THE RETURN OF CLING-CLING

THE RETURN OF CLING-CLING

       Edward’s pet dog  Sophie, died while he was out of the country. And so,  hurting like anybody would when you know you can’t  be present when your pet is laid to rest, he turned to me for comfort and asked if I could share this tale once more.  

       Let me begin by quoting Oliver Wendel Holmes: Beware how you take away hope from any human being.” And so to those who cling with faith  and enduring hope to the Lord’s promise that we will all be reunited with our loved ones  in heaven one blessed day, this story is for you. You see, I like to imagine  “loved ones” to  include the pets we loved and who loved us so unconditionally in life. I have always maintained that in all probability, a living, loving creature with strong emotions has  a  soul. I can’t prove that, of course, but  neither can  I ,prove that you and I have souls . I simply chose to believe we have -  it is an act of faith. 

       But allow me to share my own personal encounter with a ghost dog:

       When my dog Jay-Ar was taken to the pet clinic, the attending veterinarian called me in my office to explain its affliction. Doctor M  also expressed his satisfaction with the affection and concern Yaya Nelly gave the ailing animal.

       “If everybody who came to my clinic knew the history of their animals like your maid did , my job as vet would be so much easier. Bilib ako talaga sa katulong mo. Parang tao ang tingin niya sa kanyang alaga. Ang suerte ni Jay-Ar.”

       This did not surprise me.  My servant knew that in my home, pets are treated like people. And even a newly hired maid would, in time,  begin to develop an affection for the animals when she sees the care her employers give them.

       One day, a strange thing happened. Nelly told me over merienda that she saw a strange dog sitting outside my closed bedroom. It was facing the door with its head gently moving from side to side as though waiting for someone to let it in. When the dog saw Nelly, it began to wag its tail.

       “ Inday, “ my maid of twenty years  excitedly reported to me. “ For a while I thought a stray had wandered into our house. But it was such a friendly dog and it acted as though it knew me. So, I assumed that perhaps it belonged to our next door neighbor but just as I was about to make a call, the dog simply disappeared. Nakakagulat, tumayo ang balahibo ko! (it was so startling. I had goose pimples.) I looked all over the place for it. I wondered how it could have possibly gotten in or out of our house with all our doors closed and the garden gate, too. And its rather strange that the rest of the animals did not notice its presence.”

       This alarmed me. That dog could have easily been a prowler. Our subdivision had its share of well-publicized burglaries. If a dog could easily come in and out of our house, a stranger could.

       “ Of course, that was no strange dog,” I snapped impatiently. “You must have mistaken one of our dogs for a stray. Next time be very sure you do not leave any door unlocked.”

       “It was not one of our dogs,” my maid insisted.  “And besides this one was a large spotted dog with one black ear. It had such round, gentle eyes and I could swear it was smiling at me. And you know what, I have this strong feeling it was waiting for you to come out of your bedroom.”

       Nelly had been with me for two decades and I knew she could be very stubborn at times, specially when she knew she was right. This loyal servant, was a hardworking, no nonsense type of person who has earned the respect of my family and so I decided to control my annoyance.

       The description, however, opened a wound in my heart I thought had healed a long time ago. It reminded me of a beloved pet I lost in the early seventies.

      SUDDENLY, she was very much alive in my mind. Cling-cling (short for Cleopatra) was a female terrier my father had given me for my 30^th birthday. I did not have a chance to go home to Iloilo to get the female pup and so, after a long delay of eight months, my mother decided to bring the  dog to me herself. My family and I were living in Cebu City at that time ; my husband’s first provincial assignment out of Manila.

       My concern about Cling-cling not being able to adjust to me and my young family was unfounded. It was love at first sight for the dog. It rushed to lick my hands, its tail wagging and its entire body swaying as it whimpered in pleasure. I was astonished! My father was so happy over the developments and laughingly told me over the phone…”I had brainwashed that dog that she is your dog, yours and yours alone.  A gift from mama and me.”  

       No dog had ever been that devoted to me. She would run around in circles with barks of welcome when I came home and she would follow me all over the house like my shadow. She was happiest when I allowed her to come inside our master’s bedroom where she would lie patiently in one corner keeping an eye on me, her eyes shining with overflowing canine affection.

       Her overwhelming devotion was touching and it set me wondering if there was truth in the reincarnation theory that a human spirit can enter an animal’s body. Who’s loving spirit was in my dog’s body? Was it someone I had known in another life?

       For two years Cling-Cling led a happy, contented life in our rented home with its sprawling yard and fruit trees just behind the perimeter wall of Cebu Country Club. When my husband was reassigned to Davao City, I brought along my dog despite difficulties. Cling-cling suffered injuries from that boat trip when her dog cage fell off a precarious perch while being unloaded from the ship.

      After almost four years in Davao City, my husband was once again reassigned. But the memory of that accident made me hesitant to bring my now aging dog with me. I couldn’t decide whether to leave her with a cousin who was also a dog lover or risk another boat misadventure.

       I finally decided to bring her along. I was afraid the separation would break the dog’s heart. And so, the plan was for my family to go ahead by plane and Cling-cling together with another pet would follow by boat along with the crates carrying our personal effects. This was the way it went on the previous trip.

       Before I left for the airport, I checked her cage personally to ensure it was securely locked and of course to assure her everything would be okay this time.

      “ I’ll see you in Bacolod City after a few days, Cling,” I told her as I scratched her ears and played with her cold, black nose. She seemed to understand as she sadly licked my hand, her eyes pleading and sorrowful. When she saw me board the waiting cab, she began to howl – a long, mournful wail that was like a dirge.

       The sorrowful cry from my beloved pet would re-echo in my mind for many years. You see, my dog never made it to Bacolod City. That night, when my silly maid who was left behind to sail with the dogs opened the cage to feed her, the agitated dog bolted out of her cage and was lost forever. She might have tried to follow my cab and lost her way, who knows?

       For many years, I refused to have another dog in the house - until Jay-Ar came along. And for a long, long time I would dream of Cling-Cling patiently waiting for me to come out of my bedroom so she may share my merienda hours with me. The early afternoons had always been her favorite time of day because she had me all to herself. With the morning chores over and the fetching of the kids from school still a few hours away, I would leisurely take my afternoon snacks with my dog. How she loved hot pan de sal dipped in cocoa.

       That evening, as I was watching tv, I imagined a wet, cold nose nudge my hand that was dangling from the side of my bed. I bolted straight up, startled. I don’t know what made me run to Jay-Ars cage! He was dead but his body was still warm. He died from heart worms which he got from mosquito bites.

       After we buried Jay-Ar,  it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps Cling-cling knowing I would be in pain again came to comfort me, or perhaps warn me of my impending loss? And was it Jay-Ar this time who nudged me to announce his death  and say goodbye?

        I would never know for sure, would I?