Can one suddenly become a dog lover despite being a cat lover? I don't think so but maybe it's already happening to me slowly. Haha.

When I was a kid we had "so many" dogs. I think we had up to 4 or 5 at some point! 😆 At around 5 yrs old I remember suddenly getting woken up by dogs licking my face, hands, etc., when once I fell asleep at our patio. 😂 I never did such ever again after that. 🤣

Suffice it to say, perhaps I didn't learn to love dogs that much because I was too young then. Who knows? All I remember are snippets and fragments of having dogs in the house. I don't think they were of any breed except one. Most were just local common dogs or what people these days call aspin instead of the usual askal.

_{Pinoy dog/aspin | (photo source)}

Goodbye dogs, Hello cats!

Fast forward to grade school and high school, no more pets for us as we transferred from house to house. Life happened and so we stopped having pets. Even when we eventually lived in the province we never had any dogs again ever.

But of course whenever life happens it brings various situations. One day, suddenly a tabby cat came into our lives. 😆 And the rest is history!

Like, who wouldn't fall in love w/ such adorable creatures? 😍 Below are the remaining cat pics I have for y'all to enjoy!

<sub>Cutie apartment tabby cat that suddenly went MIA in 2020. 😅


2021 calico cat pics. I miss you Mommycat. 2 yrs has passed since it went to paradise.</sub>

These weren't our pets but apartment cats in our residential building. Residents aren't allowed to have pets but heck stray cats came, had kitties and voila! 😆

And so for several years from before to after the pandemic we had a steady stream of cats in our apartment. I mean, of course there are always "resident cats" but never pets of our own. Let's call them community cats. ♥️

Introduced to Dogs Again!

Well okay I admit there was a time in my youth when we lived in an ancestral house, some cousins had a mongrel dog. But I still never really fancied dogs much even then. I like petting cats more than dogs since I learned how to appreciate pets. Why? Because felines just stay put or roll around and such when you pet them! 😆

As for dogs, they're always rambunctious and wanna kiss you and jump all over you when you pet 'em. OMG. Like, noooo, stay away! 😂 Otherwise they'll bark at you or whatever. Haha.

Fast forward to this year and suddenly I'm living with a sibling! And boy do they have A LOT OF DOGS! 😬🥴 How does seven barking animals sound to you? 😆 Well okay they don't really bark all at the same time except when someone comes to the gate or enters the house.

The first one I liked is this husky doggie! Look at that cutie! 😍

And then because of circumstances I wasn't able to interact much with it, especially its 2 other offspring. I mean, when they all get hyperactive oh boy it's several big dogs all over you! 😆 So the next best thing is a chubby cutie patootie beagle! I mean look at this. 😆 Looks like a cute sleeping sausage, right?

_{I always wanna pinch-pet it whenever I see it! 😆 But it keeps avoiding me when I do that. 😂}

Here's another one, which is half husky and half golden retriever (I think). Such a big dog like it's momma husky! I call it "afraidy doggie" because when we brought it to a bazaar it hid under the table most of the time. Hahaha. Sad that it doesn't have much of a social life outside the house that's why.

Of course I have this cute blacky to enjoy petting all for myself. Hehe. I'm the only one who constantly pets it simply because it's not picky like the beagle. 😜 I can pet it to my heart's content anytime it's around. Awwww.

I still like cats more but right now I'm enjoying the company of dogs. ♥️ They don't have any felines around here because the dogs either chase or bark at any that comes nearby. Poor thing right? 😆

Oh but there were a few mice last month before the mouse trap was bought. The dogs didn't bother catching those though. Interesting eh? Only cats are really such rodent predators. Hahaha.

Patron Saint of Dogs and Dog Lovers?

Wait what? Suddenly there's something like this here? Well yes folks. Actually I never even thought of such things before. 😂 Like, who in their secular or nominal Christian minds would even wonder about it? Not me, I wasn't even a tiny bit of devout Catholic nor a dog lover until this year. So how did I find out about such a person?

I recently learned of this because of the nearest church where I live now. Coincidentally, the parish near us is dedicated to a such a saint. Guess who it is?

Do you have a clue?

Any idea who it might be?

_{Artwork depicting St. Roch in a cell with a dog and with Christ (Salvator Mundi). | (image source)}

Okay okay, the guy is called St. Roch or St. Rocco, also alternatively called San Roque. I know... "Who the heck is that person? I've never heard of such a saint!" Preposterous, right? 😆 (I'm kidding.) But anyway for real I didn't know we can call on him for assistance for any pet dog problems we might have.

The story goes that he was born in 1295 in Montpelier, France to devout and wealthy parents who had long prayed for a child. When he was born, a cross shaped red mark was on his chest signifying Mama Mary's intercession for his birth. The kid grew up to be a pious one too.

By his 20th year, St. Roch's parents passed away. Thus he gave away all his riches / inheritance to the needy and became a poor pilgrim. Of course he eventually joined the Third Order of Franciscans. And then he traveled to Italy but the black plague was there so he administered to the sick and cured many with the sign of the cross. Eventually he got ill too.

_source

And so my dear readers, if you are a dog lover then call on this saint for intercession. He is also the patron saint of the sick and invalids, among other things. Awesome right?

And so when I learned of who he was I was like, just wow. When I suddenly had to live with dogs I found out we live near a church with such a patron saint! I dunno if that's coincidence or what but I got fascinated. Haha.

How about you, are you team cat or team dog? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

XOXO,
@artgirl

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_{Spam or irrelevant comments will be downvoted if not revised upon warning.}

Written by @artgirl for Hive
© Art x Stephanie Rue / Lucy Stephanie

_{@artgirl is a freelance writer/blogger/artist, online seller and real estate agent.}

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