The Story of My Grandpa’s Loyal Dog and Best Friend
The last time I was in Bohol was in March of 2003. I stayed in my grandfathers’ house for more than two months. My grandpa was then 85 and was suffering from diabetes. It was during this time that I observed the unusual friendship that developed between him and an aunts’ dog named “Marcos”. He mistakenly referred to Marcos as “Brownie” because of the color of its’ fur.
Because of the diabetes, my grandpa often lost his appetite, he made it a point to feed his leftovers to the dog. My aunt had a number of dogs, but grandpa favored Brownie. I often saw my grandpa in his favorite chair with Brownie lying at his feet. To me, Brownie was only a dog, and a common one at that.
It was in my return that I learned of how deep this friendship meant. My aunt told me that the day my grandpa died, they were awakened by Brownie. Brownie was clawing and barking outside their door. It was then that a relative came running to tell them that there was something wrong with my grandpa. They went to his house and found him lifeless. A cousin did everything to resuscitate him but he was already dead. He died from a heart attack, a complication of his disease.
During his entire wake, Brownie stayed beside his coffin. Because of visitors, relatives would often scold him to leave but he always returned and lay near the coffin. The funeral procession involved walking from grandpas’ house to the church. Brownie followed and circled the hearse as it made its way to the church. In the church he stayed beside the coffin as mass was celebrated. After the mass we boarded rented busses to go to the cemetery. Brownie climbed onboard our bus as if knowing where we would go.
The conductor wondered what this dog was doing in his bus, I told him that he was with us. When we reached the cemetery he climbed out and again went beside the coffin. I lost sight of him when I boarded the last bus after the ceremony. I was surprised when I saw him back at the house eating hungrily. Relatives were amazed and kept talking amongst themselves about the extraordinary behavior Brownie exhibited. As if Brownie knew that it was the last time he would see my grandpa and he was being taken to his final resting place.
The last I saw of Brownie was when I prepared to leave for my flight back home. He was coiled up and lying at the foot of grandpas’ chair. I might be mistaken, but I saw sadness in his eyes. Others may argue that what Brownie showed was just animal instinct and not real emotion. It does not really matter. For me, he was a true and loyal friend.
