Trudis writes about dog beds

A semi pampered mutt like me can expect a longer life span compared to my counterparts in the streets. I hope the Secretary will invest on my comfort as I sail through my golden years. Choosing the right dog bed is part of that investment. The dog's size, built and sleeping position are important things to consider.

After my sissy Scarlet got her very own bed, I have been trying to convince the Secretary a.k.a Mom that the rest of us need dog beds too. A semi pampered mutt like me can expect a longer life span compared to my counterparts in the streets. I hope the Secretary will invest on my comfort as I sail through my golden years. Choosing the right dog bed is part of that investment.

So how does our Secretary choose the right doggy bed--I mean, if and when she scrapes the budget for it?

Size and built of a dog are important factors. Dogs like my sissy Woody, who is umm kinda humungous big boned will most definitely need large dog beds Our health must also be considered, it will help if these dog beds are antibacterial and hypoallergenic. I also need to remind our Secretary that cheaper does not always mean better. Cheap dog beds may contain harmful chemicals that could be bad for humans too.

I saw dog beds in different shapes and designs in the internet. Some are flat like human beds, or shaped like donuts, or arm chairs. Im fond of curling up like a ball so a large donut shape bed will probably suit me. My brother Moymoy, on the other paw, catches zzzzs with his hind legs stretched out like there’s no tomorrow so a flat bed will be appropriate for him.

Our Spay and Neuter Campaign

Tinkered with my trial version of Photoshop ( yeah, im a cheapskate) this afternoon... thanks to Woody, Bambi and Trudis who modelled for this ad.

Jenilyn

My Mom in Iloilo City informed me last night that Jenilyn, one of my adopted dogs left in her care, had not been eating in the past few days. She also observed that Jenilyn's tummy had grown big and hard to the touch. Worried, I asked my Mom to immediately send Jenilyn here in Manila so she could be throughly diagnosed and treated. When Jenilyn arrived this morning, the Animal Doc whisked her from the airport to the laboratory for blood tested and xrays.

The test results confirmed the Animal Doc's fears; he had no other option but to remove Jen's enlarged uterus. By then, Jenilyn already had kidney failure and severe anemia due to cystic endometrial hyperplasia. Despite Animal Doc's valiant efforts to save her life, Jenilyn died in the operating table at 2:45 this afternoon, three stitches away from her incision wound being closed.

Now, Im wondering, would it have made a difference if I were with Jenilyn before she got sick? Would she have made it through surgery if a diagnosis was made three or five days earlier? Would my grief be easier to bear if I had more time spent with her than just a few hours every one or two months?

My dogs and I share a special bond. Even with eyes closed, I can distinguish each one of them from the subtle differences in their barks and in their smell. I would have immediately known if anything was wrong with them, just as they so easily perceive my joy and pain.

Two nights ago, I couldnt sleep. It was as though something was eating me from inside out: thoughts of death, of losing loved ones. Now I could swear Jenilyn was trying to contact me then.

Run free Jenilyn
June 29, 2010

Senor Don Gato

Secretary's Note: When I was five or six years old, my father bought us a casette tape of children's songs all around the world. It included a song called Senor Don Gato. I found myself humming this song again about 15 years later when I took home my very first cat, a stray kitten I named Toby. When Toby died, I got a dog, and the rest is history. This song is very special to me, and now I am teaching my three year old son sing it, with the hopes that it will spark his interest in animals, and he too would grow up with love and compassion for them. I dedicate this song to our cat friends, Prince, Butchy's kitty sibs,a pretty cat called Katie, and our very own Poosie, Pusit and her two kitties. Enjoy!

Oh Senor Don Gato was a cat
On a high red roof Don Gato sat
He went there to read a letter,
Meow, meow, meow
Where the reading light was better,
Meow, meow, meow
'Twas a love note for Don Gato

I adore you wrote the lady cat
Who was fluffy, white and nice and fat
There was not a sweeter kitty,
Meow, meow, meow
In the country or the city,
Meow, meow, meow
And she said she'd wed Don Gato

Oh, Don Gato jumped so happily
He fell off the roof and broke his knee
Broke his ribs and all his whiskers,
Meow, meow, meow
And his little solar plexus,
Meow, meow, meow
Ay Caramba cried Don Gato

Then the doctors all came on the run
Just to see if something could be done
And they held a consultation,
Meow, meow, meow
About how to save their patient,
Meow, meow, meow
How to save Senor Don Gato

But in spite of everything they tried
Poor Senor Don Gato up and died
And it wasn't very merry,
Meow, meow, meow
Going to the cemetery,
Meow, meow, meow
For the ending of Don Gato

When the funeral passed the market square
Such a smell of fish was in the air
Though his burial was slated,
Meow, meow, meow
He became reanimated,
Meow, meow, meow
He came back to life, Don Gato

Charlie, 3

I am gazing at the sky, Charlie
Hoping to find you somewhere
In the jumble of clouds and my wishful thinking...

I grieve for you are gone now, my friend
the little brother that I never had.


~ Kuya Jappy

My friend Charlie
March 26, 2007- April 30, 2010


Our condolences to Charlie's Mom

~from The Animal Doctor's Family