Joe Celdran tells his heartwarming story about a little angel who came into his life some two years ago.
The dog with a limp
“One day, I noticed a stray dog outside my house with a bad limp. She was not trusting and would scamper off everytime I approached. I could tell that, aside from her limp, she was malnourished. So I would leave food outside our garage every night in case she comes back. Lo and behold – every morning for the next few days, the food would be gone but the ‘culprit’ would be nowhere in sight.
Temporary shelter
“After a week of this, I again spotted the limping dog hanging around the parked cars a few meters from the garage. So I left food for her and made sure to be close when she ate it. I did this everyday until she got used to my presence. Over 2-3 weeks I slowly gained her trust and she started sleeping in our garage around the spaces between our potted plants where she found shade. She has made this her ‘territory’. Eventually, she started recognizing me as her source of food and would let me pet her. We named her Laypi or Pilay (Pilay is a Filipino word that means ‘limp’).
Furever home
“One day I came home and was looking for Laypi because she was no longer hanging out at her spot. Our drivers said that barangay personnel had taken her. I rushed to the barangay hall and found her in a small cramped cage so I went home to get a leash to try and bring her home. Since she was not very trusting, I thought I might have a hard time bringing her home, but once she saw me, she let me put a leash on her without any fuss, and we walked back to her new forever home. I made a makeshift bed for her, and kept her inside our garage at first so that the barangay people would never take her away again.
Healthy dog, errrr… dogs!
“Once she was safely at home I called over a vet to check on her leg (which then was already healing slowly). Thankfully, it was just a bad sprain/strain and her leg would fully heal eventually. By the looks of her, she seemed to have had a rough life – a portion of her front canine was chipped off, her front teeth were worn down, her tongue had a visible cut on it, and she had a scar on her forehead. But aside from all this she was relatively healthy and we were in for a surprise when the vet said she was pregnant!
Labor of love
“Laypi had her puppies at home – an ordeal for me as I’ve never taken care of puppies before. But it was a labor of love – I loved and still love all those puppies. One of them, Dexter, eventually stayed with us. The others were rehomed – although two of them have unfortunately gone to the rainbow bridge. I still keep in touch with some of the good hearted ‘furparents’ who adopted some of Laypi’s pups and they send me pictures of them every so often.
Laypi and her furmily
“Laypi and Dexter currently live at home with their fur sister, Snickers, my beagle. Laypi has taught me patience, perseverance and that every dog deserves a home. Although Laypi can still be a bit territorial- I guess it’s because she has spent part of her life homeless, so she now protects her new home with vigor – overall, she and Dexter are loving, funny, cuddly dogs. All dogs like Laypi and Dexter want is a home, cuddles, give kisses, and ask for belly scratches. They are a part of my family and I can’t imagine life without them.”
Words and images by Joe Celdran.
About the contributor: Joe, 33, is former medical doctor turned farmer. He is a former member of CARA and the Laguna Pitbulls Project (LPB), and is still an active volunteer for LPB. He is currently a “dad” to a 5 year old beagle named Snickers, a rescued aspin named Laypi and her 1 year old son Dexter.