Live in the Philippines

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I’m Goin’ To the Dogs

Animals / by

Colleen the day she picked out francine
Colleen the day she picked out francine

When my granddaughter was very young she was searching for a puppy, and her other set of overindulgent grandparents made sure she got what she wanted. My specialty of overindulgence lay in a different direction. But I was involved somewhat with the dogs. When she moved on to the next puppy I always adopted the last one. The funniest one was when she was eight and she came by my house with a Chocolate Labrador. I looked at the feet which were huge and asked her parents if they were adding a new room on their house so when the puppy grew up she could turn around. two months later Coco the Flying Lab, moved to my house. Over the years I’ve also taken in dogs from people who were leaving the country or the dog out grew where the people lived.

The Spitz patrol
The Spitz patrol

I’m sitting at a bar in the barrio and a old friend asked me to walk over to his apartment where on balcony two huge German Sheppard’s who were a mother/daughter pair and both elderly. I took them in and found that they were beyond sweet and just needed room to walk around without a chain. (Which I refuse to use.) Both the old girls lived five more years and passed from old age.

I had a dog when I was young, but then the Navy put the kibosh on having pets, as the ships were not set up for animal care. Puerto Rico, well I was a single guy and never knew the direction I’d be coming home from in the morning. Then I was back to sea again so more years without pets. Then here in the Philippines where I retired, I had the time, the money and the room to be around dogs again. And the dog army started, As we all know It hurts when you lose one, because I grow attached to every single one as I think we all do. But since I knew that I made their life better and they did the same for me, in the long run it was well worth doing!

When my friend passed away, his wife knowing me and my love of dogs asked if I would adopt their dog “Louie” but failed to tell me the dog was a former inmate out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This dog came with his shot record and a card certifying it was insane. Louie was not abused (In the strictest meaning of the word, but he was ignored. The little guy hated all human beings and would attack everybody, even other dogs, including my black lab (at 135 pounds). I now had my first dog on a chain. And I didn’t like it. I went out every day and wrapped a heavy towel around his head and talked and held him. After a few weeks he calmed down, and even started getting along with the other dogs, my friend was the only other human male he liked. All women he liked, so he was a little normal. Strangers never had a chance and Louie had to be chained when visitors were there. He lived 7 more years and became one of the great ones!

I always have had good dogs, a few gain great one status but I love them all.

Frank
Frank

Then there was Franklin (Or Frank) a solid brown Dachshund who was a granddaughter hand me down along with two other Dachshund’s Mama Too and Snow, (I only named Frank) all were sweet dogs but Frank was a great one, he became my dog the first day and it was he who picked me! Together we were thick as thieves. He took all naps with me and if I was in the house he was beside me. Walk to a friend’s house he was with me, (Not inside their house but sitting at their door) He passed at only five years of age with no reason.

Christmas 2016 my present is not one but two Dachshund’s Fritz (male) color dappled born Oct. 18 2016 Francine (Female) color black and tan Born Nov.02 2016 Fritz was supposed to be mine and I named him, but as fate would have it my granddaughter (Now age 14) wanted the black and tan colored Dachshund that we named Francine. But the puppy she has, rejected the idea of a second dog. So it now lives at Lolo Daddy Paul’s house. Do you understand how the dog army is always increasing, almost platoon size then, but I was down to squad size in May.

The amount of money I spend on dog food both wet and dry (And rice) is considerable but well worth it. I’ve never regretted it for a second. BTW we have one 19 year old 40 pound cat that hates me and is waiting for me to go…

What is that old joke about unconditional love, where you put your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car for twenty minutes, and open the trunk and see which one still loves you? This is a joke and I am not recommending anyone be dumb enough to try this. I’m a dog person, and hope you are too, but fish make nice pets too and you don’t have to walk them.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob…any update on Camarines Sur, Bicol? I have little family there i have been taking care of for a few years…no power, im sure….so i can’t talk to them on cell…or computer.

    • David;
      While I was writing this I got word that our Vet, that does house calls just passed away, we had been friends for 25 years, and with the amount of dogs we have, I needed that service.He has two sons that are vets so we’ll see.
      Next I have another Vet who is open 24 hours a day, he also passed away but his daughter runs the clinic now.
      And the during a normal day we have another Vet, I use for regular visits. Like anything else in the Philippines the talent is here, and 90% of we Kano’s use the same doctors for our pets (Yes even cats). So they are well vetted..
      New dogs are isolated and vaccinated before joining the dog Army. So yes I have complete medical records on them all, the two new pups are going through it now..

  4. Nice article Paul.

    You are covered if it ever starts to snow in your area as you have a ready made sled team.

    I’ve always had and loved dogs. The locals here are amazed with the extent of our care for our Labrador Retriever but that is the way I am and always will be.

    It’s a shame we have a pick up truck as I can’t be the dumb one to try your experiment LOL.

    Take care everyone

    AJ UK

    • AJ/UK;
      Can they pull across sand too? (LOL)
      As I said about the car’s trunk, I don’t recommend doing that! Unless you know you can outrun your wife.(I can’t) (LOL)

  5. Mr. Paul T. As an owner of a Yorkie, I salute you for another good article. ” The journey of life is best traveled with a dog. “

    • Jose;
      I’ve not seen a Yorkie here, a wonderful breed, I do remember my friend had one and it didn’t bark, it just made a sound like Nerf-nerf. The dog came to join us at the fire, they weren’t forced.

  6. I love dogs too. They are great friends and always listen to you and never judge. When I got married my wife said she was not a dog person and would never sleep in a bed that dogs slept in. Now we have 7 dog 4 of which are puppies and their mother sleeps with us. My wife is a dog person now. Good article it shows how important dogs are to us.

  7. Luke;
    My wife was a dog person when I met her, but house dogs were not something she was fond of. But like your wife she changed her mind.

  8. When I had to send my wiener to dog heaven a couple years back I more or less came to the conclusion I couldn’t handle doing that much more so I think I have my last dog now. Hope she lives a long time. Even though she has a good home with my daughter when my wife and I go to the PI, I have a hard time leaving her.

  9. Loren;
    I lost my other dog Coolett in May, so I know I almost gave up on getting to close , until my daughter gave me those two puppies.. It all starts again!

  10. Wow does this bring back the memories! For me is was both dogs and cats. All shapes, sizes, and colors. From a Pomeranian I named “Bare” because she was barely big enough to be called a dog, to a beautiful Irish Setter who was named Dane and needed a new home. “Okay I will take a kitten” and suddenly it was two kittens that I named Abbott and Costello. I guess they liked their new home and “fellow buddies” because they are the only cats I have ever seen that thought they were dogs! The most expensive pet I ever owned started out as a free cat. Fur kids, got to love em and at least they don’t have to send them to college. It should be written into the rules governing every country “All children get at least one dog while growing up.” The world would be a kinder, gentler, more understanding place.

    • Mike;
      I agree with your idea that all kids have a pet; it can teach them unconditional love. I’m less a cat person but I wish no cat any ill will.

  11. Paul,
    It breaks my heart when I walk around our subdivision and see all the dog’s locked up in small cages or on a chain all day long. Why even have a dog. We don’t have any dog’s but I consider myself a dog person. They seem to gravitate to me when i’m around them. Our power just came on after being off all day long from the typhoon as a tree fell and broke a concrete power pole in 2. Was surprised we got power back today. Hope you and Mayang had a Merry Christmas.

  12. Papa Duck;
    I talked a friend out of owning a monkey, by simply pointing out that all monkeys by nature need a social group, caging them from birth to death just so your friends know you have a monkey seems cruel. He now loves his stray dog he rescued from the street as a puppy. Like you I don’t like chains. I have pens when they go into hest or my dog army would screw themselves out of a place to sleep.

  13. Aloha Paul
    I do enjoy your articles, this one hits home.
    My husband and I are hoping to retire in PI in the next few years. We are planning to take our German shepherd with us, and hope to adopt a few more.
    He responds to commands in Tagalog, English and French- due to my husband being Philippino and I’m from Maine
    Any advice on bringing our dog from Hawaii to pi?
    Hope to meet you, your wife and dog army someday!
    Diane & Jaime contemprato

    • Diane;
      Here is where I need help from fellow readers, I have never imported a dog into the RP, and I don’t know the rules if you do please jump in and help this lady out. But in HI the Philippines has a embassy, so also check with them, It would be terrible for the dog to be held up because of a paperwork SNAFU, (Navy expression) Jaime and Mayang can discuss the pitfalls of being married to a New Englander. We4ather will not be a problem, I see no problem with the move except be careful around toads with puppies as they are dangerous to them but a full grown dog not so much.