Kiri

I remember the first day I brought Kiri, my puppy home. I went against my mom's wishes, and got her! In my asian culture, we lived with our parents even though we were "grown". Some of us lived with our parents even after we got married.

Anyway, my mom would not look at Kiri, or touch her. She was so cute, and adorable! The first night I slept on the couch while Kiri spent her first night in the kitchen. Like a little baby, she wanted to be with me, to feel love physically. She whined the whole night, while I worried, and peeped at her the whole night.

The second night, I let her stay in my bedroom. I lay newspapers all over the floor to catch the product of her bathroom activities. She got potty-trained pretty soon, and was the most reliable dog I had ever known. When I went to work, I would drop her off at my sister's place, so that my mom would not have to take care of her.

Years went by, and my mom could not resist Kiri's charm. She did not want Kiri in the first place, but soon, would miss her if she wasn't around. She brought joy to everyone in the family, but was especially attached to my mom. Kiri waited at the door whenever my mom was out, working, or running errands. My mom always looked forward to Kiri's welcome bark when she came near the door.

I had to leave her and move to another part of the world. I did not want to put her through the long flight, as she was not in the best health. I also could not bear to tear her away from my mom.

Last year, after struggling with really bad health for a year, Kiri passed away! She will be my first, and last dog.