Our New Bundle of Joy

It's been almost four weeks since we got a new baby… yes a baby DOG that is! It’s our family’s second dog since Bugsy (our Rottweiler) who left us in December last year. Now, we have a baby Bullmastiff by the name of KING.
He was two months old when we got him and he was UBER cute and small then, but now he’s a humongous puppy who’s very, very, very playful and stubbornly lovable.

From history, Bullmastiffs are known to be courageous, loyal, calm, and loving with those it knows. It has a very strong protective instinct and will defend its owners against anything it perceives as a threat. However, it does not normally attack to protect. Instead, it knocks the intruder over with its massive size and pins them to the ground, or, will simply stand in front of the stranger/intruder and refuse to let them pass. Bullmastiffs become intensely attached to their families and do best when they can live inside with them. Their protective instinct combined with their great size and natural wariness of strangers means that early socialization is a must. The Bullmastiff may or may not get along well with other dogs. (Wikipedia; accessed on August 27, 2008).

Adult male Bullmastiffs may grow from 25 to 27 inches tall (63.5 to 68.5 cm) at the withers and 110 to 135 pounds (50 to 60 kg). Females typically reach 24 to 26 inches (61 to 66 cm) at the withers, and 100 to 120 pounds (45 to 55 kg). So this means, by the time KING is a full-grown adult dog, he’d be taller and bigger than me when he’s stretched, LOL!

Right now, I’m enjoying taking care of him, he considers me as his playmate, so whenever I arrive, he gets funky and excited. My Love Nald on the other hand, is his authority. KING gets serious and attentive (most of the time, that is) with him.

BUGSY of the Lions... Our Angel

Today at nine o’clock in the morning, our veterinarian will pick-up Bugsy, our eight-year old Rottweiler. He has been sick with hip Dysplasia and has been in pain for several weeks. We had him checked-up and medicated but his condition became worse. And last night, the vet advised that we turn him over to them so his suffering would end… My family and I can’t help but cry. We knew this would happen eventually but we never expected it to happen this soon… but oh well, reality bites.

Bugsy has been with us since 1999. I gave him as a birthday gift to my one and only love – Nald. I originally wanted a Labrador Retriever, but it wasn’t my birthday so I gave in. Nald, together with our Nanay NikNik, did most of Bugsy’s ‘training’ – toilet, following commands, etc. I wasn’t exactly super close to Bugsy as Nald and Nanay NikNik was, but I loved him as well and he loved us all, unconditionally… Nald and I considered Bugsy as our first ‘baby’.

Apart from the happiness we get when Nald and I we’re together, Bugsy provided us joy that may be compared to what a child gives to a parent. He loved cuddling and kissing us, he was very playful. Many if not all people who knew we had a Rottweiler asked us if he was ‘safe’ and we often responded by saying “he’s the kindest dog, not only to us but to everyone who steps into our home”. He may have looked intimidating and scary – black coat and all, but he was the sweetest dog. I remember the time when I was pregnant with Aleksis, he slept beside me. Nald and I often slept in our living room because I needed to go to the restroom in the middle of the night. And it wasn’t safe for me to go up and down our flight of stairs just to do so.

Because Bugsy was a huge dog, he acted as my second pillow. He stayed next to me and made sure Aleksis and I were safe. In fact, there was a time when Nald and I left the stove switched on and it was Bugsy who alerted us about it. He woke us up by barking as loud as he could and he led Nald to the kitchen. We were so thankful he saved us.

Bugsy always had a way to melt our hearts and sway our moods, even if he was naughty. He’d just look at us with his bright black eyes, pull back his ears, and tilt his head from side to side. His being mischievous was very tolerable. Unlike other dogs he disliked flip flops or anything at home that he could sink his teeth onto. Instead he loved rawhide until he tasted bones – gigantic cow bones. Bugsy bit into one with much gusto. Leaving him alone at home did not worry us at all. When we get back home from a trip or just a day out, everything was still intact.

I could spend a whole day and it wouldn't be enough to reminisce all the times we had with Bugsy. Nald hates good-byes and I guess I do, too. But we’ll never say that because it has been a wonderful and life-enriching eight years with you, Bugsy. And we know we’ll see each other again. You have taught us the real quintessence of love.
You will forever be in our hearts… Soon, you’ll be our angel.

Have a safe trip, Bugsy. Go towards the light, peacefully… Together with Nald, Aleksis Rae, Nanay, Juday, Danielle, and the rest of the people you’ve come across with, we’ll miss you.

Love you, Bugs!

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown