Image: Instagram/@korina
Two months after her pet pitbull Simone passed away, Korina Sanchez once again said goodbye to one of her beloved rescue dogs.
Sanchez recounted her first meeting with Raven, the Aspin (“Asong Pinoy” or Filipino dog)-Collie mix she came to love, in a series of posts on Instagram on Tuesday, Nov. 20. She encountered the female senior dog in 2016 while doing a story on the Bulacan dog shelter named Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART).
Sanchez was busy feeding the Aspins when Raven went and “talked” to her. Later, Sanchez learned the dog never approached anyone during its eight-year stay in the shelter.
While Sanchez never forgot the “indescribable connection” she had with Raven, it took her a year and a half to adopt the dog who, apparently, waited for her. By then, Raven, who they fondly called “Lola” (grandmother), was already 12 years old.
“The way I remembered her talking to me with so many kuwento, ganon parin siya, tumutungo tuwing kausap ko. Nakakaintindi,” Sanchez wrote, describing the time she finally adopted Raven.
(Raven was still the same — the way I remembered her talking to me with so many stories, bowing every time I talk to her. It’s like she understands me.)
Their first few months together made Sanchez dream of spending more years with the rescue dog. However, Raven was diagnosed with high levels of creatinine, a waste product filtered through the kidneys and excreted in urine.
Raven’s kidneys were still failing despite Sanchez providing the necessary medical care for the rescue dog. Raven seemed to be fighting for her life as well when she managed to live despite having triple the normal level of creatinine in her body.
“Vets say Aspins are the sturdiest. Their instinct is to survive,” Sanchez said. “And they live to please the owners who love them. Raven wanted to live for me.”
No matter how the frail dog fought for her life, she was still not strong enough to conquer her disease. On Monday, Nov. 19, Raven had her first seizure.
Sanchez accompanied Raven on her last hours, recalling all the fun times they have together. The dog was put to sleep not long after.
“This is how I will always remember my Raven. The first day I met her,” Sanchez stated. “It was love at first sight for us both. The dog who told me stories and listened to all of mine. Fought to the end to be with me.”
“She was with me less than a year but, for some reason, she means a lot and I loved her deeply,” she said. “Till we meet again Lola, run free my love.” JB
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