Ball-less wonder

Hello, you ball-less mutt. It must have been about two years since I first met you in our neighbourhood. You were a handsome stray male dog then. You still are. I remember that I was on one of my evening walks when you came out of no-where and started following us around. I had remarked then to my wife that you were a very healthy dog for your coat of hair was shining.

One day, you went missing and we were wondering what had become of you. Then by chance, we met you at the nearby Kampong Baharu market in Bukit Mertajam. You were scavenging for food. But the moment you saw us, you came round and follow us around the wet market. So it went on for months. We would meet you either during our neighbourhood walks or at the market.

About a year ago, you went missing again and this time, you were gone for a very long time. It surprised us that we could miss you and on top of that, we were very concerned for your well-being. Thus, we were quite relieved to bump into you again in the neighbourhood after several months had passed by. But you had become very much thinner. Your once muscular frame was almost a bag of bones and your hair had become dull and very dirty.

But immediately when you saw us, you became excited. I had described it once on facebook how your tail started wagging non-stop in a circle. It wasn't a simple wag. Your tail twirled round and round and round, like a fan at full speed. Clearly you were so happy to see us. The feeling, you could say, was mutual. We were glad too to meet you again. But when I took a closer look at you, I was concerned that your mouth seemed to have been bashed in. Either you had been involved in an accident or someone had walloped you until your lower left canine tooth was hanging loose at an obscene angle.

A short while later, we found that someone in the neighbourhood had taken pity and had adopted you. You now has a mattress to sleep on, you are fed regularly, your coat of hair now shinier but best of all to our surprise, you have a female companion in the house. Inevitably, the bitch got pregnant. Initially, we thought that you were responsible for the female's condition but after a while, we began having doubts whether you were at all the father!

Why do I say this? It's because I've suddenly noticed that you have been neutered. Since when was this dastardly deed carried out? I don't know. But I believe it could have happened at the same time that your new owner had taken you to the vet to have your broken tooth removed. Possibly at the same time, you had your balls cut off too. Ouch! I know you have recovered from this ignominious ordeal but still, every time I see you during our evening walks, I feel a tinge of sadness to see you trotting along with us with a ball-less scrotum sack between your legs.

But you know what? I don't think it mattered much to you past the initial discomfort. If you do have feelings, if you do have pride, it does not show. You still follow us around the neighbourhood, barking at other dogs in their compounds and urinating everywhere to leave your mark. Lately, you would even plop down in front of our gate for a while - by now, you feel so comfortable in our presence - but we are sorry that we can't keep you. You have a new home now and that is where you belong. But don't worry, you'll still see us occasionally in the evenings.