My family back home in the Philippines always had a dog. My siblings and their families are what I call “dogcentrics.” Dogs occupy a warm space in the household. But until I lived in North Carolina in my older age, I never had this close intimate interaction with dogs. So close that I treat them like sisters, brothers, bestfriends—like the way I do with human beings that I hold dear. Never I forgot to attend to their needs like I did with my children when they were little, growing up. Feed them on time, walk them on the exact moment/s they prefer/red. I even hand them Christmas gifts each year.
Without being so dramatic about it, I gotta admit that these dogs and a cat helped me survive being far away from family and country for years…
The first dog that passed away in my midst was Hershe, a year after I got here. Then few years later, Chloe who valiantly struggled after several “false alarms” and then finally left. Both died mainly due to old age. Georgia is 10 or 11 years old. She was with us since 2010, I think, when she was maybe 2 or 3. I helped train her the basics until she could follow me whatever I asked her to. “Go to your room.” “Be gentle.” “Get in the house.” “Go back to work.” “Stay in your bed.” Etc etcetera. I used to make fun of her super-dramatic wailings each time a member of the house gets home—but we know it’s all sweetness. That we are missed while away and she’s happy that we are home. No more of those and that silence is now a painful hollow in our heart with her absence.
But what sets Georgia from the rest was
her almost “human-like” cool. The peaceful demeanor. She was never aggressive
with visiting dogs or cats. Friendly with everybody. She was thrust with hyperactive
dogs but she never was provoked to a fight. Or there was only one incident with
Chloe in the house when Georgia was a “baby.” From that point, this dog stayed
cool. Maybe she was already hurting days ago but chose not to bother us until she
couldn’t hold it anymore.
I am a very pragmatic person, most of the
time. It takes effort to shudder my emotional fibers. But this time, my armour
is shattered. I felt deep pain when Hershe died and I actually wept when Chloe
passed away. But with Georgia, I am still finding myself. It is such a shock.
Georgia was a presence in this house… A presence within, deep inside me.
Goodbye, my friend! Stay the way you are,
wherever.
