This is for anyone who has ever lost a dog.

On Thursday evening, our dog Max wandered off and did not return.

It must be said that our dogs were trusted, perhaps too much, to do
their doggie thing outside the house unsupervised and return at a
predetermined time. Needless to say, that practice is one that must
never be done. It is irresponsible and leaves too much to chance.

My dad went off to check if Max was checking things out at his usual
haunts. He was not. My sister, my husband and I walked all along the
long, main road where he may have sauntered off to, calling his name,
asking people if they had seen a friendly, brown, long-haired aspin
with a bushy tail. They had not.

I told my sister, who had been crying her eyes out, that we would
comb the neighborhood again tomorrow, but we would need to show people
a picture of Max, a detailed description, and mention something about
a cash reward for his safe return.

We distributed flyers on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. We
knocked on doors and stuffed flyers into mailboxes. We walked up to
strangers. We posted colored versions of the flyer on street posts.

In a neighborhood where stray dogs are considered fair game, the
people I handed flyers to were surprisingly sympathetic. One
carinderia owner said losing a dog is like losing a child, and she
promised to text us if she saw anything.

I was trying to be positive until 72 hours after he disappeared,
when there was still no sign of him.

As I write this, I am shedding tears of regret, shame, and pain. I
know that no amount of cathartic writing will describe the pain of
someone whose beloved pet (or family member) has disappeared.

I wonder if he is wandering about some unfamiliar place, trying to
find his way home. I wonder if he has been taken in by some family,
who has tied him up to a post (something he is not used to, he is king
of the garage and the porch in my house) to make him a ferocious guard
dog. I wonder if the neighborhood drunks cornered him and beat him
senseless. I wonder, most of all, if he met his demise, if he thought
he was still in the company of people he could trust. I must mention
that Max is one of the most trusting dogs we have ever had. He even
tried to befriend the neighborhood goat once.

My wish is if he is dead, that his end was quick and painless. My
other wish is if he was alive, that he would come back to us, no
matter what shape he is in. And this is the pain of families of
desaparecidos – the pain of not knowing how the story really ended.

On the other hand, maybe some kind-hearted family noticed him outside
their gate, took him in, and he is now trying to manipulate them into
giving him what he wants with his earnest eyes and non-stop tail
wagging.

Now when I pull into our street I can almost picture him outside our
gate, waiting to be let in as is his habit, but he is not there, and I
go back to wondering again and again what really happened to our Max.

We learned our lesson the difficult, excruciatingly painful way, but
it must be said – we are the humans, we should know better, we MUST
protect our pets from those who have cruel intentions, we MUST make
sure they are always safe. It is our responsibility as pet owners.

Along with this I must say that efforts to educate the public about
treating animals with compassion must continue, with greater intensity
and fervor, because there are people who simply don't know any better,
or can't see past their next hangover.

Dear readers, please pray for our beloved Max, who we miss terribly
and long for even if our hopes are fading as the days pass. A part of
us will always be waiting for that day when we will open the gate and
see him sitting there as if he never left.

Luwi Tampinco-Lunas
November 15, 2008