My dogs

More than 18 years ago, I decided to adopt a puppy. She was 2 months’ old. She had brown-fiery red fur with bits of white here and there; her face is half brown-fiery red and half white. It’s a different colour brown from most of the mongrels in Malaysia; she looked like a baby fox. I named her Mary Jane.

It was the first time I owned a pet all by myself. 2 days later I discovered she was deaf. A deaf dog! I had no idea how to take care of a deaf dog but I did the best I could.

8 years later by reason of an unfortunate incident, Mary Jane became pregnant. She delivered 6 puppies, the first of which was still-born. I named the remaining 5 Abraham, Isaac, Mary-Anne, Mary-Beth (Betty) and Baby. From the start my favourite pup was Betty. Almost all brown with bits of white just like Mary Jane, but a darker shade of brown. But Isaac was particularly fond of, and very attached to me. So I decided to keep Betty and Isaac and gave away the other 3.

3 months later Betty and Isaac fell seriously ill with Canine Parvo Virus (CPV) and had to be hospitalised. Isaac didn’t make it; Betty miraculously survived. My favourite pup survived! And then, almost 10 years later she died of kidney failure. To cheat death once only to face it all over again years later! Mary Jane still lives.

A year later I decided to adopt another puppy, a stray found in a drain in Ipoh. She was also 2 months’ old. She had predominantly white fur (which became spotted over the weeks) with a black face that looks as if she’s wearing a mask, and a map of the USA (in black) on her back. I named her Jessie.

The first 2 to 3 days of her arrival, she was as quiet as a mouse and slept a lot. I was beginning to think she was mute, which would be just great for my collection of impaired dogs; I already had one that was deaf, and now one that is mute! But as it turned out, she was probably just getting used to the place and when she was comfortable with her new environment, she turned into a hyperactive ADHD pup who doesn’t seem to be scared of anything and leaves a trail of chaos and havoc behind her. Everyday I come home to some kind of mess.

About the same time that I got Jessie, the 18-year-old Mary Jane developed a bladder problem; she would unknowingly pee when she is asleep. This means washing her every other day, and washing the place where she sleeps every week. It’s tedious, tiring work. And of course, there is the ADHD pup that I also have to clean up after.

It’s not the ideal situation. But it’s my situation right now.