Shortie at her best. Photos: K.T. Pang.
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Nine years ago, Shortie – a black and white female American Bully – came into my life. She was just a puppy then, cute and playful.
As she grew older, she became more loving. She also liked people to pamper her.
She was the oldest of all the dogs in my house, and cared for every one of them as if she was the mum.
The writer's two beautiful 'angels': His daughter and his dog Shortie.
In March this year, as advised by the vet, she had her uterus removed due to frequent infection known as pyometra. At the same time, the doctor also found out that she had a kidney problem. After the surgery, she was put on kidney medication.
Fast-forward to August. Four days before her departure, she had her weekly shower with the rest of her canine gang – 11 of them – and meals as usual. But the next day, she began to lose appetite and tended to drink more water. The following day, she vomited a lot and had very soft stools.
Shortie began to get weaker as time went by.
I was worried that I might lose her. So I spent more time with her, pampered her and kept telling her to be strong. She had never been this weak before. Also, she was already an old dog.
When I called my vet, he immediately told me to send her to UMK Vet Hospital for further checkup and treatment as the hospital was well equipped and had many experienced doctors.
Early in the morning of Aug 10, I called UMK Vet Hospital and said I had an emergency situation. The doctor told me to bring her in soonest possible, and that they would be ready to receive her when we arrived.
At about 9am that day we left the house. I carried her to my car as she was too weak to walk. She lay down on her favourite spot – the front seat – as she normally did when we went on weekend drives.
She was breathing heavily, and I knew she was fighting for her life. The journey would take slightly over an hour. I kept patting her and calling her name all the way. Even though she was so weak, she tried to turn her head towards me.
My heart was heavy. I was worried that this time it might just be a 50-50 chance of her surviving. This was her third time going through such a situation.
While driving, I kept praying that God would spare her life.
Suddenly, at precisely 10.09am – just 10 minutes before reaching our destination – she lifted her head and gasped for air. She took her final three deep breaths. I knew this was not a good sign.
I immediately stopped the car by the roadside and held her. I patted and called her but she did not move.
She was gone!
Her body was still warm. I gently closed her eyes, adjusted her to a better position and continued my journey to the hospital.
When I arrived, the doctor and staff were ready to receive her. I told them that she had just gone a few moments ago.
The doctor checked her and concluded that it was due to kidney failure. Her kidney was swollen. We never expected her life to end so soon as she had seen the vet in early March.
After knowing the cause of death, I drove back to my vet’s clinic in town to have her last cleanup for her cremation.
The staff did a good job getting her ready for her last journey – she looked so calm and peaceful.
Before leaving her for the last time, I gave her a farewell kiss and hug. I gave her a RM10 note which would be placed beside her for her cremation as I had nothing else to give her in return for all that she had given me these past nine years.
Driving home with an empty seat next to me was hard.
I recalled the moments of happiness she had brought to me. Shortie was always there for me, in good or bad times, whether I was sad or happy, rich or poor. Whenever I shared my thoughts with her, she would sit close to me and look at me with her big, brown eyes, as if she understood what I was going through.
I couldn’t help it. tears just flowed down my cheeks... sigh.I lost a puppy, Pinscher, and now a dog, Shortie, in the same year.
My family will always have Shortie in our hearts and minds. She was truly an angel to us. We are grateful for the joy she brought into our lives. She showed us that dogs don’t care what or who you are; they just need a bit of love and care.
