A & B

This is a story of 2 dogs who were taken away to their fur parents by death and family.

Annie, is our dog since I was in grade school. She was brown, furry, naughty but nice. She was brought to us by my father as a puppy. We named her after the love interest of our favorite Japanese TV series. She was treated like a younger member of the family, pampered yet disciplined. She always know if someone from our family will went home. Steps away from the house, she will approach us and walk with us until we reached our doorstep. She even know when someone is calling her from a far. My father will just shout her name, and seconds later, she will appear from somewhere. No one dared to bully us because of her. Her growling fangs and loud barks will intimidate anyone.

I remember crying when my father punished her from biting a playful neighbor. My sympathy went with her, and not to the crying child. She was locked for several days, and hearing her whimpering cry is like a sound I don't want to hear. Every New Year's Eve, we hid her to the most secluded place where she can be safe, as the sounds of fireworks is too deafening. That is when I realized that a strength can be a weakness too.

Fast forward to high school, it is a habit to see Annie every time I went home. But when we learned that my mother is pregnant, I didn't see it coming.

When our youngest arrive, we were managed to keep Annie, but like a death sentence, no matter how hard you try to elude it, it will come. My father told me that she will give Annie to his friend, who also fond of dogs. I tried to negotiate, my young mind is insisting that we can still keep her. But the decision was final. Since our house is small and my mother is afraid that she might jump to our baby brother, her feathers might cause allergy and whatsoever, we need to let her go.

As she walk away from our house, I look at her, without knowing that the afternoon walk is the last she can have with us. I cannot understand before, why. Why are we giving her away even if she was there for us all the time? Even if we are financially struggling at that time, she was there, scampering for our left over food and didn't demand for anything. She was there, on times that we felt we are hanging on thin thread to live everyday. She was there, when things went wrong and relatives are moving away from us. She was there, on the times we thought we don't have anyone. And yet, we still let her go........

Bruno, is my fiancée's dog. He loved him like a son, maybe because I still wasn't able to give him one. He followed him wherever he go,

He noticed that he was weak, didn't have the energy to go down and play with his nephews and nieces. Days go by and his condition didn't improve. He cuddled him in his arms, and as always, licked his mouth. As he looked to my fiancée's eye, a message of farewell is there. He told him, " Have a rest, Bruno. " He apologized for not able to go to the veterinarian because of the strict restrictions of the pandemic. After that, he drew his last breath and left this world. He died in the arms of his fur parent.