Amber and me

So its another off-day gone by in Jeddah and as usual I've watched some movies on the computer to pass the time and stay sane. Today it was Marley and me. The show made me tear, and I normally don't cry at the movies. The world's worst dog but in actual fact the greatest dog huh? Hahaha, sounds very much like Amber when I had her. Amber was a siberian husky that was part of my family for about 2 years.

She was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. Piercing white eyes. A proud and commanding stance. A big bushy tail that curled up against her back. And she had natural eyeliner too! Amber was always a curious dog who loved exploring and would bolt for the main gate whenever it opened. That was why we always had to keep her on a leash in the day time, until my dad decided to build an inner gate that closed up the side of my house for her to roam free.

Amber also had a really cool personality. She was friendly and would come over to say hi to everyone who looked in her direction. But she never barks. Even when we went for our walks and the other dogs in the neighborhood went berserk, creating a cacophony of deafening barking and screeching, Amber would be as cool as a cucumber. She'd just look around and wonder what the commotion was about, her head and tail always held high with confidence. In fact, the only noises she made were a short bark when she wanted some attention and a hilarious "singing"/howling sound when she's upset. There's even a name given to this funny whiney howl - ululation. Some call it yowling. And the two things that made her upset? Thunder and a ringing phone.

She would howl and tremble whenever there was lightning and thunder. Times like these we would let her into the house to sleep and sometimes when I came home late on a stormy night, I would just sit down next to her and tell her its alright and then rub her tummy till she fell asleep. In the day time if the phone rang and no one answered, she would run around the house yowling as if trying to tell us that someone had better pick up the phone if not she would pull it right out of the socket.

Amber had tremendous strength. I remember the time when I leashed her to a big sturdy bench in my garden while I prepared to go for a run. The main gate was open and this cat had the guts to stroll slowly across the open driveway. The moment Amber set her eyes on the cat, all hell broke loose. She bolted and took the entire bench along with her. The dragging bench tore out a trail of grass and soil in the garden as Amber tried to pounce on the cat. I was tying my shoe laces and was almost knocked out by the flying bench. The cat let out a screech and ran off. I never saw the cat again.

Even Celine would get exhausted holding on to Amber's leash when we took her out for walks. I would be so amused at how Amber was pulling Celine around, rather than Celine leading her where we were supposed to go. I'm glad Amber got to meet my darling Celine. They got along so well that when I came back from Melbourne each time, I could've sworn that Amber was more happy to see Celine than she was to see me!

And the highlight of Amber's evenings? Our runs together. We would go for long runs from my house, to the SIA training center and then round the Singapore expo before coming back. It was like an adventure for her and she would run along next to me without ever breaking a sweat. Pedestrians along the walkways would sometimes get freaked out at the sight of man and dog charging towards them. I used to enjoy seeing the terror in their eyes before they jumped off the pavement and into the grass. After the run we would sit next to each other in the garden to watch the birds fly by. Another thing she loved was her chew toy. This pink colored dolphin that she would chew up and invite us to try to pull and pry from her jaws of steel. Sometimes we could get it out, but only with a lot of cunning and trickery.

Yes, I've written everything in past tense. Thats because she is no longer with us. My beautiful dog was hit by a car a year ago. Right around the end of March in 2008. Her energy and adventurous spirit got the better of her and she bolted out of the house one morning when the maid forgot to latch the inner gate. I didn't even get to say goodbye as I was in Melbourne at that time. It was very difficult for me. Now that I think of it, its quite a coincidence that I decided to watch Marley and me today, and be reminded of Amber. Its the anniversary of her passing. She's gone to a better place now, where she has endless open fields to run, play and explore.

I miss you Amber. And I hope to see you again one day. You really were the world's greatest dog to me. Rest in peace my dear, dear friend.