Our story began on a sunny April morning back in 2007 when I welcomed this sweet, lovable and sleepy puppy home. I named him Hunter after a favorite WWE Superstar, Triple H (aka Hunter Hearst Helmsley). Yes, WWE is a guilty pleasure of mine…do not judge. Anyway, he just looked like a Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The same golden hair and aristocratic air. His puppy antics made me laugh. His inquisitive
nature and quick brain inspired me to study dog training and dog behavior. His comforting warmth and gentle snores as he slept at my feet while I worked brought me peace. His sheer terror during thunderstorms and at fireworks worried me. His ability to overcome challenges amazed me. His loyalty and unquestioning devotion humbled me. I thought our story would end on a dreary October morning of that same year when we received the diagnosis: Hunter had bilateral canine hip dysplasia. Such terrible news to hear about an 8-month old puppy just beginning his journey. I thought he was going to be a cripple for the rest of his life. However, with the guidance of his very capable vet, Dr. Pedrito Peralta, we were able to keep him mobile and pain-free through non-surgical management. We were able to continue and build on our story and filled it with lots of adventures in a span of a decade: we went on road trips, stayed in fancy hotels and resorts, camped out in the forest, hiked up a mountain, swam at many beaches, competed in sports events, won medals, performed on stage, raced in doggie marathons, got chased by goats, and best of all lazed around all day and veg’d out and cuddled on the sofa while watching TV. I knew this puppy was capable of so much more despite his disability. With the help of our training mentors at BetterDog, we were able to bring out the very best version of him. Hunter became the first dog to pass both B.A. with Honors of the APDT Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) program back in 2013. He also became the first Trick Dog Champion from the Philippines as certified by Do More With Your Dog, the global sanctioning body for the sport of Dog Tricks in 2015. His fearlessness even earned him a Dock Diving trophy the first year it was introduced at the PetExpress Pawlympics. His 3-ft jump was good enough for gold that year. Because none of the other dogs jumped off that scary dock. With GUSTO. In 2013, we also fulfilled our dream of being able to share his special brand of loving when he was accepted into the Dr. Dog program of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society as an animal-assisted therapy partner. And, yes, the handsome boy even did some modelling jobs on the side, appearing in some TV commercials and billboards. His resume read better than most peoples’ did. As all good stories go, it does come to an end at some point. In our case, it came sooner than expected. Fate rudely took him from me on the first of August 2016. We were just having a fun day out when he suddenly collapsed: an undiagnosed tumor in his spleen ruptured. In a blink of an eye, my brilliant boy was gone. He was my heart dog and he took a big chunk of it with him when he left. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten. Never ever. But just like that, before I knew it, a new story has begun. New dogs have come into my life and their new stories are being written still. One of the biggest lessons a good dog like Hunter has taught me is that the heart has infinite capacity to expand and make room for loving new loves. Loving a heart dog and losing him does not mean that your heart dies. The heart just unfurls to make more room to embrace these new wonderful dogs to love. If not, I would have missed out on the stories that are now being written by India and Ryder. India is my little black firecracker of a cocker spaniel. She’s turning out to be an amazing little agility speedster and she’s a Trick Dog Champion in her own right. She has also continued the legacy of her Kuya Dr. Hunter by becoming a Dr. Dog as well. In our downtime, she’s the perfect companion: ever loyal, loves cuddles and play, but content to curl up at my feet if I’m busy working. Ryder is our resident goofy golden floofball. We are still exploring all the talents lurking under the golden fluff and we can’t wait to see them blossom in time. We will be patient. He’s a sweet and extremely affectionate (and needy) boy who thrives on attention, and hugs, and kisses, and scratchies, and more hugs, and more kisses, and belly rubs, and attention. Did I mention he loves attention? He loves attention. So there. That’s our story. We hope that you enjoyed visiting our page and loving Hunter and his adventure and we hope that you will continue to be a part now of India and Ryder’s little adventures and misadventures as they are written.
- Jennie C.
**Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. – Roger Caras**
