Saab Magalona grieves for pet dog who helped prepare her for motherhood

Saab Magalona paid tribute to her dog Joey after losing her over the weekend.

Her Pomeranian suffered from a tear in her bladder that could not be treated with surgery, the Cheats singer revealed on Facebook yesterday, May 17.

“Jim and I drove more than an hour through 3 checkpoints to hold her one last time,” she said.

She recalled Joey as her “ultimate baby” since she got her in 2012. “I took her with me everywhere and since I met her, all my life decisions were based on her happiness and comfort.”

“She was Joey Magalona, she was my child. Joey taught me how to be a responsible adult and truly prepared me for motherhood,” she said.

She would joke that she would rather have her kids live away from home if they were allergic to dogs, but Saab found herself making adjustments for her kids’ health, especially after her first pregnancy when she had twins Pancho and Luna.

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“I had a complicated pre-term birth in 2018. We lost our baby girl [Luna] and each night, I would go home to Joey and she would comfort me from Jim’s lap,” she said.

Even if Joey had to be kept away from newborn Pancho who underwent surgery, Saab said her dog was a “brave girl.”

“She never fought for my attention. She seemed to understand that something was amiss and we’d need a little time to adjust,” she said.

“As Pancho grew stronger, they started bonding and she would lick his feet while he’d throw some food off his high chair,” she recalled fondly.

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“When I got pregnant again with Vito, I think Joey understood that she was no longer our baby,” she said. The couple welcomed Vito in September 2019.

“She was our big girl now and she knew I wasn’t as available to go on adventures with her for now.”

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Pancho and Vito contracted pneumonia in 2019, which Saab described as a “very traumatic experience.” After their recovery, they started sneezing again this year.

“Our pedia recommended that we rule out Joey’s hair as an allergen,” she explained, which led to the decision to give Joey to her mom Pia Magalona.

Despite missing Joey, Saab knew it had been the right thing to do. “They sent me videos and photos of her and she was so so so happy. If I kept her in our house, it would have been for selfish reasons.”

When the lockdown was imposed in March, she could no longer visit Joey and maintained contact only through Zoom calls.

However, Joey faced health problems in the past week and was taken to the vet. She was advised to go through surgery for an infection.

“I was afraid because it would be her third [surgery] but it was what the doctor recommended and I had no choice but to give the go signal,” Saab said. Sadly, Joey did not make it.

“It’s true that we sign up for a lot of pain when we decide to get a dog. We get years of unconditional love but there will always come a time to say goodbye,” she reflected.

“Joey brought us immeasurable happiness for the short time she was with us and nothing can ever replace it. I am so thankful for my sweetheart but it brings me comfort knowing that my baby girls are together now.” JB

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