Duday Wanted to be Remembered on Her Death Anniversary

Losing a pet is one of the worst and most heartbreaking things to ever happen in our lives. They're always there to entertain us, provide their floofs if we need cuddles, make puppy dog eyes to get what they want, and most of all, give us unconditional love. We get so attached to our four-legged fluff family member, they fill our hearts with joy. But when they leave, they also leave us empty.

11 years ago, I said goodbye to my favorite and most beloved dog, Duday.

I believe I've written about her last year on her 10th year in dog paradise and I'll never get tired writing about her as a way to remember her and reminisce our good times together. :)

Duday, born on June 3rd of 2002, is a half Aspin (Philippine Dog) and half Japanese Spitz. Her ears aren't pointy but her fur is as white as snow and still fluffy as cotton. Being a half breed of this and that didn't make her any less. Duday is a perfect family dog for us. The kindest, fluffiest, most harmless dog we ever had. An angel in a petite body covered with white fluff craving for chicken.

Ah, such a spoiled dog. How can you resist such cuteness though?

Duday was the only dog I could touch from the tip of her nose down to her feather duster-like tail. I have never done that on our previous dogs as they were a bit aggressive. Duday was different. She lets her humans pet her, though she has boundaries too. Lol. There were times she would just go at the corner for some solitude and won't even bother to listen when we call her. She sighs a lot, like you could hear her exhale loudly. What a personality this dog has!

However, I realized that one big reason for that sighing was probably due to being tied. My parents was used to tying dogs outside their kennels so they don't accidentally go out of the gate because there are lots of vehicles passing by the street especially during the day. I don't want our next dog to be treated the same. I want her/him to be able to roam around our surroundings freely and stay inside the house and play with us anytime.

Anyway, do you believe pets also visit their humans after they have passed on?

Duday have visited me in my dreams several times in the past years. Most of my dreams about her was me neglecting her. On the recent dream I had with her, I thought she had already passed on but then when I went back home, I saw her still there but her fur was already dirty and she looked weak and starved. I felt bad in my dream because why did assumed she was dead? It felt like we abandoned her.

I wonder if Duday is trying to tell me something or is it just me regretting not being able to spend a lot of time with her especially when she started feeling weak? I was busy with school back then, one day, I just found myself visiting the clinic where she spent a week hoping she will be cured. However, heartworm disease is fatal but can be cured while it's still on early stage. Duday's case was already severe and there are no pet clinics who does such operation in our province. The vet told the chances of Duday surviving was low even if she goes into operation.

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I have forgotten of Duday's death anniversary, to be honest, though it's not a bad thing because I've learned something. It proved that our pets can still connect with us even though they have already passed on. Early morning of January 22, while about to go out of the bathroom after taking a bath, Duday suddenly crossed my mind.

Then I remembered Duday's anniversary is on January. Immediately, my mind shuffled through the numbers on the calendar. It's a day before her anniversary. I was stunned for a moment as to why my deceased dog suddenly appeared on my mind. I don't think it's just a coincidence. It must be true that our pets are still connected to us even if they have passed on. Duday must've probably visited me to remind me of that day, that I should not forget it.

Funny that we had fried chicken for breakfast on her anniversary. Nobody remembered her anniversary, it was just me and I didn't tell them.

Someday we'll meet again, Duday! <3