was tri-colored and she was born in September. It felt kinda weird to call a dog Autumn but hey, we could call her anything we wanted okay!
First night was tough. It was a totally unfamiliar environment, she was separated from her parents and siblings so she cried herself to sleep, literally. Few nights passed and she got better, she got used to us and her new environment. It felt surreal to get outta bed and having a cute lil pup with her tail wagging, to welcome you to your new day. It felt great and it was exactly how i dreamed it to be.
Then came times when she was a naughty dog. Going through the teething phase, she like to bite at anything she could find and that included our spectacles lenses. She ate her own poop and she would go around licking us with her tongue. She became one year old and her first period came and there were blood stains all over the floor. I didn't really like those times.
Fast forward till these recent months. She was evidently getting older and weaker. Last october, she had peripheral vestibular disease which caused her to have vertigo, felt dizzy and vomiting severely. I was alone at home and i witnessed that by myself. I was scared and worried that it was time for Autumn to go. Instead she stayed on and became better. However, this few months got really bad. She coughed really badly, lost weight till i could only touch her bones. Her vision got poor, hearing got poor, and her legs got so weak to a point that standing up was tough. Despite that, there are times when she would still muster up all her strength just to welcome us home.
She never failed at welcoming us back home. Even when her hearing and vision got poor, when we got close, she would wag her tail and be really happy that we're home. She never failed to love us. I miss the times when she had so much energy that she'll just run laps in the house. That never failed to make me chuckle. I miss the times when she would jump up on my bed to sleep and i'll go over to hug her. I miss having to look at the floor to check where she was just in case i accidentally kicked or stepped on her. I miss just stroking and patting her on the head. I miss holding her little paw.
Autumn, you were the best pet i could ever ask for as my first pet. You gave me memories that would stay with my for my life, and i'm damn sure of that. You grew up with me, through the stressful times and happy times. For the bulk of my education, you were there with me. I wanted you to stay till i graduated so that it could feel complete but i know it was tough. I miss you autummie. You were such a huge part of me. I can never hold that small little paw again but i'll hold on to all the memories you left behind. I just miss you so much. It's so hard to let go. I expected it to happen but i'm still torn apart.
Goodbye my dear Autumn, i will always miss you.
Brian
12:45 AM
