In Loving Memory Of Mick Valentino Tyson (31 Oct 1998 - 30 Oct 2011)

My heart just shattered into a thousand pieces when you took your last breath. Even though I was prepared to let you go but I just can't accept it now that you are gone. You have been with me for the last 13 years, from Sin Ming to Yishun to Woodlands to Marsiling and lastly to Johor Bahru.

Flashback to 31 October 1998 - I was looking for another dog to love when my beautiful princess Mandy passed away 2 weeks ago from urinal tract sickness.  Didn't want to buy a dog, preferred to rescue and adopt one.  Went to Yishun Fishing Pond to take a look at a pack of stray dogs who lived there with an old couple manning the fishing pond.  Not many puppies around but just as I was about to leave, I saw you shuffling under a generator. Approached you and picked you up..you were the fluffiest and had the most cutest face I ever saw.  Wanted to take you home immediately but John wanted to check out another site first, so I left you there & you went back under the generator. Saw a couple of other puppies at another site but none had that look in your eyes and in the end, John & I both agreed that you were the ONE! Approached the fishing pond owner & told him we would like to take you home, old man said no problem but I had to give him 1kg of sugar as a good luck token.  So once again, left you there while we rushed out to the nearest sundries shop to get sugar.  By the time we reached back there, it was already dark but I knew where you were....handed the 1kg of sugar to the old man & carried you out from under the generator & brought you home that very night.

You were covered in grease and smelled of diesel. Gave you a bath & you were so brave.....slept with you beside me that very night.  As time went by & you grew bigger, I used to carry you around when I went to work at a bike shop & you would bark when you heard the sound of a 2-stroke engine being revved but you loved the thunderous sound of a 4-stroke engine!!! You made everyone at the shop laughed when you made sounds that sounded like a chicken & when you barked & attacked your own reflection in the mirror. Remember the time when you bit an Ang Mo Lady's ear at the beach when you cuddled you?? She laughed it off and said that you reminded her of Mike Tyson who bit another boxer's ear during a fight...So that was how your name became Tyson.  I added in Mick & Valentino to your name cos my 2 favorite Motogp riders were Mick Doohand and Valentino Rossi.

As years went by & you grew bigger and more handsome each day, along came your teething period.  All my lower cabinet doors in the kitchen were chewed off by you as well as the storeroom door.  Then one day, you had an accident that changed your character forever, you tried to pull the shoe lace of one of John's shoes and the entire shoe rack fell on you!! You defecated and ran away in fright and from that day, you had problems with all the flooring in the house.  You thought there were quicksands everywhere & had trouble trying to walk across tiled floors. But it did stop your teething period permanently. 

You grew into a super handsome boy that made you look like a STAR wherever you went.  We shifted from house to house but you were never left behind.....you accompanied us throughout every where. Then we brought home Calu who was about to be euthanized & you accepted him without any fuss. Later came along 7 puppies belonging to Calu whom we later sent out to various foster homes as we couldn't cope with so many of you in a 3-room flat.  Then in 2007, we brought Casey home and she was much more horrible than you in terms of her teething problems and her rambunctiousness.  But you never made any fuss and accepted her too.

Fastforward to 2007 until 2011 - we relocated to Johor and you, Calu & Casey came along too.  For once in your life, you could go out to the garden on your own and smell the surroundings and bark as much as you wanted.  You gave Calu a earful each time he ran past you after doing his business and poor Calu always flipped his ears back to avoid your "scoldings". Though you never really played with Calu or Casey cos you were a little anti-social, you had no problems having them around. Then in 2008. we added Max & Sam into the house followed by Lucky and lately Angel.  By then this time round, you were already in your prime.....so we had to keep you inside the house where you'll be safe. When Calu passed on in 2009, he was about your age and we were very worried for you as you started showing signs of aging.  You became more grumpy and disoriented.  But your appetite was humongous!! We gave you all the food that you could eat to make you happy. Then one day in mid 2011, you collapsed outside in the garden and we though we lost you...but luckily it was just ear mites that caused you to fall.  We had that treated and you were good as new.  

Last few days leading to this morning, there were signs but I couldn't make out what was going to happen.  You lessened your food intake and did more frequent trips to the bathroom and also had problems with your orientation. We thought it was due to old age but we never expected that you'll decide to leave us so suddenly this morning!!!

As I write this, my tears are flowing and my heart is aching.  I will always remember you as a handsome, cheeky boy when you were in your youth and as a grumpy, hissing, yelping boy when you aged.  All these will be beautiful memories that I will cherish and keep in my heart and mind forever.  I love you Baby Tyson!!!!