Chapter 2: Shut

“Cornelio!”  Mr. Ricky Santos called.

Mr. Ricky Santos was a dog breeder. He had been breeding dogs for years. He had amassed large sums of money just from breeding dogs. One would think that one had to really have a heart for animals to become a breeder, but apparently, such was not the case for this guy.

“Yes, Mr. Santos!” Cornelio came running all sweaty from all the cleaning he’s been doing practically the whole day. Cornelio was Cornelio Junior actually. He’s young at only 16 years old, tall but not muscular unlike his father, Cornelio, Senior.

He was taking over his father’s duty as caretaker of the animals. Cornelio Senior got sick months ago and had not since come back to Mr. Santos’ farm.

“Are all the kennels clean?” Mr. Santos said in his usual raspy voice, left hand on his waist and his right-hand fingers running along his moustache.

“Almost done, Sir!”

“Make sure, they’re all ready for tomorrow. We have a new client coming. They will look at all of the dogs that we have… Oh, and make sure also that you have given them all a bath…. and them, too!” Referring to Lily and her puppies.

“Oh, yey! We’re finally taking a bath! I love taking baths.”

“Oh yes, Wacky. We are all going to smell better.” Lily told his boys faking a smile. The movement of her tail said otherwise. She was actually worried, her tail moving tentatively from left to right.

She’s afraid tomorrow might be the day her boys would be taken away from her. She had seen it happen over and over. Recently, with Chunky, the Chow Chow and Sharon, the Shih Tzu.

Well, sometimes they take just one or two in a week but it was certain that parting was inevitable.

“On the other hand, I am not pure-bred! I mean, I have stayed here the longest. No one has even taken interest in me, not even Mr. Santos.” She took a good look  at her Basil, Bitok, Wacky, and Polly and in her mind they were the best-looking puppies she had ever seen.

Basil, Bitok and Wacky all look like her. They had dominantly white fur with some black spots. No, they were not Dalmatians. They were more furry than Dalmatians. Polly, her youngest, took after their father, the Aspin next door. He had dominantly white fur also but his spots were brown.  She didn’t want to tell anybody but Polly was actually her favorite.

There was a time when he wouldn’t sleep until she told him the story of how he was born. He just never got tired hearing it. The look in his eyes, the way he giggled - “my Polly is just adorable.”

Polly was much tinier than his brothers. One would think he would be the easiest to push out but it was the opposite. It was a good thing, a vet was there. “Nope, the vet was not there for us!… What was her name? Oooh yeah, she was Doc Ice…

Doc Ice was there to check on the dogs that just arrived from Thailand and Hongkong. She noticed how Lily was breathing heavily still and that’s when she found out that Polly was still in there.

“Oh, it was quite an experience.” Lily smiled as she recalled that day. Doc Ice was about to suggest for a C-section when Polly’s left leg protruded followed by the rest of his body. It was as if Polly knew Mr. Santos would never ever pay for that kind of procedure.

Lily watched her boys devour a mix of human and dog leftovers. Her boys were not picky eaters. They ate anything but only if she told them it’s okay. Early on, she trained them about which ones to swallow. She had seen the purebred ones swallow almost anything even if it’s not food. Some even choked and were saved while some choked and died.

“Mom, why are you not eating?” Polly asked.

“Yeah, mom, join us!”

“Oh, okay, if you all insist!”

After dinner, all her puppies felt sleepy. They were all lying in a corner of the garage, her boys compressed beside her. She licked each one good night.

The kennels opposite of the garage caught her eye. All the dogs in there were also asleep except for some who kept stirring in their places trying to find the most comfortable position. Industrial electric fans were kept on for most of the day and night. They were not used to the tropical weather so they say.

It could be an enviable position to be in there when all the focus of Mr. Santos and his clients were on them but she did not feel envious at all. In their situation, it was best if they weren’t noticed. With that thought, she rested her head on the floor and closed her eyes.

Lily wondered whether Basil was serious about wanting to be a Chow Chow. She asked herself, “Well, do I want to be anything else than an Aspin?”

Always her answer was no. It just bothered her that people seemed to be picky about getting pets. In their eyes, the purebreds were cuter, more lovable, maybe even more worthy of their money? Or love?

She had nothing against purebreds, they were after all just the same species, it just that it hurt sometimes that some Filipinos treat their Aspins as second-class dog citizens.

“Lily, come!” Cornelio inviting her to come early that morning.

She had no choice actually but to follow. She stood and walked towards Cornelio, who she could tell was about to give her a bath judging from the sponge on his hand.

Lily used to enjoy bathing but today was a bit different. The conversation she heard last night between Mr. Santos and Cornelio bothered her.

She had probably witnessed tens if not hundreds of people come and go to and from that place. Some took the puppies by the dozen. Usually, those that do were from pet shops.

She had seen pet shops before. In her mind, being in a pet shop was no different from being in the kennels. The dogs stayed in the crates all day waiting for someone to find them…. FIND was not even the word they use, it’s BUY.  And there’s just something about that word that didn’t sit right with her.  - “I buy you. - I love you… Nope, it’s just not the same.”

The cold water hit her body and her mind went back to earth. Cornelio mixed a sachet of Joy Dishwashing Liquid, the blue one because it was antibacterial. Yes, they smelled like plates after, but clean ones!

After being toweled dry, Cornelio gave baths to all of her boys.

Just after lunch, Lily heard Mr. Santos arrive together with the clients he was talking about previously.

From the words printed on their shirts, she could tell the clients were from a pet store - Patty’s Pet Shop and Pet Supplies.

The dogs in the kennels were barking non-stop at the clients. It was always that noisy when visitors come, and then the noise would die down and some kennels would be empty again as usual.

Lily and her puppies were just watching them from the garage. In her mind, it was best to just be quiet in that corner but then -

“So, these are the ones I’m telling you about.” Mr. Santos said to the woman from the pet shop.

“Hmmmm, I think this will work!…Wait, are they all dewormed and vaccinated?… I mean, I don’t want sick dogs in our shop!”

“Of course, they are!… Look, you are getting the whole bunch at half the price.”

“You mean, the mother and the puppies?…Wait, how many are the puppies?” and she started to count - “One, two, three… four…. wait, that little one’s deformed.” she said pointing at Polly.

Bitok wanted to say something but in one rare moment he thought silence was the better option.

Lily was holding her breath. “Take us all.” she wanted to tell the woman. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

“So, you taking them all?” Mr. Santos asked the woman.

Lily was all ears as to what the woman would say but they both walked away talking and she couldn’t decipher what decision the woman has come to.

After a few hours, some dogs in the kennels were transferred to individual crates. Lily could see Cornelio and the Pet Shop boys, not the band from the 80s, placing the crates inside the vehicles parked near the garage.

The sound of puppies crying were heartbreaking but even more heartbreaking was the look on Chunky’s and Sharon’s faces as they helplessly watch them take their little Chow Chows and Shih Tzus away. Oh wait, even Camille, the Pitbull also looked  sad.

And then it happened.

Cornelio walked briskly towards them. He picked her puppies one-by-one and placed them in a carton box.

“Come, Lily” Cornelio called and she followed. At that moment, she felt okay. They were taking all of them, her and all her puppies.

The first vehicle already left. The vehicle where they were in was still open. The woman was still doing some double checking and counting of her purchase.

The driver was about to close the door when -

“Wait!” The woman exclaimed. “This one shouldn’t be here!” The woman tried to grab Polly from the box, but Lily was quick to push her hand away, eyes pleading, hoping against all hopes that the woman got what her eyes were trying to say.

But she didn’t even look into Lily’s eyes. She grabbed Polly in one hand and left him on the floor.

Nooooo!!! Lily barked and the door was shut right in front of her face. She retreated into the box huddled  with her three other puppies. And right there she knew what it felt like to die.