"Nothing can compare to the unconditional love and service that your dog gives you....when you sleep at night, he's guarding you." These are the words that the vet told us last Friday when we took Piolo to the clinic for treatment. We told him that we are prepared for the worse and asked him if Piolo will recover. He told us that only God can heal the sick because doctors are just instruments. We don't want to remember Piolo's ordeal so I won't describe his suffering. We want to remember his funny antics and the way he showed us that he loved us- his human family. Here are our fondest memories of Piolo da Pogi Dog: - When mom underwent surgery last 2005, my sister and I took turns in staying with mom in the hospital çoz we can't let Piolo be alone in the house for 24 hours. He patiently waited outside the door for our mom until she got back a few days later. And during that time our mom would tell me or my sister "How's Piolo?" He's like our youngest brother and our mom is his mom too. She's his big boss and we're just his human siblings. =) - When I went to Malaysia also in 2005, my mom was already undergoing chemotherapy. I call home everyday and my mom would let Piolo hear me through the phone's receiver. He's not barking but my mom said his tail was wagging and he's trying to put his head on the receiver whenever I call his name. And when I got back home, I gave him my hankie 'coz that's our routine every time I go back from work. He would toss the hankie in the air and wag his tail as if telling me to play catch the hankie with him. - He's a mixed breed or "askal" in Filipino term, but we were able to teach him how to sit. - He hates taking a bath. But when he does, right after bathing, he would roll on the sofa or on the bed çoz he hates being wet. - His favorite food: Spaghetti - His pet peeve: letting someone scratch his back [near the butt area, =D ] - He hates it when the LPG tank, water container and laundry bag are taken out and back. Maybe he was thinking "why are our stuff being taken away???" =) - He used to take a plastic bag of veggies or few grocery items from my mom whenever she gets back from the market. She'll tell him "Piolo, come and help me with the veggies/grocery." And he'd run outside, take the plastic bag from mom and go back inside the house with it. He'd take the plastic bag and play with it, and all the veggies or canned goods would roll on the floor. =D