My Dog, Simon

I named him Simon after Simon in the movie, “Alvin and the Chipmunks”. Theodore was the first choice but he didn’t seem to like it. When I tried Simon, he turned on my direction, looked at me with his soulful brown eyes and wriggled delightfully. And Simon it is.

He’s only less than a month old when he was given to me. He was born just last December 2009. Based on my research, he looks like a terrier, but of a mix breed.

He’s first favorite food was mashed potato with milk for breakfast.  Today, he has a variety of dishes he would savor with gusto until his belly is full.  Then he would climb up on his soft cushion to sleep.  When he awakens, he would look around and when he sees one of us, he would run after us, sits, and tilts his tiny head up to look at you in the eye. He seems happy and contented just to lie down close or make your feet his pillow.

Some urgent and pressing family matters came up, so one day we decided to give him to our next door neighbor who’s been talking about adopting a dog. So against our wishes we reluctantly handed him to them with some sleeping and eating guidelines. I went to bed that night thinking about Simon for him to come back home.

In the wee hours of the morning, I heard a soft, persistent barking of a puppy in distress. It’s Simon, and I thought to myself, maybe he’s hungry or still not used to his new surroundings.  At around nine, I could still hear him whimpering; only now the cry seems kind of hoarse and pitiful. So I told my son, I would go and check on Simon and see if he’s all right. 

While walking on the sidewalk, I heard the soft whimpering again. As I reached my neighbor’s house, I saw a milk box where I presumed they placed Simon to sleep on. I saw no movement in there but I heard again the low whining sound.  Someone came out and told me Simon was missing.  So, I immediately went back to the exact spot where I heard the cry. It was coming from the water drainage, wherein the cover was broken with a little hole fit for someone like Simon’s size to fell in.  It appeared that poor little Simon squeezed himself under our neighbor’s steel gate, followed my scent and tried to come home.

When I called his name, he wailed in response.  So, the rescue was done, it was indeed our beloved Simon, wet and shivering from cold. It was fortunate that the water level was very low, reaching only up to his tiny thighs. We were then told by our neighbor that we could keep Simon for now and that they could have him back when he’s a bit older.

So we took him back with us and we immediately prepared some warm water and bathed him thoroughly.  Then he was fed until he’s fully satisfied. Shortly after the hearty meal, he fell into a deep sleep, lying on his side. And would you believe, with his mouth open.  We were alarmed at first because we thought he was dead. Then, we sighed with relief when we noticed his belly moving rhythmically as he breath. Poor dear, he was just so tired and exhausted after the traumatic ordeal. He’s now taking some antibiotics and vitamins to fight off colds and infections.

It’s good to see he’s back on his feet again, boisterous and happy to be home. I was wondering if we will have the heart to give him up again when the time comes. Maybe not.