Missing Kobe

Coming home last night from work, I was suddenly overcome by a raw feeling of sadness... After honking my horn, I strained my ears, half-expecting to hear the familiar barking of our dog. Hearing only silence, I was again reminded of the fact that Kobe was gone and coming home will never be the same again.
* * * *

As you may have figured out from my introduction...Our dog died.

That statement isn't meant to be funny, as most statements about death aren't even slightly humorous. It isn't meant to be aloof, because God knows how much I am grieving right now. It isn't meant to extract any pity from you, because I can't expect most people to understand how hard it is to lose one's pet...

That statement was just an attempt to help me let it all out, I suppose. I was kind of hoping that the statement "our dog died" would also tell you "I'm sad" and "I miss him." But then, only few people would really get that...

* * * *

Kobe has been in our family for almost 3 years. He was an adorable little puppy who always snuggled up against my shoes when he was scared or sleepy. He wasn't trained: he pretty much did whatever it is he wanted, and that included peeing everywhere and jumping at everyone. :) He also craved for attention: whenever we'd say hello to him before going off to work or school, he would run around in circles, hoping that we'd play with him, even for just a while.

I will miss hearing his high-pitched, "pumipiyok" bark everytime I come home. I will miss how he cocks his head to right whenever we would make silly sounds to catch his attention.

I hope that in his last hours - even though he was in a great deal of pain, even though we brought him to the vet too late - I hope that he never doubted for a moment that we love him. Because in his own doggie way - in the way he would look at us adoringly, in the way he would always, always be so happy to see us even if we've neglected him for a while - he surely made us feel loved.