Beloved Betchay

It was last year when all the PT girls presented their vision boards; a collage of what we want to accomplish in life (lalim noh?). One of the things I’ve put on my board aside from collecting more shoes is to adopt a pet. That wish has finally come true...

Sweet.

We are now proud parents of a beautiful, white Shih-poo (Shih-Tzu/Poodle) I named ‘Betchay’. We took her in when she was about 8 weeks old. Since she’ll be my first real pet, dapat lang na kareer-in. I think I’ve read almost every website on the proper care for pets, taking all resource I can get to raise her properly.

Adopting a puppy, as my friend said is a big responsibility and not for everyone. I now understood what she meant by that. Betchay has now occupied pretty much of our time everyday; feeding her, changing her water, playing fetch and taking her out to potty (yes, she’s now potty-trained). There may still be a lot of things I need to learn, but having her for nearly two months now has been pure joy.

Since we had to bring Betchay to the vet for some shots, this made us scout look for pet stores to find the best veterinarian around. Glad we found a Filipino vet in Pet Village (King Abdulaziz street). That's where we got most of her stuff like shampoo and vitamins. They are also selling puppies at a staggering price of SR 3,000. Kittens on the other hand are sold between SR 1,500-2,500, depending on the color and breed. Pure white in color are the most sought after by the locals.

Dr. DP and Betchay. She behaved really well on her first visit to the vet.

The vet mentioned that Betchay's tongue is sticking out slightly than normal.

Di naman po halata, doc.

Having Betchay around has its own rewards. She’s the first to greet us when we get home from work, waiting at the end of the stairs as soon as she hears our steps. I haven’t seen anybody this excited to see us. Her playful behavior is what I look forward to everyday. She’s has been one important source of joy for us. More of like our panganay.

Betchay now 3 months, loves chicken and rice and her kibbles.

Now the next big challenge is to teach her some basic tricks. She has now learned her first trick: play dead.

Betchay mastering her first trick.

Betchay is our stress-reliever. She's a loving, affectionate puppy and I'm glad we braved the decision of adopting her. Share your pet stories with us. We would love to hear from you!

♥R♥

For My Pet, BuBu

Owning a pet is one of life's little treasures. Growing up in Riyadh and being an only child for the first ten years of my life, the pets I've had throughout my childhood have been my precious companions. There can never be a dull moment when another creature is amidst. Whether you are irritated with having to constantly feed or clean them, talking to them as if they can talk back, or simply observing their movements--these actions are a refreshing respite over a boring day.

I am writing this in memory of a loving, cheerful pet that I have lost recently. "Bush" or "BuBu" as I call him, was taken from our house last Tuesday. He stays at our porch, where his dog house is and its a few meters away from the gate of our house. If you live in Saudi Arabia, you will notice that all residential areas here don high walls and the idea of a "white-picket-fence" look-of-a-neighborhood is a remote idea here. According to my neighbor who witnessed the abduction (yes, I am calling it that), a group of Arab kids climbed over our wall and dragged Bush over the wall by pulling his leash. I am assuming that they are afraid that they'd bite him so they resorted to tugging him to their will. I can just imagine him shrieking in pain as they pulled him over that wall. When the kids finally managed to get him over the wall, they tied the leash to their bikes and rode off, dragging Bubu behind. My neighbor tried to run after them, but since they were in bikes, it was somewhat a lost cause. It is very painful for me to recount this story, but I want the world to know how ignorant and cruel these Arab youngsters are. And how their lack of compassion and education reflects poorly on their culture. I have lost pets before, but never in this disgusting and cruel manner.

I don't know if Bubu is still alive, or what. I am drawn to tears just imagining what they could have done to him, knowing the attitudes of these kids. I feel responsible that day because as I was leaving the house that morning, he seemed adamant to stay behind our second gate (the one that leads directly to our house proper) but since he's not potty trained, I always have him stay on the porch whenever I leave for work. Looking back, maybe that was a sign that I should have let him stay inside the house instead. And maybe this tragedy wouldn't have happened.

The hardest part for me was coming home that night and not having my dog greet me cheerfully and excitedly as he always does. I wanted to collapse on the stairs where we used to sit and play catch. I sat there for a good five minutes, cried and said a little prayer. I miss him so much.



Bush. A Black American Terrier. I was supposed to change his name to Obama after he won but Bubu stuck. He was supposed to turn 2 this June. Please say a little prayer for him.

Norah Jones' track "Thinking of You" is dedicated to him. A wonderful creature who made me smile, who made me laugh, who I whispered my secrets to and whose energizing spirit never ceased to amaze me. I LOVE YOU BUSH! Always.

:(

-ec-