Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Eyes Open
Today, I was able to see unusual brightness. Mother had been licking our eyes and we saw bright light.
"Your eyes have opened, Utoy." she said in a gentle voice.
Her licking woke me up. It was a beautiful world after all - bright and warm, just like I had imagined it.
My siblings have been exploring our kennel. After sniffing through everything, including mother's mat. They have left its confines and went towards the brown dog Mameha, despite Mother's warnings.
A sharp series of barking and growling ensued. It seems that my sisters have crossed the territory of the brown meanie.
"Stay away from my litter!" she kept saying, "Keep your clumsy pups out of my area!"
My sisters ran as fast as they can on Mother's mat and never left it the whole day. Bunso and I took our time observing the litter from a distance.
The barking woke up Mistress and the Master. When she saw us strolling, she squealed in delight and came back with something in her hand.
"It's a camera," Mother pointed out, "Mistress wants to remember how you looked like with your eyes open."
She nudged the girls out of her mat, stretched out and pretended to sleep.
Anyway, this is how we look like. The picture below is me. Master was holding me, like how he did when he found me.
This is Pangga. She looks cleaner and kinder than I am but believe me, she does dirtier, nastier things that I could never do in my whole life. Mistress thinks she's beautiful. I think her nose needs to be more dark.
This is Inday. She was really scared of the camera. Somehow, Pangga had convinced her that she would become like Mameha if she ever looked straight into the camera. She's really gullible but fun to be with. Mother likes her very much.
Bunso did not believe a thing that Pangga said to Inday. He struck a pose (to the delight of the Master) and looked straight into the camera. He's Master's favorite. He's still taking the thick, white liquid for his neck.
Finally, this is my mother, Josephine. I have yet to meet my father but Mistress kept scolding mother whenever she sees her with a white dog with a brown patched eye. Could he be my father?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Where'd they go?
It was so dark and the chilled air made my nose dry and itchy. As I was about to scratch it, I heard clicks from inside the Master's kennel. My ears stood up and strained where the clicking sounds are coming from. I heard the shuffling of human feet on the stone floor.
"Mother..." I wimpered, for mother's eyes are still closed although I could sense she's also awake.
"Don't mind them, pup." she said, "They're up to no good, our humans."
"Aren't you going to make them know that you know they're awake?" I was a little surprised at her nonchalant attitude.
"No. Most probably they're just eating something. Hear the slamming of the rubber door of dog heaven." she explained.
I listened for such sound. All I could hear now is the creaking of some metal based packaging stuffed into a soft container.
I think Mistress and Master are up to no good.
I started barking.
"HUSH PUP!!! My newborns are sleeping." Mameha hissed.
I continued barking. Mistress should know that we know what's going on and that I'm hungry too. I want to be fed with whatever they're eating.
"What was it Batutoy?" Bunso asked me.
"Just bark like me. There'd be food for sure." I barked.
Inday and Pangga joined in the ruckus.
Mother is so embarrassed because Mameha was trying to lull her puppies back to sleep. She had managed to calm down Pangga and Inday from barking. It was only me and Bunso, barking out lungs out.
We stopped barking when we heard the door swing open.
"Oh Uriel! We've awaken the puppies." Mistress exclaimed as she picked me and Bunso.
"Feed them while I haul our bags in the pick-up." I heard Master said.
The Mistress put us down and went inside their house. She came back with a warm liquid. "Here, brave puppies...drink milk so you can go back to sleep again."
She poured the warm, sweet milk on our steel bowls. "Wow Batutoy, you're smart!" Bunso said as he happily lapped down the milk. I didn't react. I continued drinking milk.
I think Mistress put us down farther from Mother and the girls because I could sense they want to drink milk too but can't reach it.
I could hear Reeboy's rumbling and another gate swung open. I felt Mistress' warm palm smoothen my forehead as well as Bunso's tuft of hair. She returned us beside mother, who dutifully cleaned us up with her large, wet tongue.
"Goodbye puppies." I heard Mistress repeatedly say, "Be good to my brother."
As Reeboy's rumblings and her voice faded away, I kept thinking. Where did they go?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Yellow Baron
The pack with our humans live in this very big piece of land. It's lined with jackfruit trees in the
front and cashew trees in the side. At the back is a neglected vegetable patch with lots of weeds, ferns and mushrooms growing on dead logs. I don't know how the Master grows vegetables there but sometimes he harvests leafy vegetables he cooks in stews and broths. Mistress often grows plants with very strong smells. Mother identified some of them as sage, cinnamon, mugwort, vervain and patchouli. Mistress puts them in pots of clay but we can sniff on them when they're put on the ground to catch morning sunlight. Mother cautions us not to nip the leaves because some of them are poisonous to us canines. We have a concrete fence with metal
spikes. Mother loves to climb this fence to get over to the other side which is full of sweet smelling flowers like jasmine, ylang-ylang, frangipani and dama de noche. She rubs her fur on the flowers which gives her a weird smell that makes us sneeze. I guess Mistress must've
loved smelling mother's fur because of that. Mother lives under a rectangular plastic table that has a jagged hole in the center. She has a small, warm and furry mat where we all sleep especially on cold nights. Her water and food bowl is placed outside. We puppies love drinking at her water bowl because Mistress often places ice cubes especially on hot afternoons. On top of that table, Mistress places our supplies. I can tell because it smells like food upstairs. I have yet to grow up and get there to find out if it's true. Mother often told us that Mistress' house is much better than ours. She has a couch in front of a moving picture box where Mother and Mistress would watch and eat chips together. She often told us about Mistress' big box with a swinging
door that has food and cold water and ice. This gate of dog heaven has been opened to Mother one too many times, I think. She would rave about it especially in between meal times. "Have you ever seen where Mistress and Master sleeps?" Inday asked mother one time "Oh yes." Mother quickly replied, "It had a big soft mat that was slightly raised from the floor. I have often slept under it especially when Master is out." "Have you tried sleeping on Mistress' mat?" asked Pangga dreamily. "Mistress has often invited me, pup, but I declined. Master sleeps there and I think he will mind having my fur on his side. Besides, decent dogs with breeding don't step over
that boundary."she lectured. "Is Mistress' house as big inside as on the outside?" Bunso asked,
"Yes. There are many rooms. Mistress and Master sleeps on the biggest room to the left, nearest to the corner. The Baron sleeps on the big room on the right. The smaller room
used to be the sleeping area of my former human. The smallest room contains Mistress' papers and paints." I think I forgot to mention that in our pack, another human takes care of us aside from the Mistress and Master. Mother calls him the "Baron". This Baron is Mistress'
sibling. Mother said he used to live there with his family but after Mistress and Master got married, the Baron's family left him and moved out. The Baron stayed with Mistress and Master, occasionally visiting his family. Mother does not know his real name. He is called by many different names so we dogs often refer to him as the
Baron. He is not as kind as our Mistress because punishment is swift with this human. He does not talk to us and instead uses motions to make us do what he wants. A little mistake will cause pain - as Mama Meha has often experienced. He hates it when Mama Meha's poop is all over
the garage where we stay. He hits her with a stick, barely missing her
puppies.
Despite the dislike, Mother does not give up on the Baron. She welcomes him with a loving bark when he arrives but gets a snort or a gruff greeting in return. She tries to
lick his feet when he gets near her, especially when giving us food. She gets a smart blow, instead. He does not take us out for walks nor does he even look at us. I wonder how Mistress could ever put up with this obnoxious sibling. I wonder, is he this bad on Mistress? Is this dislike targeted on dogs only? What had dogs done that made him that brutal? Many questions run in my head...but I guess, I'd rather imitate my
mother's kindness. Maybe the Baron heart's will melt.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Litter Fool
We woke up today when we heard yipping noises. Mother was also barking. Surprisingly, Mameha was unusually quiet.
Pangga and Inday sniffed in the air. Bunso sniffed long and hard on the ground.
"Smells like us!" Inday concluded
"How could that be? We're here but the scent comes from far away.." Pangga replied, puzzled, "We smell from afar?!"
"It smells like mother." Bunso said
"That's more confusing." Pangga countered, "How could that be? I can smell mother. But I smell mother from afar?"
Mother chuckled. She was clearly enjoying how my siblings are analyzing the scent from afar.
"That's not me. That's Mameha." she said, licking her wet nose.
"How come she smells like you?" Inday asked,
"Because she became a mother just now." Mother replied.
My eyes are barely opened and I try to peep. I see Mameha's hazy image, but with smaller figures with tails on her chest.
"She has puppies too?" I asked mother.
She licked my head. "You're too smart to be my puppy."
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Uh Oh!
I think the other dog has a big problem. I have heard her paws clawing near her pen. She would get easily irritated when humans get too near the grill(I can smell them clearly now!) or when mother is lapping water or munching something. She would bark at us angrily when we play noisily with Mother's tail. She would whine and yelp whenever the Master or Mistress is near.
Mother is worried about her, too. I think Mother is afraid that Mameha has a certain disease that might infect us. Earlier, Mother kept telling us to drink milk a lot so that we'll not get sick. The Mistress has also been giving me, Inday, Pangga and Bunso a sweet, thick liquid every night. She would often drip it slowly in our mouth and then make us drink something cool and sweet. "Honey water" it was, she said.
Bunso has also been experiencing throat problems. He would cry and cry when Mistress and Master carry him by the neck. Mother is also worried about him. He would sleep panting for breath. Mistress has been giving him another liquid that smells weird. That is in addition to the honey water and the thick liquid she gave us.
Inday has noticed that Bunso's neck was swelling everyday. I hope mother or the mistress would do something about it.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Breeding Injustice
The brown dog, Mameha, kept barking invectives at mother. (I have to call Josephine "Mother" because Bunso and Inday imitate whatever I say or do and Josephine kept me away from her teats often.)
I have never seen her fully. I know she has brownish fur because I can see her fuzzy forelimbs from under the vehicle that the masters kept. I think she's smaller than mother because her legs are thinner than mother's.
I don't know what breed she is but mother also doesn't know. The mistress' brother called her a "mutt." Mother said, those are dogs that are mixed breed.
Her incessant barking woke up the master. We all heard his footsteps as his feet shuffled to wear the slippers on his feet. When the door creaked, he got out with something in his hand.
I assume that the master hit Mameha because the dog yelped in pain. She cowered so low to prevent being hit again by the master's slipper. I saw her thin, emancipated body racked in pain at the slightest touch of the floppy slipper.
"I don't want you barking over nothing, understand?" came the master's hard tone.
Mameha whimpered softly. She and master seem to understand each other.
"What was that Uriel?" it was mistress.
Mother tried to explain everything in DogSpeak but I think all mistress heard were a couple of whimpers and yelps.
"Oh!" mistress seem to understand, "You evil, terrible Meha! How dare you bark at my Josephine?"
The mistress rubbed the fur behind my mother's ears. Mother growled in satisfaction.
Mameha could only cower in fear. Master still holds the slipper.
"Let's go out for a walk, Josie." Mistress said as I heard mother's leash unhooked from its latch.
Master followed them to the wide unknown. Mother seemed to be happy to have her humans with her.
I can sense Mameha. She seemed angry and hurt as she gazed at the three of them walking away.
I have no idea what being "mixed breed" means. I guess humans treat dogs better when their breed is not that complicated.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Fated
It was warm when I woke up. I assume my siblings Inday and Bunso have long been awake because they have been prodding me with their paws to wake up. I had been sleeping on Pangga's backside the whole time and she hardly stirred, although awake.
"I had to call you Batutoy," Pangga told me as I got up,
"..because you are our Big Brother, mother said." she continued as she gazed up my knotted brows
"Alpha Male, the mistress said. Batutoy is our alpha male, whatever that means." Inday gushed.
"What does 'alpha male' mean, mother?" Bunso asked Josephine,
"Alpha male means he is the leader of the pack." Josephine replied as she smacked her lips after drinking water.
"What does that make me?" Bunso asked again, his voice strained.
"That makes you the mistress' favorite." she said, licking his stray fur put in his head.
"Oh, that's good." he sighed happily.
"What about me?"Pangga whined,
"Pangga means beloved...according to my previous master." Josephine assured her, "Therefore, you must be mistress' beloved pet."
"What about me, mother?" Inday asked
"Inday is a common pet name for human girls. Maybe the mistress liked you too much to give you a complicated name." she answered
"Josephine is complicated name." I heard the other dog say. Her voice was dripping with contempt.
"Oh, Mameha is a beautiful Japanese geisha which mistress read. Compared to my French name, that's more complicated - and ironic." was her rebuttal.
Barking ensued. She, the brown dog, was angry, I could tell. Mother was the mistress' favorite.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Pregnant Silence
"Utoy, are you awake?" I heard Josephine whisper.
I turned my head away from her. I could feel her wet nose gently blowing the fur from my head.
" You should not be angry at me." she continued whispering, "Uriel, the one with big hands, has a bad temper for dogs that bark in the dark...with no humans in sight."
My ears picked up. So, "Uriel" is the one that had calloused paws.
"Guinevere, the one that had small hands, will be distressed if you're missing." she added softly.
"Would you like me to tell you a story to help you sleep?" she asked.
I wanted to reply but I assumed she just wanted to make me feel better after she growled at me. I scratched my cheek.
I felt her long, black tail fan my back.
"We are from a breed of Labrador Retrievers. Our ancestors come from a place called Great Britain. We are a cross of the lesser breed of Newfoundland dogs and Bloodhounds.
We are working dogs, Utoy, do not forget that. We track what we are told to track and we help our masters retrieve their prey.
We are born to love and serve our masters...they be deserving of our affections or not. I do not know if the masters intend to let you all stay here with me or give you away, like my mother's master did to me."
I moved closer to her neck - the only place my siblings did not occupy. I could feel my sibling stir as she stretched her forelimbs.
"Does this mean we will not be together for long?" I mumbled, hoping she'll not hear.
" We won't." she said so softly, I could hardly hear it. "Once your teeth comes out and I am not feeding you, masters usually give you away."
"Will you feel sad after we've all gone?" I asked.
Josephine did not reply. Instead, she used her chin to bring me closer to her. I heard the thumping rhythm of her heart as I gradually dozed off.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Twilight
It was cold. I was shivering. I had slept on the cold hard floor away from my siblings and my mother.
Everything was dark except for the lone light outside. It emitted fuzzy amber light. The light looks warm and comforting. I must go to it.
As I scrambled to get up, Josephine whined, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the light. It might be warm there." I replied.
"Come here," she growled, "it's warmer."
"It's crowded." I argued. I sensed my siblings are still lying in piles near her teats.
Josie growled, "Don't get me started..."
I felt my blood curdle. I had never imagined her that irritated. I could hear the other dog bark. She was rarely irritated.
My siblings stirred. Josie was really angry.
"Are you going to come back here or do you want me to get you?" she hissed angrily.
With my tail between my legs, I cuddled beside her, hoping that my siblings won't crush me to death.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Family Pack
I looked up at Josie, the Big Furry Shadow who probably owned the warm wet something that kept licking me.
"Utoy, meet your siblings..." she said.
She nudged each of them as she introduced them to me.
" ..this is Pangga," she said, "she came out after you."
I smelled and felt someone that had similar features like mine. She must have had thick and curly mane, and her eyes are probably glazed like mine.
"...this is Inday," she continued,as she nudged another that had thin but lush fur and smelled like sweet, sticky liquid. Inday was a little shy as she seem to scurry closer to Josephine.
"...and this is Bunso, the youngest." The last one mentioned had similar fur like that of Inday. But this one seemed a bit uncomfortable with introductions.
"Come, Utoy..." Josephine invited. I walked towards her voice and my stomach growled.
"Drink." she helped everybody near her teats. My siblings, who were as hungry as I am, scrambled towards them.
I felt my mouth latch on to one full nipple. As I sucked, sweet warm milk flowed from it.
The more I sucked and pressed, the more milk flowed out of it. Bliss!
After I had my stomach's fill, I felt myself dozing off.
I felt a warm, wet tongue licking me to sleep.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Genesis
Who is "Francis M"? What does "dead" mean?Why do I keep hearing that name in droning whispers?
I can feel my pack mates jostling me and the walls where I'm in collapse.
I'm free. But I feel cold. Does that mean I'm out of my sanctuary?
Then a warm, wet something released me from the compartment I am in. I feel the cold more. But the warm wet something licked my whole body dry.
I stretch out. The licking continues.
I try to open my eyes but I see a hazy shadow of something dark. I think it's a kind being who's so intent on getting me dry and warm.
I feel strength in my limbs. I try to stand up. I fell. But the warm wet something prodded me on. I managed to stand up.
I try to move about. Wobbly but still moving, I walked gradually - away from the warm wet something.
It tried to stand up but I think, my pack mates are going out as well so it did not follow me.
I reveled in this ability. I can barely see but I walked and walked. I hit something soft and warm and wet. I got sleepy.
I woke up. I was being carried by a big, warm, calloused something carry me from where I was. The owner had a warm soothing voice. I felt myself transferred to a much smaller, but softer, smoother something. Its owner had a shrill voice. It was saying...
"...Awwwww...this must be the eldest"
"What do we name him?" asked the Calloused One
"Hmmmm" the Smoother One thought..."Let's call him Utoy!"
The Calloused One agree. "Ok. Let's bring him back to Josie."
They brought me back to the Wet, Warm Something called Josie.
Josie licked me lovingly. She whispered softly in DogSpeak, "Utoy...my son. I'm your mother, Josephine."
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