My Furbabies And Me

I have been a furmom for seven years. First, to Kiah, my Shih Tzu x Maltese mixed furbaby, which I bought from a virtual friend's friend for only 3500 pesos ($73).

After three years, she gave me 2 of my first ever grand pups: Taki and Toby. One died, though, but the former survives and is super healthy and sweet. The following year, she got another litter: Nala, Simba, and Kiara. Only Simba didn't make it. And then last year, she delivered another healthy puppy: Kali (which was later renamed Covid by her new owner) and Maki.

I have 4 furbabies left: the Queen Mother, Kiah, along with Taki, Kiara, and then the youngest, Maki. Luckily, I was able to monitor Kiah while she had her heat days (period days) this year, or else, she would get pregnant again. At that time, I made sure that the gate was closed all the time, so no outsiders could enter or a chance for her to sneak out.

My furbabies are my children and, this may sound exaggerated to some of you, but they are my life. Since I got Kiah, I made a promise to myself that I will take good care of her and her future babies, and will never abandon them whatever happens.

There were times that I had to sacrifice like sending Kiah to my hometown. Not because I couldn't take care of her needs, but because I was worried about her health. When Kiah was around 4 or 5 years old, I'd usually left them alone when I had to go to work. At first, she was scared of me leaving her, but as days went by, she realized that I won't stay out for too long. She's a well-behaved little one and the caretaker was so impressed with how quiet she was while I had to work.

The problem was before I left for work, I made sure she would pee first and poop, but sometimes, she hadn't. And when I got back, there were no signs of her peeing inside the room. So I had to take her out again she could finally do her thing. There were instances that she would only pee twice a day, which was not healthy. Dogs pee a lot. So after a few months of that routine, I made up my mind to leave her with my mom in my hometown. It was a hard decision, but I had to make sacrifices for both of us, so she won't get sick again.

That year, she was also diagnosed with Ehrlichia, an illness commonly affects dogs that cause her to pant frequently, without even doing anything. She was given so many medications and thank God, she has fully recovered.

We left Cebu while she was recovering from Ehrlichia, and returned to the city with a heavy heart. When Kiah saw me with a backpack, she knew somehow that I had to go. I could see in her face how she wanted to come or me to stay and when I had to leave the gate, she would go nuts and won't stop barking. That was pretty darn hard as a furmom. This scenario happened several times until last year, after New Year, I decided to quit as soon as I got back to the city.

That day, when I was about to leave, I told mom to take Kiah to my sister-in-law's house, so she won't see me out. But when I was already outside the gate, she was able to escape and ran towards me but since the gate was already closed, she couldn't go out. She was barking so loud as if she was begging me not to leave. I tried not to look at her, but the sound of her whining broke me into tears. I started crying, though, I tried to pretend I wasn't. I was still crying when I bought my ticket and even when I was on board. Luckily, I was accompanied by my mom.

That day, I knew what I wanted. I told them that I would only go back to Cebu to submit my resignation letter. I had to render 30 days, though. As soon as I completed my 30 days, I left Cebu the next day. And to be honest, that's one of the best feelings ever.

I never regretted my decision of leaving the job. The fact that I could spend 24/7 with Kiah and my other furbabies, without the worry to leave again is the best feeling ever. Plus, I don't have to see the kiddos crying, begging for me to stay. It's a win-win decision.

With all four furbabies, I made sure to bathe them every week, take them for a walk whenever I can, and cook food for them. Recently, I ordered 27 wet dogs online, so I don't have to worry about not having some meat in the fridge.

And they are also the reason why I want a home of my own. As I have mentioned before, my eldest sister was quite not happy about having 3 dogs inside. So hopefully, before my 34th birthday, I could have my little mansion, so my furbabies and I have nothing to worry about anymore. And they could stay inside and enjoy their house - our house.

**All photos are mine.