A Dog Named Obi-Wan

Debbie Lozare in Ang Pinoy Stories

Jan 15, 2020 • 3 min Read

Our first visit to the kennel was a pleasure.  Erika was ready to take care of a new pet, after we lost our miniature pinscher to a sudden illness.  The kennel owner presented us with four choices of eight-week old beagle puppies, and all at once, Erika could not decide.

Each one was tri-color, rambunctious, and adorable, as most beagles go.  I finally had to clutch one in my hand, and told her, this is it.  “He doesn’t look like a Luke Skywalker to me,” Erika said, as we had pre-decided the name before we even got to the kennel.  We looked at the pup, and then at each other, and as if something clicked inside both of us, we exclaimed quite suddenly and simultaneously, “Obi-wan!”  And that is how we had Obi-wan Kenobi, the beagle who stole our hearts and won’t let them go.

Obi-wan is now almost eight years old.  He knows stupid dog tricks, like “sit” and “off the sofa” and “play dead”.  He gets fidgety when holding in his pee, and almost always bolts out the door when it is left open.  But dentastix and tastybones get him to come back quickly.  He is a beautiful lazy dog, like his beautiful lazy humans.  We love him.

We love him because Obi-wan is above us all in devotion, in patience, in faithfulness, in constant companionship.  He waits by the window when one of us is out for groceries, or a walk, or when we would eat out and shop.  As soon as the car headlights illuminate the living room window, Obi-wan’s head would pop out, and when we open the door, he is there for a warm, fuzzy welcome.

He loves a good tummy rub.  He loves nuzzling Erika when she is watching a video.  He loves lounging by the amplifier when Timmy plays his guitar.  He loves resting his paw on my foot when i am taking a nap.  He loves to sleep by the stairs, just a few feet from the kitchen when I cook lunch.  He loves many things that we do together.  All he does not love is to be alone.

And now he is old.  The vet sees his fading colors and his muzzle fur growing whiter and says he is now in his mature years.  We monitor his weight, and do not let him get fat, so that arthritis would not set in, and he will be able to move, walk and run without pain.  He is growing old, and like a warm, familiar blanket, Erika loves him around in her bed.  Even if sometimes, he nudges her out of it.  Even if it means she will miss nights out with friends, just so he will have her for company.

One of these days, it will be time to be parted from our old dog Obi-wan Kenobi.  We will thank him for his loyalty, his undying love of nuzzling us, and being there by the window, waiting patiently, silently for us to come.