EULOGY TO DEAREST GOOFY….(1995-2009)

Goofy is a white Shih Tzu…named after the Walt Disney character because of his good sense of humour. He was at his worse an intelligent dog who would not allow you to outwit him. You shut the front door and he would make a dash through the side exit to get to the car porch. His appetite for food and his happy disposition undoubtedly won the hearts of all family members. He was very territorial and would not hesitate to mark the flower pots and car rims with his water trademark each time he lifted his hind legs, but otherwise he was well housetrained.

Since a pup, he was a bundle of joy for everyone at home. My son Felix bought him from a local farm. Goofy refused to sleep alone and on his first night with us, he whined until we took him upstairs to sleep in the bedroom. Since then our bedrooms were as much his as everyone else at home, much to the horror of our family doctor. He fathered a son when a female Maltese, Snowy, was brought home from Australia. Richie today is a seven-year-old bundle of joy like the father.

The three dogs would do all their antics together. They would charge to the gate and bark as musicians would synchronize harmoniously in a symphony, jumped into the car and wrestle for the window seats, or stand astride in a row when taking their meals from the bowls. The three white dogs…so some neighbours called them.

Goofy was always protective of his son. He would bark, as if to scold his son if he felt there was any transgression. At times he would playfully wrestle with his son, pushing and shoving each other before rolling on the floor, while two rolling white towels.

Over the past year, Goofy began to slow down. He was eating less. He lost weight. He couldn’t run as fast nor bark as loud. He would amber up the stairs and insisted that he be carried downstairs every morning, which was an additional chore for the maid, who cared for him affectionately.

On the rare occasions that he was temperamental, he would give a short snap but caused no damage or hurt to anyone. His latter years were also marred by an ear infection which was easily resolved with some cream and daily cleaning.

Friday March 6, Goofy he was nauseas but didn’t vomit. A visit to the vet on Saturday resulted in him being put on the drip. He began to limp and was lethargic. Sunday March 8 he was rushed to the veterinary hospital for an X-ray as his condition deteriorated. He pulled through and we took him home.

His faithfulness to our family saw him struggling to cling on to life till Wednesday March 11, when my son Felix flew back from Hongkong to spend the whole day by his side. A last family portrait of my wife Margaret, Felix and I, was taken with Goofy, Snowy and Richie. Even in his last months, he kept looking for his son, who would come by to lick his face and sniff him.

Goofy retired for the evening around 11pm together with his family for one last time that evening. He passed away in the wee hours, possibly around 5.30-5.40am March 12 [perhaps coincidentally it was the time when my wrist watch stopped], with his head transfixed at the spot where his son was asleep. His body was still warm when I touched him at 6.30am. In many ways, he looked the stately gentleman that he was even in his passing, with his front legs crossed and his hind legs together.

We will cherish the many happy moments together, when we went for strolls along the waterfront and the car rides…and how proudly he would bark at the other dogs in the neighbourhood as if to tell the others he was going out for an evening drive.

All’s that is left is for us to remember the lines in CATS the Musical:

Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again

Pets...and their bonds with humans

I have three pet toy dogs at home, but my first pet was Fred who was given to my family when he was about three years old. He was a Shih Tzu, squat and with whitish brown fur. Because he was not properly brought up, he was rather temperamental and would snap at anyone who approached him from the front to pat his head. But other than that, and besides an occasional growling, he was a delightful chap who would run a good run up and down the garden. He would consume all his energy chasing after a ball up and down the lawn and end up panting for dear life after that. One day his health began to deteriorate because of old age and the vet said he needed an operation to remove a cancerous growth in his abdomen. Dutifully we put Fred on the operating table. He recovered somewhat, albeit for only another six months or so. This time he suffered from am inability to urinate and his kidneys were failing. Eventually the fateful decision had to be made for Fred to take one last look at all of us, and with a few faint breaths he was put to sleep by the vet to relieve him of all his sufferings. For more than a year, we didn't buy any new pets in deference to Fred.

Now once again I have to go through the stress and trauma of coping with Goofy, who is almost 16 years old, and is suffering from failure of his liver, heart and kidney. From a bouncing Shih Tzu, he became a bony, subdued dog, who is now unable to take but a few strides before he collapses onto the ground. He hardly eats and has to be forced feed with water to keep him going. The doctors couldn't do much except to try and give him a quality life as he inches towards the certainty in the circle of life. Goofy is yet another family pet, lovable and adorable. He is clever and is the only dog who uses his paws to scratch on the door if he wants you to let him into the room. He supervises his son, Ritchie, like a good father and would be the first on the car porch if he sees his son rushing to the main gate. His wife Snowy would stand idly by as she watches him discipline his son. Goofy is a father who dotes on his son. He would gladly give way to Ritchie when he takes his meals. Now Goofy is but a helpless father as his son comes and kisses him by licking his face. I can only do my best to prolong the days for Goofy and pray that he would be able to move on without more pain or suffering to the next world. Whatever...the passage of time will not erase the fond memories of Fred and Goofy.