Konted's Make My Day: Of Dogs And Men

Of Dogs And Men

Definitely this is not a sequel to John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Though Steinbeck rates as one of my favorite writers, this is in no way in the mold of Steinbeck's bestselling novel. This is merely a short narrative of canines as we usually see them everyday. This is also about dogs owned, at one time or another, by the family. And I am referring to these dogs as either 'he' or 'she'. This story is also for the kids.

Basically not a dog lover, I was asked, many years back, by my second son Allen to accompany him to Agno St. near Banawe in Q.C. He was interested in owning a Golden Retriever and the Buy and Sell Ad pointed to that Q.C.area. It turned out to be an auto parts store with the owner breeding and selling, on the side, Golden Retrievers. The dogs were kept in an air-conditioned room. And not allowed to wander outside for fear of catching the dreaded PARVO.

My son asked for the female puppy as he wanted to breed Golden Retrievers. But we were told that the lone female was bought the day before and only two male Retrievers were left and one was shown to us. Big headed, double coated and with 24 red marks indicating good breed, the dog's physical form was exceptional. Looking at the PCCI papers, it showed that the dog was sired by an American Grand Champion and with the dame also a certified Philippine Grand Champion.

Now we asked for the owner's last price. While the female Golden Retriever was priced at P18 thou, though already out, the males were for P12 thou each. After haggling, we finally bought the male retriever for P9 thou which was really a bargain, considering that a male golden at Cartimar cost P15 thou then. The breeder said his name was Von, so my son named the dog Von.

This Golden Retriever was a good, obedient dog. Everyone cared for Von and he would sleep in all the rooms. He was gentle and friendly even to strangers and, because of this, we had the fear that he would be persuaded easily by a thief to run away with him in the middle of the night. We were really enjoying his company for many years until the day when another breeder, who was also in the stud business, offered to buy Von for an irresistible price: P25 thou.

Then we had a female Pug. One with the snub nose and curled tail. My son bought it for P17 thou. Complete with papers, vaccinations, and almost 6 months. When Allen bought this, he took a look at the physical appearance of the mother dog as it was his way of determining if the dog would grow up to be that desirable. He named the dog Jaka. And Jaka had an uncanny way of knowing when the water delivery truck was approaching even if it was still two blocks away. She would then start to bark and bark.

Jaka gave birth, on separate occasions, to a total of 25 puppies with only one casualty during delivery. Pugs are known to have problems giving birth as their heads are generally bigger than the usual small breed dogs. The puppies were sold for an average price of P15 thou each. As they were small, there was no difficulty feeding them with dog food. But when our house was razed by fire, Allen was forced to have the dog adopted by a friend as the problem of space was bothering us.

After Jaka, we added a Rottweiler, a large breed that was becoming popular then for being a fierce guard dog. A female, we called her Jenny. And Jenny was robust, had a hard and thick coat and looked intimidating with her shiny black and tan color. We acquired this Rott from a breeder somewhere near the Jose Abad Santos area in Manila. Enclosed in big cages, the breeder's Rottweilers were dog show winners. At six months and with complete shots, we got Jenny for 10 thou.

Growing up to be just like the model Rottweilers, Jenny was tasked to secure that part of the house leading to the upper floor. She would move freely within the confines of our balcony overlooking the garden. And one day, we had a male visitor who wanted to have some documents signed. After a cup of coffee and done with his purpose, the visitor headed towards the walkway leading to the main gate. He was unaccompanied and had a portfolio with him.

At this juncture, we heard a loud thud. It was the Rott. She managed to squeeze in between ballusters and jumped from about 12 ft high with the intent to lunge at the man. My youngest son Albert sensed the imminent danger and shouted at the man to run out of the gate which the man succeeded in doing. It was a close call and the visitor vowed never again would he enter the house. "Dito na lang tayo sa labas mag uusap. Muntik na ako doon."

Then we had a Shitzu which we bought for P13 thou from its former owner living near Ipo St.in Q.C. Only 4 months, Pachuchay had long, silky hair and big eyes. She posed no problem in her growing -up years as she was friendly to her home companions. She liked to be caressed and stroked. One day, she was nowhere to be found. We searched around the neighborhood, asked trike drivers and requested teen-aged boys to look around. In five days, there was no positive development.

Frustrated, we thought of distributing flyers and posting printouts at strategic areas. And we highlighted that a reward would be given to anyone who could provide information as to the whereabouts of the missing Shitzu. We even reported this to the barangay council and provided them a photo of Pachuchay. Two days after, a man was knocking. He had Pachuchay with him and said his daughter found the dog but didn''t know where to return the small canine. The man lived just across the house where we were staying !! A neighbor !!! For returning Pachuchay, we gave him an imported t-shirt and we didn't ask questions anymore. It felt good that we had Pachuchay back with us.

Next dog we had was a Doberman. Its former owner was breeding the highly regarded Kintanar Line of Doberman known for being consistent winners in various dog shows organized by the PCCI. We got the female Doberman for P9 thou. Ear-cropped, partly trained and completely vaccinated, the dog was a welcome addition to our growing number of canines. The Rott, by this time, was relocated to the garage and we saw it fit to station the Doberman at the balcony.

This Red Doberman gave birth to 9 puppies but only 3 survived. At the time of the delivery, we were all out of the house and only the household helper was left. She couldn''t get near as she had that misconception that this type of dog was mean and would attack her. Contrary to such perception, the Doberman is loyal to home companions. Sadly, however, we lost all three to heatstroke after two years.

Additional dogs we had were a German Shepherd, a Beagle, a Chihuahua, a black Labrador, a Jack Russel, a Poodle and a Mini Pinscher . And at one point in time, we had 20 dogs in the house. The big ones were mostly caged while the small ones were roaming freely in and out of the house.

And as dog food prices were soaring high, we decided, with much regret, to do away with the big ones. And after that big fire, we were forced to keep the number to a minimal and manageable one. Pachuchay, now 10 yrs old, the black Chihuahua and the energetic white and brown Jack Russel are only the 3 dogs left of what was once known as the Generose Kennel. Arf, arf, arf !!!!!

- Konted