Love and Sorry
Cherish Your Dog, before It’s Too Late
But don’t be too hard on yourself as a parent
Phi Phi and Crocker. Phi Phi came into my life unexpectedly; it has been six months since I called her my baby. From nursing her as a two-month-old puppy to a rambunctious young lady dog.
I’m just teasing her by calling her rambunctious. She is everything to me.
Crocker is an adopted dog. I wouldn’t say he was unwanted, but life happens and he had to be given away. He ended up with us. We call him, “Kuya” which means older brother, but more often than not he acts like he is the baby.
I have a partner. Yes, my dogs live with a gay couple.
We just had a storm; our old family house has once again been battered. It is the house my Mom called home. She passed away in 2021. My eldest sister decided to move back a month ago. She had it repaired and now she had to fix it again.
She was lucky that she didn’t need to be rescued. Others were not as lucky.
The storm has passed, and my family is safe.
Life happens.
My family
Saying ‘my family’ is new to me. I never thought I would have a family I can call my own.
Being a gay man, I was OK being the gay son, gay brother, gay uncle, and even a gay granduncle. Yes, I have four grand nephews and nieces.
But who knew that after mom died, I would meet someone — again.
And we would start a family with two dogs and if the doggie Universe believes I can handle another one, I’ll be happy to welcome a new dog by Christmas.
But building a family is never easy, as is being in a relationship.
It has been a year since we were together and we have been through rough patches along the way.
Phi Phi who had been sleeping with us saw it all. The good and the bad days.
And the nights when Dada B (me) sleeps in another room.
It is Phi Phi who binds us together. When Dada A says sorry, it is time for Dada B to give love another chance.
Love and sorry are two words that Phi Phi knows and Crocker had caught up with.
Cherish your dog
Today, my partner left to visit his mom, and lately, he has been sharing videos, and stories about dogs.
Even if in his previous life, he is a cat person.
He shared a Facebook post that resonated with me that made me stop and reflect on my time as a fur parent.
No one tells you how quickly dogs age. How one day you wake up and suddenly their face is all white, how their eyes start to seem more milky than before, how you have to call their name a few more times than you used to.
People tell you not to blink when you have children, but what about the dog who was with you before your children were even thought of? The dog who was by your side before you found the love of your life, the dog who jumped from apartment to apartment with you in your early 20’s. No one tells you to cherish every moment you have with them…
Cherish the dog. The one who’s been there through every break up and every dumb fight with your best friend. That dog who slept in the bed with you when you were lonely and made you feel safe when you left home. Cherish him, because one day you’ll take him on a walk and he’ll start to get tired before you, and you’ll realize just how many years he’s been walking by your side. — Jessica DelValle
Visit her social media accounts here.
Phi Phi sleeps on our bed. She still wakes me up at the most unholy hour to pee or poo or just to start her day.
My partner is an English professor, he leaves for the office at 8 am, and by 9 am Phi Phi would nudge me to go back to sleep, and I would stop whatever I am doing to do our favorite thing — siesta.
Recently I posted on Facebook, that I realized what our 9 am siesta time is really all about. Phi Phi can sleep anywhere as she is right now while I finish this story, sleeping under my desk.
Our 9 am siesta time is not really for her but she does it for me.
She wants me to rest. She wants me to stop working and be with her.
Final words
Cherish. I asked myself a few times if I’m a good parent to Phi Phi and Crocker, and I know there were days when I may have forgotten how much they helped me during my bad days — when I struggled with my mental health or the rigors of being alive.
And many times, I have said love and sorry to both Phi Phi and Crocker when I feel I fell short as a parent.
During the storm, it was Crocker who was more afraid of the winds, the sound of the rain, and the dark clouds that were visible from our home.
I had to reassure Crocker that he is Ok, that we will be Ok. Many times, Phi Phi would be jealous whenever I give Crocker my attention, but during the storm she was quiet.
We survived the storm, and we survived it as a family.
Thank you for reading.
Everything I make from this story will be donated to my favorite rescue organization, You can also visit my Ko-fi page or donate directly to Pawssion Project,
Thank you.