Happy Hearts Day

This morning, I went to Starbucks and ordered a hazelnut green tea latte.

The barista greeted me with, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

To which I replied, "Happy Hearts Day to you, too!"

Then he asked me, "Happy naman po ba Valentine's Day niyo?"

I said, "Of course! I'll walk my dog tonight!"

My life is pathetic sometimes. But I love my dog so much I don't mind being with him tonight. Besides, ang traffic, noh! Haha bitter, I know. :D

Okay, so he's really my dad's dog. But every morning, and sometimes at night, too, I'm the patient one in the family who's willing to walk him. So that makes me his.. 2nd master? :D

His name is Ondoy. My dad got him from my cousin during, yes, the day after Ondoy struck Manila. Ondoy's mother died during childbirth; he has 6 brothers and sisters. The owners could not take care of the other puppies so they gave one to my uncle, and one to my dad.

Papa, and my two uncles were just about to go home from Ilocos the day the typhoon hit the country, but was stranded in Pampanga because of the floods. When he arrived in Manila at about 4am, he dropped one of my uncles off in Quezon City first, met my cousin who gave him the puppy, and off they went home. Papa decided to park the car outside our village since no car can pass through; village was still submerged in flood. He decided to walk through the neck-deep flood, his right hand up in the air, holding a 2-week old black puppy. It was still drizzling and the little puppy was shaking from the cold. My dad saw an empty can of paint, big enough for the puppy to fit in. He took the can and put the puppy inside, held the can's handle, and he let the can float in water.

I remember when my dad finally got home, he was holding a big Boysen Paint can. Akala ko stray dog lang nasa loob ng can and I even told him, "Ano ba 'yan, nag-rescue ka pa ng askal!". My dad just said, "Hindi yan askal, labrador yan". We later realized Ondoy is a mix of Labrador and a Pitbull. I swear, this dog doesn't have a Pitbull blood in him. He is scared of other dogs. He runs back home whenever he sees another dog try to play with him. He may look scary because of his color and size, but he is a gentle giant. :p

People would often tell me, Ondoy has gone through a lot. For a dog. He lost his mother the day he and his siblings were born; he was born on September 11th; he found a new home during the Ondoy floods. But I'd like to believe he is a blessing in our family. He made me and my dad much closer just by playing and walking him every Saturday afternoon.

He may be the most spoiled brat dog there is, but I love him to pieces, even if he barks at 4 in the morning just because he wants to pee. He is, and will always be, a part of our family.

Happy Heart's Day from Maan and Ondoy. :D