The Story of Joey

 

 

My name is Joey but most of the time they call me Josef or just JoJo. Well, like Nicky who certainly was one of my best friends I am not a street dog but was taken in before such fate could strike my precious life. And a precious life it is. I am certainly very small but I can make a lot of noise. This would of course not be of any use when living on the street because out there I would probably not make it for even a single week. I can tell because after living for many years among large dogs I know that life is not always what we wish it to be. But I am quite protected here and besides one or the other fight with my fellow dog friends I live a good life for many years now. Nicky was like a real mother to me and I remember the evenings when I was sleeping close to her warm belly. She was a great friend. But soon after my arrival other dogs came here and they told me stories that sent the shivers down my spine. I have to admit that a little dog like me can hardly imagine what it means to be sick, hungry, thirsty and be kicked around, hit, beaten, or poisoned just to mention some of the terrible things I heard. So it was not surprising that most of the new arrivals were rather cautious and did not just associate with us. They usually search for a quiet corner and hide the whole day. They even refuse to eat and drink and must be fed by hand. But they finally made it all back to a real dog life and that was when the fun started.

 

My name is Joey and I died after a short struggle with cancer which I finally lost late in the evening of April 1, 2009. I now followed my old friends Nicky and Paula who always were here with me at Khlongdogs. The cancer started in my liver and later spread around my little body until I was so weak that I could not eat on my own. It is a terrible disease and I hope that all my friends here at Khlongdogs will be spared such an experience. But even the worst thing has a good side and I was given the chance to experience what love and compassion can mean in this world. I am very grateful that I was never left alone during this hard time and I found that humans can be wonderful beings. No matter what time of the day there was always Paporn around me who gave me food, medicine and water, she cleaned me up, brought me to the vet and tried to cheer me up with nice Thai songs. So it came as no surprise that I left with my small head in her arms. She knew that this is the night and she stayed with me all the way. Dear Paporn, I know that I have always been your favorite and even when I came close to ruin your nerves, you never gave up on me and I really want to thank you for that.

 

I had a good life and during the more than ten years that I stayed with Khlongdogs I was never really sick with anything. As a matter of fact my only problem was that I liked the food and gained some kilos more than I should have. Yes, it all began at that day when I first came to Paporn and Thomas because no one else wanted to have me. I immediately started to run around the garden back there in the old house and I met with Nicky who became like a mother to me. I would roll close to her belly when the night came and I enjoyed the warmth of her body all night long. I was missing her very much since she left us. It is important for a small guy like me that you have good friends who always stay by your side. On the other hand I cannot really complain since the other dogs were mostly very understanding and although they were all much bigger I still was a part of the team. So I enjoyed playing with Paula and even with Klinsi or Fighter who tried to comfort me during my last weeks.

 

I leave behind a life with beautiful memories. It was back in the old days when Nicky, Paula and me formed a perfect team and together we guarded the house to keep out any intruder. I particularly remember all the evenings when we were hunting a mouse in the garden and we all worked together. Yes, we were just dogs and that was great. Of course, I also always made myself heard and especially when there was a motorbike passing by because I really did not like them. Later things got even better when our team grew with Mona and Lisa joining the gang. Soon after that we all moved to a new house and there we welcomed our new members Hiso and later the really wild brownies Klinsi, Klose and Zidane. And the team was still growing. There were suddenly so many friends to play with and since none of us was ever confined to a cage we all enjoyed the freedom of running around the entire place. Yes, those were the days and I feel just good to be a part of it.

 

Now at the end of my journey I must say that there is lots of suffering in the animal kingdom and much of it is caused by humans. However, there are notable exceptions and some of us really have the chance to escape the agony of the street life. Yes, I am aware that we require care and quite some effort but we also give back what we receive. After all these years I am still convinced that we all made a good team, humans, dogs and cats. If there is still one wish granted to me it will be that more people will adopt a street dog or stray cat. There are many things we all cannot change but we all have the power to create a life for each other that is worth living. There is so much beauty in helping others and if you could see us running around the garden, playing, howling to the moon and kissing our human friends, well, you would easily understand how rewarding a healthy and protected life can be for you and us. So, don’t worry about me, I will be fine with my friends at the Khlongdogs palm tree over there at the lake, but please take a minute and consider the idea to take one of our poor friends from the street, give them a home and feel the harmony that only animals can give you.

 

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Khlongdogs - Helping Dogs and Cats living in the Streets of Bangkok