Man’s Best friend

by: Janine Marie Lenizo

           Long time ago in a village of Santa Felomina, Asuncion Davao del Norte, the Solis family brought to life a caring, loving and simple girl named Sheena Marie. Sheena grows fast and show responsibility to anything. At her developing stage she played anything that a common girl has, like, acting a family, cooking sets, and dolls. But showing kindness and valuing the little God’s gift, she can say she can handle anything.

            When she is in her elementary days, her father Charito brought a puppy and he allow her to carry the little pooch and that time she start loving and fond in animals especially dog.

            Pamela is an “AsPin” or Asong Pinoy, she was the first dog that Sheena has. Pamela lives in Solis residence almost 3 years and blessed with 14 puppies in all. Sheena loves taking care of her pets and always volunteer to take them a bath, dry them and “usahay gapangita pud ko og pulgas nila” Sheena said. Sheena loves her pet dog always around because she think that she is a mother to them. She feels relax and she enjoy playing with her pets. Sometimes when she feels stressed and drained at school she immediately go home and played with them. There are so much experienced and moment Sheena had with her hobby.

with her dog

            There was a time that she owned an unusual dog because she think that dog is different from other dog. They named him “boy butong”. “Boy butong” just like Pamela an “AsPin” or “Asong Pinoy”. The name “boy butong” was created because the dog is always bringing a “bunot” or coconut shrub then he will tattered it into pieces.  They laughed about the idea of naming the dog “boy butong” because the dog is actually like the “bunot” not the fresh coconut shrub or “butong” but Sheena insist that and the dog name the latter.

            In her 18 years of existence, in a dog only she cried almost a week. She was aloof by their neighbors because of the incidents that breaks her heart. And that time when she noticed that “boy butong” act differently. He chase their chicks, bark at her father sturdily and sometimes he attempt to bit their neighbor. And that reason their neighbor hit “boy butong” to death. She was very down that they killed her dog nastily.

Sheena was a 3^rd year Bachelor of Elementary Education student at University of Southeastern Philippines. A simple yet gifted with real beauty adores and loves their pets unconditionally. Her dogs can grow to love her just as much as she loves them. I asked her why she do this but I observed her behavior, her emotional feeling and care to her dogs is an answer to my question. Because dogs like humans, they are gregarious animals, and love is an important emotion in a sociable species.

She said “dogs is always man’s best friend” “when you show your love and care to them in return they will serve you as if you are only their master”. She adds when I asked her how will she manage the time when she at school and taking care of her pets, ”even if I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had the time to give my dog the attention they deserves, they’re still madly waiting for me to come home. They doesn’t care if I have a pimples, got low scores, dumped, or made a really bad day. All they wants is me, my presence. They will loves you unconditionally. And that, my friends, is the ultimate reason why you should love dogs.”