Phi Phi and Crocker. Phi Phi came into my life unexpectedly; it has been six months since I called her my baby. From nursing her as a two-month-old puppy to a rambunctious young lady dog.
Crocker is an adopted dog. I wouldn’t say he was unwanted, but life happens and he had to be given away. He ended up with us. We call him, “Kuya” which means older brother, but more often than not he acts like he is the baby.
I have a partner. Yes, my dogs live with a gay couple.
. . .
We just had a storm; our old family house has once again been battered. It is the house my Mom called home. She passed away in 2021. My eldest sister decided to move back a month ago. She had it repaired and now she had to fix it again.
She was lucky that she didn’t need to be rescued. Others were not as lucky.
The storm has passed, and my family is safe.
Life happens.
. . .
My family
Saying ‘my family’ is new to me. I never thought I would have a family I can call my own.
Being a gay man, I was OK being the gay son, gay brother, gay uncle, and even a gay granduncle. Yes, I have four grand nephews and nieces.
But who knew that after mom died, I would meet someone — again.
And we would start a family with two dogs and if the doggie Universe believes I can handle another one, I’ll be happy to welcome a new dog by Christmas.
But building a family is never easy, as is being in a relationship.
It has been a year since we were together and we have been through rough patches along the way.
Phi Phi who had been sleeping with us saw it all. The good and the bad days.
And the nights when Dada B (me) sleeps in another room.
It is Phi Phi who binds us together. When Dada A says sorry, it is time for Dada B to give love another chance.
Love and sorry are two words that Phi Phi knows and Crocker had caught up with.
. . .
Cherish your dog
Today, my partner left to visit his mom, and lately, he has been sharing videos, and stories about dogs.
He shared a Facebook post that resonated with me that made me stop and reflect on my time as a fur parent.
Visit her social media accounts here.
. . .
Phi Phi sleeps on our bed. She still wakes me up at the most unholy hour to pee or poo or just to start her day.
My partner is an English professor, he leaves for the office at 8 am, and by 9 am Phi Phi would nudge me to go back to sleep, and I would stop whatever I am doing to do our favorite thing — siesta.
Recently I posted on Facebook, that I realized what our 9 am siesta time is really all about. Phi Phi can sleep anywhere as she is right now while I finish this story, sleeping under my desk.
Our 9 am siesta time is not really for her but she does it for me.
. . .
Final words
Cherish. I asked myself a few times if I’m a good parent to Phi Phi and Crocker, and I know there were days when I may have forgotten how much they helped me during my bad days — when I struggled with my mental health or the rigors of being alive.
And many times, I have said love and sorry to both Phi Phi and Crocker when I feel I fell short as a parent.
During the storm, it was Crocker who was more afraid of the winds, the sound of the rain, and the dark clouds that were visible from our home.
I had to reassure Crocker that he is Ok, that we will be Ok. Many times, Phi Phi would be jealous whenever I give Crocker my attention, but during the storm she was quiet.
We survived the storm, and we survived it as a family.
Thank you for reading.
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This post was previously published on Sweary Mommy.
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Photo credit: Napoleon