i don't think i've ever written about my dog, Juju.
one day in 1999, my sister came home with this tiny little chihuahua, a poor street dog who had almost no teeth and had definitely lived a hard life. we didn't know where she came from or even how old she was- everything about her past was a complete mystery. my family had never had a dog, and at first it was difficult to embrace Juju and open our hearts to her. she seemed more of an inconvenience than anything else. feeding her and taking her outside were all chores that we didn't want to do, especially my parents. they seemed indifferent about her and my mom always seemed a bit afraid of this tiny little dog who constantly shivered and always wanted her tummy rubbed. but with time, everything changed and we grew to love Juju as another member of the family. my dad especially came to love her the most, and became the most protective of her. he fed her, bathed her, took her to the vet once every three weeks, and could be found every morning at 6 AM, walking her.
i loved it when Juju would sleep in my room. she was so tiny and always liked to sleep on my pillow. every morning when i woke up, i would open my eyes to see her curled up into a little ball, with her soft fur touching my cheek. another thing she'd always do is whenever i was stomach down on my couch, she would curl up into a little ball between my thighs and take a nap.
on friday, juju had to be put to sleep. her old age had caught up to her and on top of slowly losing her eyesight, she hadn't been able to eat or use the bathroom for the past 4 days. she stayed up all night crying and wasn't able to do much else. my dad took her to the vet and was told by the doctor that there was nothing that could be done to help her, and that she was in a lot of pain. he suggested putting her to sleep but my dad refused. he took her to another doctor for a second opinion and was told the same thing. he reluctantly accepted the truth and knew what had to be done...
i'll miss you Juju, r.i.p. thanks for sharing your life with us and enriching our family in a way that is describable beyond words.
Awww.. what a bitter-sweet story this is, Thwany - and it's so well written. Juju looks frail in the photo, but I bet she had really happy times being loved and pampered by you and your family.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful and safe Christmas Thwany and God Bless you. xo Carol
Beautifully written essay on Juju.
ReplyDeleteDogs are such special animals and I strongly believe that everyone should have one (or more) as a child. It teaches kids about life, love and responsibilities.
that's such a sweet story. I used to have dogs when I was a child and loved playing with them. they really cheer you up when you're down and can we talk about unconditional love?!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about Juju... I understand how you probably feel right now... I've losted my cat, Sylvester of 15 years, a year ago. I still light candles for him on holidays and etc. You must miss Juju... I miss my Sylvester too. At least Juju is at rest now.
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