She grew up to be a beautiful dog, and so much more the sport-y dog than Emily. She loved playing ball, and chased birds and cats with gusto. She swam in Caliraya, she swam in Anilao. She sat when I asked her to, lay down when I had to cut her nails. When she slept in my room, she woke me up if she had to go in the middle of the night. She was a good dog.
During the Ateneo Dog Walks, my companions would call her monster dog, because she would stand her ground against the bigger pit bulls and even a giant doberman. Sungit was how they would describe her.
Still, she always had an air of dignity about her. She would lie on her stomach, head up, front feet crossed in front of her, a ball by her side.
Her kidney problems started when she was 7 years old. It was after the heaviest downpour we had experienced in Tierra Pura, the only time that the flood waters reached the inside of the house. It seemed a miracle that she recovered, and she was back to chasing balls. She was back to normal, always greeting anyone with a ball, toy, or (in the lack of those) stone, ready to play fetch.
On Tuesday, after a very bad month of struggling with the recurrence of her renal problem, the only recurrence after 3 years, she finally closed her eyes to rest, and as I stroked her fur, breathed her last.
We buried her in the backyard, with one of her tennis balls. I will miss my little monster dog. I hope she now has endless fields to run around in and all the balls and birds and cats she wants to chase.
Sabine
1999 - 2009
1999 - 2009
