Tuesday, March 28, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle Sunday Lifestyle

My Darling

by
November 4, 2017, 5:15 pm
in Sunday Lifestyle
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

His name was Darling. I did not like him at first.

I was pregnant with my second child when he was given to my son Craig as a gift for his fourth birthday by my mother-in-law.

Darling was a toy poodle but he was bigger for his breed.

I  told my mother-in-law  then that I did not want a dog at a time I was pregnant. But she said, “What apo (grandchild) wants, apo gets.”   So I was forced to take Darling in.

We were living in a two-storey apartment then, and I always got irritated every time he would bark and run up and down the stairs.

ADVERTISEMENT

I would always scold him.  But I think he knew I did not like him so the more I distanced myself from him, the more he would sit or stay beside me. Nagugulat na lang ako na nasa tabi ko na sya. 

After a year, we transferred to a condominium unit. Darling loved the new place as he looked forward to our morning and afternoon walks. At that time, there were only a few residents  who had dogs.

Darling, the handsome and charming poodle.

Darling was famous for being “suplado”  (snob) because nobody can touch him without asking me first. He also always growled when he saw dogs that he did not like.

He had a move that my husband called the “commando crawl.” Every time he would see a dog approaching, he  would lower his body to the ground and wait. When the dog was near us, Darling would bark and intimidate the other dog.

But when he liked a dog, he would wag his tail and smell the dog.

Because he was not neutered, he would always run out of the house once someone would open the door  when he smelled a female dog in heat.

I will never forget a meeting of the homeowners on house rules and policies. A neighbor who just moved in complained that a white dog with white curly hair frightened her daughter while they were walking around the premises. She asked me if I knew the dog.  Of course I knew who the dog was. Darling was the only dog with white curly hair in our place.  This is why my husband Arne  gave him the nickname “Kuot.” But I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

I had a lot of memorable  moments with Darling.  When it was time to take  a bath and he would see me  with  a towel in hand, he would crawl under the sofa or the dining table. When he heard me calling him, he would act as if he did not hear me and would turn away.

His favorite food was boiled chicken with rice. He loved it when I prepared his food with my hands. Kahit na anong dami ng chicken sa bowl nya, basta hindi ko hinimay, ayaw nyang kainin. I guess that was his way of telling me that he appreciated me.

When Darling turned 8 years old, I noticed something different about him. He did not want to run anymore and he panted after our walks.

We had him confined on Oct. 24, 2012 because he had a bad cough.

A series of tests showed that Darling had a heart enlargement and water in his lungs. The vet prescribed meds and changed his dog food. She also  told us not to stress him out because Darling can have a  heart attack.

We were devastated  but we did not let him feel that we were upset.

I still walked him but not as often as before. I would carry him and walk home when there was a dog who could excite him during those walks.

It was a terrible time for us but we treasured every moment we spent with him then.

There were also some things he did before he left us.

Every night after dinner, he would sit beside the door of our room, seemingly waiting for my husband to invite him in. Once inside the room,  he would wait for my husband to switch on the aircon. Then he would lie down and sleep. That was his way of bonding with my husband.

Every time he collapsed due to severe heart palpitations, he would always get up again and would look at me as if saying he’s fine.

We were in and out of the clinic between 2012 and 2013. 

On the night of April 10, Wednesday, he collapsed twice and he could barely move. He was breathing hard.

With my eldest son Craig, we rushed Darling to  the clinic where he was confined.

When I visited him the next day, he got so excited that the vet  warned  me that the next heart attack could be fatal.  I asked Darling  to calm down and I sat beside him for two hours.

I did  this every time I would visit him.

With his family, a smiling Darling posed with  the author Joan, husband Arne, and sons Craig and  Bryce.

We hoped to bring him home after two days but the vet said he needed further observation. 

When the family visited him  after mass on the fourth day of his confinement, Darling looked so happy to see us even while he had difficulty breathing.

When it was time to leave, my husband and the kids said their goodbyes. I hugged Darling and asked him to hang in there because I will be back the next day to bring him home. He licked my cheek and barked. I left with a heavy heart. We went home still hoping that we will see him the next day.

At around 6 p.m. that same day, the phone rang. My husband  answered the call and I sensed something was wrong.  After the call, he turned to me and said,”Wala na si Darling. Inatake daw kanina ng mga 2 p.m. They tried to revive him pero wala na daw talaga.”

When I heard that, I did not know what to feel. I just cried. It felt like I lost a son. It hurt so much. 

The next day. we went to the clinic to arrange for his cremation.   When I saw him lifeless on the steel table, I couldn’t stop crying.

But I knew I had to say goodbye.  I kissed him and whispered “I love you” and thanked  him for the wonderful years he shared with us.

When my neighbors found out that we lost Darling, one of them said, “Aso lang yan, pwedeng palitan.”  I shot back, “Hindi sya aso lang, Anak ko sya. “

Darling can not be replaced by anyone, I said.

He was a good dog. He was a good son. He had his flaws like any other child. But I love him and I know he knew I loved him for those eight years he gave us.

He was there through my ups and downs. Every time I had a problem, he was always there beside me. I knew he felt my pain.  I was never alone because he was there, loving me unconditionally.

I can still sense him whenever I’m alone. And I cry to this day when I remember him. But I  find comfort in knowing that someday, I will see him in heaven.

I love you, my baby…

Joan Fremista- Reyes

Tags: CraigDarlingdogJoan Fremista- Reyes
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

How to move like Piolo

byBernadette Lunas
November 25, 2017, 5:53 pm
0
8
How to move like Piolo

It’s not easy to be Piolo Pascual, especially these days. With tapings for a sitcom and his upcoming television series,...

Read more

Picks for Millennials: Oil scrub, deadly delicacy, and more

byManila Standard Lifestyle
November 25, 2017, 5:44 pm
0
8
Picks for Millennials: Oil scrub, deadly delicacy, and more

Facial scrubs are more popular as an exfoliating product—because it is—than as a nourishing item in a beauty regimen.  To...

Read more

Have a merry ‘Kiehlsmas’

byManila Standard Lifestyle
November 25, 2017, 5:30 pm
0
8
Have a merry ‘Kiehlsmas’

Give a gift of art and great skin with Kiehl’s products adorned with colorful holiday-themed designs by London-based graphic artist...

Read more

Socially conscious and stylishly trendy bags

byDaniel Reyes
November 25, 2017, 5:25 pm
0
8
Socially conscious  and  stylishly trendy bags

Consumers of this generation are known to prefer products and services from socially responsible businesses. Globally, 66 percent of purchasers...

Read more

WEARING EYEGLASSES Fact Fiction

byManila Standard
November 25, 2017, 4:59 pm
0
23
WEARING EYEGLASSES Fact  Fiction

It could be something you were told about when you were younger and didn’t know better, or something that almost...

Read more

Doting dads

byManila Standard Lifestyle
June 18, 2016, 8:00 pm
0
15
Doting dads

There are only a few jobs in this world that are more difficult than the full-time position of being a...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Health Carousel Philippines Celebrates One Hundredth DAISY Nursing Award
  • MPIC to acquire 16% of SPNEC for P2 billion
  • Claims office set up for residents affected by oil spill in Or. Mindoro
  • Festive Vibe
  • Kin to Rep. Teves: Face raps
  • PBBM vows more road networks, housing projects on gov’t idle land
  • Oil firms slash gas, kerosene, diesel prices
  • NGCP warns of power breaks as ancillary service deal ends

Advertisement

Latest News

PBBM vows more road networks, housing projects on gov’t idle land

byVince Lopezand1 others
March 28, 2023, 1:10 am
0
8
Catapang to reshuffle all prisons, penal farms personnel

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed that his administration will continue to push for more infrastructure projects that will...

Read more

Oil firms slash gas, kerosene, diesel prices

byAlena Mae S. Flores
March 28, 2023, 1:00 am
0
8
Oil market uncertain, fragmented after Ukraine invasion

Kerosene led the latest oil price rollback across all petroleum products at P1.90 per liter effective 6 a.m. today (Tuesday)...

Read more

NGCP warns of power breaks as ancillary service deal ends

byAlena Mae S. Floresand1 others
March 28, 2023, 12:50 am
0
8
NGCP energizes Bohol transmission facilities

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Monday asked the Department of Energy to step in to prevent...

Read more

LTO to go on heightened alert for Holy Week exodus

byCharles Dantesand1 others
March 28, 2023, 12:40 am
0
8
SC sides with LTO on card project

The Land Transportation Office said it will go on heightened alert status starting March 31, Friday until April 10, including...

Read more

Catapang to reshuffle all prisons, penal farms personnel

byRey E. Requejo
March 28, 2023, 12:30 am
0
8
Catapang to reshuffle all prisons, penal farms personnel

Newly-appointed Bureau of Corrections chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. said he will reshuffle all personnel in the agency’s prisons and penal...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App