Yesterday we took Ah Boy for his usual walk in the park.
While I indulged in my other current favourite activity-- prawning, Friend (the 28-year old Mr Lin) decided to take Boy with him to get drinks for both of us. As Boy neared an elderly man who was sitting quietly under one of the trees minding his own business, Ah Boy suddenly got excited, frantic tail- wagging and all, and jumping happily at the sight of this solemn uncle, like he had met an old kaki. Friend had to pull Boy back when Uncle was oblivious to Boy's excitment.
Friend came running back to recount to me the unexpected behaviour and I just brushed it as a case of mistaken identity.
You see, Boy, given his once-captured-stray-status has been a very "cool" dog, i.e. not very sociable. For what he has gone through (you should have seen how battered he was when we found him in AVA), he has been very selective and definitley not one who warms up to strangers, unlike some home-bred dogs that I know. His exceptional behaviour got the better of Friend who decided to investigate further.
So Friend wanted to walk Boy again in Uncle's direction, but strangely, this time Boy resisted, so Friend went over on his own.
When Friend asked Uncle if he knew Ah Boy, Uncle's immediately counter-question was "Where you found this dog? East Coast?" Bingo; Friend waited with abated breath for Uncle's further revelation.
Uncle said he had once worked in a sailing club at East Coast and there they kept several dogs to look after the place. He couldn't recall all of them but was certain Boy was one of them, that came in a litter of 3. When the particular sailing club closed down (to make way for another development) 3 years ago, with the exception of 1 being brought to "Noah's Arch" (a pet shelter), the rest, he believed became unfortunate strays.
The story brought tears to me and Friend, not so much of the sad history of Ah Boy (of course that too), but more so how Boy remembered Uncle after 3 longs years of separation! And just like a little human, now I understood why Ah Boy had resisted walking towards the direction of Uncle the second time, I think he was disapponted that Uncle showed no sign of recognising him ....After telling the story, Uncle rode away in his bicycle in another direction.....
Lord, that really broke my heart! I leaned over to kiss Boy on his head and told him "You are not going anywhere, you will always be OUR dog!"
5 comments:
Alamak, uncle didn't even want to pat ah boy ah?
i share vb's surprise that uncle not want to even pat ah boy. like he never liked the dog or what.
your story reminds me of an old SPCA ad. it showed a cute-dumb puppy looking at you with adoring eyes. the slogan accompanying the ad read "to you, he's just a dog. to him, you are the world"
yup, you guys are ah boy's whold world.
VB, SL-- Ya, so sad...now i know why uncle didn't want to acknowledge ah boy. I asked friend the same question and friend's replied that's because uncle is the one who "abandoned" the dogs. He mentioned he left some in pasir ris and some in marine parade! Wail!
Ah Boy is so human like! wow!
EDPJ- if only he can talk!
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