It’s a wonderful idea actually, to photograph from Zune’s perspective.

If only Zune were still around.

Perhaps it is time I wrote about it. It’s been three months after all. Three months since Zune left to live with another family. It was really painful but we had to give him up. He’s been getting more aggressive and we just didn’t know how to handle him anymore. He bit AJ on Christmas Eve, while we were handing out presents. Before New Year, he also bit my sister-in-law. Both happened pretty quickly, and unexpectedly. At both times, the humans were stepping over Zune so as not to step ON him. Unprovoked, and unexpected.

He was probably quite anxious that night before Christmas. He didn’t understand why AJ kept coming and going (he was my little elf delivering presents from under the Christmas tree), and he was excited on the afternoon he bit Diane because of little Amir being around. So yes, he had his reasons. But it was still unacceptable. Specially since these weren’t the first incidents of biting. Cute and loving as he is, our Zune can be really feisty when stressed/anxious.

But with Amir coming here every weekend, and already learning to walk on his own, it would be dangerous to have both babies in the house. Putting him in a kennel wasn’t an option, it stresses him even more and might lead to more aggression. We’ve tried a lot of tricks, and given him a lot of understanding and affection. We finally owned up that we probably weren’t the kind of humans he deserved.

So on New Year’s Day, Alfred called his cousin to pick up Zune. They took him and now he has a loving home with Gaiety and her family. We still hear about him, and his new mommy has posted a few photos. But we haven’t seen him since. I didn’t even really say goodbye to him, didn’t see him off. Alfred brought him and his stuff out of the house, and he was gone.

We want to visit him, but that might just confuse him. We didn’t want to mess up how adjusted he already is in his new home. Took him a few days, but he eventually warmed up to his new family. I am sure he is well and getting lots of love.

I didn’t cry that day, because I knew it was best. It could be worst right? But the next day I read a Facebook post from my Mom about him leaving, and it really broke my heart.

I’d always known that both my parents loved that dog very very much. In truth, they took care of him better than I ever did. He was the bunso. Whenever they had out of town trips, Zune would miss them and be so happy when they arrived.

I guess that was part of the problem. We babied him too much and didn’t always treat him like a dog. But we all cared for him the best way we could.

Alfred was hardest hit. He was never around when Zune bit somebody, so he always laid the blame on me. Why did I bring him down? We should have let him know who was boss. He’d make all sorts of excuses for Zune. He would get upset at talk of sending him away. Until he heard it straight from my Dad that it was best to give him up. Eventually, he accepted it too. Even when my brother cozied up to the idea of taking Zune back and just putting him in a kennel whenever Amir was home, he said no. He didn’t think we should bring Zune back home anymore – he already was home.

We had Zune for 4 years. Do we miss him? We sure do.

I would sleep on the couch and drop my arm by the side, expecting to touch his long hair as he took his 2nd favorite sleeping position: he’s head on my slippers right next to me (or whoever was on the sofa). His first favorite? His head on my shoes/slippers on the first step of our stairs to the 2nd floor.

The first weekend Amir was home, I think he was looking for Zune. He kept peeking over the back and side of the sofa where he used to find Zune guarding him. When you said dog or called Zune, he would look, but find nothing. I wouldn’t say he got sad though, he just didn’t see what he expected to see.

Yesterday we had McDonald’s delivery for the first time this year. I had fries. French Fries from McDo were Zune’s favorite treat. When the delivery guy arrives, he’s at the door and he just knows that there’s French Fries. He would wait for what he sure was coming. As we settle down to eat, he would settle down too. None of that yesterday. I felt that memory hanging in the air but neither I nor Alfred brought it up. It was best left unremembered. But remember it I did.

This evening I met up with friends and they asked about my dog. And then we talked about the Dog Whisperer. Alfred talks about that show a lot. He’s realized a lot about being a better dog owner. A more responsible one. He’s realized too what we didn’t do right, how we could have done a better job training Zune. When we got him we thought we were read. As it turns out, we weren’t. And 4 years with him weren’t enough to give us all the knowledge we needed to be good humans for dogs to live with.

Again, Zune is probably happy now. He has a loving family who understands his past and is patient enough to give him the time and maybe the training he needs. I always pray that he behaves well and doesn’t end up biting anyone. That he eats well and sleeps well.

Thank you Zune, for all the happiness you brought us, and the love you gave us. We miss you!

But now, I may actually have a chance at owning one! If a Coach bag finds its way to my arms, it will be through this $300 Worth Brand New COACH Satchel Bag Contest!

Take a closer look at the bag here. As soon as I read about the giveaway, my heart pounded and I was excited! Sorry, I totally forgot from whose blog I learned of this yesterday. So sorry to deprive you, wonderful blogger, of the chance to get more points through this referral.

This the first ever contest being hosted at Mom Conversations, and so it deserves our support The rules to enter are very simple and you can find them in the giveaway post. Check it out, and if you do decide to join in, don’t forget that Verabear referred you!

I can feel it, I will win this bag. It is already mine! Lol I know I’ve said time and again that I have no luck in raffle draws, but maybe this time will be different. I will win this bag!

Thank you in advance to the amazing giveaway sponsors, I shall review your blogs in a few days

Main Sponsors

College Grants for Women : Fun Family Vacations : Pontoon Boat Cover : Baby Shower Theme Idea

Level 1 Sponsors

Beauty Tips and Tricks : Get Smart Blog : Practical Beauty Tips : Spices of Life : Review My Opinions : New Haircuts and Hairstyles : Fabulously Frugal : Weight Loss the Healthy Way

Meanwhile, I’m off to wring out the rugs which have accumulated dust and doggie hair. Snow Pea was here visiting Zune (and no one knows when or how he got in) when we arrived home, and well, they’ve made a mess of things. It reminds me of what my brother told me the other day about an officemate who lives in a condo with his small dog. He asked him about the dog being left alone, where does he pee? Well he’s smart, the owner says, he pees only on the piece of newspaper laid out for him. For our Zune, he normally pees outside, but not always in just one spot. And sometimes, the area reeks of dog pee (not all the time, and it isn’t really awful. No, I’m not just saying that because I’m used to it). The brother tried the newspaper trick with Zune yesterday and it seemed to have worked.

But today, upon arriving home, I found pee all over the place. Haha. Tomorrow’s a new day and another chance to try.

This week’s judge is young pet photographer Emilee Fuss. I checked out her blog and saw one of her shoots with a dog on the beach. I wondered, with all of Zune’s hair, wouldn’t it be a nightmare to wash out all of the sand from his coat? And would Zune actually run to the water? I have my doubts. Hehe.

But dogs are supposed to love swimming in the water. I just don’t know about our dogs here, they’re not happy taking a bath you see! If we had our very own pool maybe they’d have been more exposed to having so much fun in the water. Wait! Esban did have a swimming pool! It wasn’t one that required pool pumps though, just a simple inflatable kiddie pool. And no, the kids didn’t welcome the idea of sharing the small pool with our furry friends. Haha.

Anyhoo, be sure to check out Snow Peas photo at The {Newbie} Photographer. I also wrote something for Between the Covers. See you there

Today, we took him to Petshoppers’ Haven, a pet shop in front of my highschool alma mater St. Joseph’s College along E. Rodriguez. We’ve been buying pet food and other supplies from there since they opened, but for vet and grooming services we used to take Zune somewhere else. Today’s visit has completely convinced us that the folks at Petshoppers Haven are the best ones to groom our Zune baby. They are very nice and they treated him well. They were also very thorough. Zune’s had puppy cuts before but this time they cut super close to the skin. That’s good because it allows Zune to be cooler this summer. Besides, his skin has been dry lately and they gave us plenty of tips to get him back in shape.

Here’s how he looks now:

You only see his head here so I don’t know if you’ve noticed: he’s lost weight. He is so skinny! Because of the heat, he hasn’t had much of an appetite on some days. Good thing is that we see him eating better already. The parasites have also probably caused damage. Oh he’s healthy and strong and makulit, but he definitely looks tiny now. He looks like he took slimquick extreme to lose weight! I hate it, how come he can drop the pounds so quickly while I can’t? I’ve passed by the health kiosk and all I see are slimming supplements like the slimquick and the cookie diet. They are mocking me! Haha.

Anyhoo. We picked up Heartguard and some supplements for better skin and coat, and an oatmeal shampoo for him too. We also decided to have his 5-in-1 yearly booster shot and the anti-rabies shot administered a month before he was due.  I was surprised that the cost of the makeover, the shots, and the goodies wasn’t as much as I thought it would be. Good service and fair prices. Nice.

So why do I still have colds? Good thing it’s not as bad as a week ago, but I still have it.  So tomorrow, I need to head back to the hospital for a pulmonary test – spirometric test?  Has my asthma recurred from my childhood? I hope not.  But what do colds have to do with asthma?

Anyway, remember how I was so disappointed about not having a camera with me to the hospital last week?  Well I had one with me yesterday, but I forgot all about it! Haha.  By the time I remembered, I was walking away from the hospital and I just didn’t see a good shot anymore.  

While I was waiting for my turn at the Medicard clinic, I overheard a couple arguing with the nurses/attendants.  The gist of it is that Medicard was no longer approving a set of treatments that the wife needed.  I’m not sure if it was because the policy didn’t cover it or because the card was good for only until noon of yesterday.  Anyway, they were there when I arrived, and they weren’t done when I finished.  I hope it turned out well for everyone, otherwise they need to review medical insurance quotes to find one that would better suit their need.

One thing that I truly appreciate about working at NCO is that not only am I covered with an excellent plan with a solid HMO, but I get to give one for my mom for free.  Seriously, my mom’s been enrolled as my dependent for the past three years and we didn’t have to pay for anything.  It’s a big help.  I know some employees who have families who also love this company benefit, because with us, you could enrol upto three dependents.  In other companies, like Alfred’s current one, he will have to pay for his dependents’ card if he has any.  His parents are beyond the covered age for dependents though so he didn’t really get to enjoy that benefit while he was with NCO.

On other work-related news… They announced this morning that they were opening another apprenticeship post for the Operations Manager position. There are currently three team managers who have been elevated to that position, but we apparently need one more.  I do not have any intention to be an OM, but when it was announced at the GA this morning, I must admit that it got me to thinking.  Though I’m not aspiring to be an actual OM, it may be a good experience to go through the apprenticeship.  It might just give me a glimpse of what is their to aspire for after all.  If I really don’t see myself as thriving in that position, I can always just not move up after the apprenticeship is over.  I’ll do my best to perform of course, but if I don’t see my happiness in that path, I could refuse the promotion if it is given to me (though I seriously doubt it would be, haha). 

We were given a few hours to think about it, and then let our OMs know.  I left the office without talking to them about it though.  I don’t want to go into anything half-baked.

It was Esban’s 7th birthday yesterday, and also her big sister Dalnes’ gradeschool graduation, so there was a big gathering here at dinnertime.  I have very few photos from last night, but I’d share them tomorrow probably.  I’m feeling sleepy already, and I’ve decided to listen to my body for a change.

I’d like to leave you with one photo though:

Photo was taken on Monday, as Zune and I were at the backseat of my brother’s car en route to the vet.  I didn’t want to hold him on my lap (as I usually do on car rides) because he still has poo particles on his hind side and I didn’t want them going on to kuya’s seats either.  So he had to get used to sitting on the floor.  He didn’t seem to mind though but you could see he was ready to jump out of the car when the door finally opened.  He was thrilled to jump back in too when we found out the vet was out on a house call.  

I remember a similar photo of our previous dog iPod.  That feisty dude, on the other hand, would still bark at whatever he sees through the window. So unlike my sweet little Zune here.

I was supposed to be in a meeting again today, the second meeting in preparation to the youth camp we’re having this weekend.  I had to skip that because I needed to take Zune to the vet this morning.  He had diarrhea all weekend, you see, and we just want to make sure he’s okay.  But when we got to the vet’s it was closed; the doctor was on a house call. 

After lunch, I was supposed to see my own doctor to follow up on my case.  I don’t think this one’s going to happen today though – I may not have enough time left in the afternoon.  I fell asleep you see. 

From the time we got back from the vet’s at around 1130am, until my brother got home from shopping at 230pm, I did nothing but sleep. Okay, I also tried to blog and I did successfully install McAfee on my PC.  But I was suddenly sleepy, which is a surprise because I had a long sleep last night.  I tried having ice cream to keep me awake, but it was of no help.  So… instead of heading to my doctor at 1pm so I could still have enough time to take Zune to the vet again, I’d have to choose one task.  So we’re going to see Zune’s doctor and maybe not mine.  

I haven’t even had lunch yet. Ugh.

You know how tool engineers use spring plungers so that tools or pieces of equipment would perform efficiently?  I sometimes wish I could something like that installed on my system so I’d get everything I want done right away! Hah!

We’ve been hearing about the new show (Bingo?) that’s coming soon, but I thought that DND surely will be back  in a few months.  But as today’s show progresses, it looks like they won’t.  The other Kapamilya game show hosts are today’s contestants – Game Ka Na Ba’s Edu Manzano, and the Singing Bee’s Cesar Montano.  They’re playing for a community of aetas in Tarlac, who were affected by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption that happened a decade ago, but continues to cause challenges for so many families and communities.

Anyway…

There was a fire drill at ABS-CBN this morning, and well, Mother Ignacia was blocked off because there really were fire trucks (or maybe just one) for the drill.  My dad was picking me up and I had to meet him at the ELJ drive entrance instead.  Received a message from one of my agents saying he’s stranded outside the building until the fire drill is finished. Ugh. Had to call Workforce to let them know. 

When I finally got home, I realized that not only was Inday here for ironing day, there was Milo and his crew outside working on the roofing for our back porch.  I had anticipated some noise that will keep me up, but surprisingly, I fell asleep again on the couch without any effort. Another welcome surprise is that it wasn’t so hot this afternoon, definitely due to the rainshowers. 

We’ve had roofing installed on our doorstep and over the steps leading up to it, and then at our porch.  But after all these improvements we’ve not thought to finally put railings on the stairs. I guess it’s not that important now since mom’s potter plants serve to block any of the kids from getting too close to the edge.  Good thing I was blogging this because I just remembered that we’ve been meaning to have Zune’s fence properly made.  I’ve just asked dad now to ask Milo tomorrow how much it would cost to include fence installation this week.  Maybe we can finally give the makeshift fence some rest after two  years of service.  Besides, it’s high time we get something that people can open and shut conveniently when they need to pass, rather than step over like we do now. Haha.

I was at a leadership training all day at work, and I didn’t expect to, but I totally appreciated the theme of that particular training program.  If things like these are made available to more employees, NCO will really be loved better by it’s people. All day I was thinking about how I was going to blog about the experience, but too bad I didn’t take note of my thoughts and now I just can’t remember what they were! Haha.

Oh I did take a photo of my name tent. One thing that NCO invests in is an ongoing learning and development program for it’s managers and employees.  I’ve attended a lot of these trainings and everytime, without fail, we are asked to make name tents.  It’s become a tradition that starts from Accent/Foundation training.  I would write my name in so many different names, and include doodles. Today though, just a simple smiley was enough.

Mom is home from her work trip in Hong Kong.  But you know what?  I was more excited about having the camera back than the shirts she bought for us. LOL!