Memoirs of a Navy Brat

When Dad came back from the US on a mission to bring to the country two naval ships (mine sweepers) given to the Philippine Navy by the US government, he brought home a lovely platinum blond cocker spaniel, whose name, unfortunately, I couldn’t recall anymore. We already had a golden blond male, named Butch, when we were still in Pandacan.

Cocker Spaniel

[photo by: Pleple2000]

The dogs were such fun to play with. Play was so energetic that I became careless and accidentally got nicked in one of my fingers by Butch during one of those plays. I had to be administered the anti-rabies shots, one of the two that I can remember. The other one was for being bitten by a monkey when we were already staying in Cavite.

One early morning, there was a commotion in the house. Dad, who was used to getting up early, found that the dogs were missing. The dogs, which were not confined either in a dog house or in a dog cage, were leashed and kept under the house (the Quonset hut was elevated). They disappeared dragging their leashes with them. Dad went around the Plaza Militar compound asking people and the navy guard at the entrance gate if they had seen the dogs, but he came home dejected and empty handed. Maybe the dogs crept under the spaces below the cyclone wire fences found in some parts of the predominantly concrete enclosed compound. The female dog was about to deliver within the month. All our excitement about the coming puppies vanished with the disappearance of the dogs.