Everything I’ve learnt about love and friendship, I’ve learnt from dogs.
Every dog is unique and each one has taught me important lessons on love, friendships, loyalty, patience, gratitude, letting go and moving on.
I vividly remember the hilarious comment of my now deceased aunt who, when she saw Snoopy the first time, had said ‘What is this cow-like dog?’
Snoopy was very sweet, innocent, playful in a mischievous way, loved sleeping but hated photos. He had escaped the yard twice but had come back at my calling. However, Snoopy was very mean on the outside. Most people couldn’t even get near to him without him growling or biting. Once you got close and earned his trust, once he knew you weren’t going to hurt him, he was just like a little puppy again. I loved being clingy to him, love-bombing him until he wanted me off him but eventually wanted my attention whenever I left him alone to continue doing my things.
I used to wake him up at 5.00 am everyday just so that we can play before I would go to school and work when I completed my studies. Even on the day he died, he waited for me to come and three hours later when I woke up to feed him his serum, he had already passed away. Everything felt empty and sad without Snoopy around. There was no will to wake up so early for nothing. It was as if a part of me died together with him. Having already lost someone very close in the beginning of the year and now with him dying, it was very selfish of me trying to hold on to him because I would feel lonely.
The last thing I learnt from Snoopy was letting go and this was not the end. The loss isn’t easy but is a lesson in itself, and with each loss comes a new beginning. My love for him taught me how to put things before myself, how to let go of my own pain, become responsible and look after him when he wasn’t well. No matter how hungry I felt, I always fed him first and then had my breakfast and dinner. He taught me to let go of my burdens and live in the moment. What made me feel his absence the most is that whenever I was back from school and afterwards work, he was genuinely happy to see me. I was truly his favourite person. And now when I got home, there wasn’t him beaming with excitement to see me.
Tilou is also very supportive and is always there, through the sick and thin. He sits with people and rests his head on their lap. No one cares as much as Tilou does. He keeps giving love and support, even emotionally. He made me quite a considerate person with looking at my food innocently and so having to share just because he wants a bite, but knowing that this makes him happy, makes me happy in return.
Finally Lucy. She came approximately two weeks after Snoopy’s death, on my birthday and it was hard to accept her as I was still grieving Snoopy’s death. I was unable to take her out for morning walks nor play with her. During the lockdown in 2020, I was working from home and so I started to spend time with her. As I did, I knew her better and she became my soul-dog. I never had to wake her up. She knows when I am already up. She trusted me to be responsible with her, feeding her, bathing her and caring for her.
She is the kind of dog that is always smiling. Wherever she goes, she is able to get a smile out of someone. One day, as I was sitting alone and heartbroken, she climbed on my lap and placed her head on my chest and we just stayed like this silently for a minute. She taught me that, even after the loss of someone we are very close to, we can still love again. For sure, she cannot replace Snoopy and she is very jumpy compared to Snoopy and I fell down once too, thanks to her. She taught me to let loose, live with the loss but not give up. If dogs can begin new lives, can find home, can learn to love and to trust again, then why can’t we? Everyone deserves a second chance at love and happiness.
Lucy is a normal breed dog. She is not defined by her past, where she came from, no issues. She taught me that everyone deserves to be loved and cared for. While Snoopy roamed around in the yard, running from me, Lucy always looks at me, waiting for me to come and play with her with a look that says “Don’t be too serious. Enjoy life.” Every moment is a moment to have a good time. If we think like this, Lucy also must have been separated from her siblings at birth itself. She has lost her family too just to be adopted into mine. Yet, she is kindness and happiness embodied.
Some people tend to diminish relationships with dogs by “it’s just a dog,” but it’s so much more than “just” a dog. Whenever a dog looks at me, it feels like “Everything will be okay. I know life is hard and it will still be. There are days when you will feel at your best, I will be there for you and there are days when you will feel at your worst, trust me, I will still be there for you. I will always be your cheerleader.”
