Lessons from the death of a puppy dog
ITHOUGHT to share this quite extraordinary experience of ‘puppy love’. A story of how one little falla stirred our emotions and showed us the powerful impact it can have on a family.
Like the many pups in Fiji taken away from their mothers, one pup was brought to us in a little carton all alone about five months ago.
This one reinstated our faith to care for strays and made us realise there was more to a pet than what meets the eye.
Yes they all deserve love, protection and a home but did you know that every stray/pup was meant for someone and all one needed to do was accept it.
And until you do only then will you experience what my family and I encountered.
There’s so much happening in the world and our new Coalition government that keep us preoccupied with how we ought to live this life for ourselves.
And it’s easy to forget the little things, some maybe too small to even notice but could possibly teach more about life.
This particular male pup had our name on it and, we only understood this better when we opened up to adopted him.
I wondered whether I was right to allow my children to show the same affection of love they had for their parents – to a stranger – let alone a dog.
This stranger found us.
“The father is an Alsatian,” a girl told us before leaving the carton and its content in our care. She meant to give the pup to someone else but that person did not show up that day to collect him.
“What should we do with it?,” I asked the Mrs with no real excitement in my voice. To me it was just another insignificant pup in a box that would grow up to follow the masses of strays in every neighbourhood and destined to be a nuisance.
Like a piece of rubbish, I thought to pick it up and dispose of it - in this puppy’s case - SPCA.
The stigma on strays hasn’t changed much. In my neighborhood strays remain scavengers that run rampant through everyone’s garbage .
I’ve witnessed these renegades my whole life
Strays live a brutal life among humans. Mostly pelted with stones, most in a state of starvation and are prone to fatal road ‘hit and run incidences but who cares right?
It’s the sickening truth, but not unusual.
That’s why I figured we bring the pup home and transport it to SPCA which is about a 30-minute drive from my place in Raiwaqa.
But it only took 30 seconds for my kids to discover the box and unanimously agree to adopt the pup.
“Hey wait a minute,” I objected out loud and decisively but my daughter’s repeated plea drowned out anything else I had to say on the matter.
“Please ..please dad can we keep him?
“We’ll never ask for anything else,” Cassandra, 9, argued.
“Come on dad we’ve never had a pet,” her big sister Clara pressed to support.
Other siblings’ maundered comments in support of the matter and soon the trial on the matter of adoption was over. No cross examination from me nor closing statement.
They named him Spookie and helped members of the household settle in with the new visitor.
It’s been years since we had a dog. My eldest, Milky prepared cooked meals only and made sure he bathe once a week. As a pup Spookie needed a lot of milk but we couldn’t afford it so we improvised with soup rice and he learnt to bear with us.
Spookie brought a new experience to the school holidays, and unexpectedly – a new way of life at the Koi family residence. We started a routine that even my sister next door was familiar with.
Just like a visiting family member who gets our full attention and hospitality, Spookie received that and more.
Despite being reserved to share my feelings openly, I was directed to seek advice and handy tips from veterinary Dr Jo Olver in this adoption process.
She was happy to give me a list of ‘dos’ and ‘donts’. She even educated me about the large number of strays dumped at SPCA which is struggling to deal with this issue.
I felt guilty for attempting to do the same to Spookie.
Even though he tore at the pillows, shoes and gnawed on my workshoes, we sacrificed our snack and grog expenses to buy his chicken and liver ration.
Our home was never silent with Spookie.
Some nights we ate tuna curry while Spookie dined a delicious chicken meal.
“How come like this?,” I would protest to Milky.
She’d calmly reply “dad he only eats once a day you have three meals.”
Spookie slept indoors with us and even had a blue handled toothbrush placed in the family basket holder on the bathroom wall.
I didn’t realised this until later. I’m supposed to be the only member with a blue coloured toothbrush until I noticed an identical blue toothbrush in the basket.
Me: Who’s toothbrush is this? Milky: Spookie’s
“Don’t put his toothrush with the family basket.
Milky: “But dad it’s been there for a week now”.
Talk about swallowing my pride. I could have easily been cleaning my teeth with Spookie’s toothbrush - for crying out loud.
“Sorry dad it won’t happen again.” At two months old he did have some Alsatian features in him.
I got used to him being around. He witness our happy and ‘struggle days’ as a family.
He observed little disagreements to funny moments like passing gas, which we never do in public.
Spookie grew very protective of us, and we of him. Even found no reason not to love him. He brought a sense of comfort and happiness to our home.
At times he would run down Soqeloa Lane and disappear into Bryce St which is too far away from home.
Brave Clara, 12, would chase after him and never return until he was safely in her arms. She was truly his guardian angel.
When he was missing for too long, it was obviously felt by everyone and we’d come together in commemorade to search for him.
Sometimes the whole family joined the hunt to retrieve Spookie whenever he didn’t show up for dinner. We all opted against confining him at home with a chain because it was just too cruel to do so.
So we bought him toys, a collar shampoo, flea ointment and built him a home in the back porch.
And within those short months we grew more human and affectionate to this pup, realizing he needed us just as much as we needed him.
Coming home from work or school was the best time Spookie would show you, you meant the world to him. He’d wag his tail with so much enthusiasm that it looked like the hula.
And five months from that day that pup earned our love, our home and our trust.
Spookie too became very protective and would let out a bark, whenever someone entered the compound.
Not threatening but more like an automatic door bell - indicating someone had entered the premises.
Then last Saturday a hit and run driver took him away for good.
I was helping my brother with renovation works at home when I heard a cry from my kids that jolted me to my feet and had me dash inside the house.
Milky was in a devastated way, hung over on the floor clinging on to Spookie’s lifeless body in her arms.
Even the neighbours came running in and children in the hood who all grew fond of Spookie.
“What happen? I asked with my heart beating hard against my chest.
“It was a car, it ran him over him and didn’t stop,” the reply came softly.
Everyone stood beside Milky who was weeping uncontrollably.
I too felt my heart sink, I stood there silenced after finding no heartbeat or sign of life.
And 5 months from the day, we all stood there torn to a million pieces. The worse for me as a dad was the feeling of helplessness. I usually fix things that break but I couldn’t fix this.
That’s when I noticed brave Clara a little further from Milky leaning up against the wall starring at the floor. It was her who retrieved him from the tarsealed road.
The guardian angel was just a few metres behind Spookie when it happened.
I know without a doubt she would have risked hers to save him.
A bigger male dog chased Spookie onto the road and Clara witnessed it all. I heard from neighbours that vehicles came to a full stop as she jumped onto the road in attempts to save him.
We buried him that day and during dinner, a teary Clara finally broke her silience about the incident.
We continue to talk regularly about Spookie so we can all share our thoughts. I’ll never look at strays in the same cynical way again.
I tell my kids life must go on for the Kois. And we’ll miss Spookie terriblly. I guess the lesson learnt is that we risked our self preservations and judgements to accept a stranger who returned the favour with pure ‘puppy love’. An eye opening experience from an abandoned dog.
It took Spookie to show us the undeniable true about abandoned strays and their ability to gift you with companionship that can heal a lot of things.
I hope this story promotes a better treatment of animals and curb the cruelty.
That hit and run incidences be more courteous.
Its amazing how the little things can teach you more about the human heart than what you think you know - only if you open your eyes to notice it.
Moce Spookie until we meet again.