When the family who adopted Champ conveyed the message to us that Champ fell ill that day and his condition had dropped ever since, I couldn’t push away the feeling that this was more pressing situation than ever before. He had been living a good thirteen years which is 91-year old if translated into man’s age, a rare age to come by for both man and man’s best friend.

The cushion-ridden condition didn’t last long, thanks God for shortening his suffering. Champ, our beloved Golden Retriever, retired from his life the next day, leaving my family emotionally devastated. We succumbed into tears and yet at the same time were trying to console ourselves with the truth that his life was well spent, that he got the love he deserved, and that he loved us equally and dearly.

Champ was three-year old when we adopted him. We were walking into a vet clinic one day to seek treatment for Joby, our three-month old puppy, when we spotted this handsome mahogany-color, healthy, framed-with-sturdy-bone male golden retriever. In the circumstances that we called as love at first sight, we made a snappy, yet turned out to be the right decision to bring him home. His previous owner had left him in the good hands of the clinic as they had to head out to their home country.

Long stories short, since then, we had a new family member, in addition to Joby, roaming around our back and front yard in our Jakarta house. Joby is a male rough collie, 3-month old at the time we brought in Champ, and still live happily now with his new family, coming to his nine-year old birthday.

When Champ was somewhere around seven-year old, we decided to migrate to Singapore, sadly leaving both of them behind. We hired someone to take care of them in our vacant house in Jakarta and regularly, twice a year, visited and spent some time with them for good one or two weeks. We couldn’t let them go just yet as they were strongly attached to our hearts. My children grew up with them around and I simply couldn’t imagine their lives without their presences.

A few years ago, we found a hard and round swell in his hind leg  to which the vet we consulted recommended a surgical lift. We sent him to an animal hospital in Jakarta and the surgery was successful. My wife flew back and forth Singapore – Jakarta to visit Champ in the hospital and made sure Champ was well treated  and recovered soon. This episode in Champ’s life was a wake up call that our strong sense of belonging and thoughtlessness didn’t bring any good to our loved ones, that they deserved to be attended to on daily basis by a loving family. Our long distance relationship didn’t work out to their benefits. Time for a decision that we had been dreading obviously to bring forth.

After series of interviews and background checks, done by my wife primarily for the sake of Champ and Joby, we let them go to be adopted by new families. The days they were being picked up were the days not easily forgotten. My wife and kids were playing with them until the last moment the car pulling out of our driveway. Up till now, we keep in touch with both families and we could tell they love them not a little less than we do. There are nothing more pacifying than knowing that they are always in good care, showered with, and attended to with compassion.

Champ, be good in your next life! I hope you will find a tennis ball and other favorite toys that you used to play with. I wish for someone to pat and strike gently on you until you fall into your nap. I believe there is always someone who will take you for a car ride in heaven and there are people who wave at you and said ‘your life was worth living as you lived for your family’s happiness’