Rusty, our Jack Russell

A recent passing of a friend's cat, Dusty has ignited memories of my beloved pets who departed in my life. It is always heart wrenching whenever a pet companion leaves us :-( I have been through numerous heartaches - both mine, close friends' or family members' endearing pets. Many pet owners have gone through similar grief. After the passing of 4 of my own with 3 suffering from various forms of cancer and lengthy periods of medications and treatments, I thought I would have toughened up....

Thus when Rusty, our feisty Jack Russell at age 15 was degenerating in health due to old age - weakening heart which inevitably led to other organ failures, I had braved myself for the day when Rusty would eventually leave us. Rusty was on daily medications to boost his heart, lungs, stomach and kidneys. The prognosis for each check up was the same - the vet would affirm that his state had weakened further and his days would be numbered. Each visit served to prepare myself mentally... Despite a weak heart and overburdened lungs, Rusty appeared alert for an old ailing dog, still eager for food and treats; his fighting spirit was admirable.

There was once Rusty coughed laboriously and breathed abnormally fast, without delay I brought him to the vet. The vet advised him to be put on oxygen treatment as well as drawing out excess fluids from his body; however, the vet could not assure that he would survive even this treatment alone. Upon hearing it, my heart sank and I couldn't help tearing up. Then I knew that no matter how prepared I was mentally, I would never be prepared emotionally.

Thankfully Rusty survived the treatment and was home with us for another 2 good months. Then came the day that his body could not take it, he refused to eat nor drink and I knew it would be time (my eyes welled up with tears as I penned this part). He departed the next night, during the wee hours peacefully.

Kitty Cats

I am naturally attracted to all cats and had cats first as pets in my life. I find cats graceful, independent and cool - traits I admire, be it humans or animals. Moreover, cats have a softer and warmer side too, they will seek attention and cuddle up to you. The difference between them and dogs is that cats seek human company only when they are in the mood (attitude!!!), whereas dogs are always eager to please their human companions round the clock, rather tiresome at times as dogs are in constant need of attention. However, dogs provide unconditional love and unwavering loyalty that warms one's heart all the time.

My first cat was a stray which I adopted from the streets but didn't survive beyond a couple of months for reasons attributable to inexperience. Her passing was so devastating that I cried for days, so unbearable that I went looking for another kitten to heal the pain. That led to my 2nd cat, a blue Persian kitten, Nikki with an incredible personality. At that time, I was in 1st year of University and had to leave her alone at home while I head off to lectures and tutorials in campus which made me feel terribly guilty. Hence, a week later I went on to acquire a 2nd kitten, Bloomy - a chinchilla breed to keep Nikki company. Both of them grew up to be the best of friends grooming each other incessantly. Nikki displayed a more dominant character and would shield Bloomy from the annoying dogs that cut into their path. Like me, they were nomads moving with me as I put up in different abodes in my adult years but they proved to be adaptable as the unchanging factor was each other's company.

Years later, a Jack Russell and a Labrador were introduced to the pioneer pair of cats; they coexisted harmoniously under one roof, or rather, indifferently to one another. My ideal is raising a kitten and puppy up together so they will be playmates from young and be affectionate towards each other.

I heart Labradors!

Labrador Retrievers are certainly my number one favourite dog :-) They are generally loved for its sweet temperament, friendliness and obedience. In addition, it has an intelligent yet silly look… My other half labelled me as one who loves 'ugly' dogs and there is a certain truth in it; I have a soft spot for goofy looking dogs such as boxers, french bulldogs, english bulldogs, saint bernards, bull terriers, sharpei. All these have one common feature - droopy skins! Labrador retrievers are a tad similar, most have droopy snouts.

Needless to say, I have Labradors for companions once I could afford the time to care for one. Being a huge fan of dark chocolates, I naturally chose chocolate labradors, even though I love the creams and blackies too. Perhaps it is also because chocolate labradors tend to look more goofy which fits right in my criteria. I had my first Labrador, Mocha in year 2000 and he was a wonderful companion, especially during the one year when I moved to reside in Osaka. I was in a foreign land with not many friends as language was a barrier then, hence Mocha was my comfort. He accompanied me on walks and listened to my chatter. He made me laugh with his silly antics. He had bursts of sprints in our little apartment; in fact, there was once he sprinted around the house and could barely brake in time for an upcoming wall, he banged right into it, leaving a huge dent on the wall!

Sadly, Mocha did not live beyond his senior years. He was diagnosed with skin cancer at 6 years old and despite treatments and medications, he left us at age 7ish. I knew I would have another chocolate labrador and in year 2011, we brought home a chocolate labrador puppy as our family pet. As it's a female, we named it Coco. This is an even more silly dog… 

Similar to Mocha, Coco exhibits the typical trait of a Labrador - always enthusiastic for treats, thus they are both easily trained since treats serve as their delightful rewards. They will wait patiently for our 'OK' command before plunging forward to retrieve their treats. Once I placed a treat in front of Mocha and went about doing my things. It was probably 15 minutes later that I realized that I had forgotten to give him my 'ok' command and when I turned to look at him, he was still at the spot waiting but drooling! With Coco, she will start drooling within 5 seconds and ponding in no time :-! Hence we tend to give our commands rather quickly else we will have to clean up her puddle of saliva!!

Coco is exceptionally affectionate and has brought bountiful joy to our family. Every dog has its lovable traits, I can go on pages about Coco... I had needle felted my Coco but here I present the Cream Lab which I equally adore! 

Sights of the World

In the older days, travel advertisements in newspapers would feature famous structures - the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall and endless others to arouse interest. As a child whose holiday ventures were limited within Malaysia Peninsula, I dreamt of visiting these places. After graduation from University, I literally  worked towards the dreams as an air crew. What better way to travel the world other than flying around the world while at work? 

Upon touchdown, I would be out and about as soon as I had freshened up in my hotel room. Nothing would hold back an earnest heart eager to experience the sights and sounds of new foreign places; even after a tiresome night flight of 13 hours, hitting a new timezone in the morning and staying awake for another 12 hours, meaning I would be awake for 36 hours, with 2-3 hours of catnap on flight while on duty.

Those flying days were economic ways to fly for a new grad - I had the opportunity to visit numerous capitals and cities, fulfilling my initial dreams. The passage of time has not dimmed my fascination with the world. The usual popular sights were ticked off my bucket list, what's left now are the roads less travelled spots that are further away from major cities, the more remote, the more adventurous :-)

Penpals

Akin to record players and cassette tapes, the new generation may not have heard of the term ‘penpal’. The advent of modern technology in the new world of instant messaging renders communication with one another across borders possible in a matter of seconds. Long gone is snail mail. Long gone is the momentary high I get each time I open up my mail box, anticipating a personal letter from overseas instead of expected bills and junk mails.

My generation grew up in the era of writing letters by hand. While it is tedious with no auto-correction, every letter is penned with effort and thought. It commands a deliberate reflection and more soulful delivery. I had many penpals from different corners of the world in my childhood days – Canada, USA, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Italy, China, New Zealand, etc. We exchanged letters and stories of our lives via letter, enclosing souvenirs of coins, leaves, photos, anything that depicted our country and culture. It was a precious and unforgettable learning experience, it served as a source of knowledge about the world out there! Unlike today whereby one gets to google instantly what one wishes to know, the resources during those times were looking up volumous encyclopaedias in the public libraries. The rate of searching was slower but absorption rate was 100%. Nowadays with information overload, absorption rate is perhaps 10%?

My wanderlust nature probably began seeding during those days; every letter I received from a penpal was food for imagination of the world out there and piqued my curiosity. The more I learnt about their cultures and interesting bits, the more I hungered to experience it firsthand. One lasting impression I had was a postcard of a gorgeous lady in Flamenco dress sent by my Spanish penpal, I was totally awed by their rich heritage and culture. Every country holds a mystery card of new discoveries.

Here’s a tribute to my penpals whom sadly, I had lost touch but fondly remembered.