Jojo led me back home

“Everyone thinks they have the best dog in the world, and none of them are wrong.”

- Anonymous

I found this quote one day and like every other dog-related meme, it instantly put a smile to my face. Dogs are precious creatures and I’ve had more chances than I can remember when I had the opportunity to keep them as my pet.

Jojo is unique in his own way. His story is definitely worth sharing and I'm putting them into words because then they would be immortalised. Furever (pun intended).

A new family member

Jojo came to us as a little brown puppy and if memory recalls, I’ve always been cuddling him to sleep. I would place him on top of my chest as I lay down and he would make the cutest facial expressions ever.

I remember his soft brown fur that always felt like cotton, and because he was so small, I would always bring him around wherever and then we’d retreat back to my room to rest. He was the sweetest boy ever.

He quickly grew larger and larger and that would only have meant he was going to have to stay outside. My dad is a strict man when it comes to doggos, so Jojo had to relocate to the car porch. It’s pretty spacious but since Malaysia is a humid country, it’s always hot and it couldn’t have been the best choice for him back then. But we agreed in order to still keep him.

As he got used to his new home, boy was he a mischievous little guy! He would always escape from our gate as frequent as he can, only to come back few hours later (possibly after marking his territory around the whole neighbourhood!). We had to modify the latch multiple times – eventually resorting to have it at the very top of the gate – so he wouldn’t reach and escape once more.

He always had the best tricks up his fur-sleeve so we couldn’t catch him back even if we wanted to. My neighbours are fussy people when it comes to animals and I’ve had numerous complaints, so it was always a better idea to get him back home before more troubles ensue.

Until one day he couldn’t have gotten back.

Lost but found again

There was a period of time when we neglected him for a while, many possible reasons that I regret to this day. It was during this time that my brother sent Jojo to a shelter for good. I was at school and I remember I got back crying because he was nowhere to be seen.

I eventually found out and made the trip to the shelter to retrieve him back, and I still could recall bawling all over when he recognised my voice and was barking at me, as though to say, “human, you’re back!”

Jojo seemed to instantly sprung back from sadness because I was there! I was there to rescue him! The man who helped at the shelter told me that I would need to take better care of my dog if I were to get him back, and that walks should be required twice a day from that day onwards. I agreed. I would do anything to get Jojo back.

We had fun again. Lots of fun. He was still the same dog that tried his very best to escape whenever he can, and the dog that always gets overly excited when I bring out the leash. My Jojo was back in my arms and I couldn’t be happier. I had vowed to protect him at whatever cost and make it up to him for the hurt we’ve caused, since the day I brought him back from the shelter.

Fun fact: he also liked scratching his bottom with the back of my mum’s car! All the while staring at me happily as he does that! :D

I’ve never seen such a happy and positive dog who just – for a brief moment – had his future undetermined in the shelter, came back as strong as ever. Always smiling, always active.

Sometimes he may get aggressive though, and pee on one’s shoes if he doesn’t like that person. He did that once to my dad’s shoes because my dad had grown to mistreat him at times, but in my eyes, he will always be the sweetest boy. My sweet Jojo.

There was even another time when we also decided to give Jojo away to my godfather for good (again). This was because my dad had been continuously mistreating him, which caused some tense situations in the family, so we had no choice but to do so. But this doggo decided to run back to my house - from somewhere he's never been, all the way back to my porch.

That's when we decided to never leave him again. To not hurt him again.

The journey back to Earth

A few years ago, his health started deteriorating. He was still very active but frequent visits to the vet and more medication were starting to take a toll on him. He had been sleeping far more often too.

At this point, it was always a challenge feeding the glucosamine tablet to him because I would crush them into tiny pieces together with a piece of bread, so he wouldn’t realise and be picky about it. Before that, you could imagine how he would always lick the tablet out and just eat the bread instead!

He was still so naughty yet ever so sweet, my dear boy.

Not long after, his legs would start to be weak and he would be limping. And then it faded away. Until there was a lump that started growing at the side of his anus. It wasn’t huge back then, and I didn’t give it much thought other than the usual daily routines we had.

We had walks every day, unless I was busy with my school work, our walks have always been filled with fun and friction (‘cause he always walked me instead!).

The lump soon started growing larger in size, almost the size of a 50 cent Malaysian coin (which would be almost the size of a nickel) and it got more worrying. We found out that it was a tumour and our hearts just immediately sank from then on. But you know who was still so optimistic about it all? Jojo.

Even though he had days where he would look like he is contemplating about life, he still looks as active as ever. Ever smiling.

When it got really serious, we had to make a decision. Actually, I had to make that decision, because I am the sole caretaker of him. It was the decision to euthanise him because there were already a few worms (or possibly maggots) running in and out of his left paw.

There was already a hole visible, and it seemed like there was nothing that can be done except to resort to euthanasia. After thinking long and hard about it, I decided to go with the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.

The day came and I could still remember everything as clear as day. My godfather was there with me, my mum and so was my sister. I bathed Jojo because we wanted to “send” him off in a clean state, so he could at least feel more comfortable.

I fed him a bao (a Chinese bun) as well. He had not been in good shape the last couple of days and he didn’t have much appetite, but he ate that day. He ate to his heart’s content.

When the vet made the injection, Jojo was so strong. Not only did he not move at all, he didn’t even make any sounds that would indicate his uneasiness. He was so, so strong through it all.

And then as he rested on my arms and closed his eyes, my heart became heavier too. I didn’t want to let him go. But I had to. He was finally free from those maggots. He was finally going to dog heaven.

Jojo was and still holds a special place in my heart (alongside all the other dogs I have had). But what made him my bestest friend, was that he showed me optimism and love always. He had gone through so much in his (at least) 17 years of his life, but yet holds a smile all the time.

He was my hero, and he always will be the one who brought me back to my journey of empathy again. Jojo brought me back home. He taught me unconditional love and what it means to live in the moment, even if that was your last.

My next path

I’ve always been feeding stray dogs/street dogs/mutts every now and then. But ever since I’ve had Jojo, my eventual love for feeding them became stronger. All lives matter, and that includes the dogs who may not be a pure bred too.

Jojo has been gone for more than 2 years now. But what changed me after his death was to feed as many strays as I possibly can. Here are some doggos I’ve found along the way who always manage to put a smile on my face:

I vow to continue feeding them, as I would eventually want to open up my very own shelter in the future. He would have loved that. Because Jojo taught me to love all kinds of dogs too. I will adopt and foster and help as many dogs when I can, because I can.

You led me back home, Jojo. I feel at home because of you.

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I hope I did you justice through these words, Jojo. I love you forever and until we meet again, hopefully at the rainbow bridge. I still keep the gates opened so that your soul can come back at any time, this time without having to find ways to escape from.

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Thank you for reading. To read more of my work, you may click here. You can also follow my stray feeding journey on Instagram @ifdoggoscouldspeak, and myself @sookiedayo :)