BEAUTY

She was beautiful. And she had a beautiful name. Riss. Riss was a German Shepherd and she was my boyfriend’s dog. I have known her ever since I met N and that was like four years ago. In four years, she had taught me what “unconditional love” is all about! Riss was already on her old age when I met her. She was suffering from hip displacement which she had when she was still a puppy. The vet said that she would not be able to survive to old age due to this incapacity. But she must have taken it so well that she reached sixteen years or 103 years in dog’s life. So there were no long walks in the parks or beaches, as other young dogs do. She was all 24/7 stationed in our previous flat and in our present house. She was a bit lonely and that was also the reason why N decided to take a companion for her. And that’s when CC the kitten arrived.

The first time that they met each other, Riss immediately took a liking to CC. But then CC being herself just hissed and scratched her. It took awhile for them to bond to each other. But Riss was very patient and caring and loving. Ultimately they became like mother and daughter. She taught CC many different things, like opening the cupboard, jumping up on the top shelf to get the catfood, drop it and then both of them would be sitting there ripping the bag up and helping themselves. Riss was named after German word “riss” meaning to tear or rip. But then, she has not really ripped anything except the food. By the way, she eats everything except mushrooms and lemons. She loves vegetables, fruits and whatever food you gave her. N said that when Riss was still a pup, she was very active and smart. She learned how to open doors even with the knobs and handles, bolt and locks. When she grew up to be a very big dog, she was very careful not to do the wrong thing. She put up a lot with N’s moods, and just being there all the time for him especially when his x boyfriend left him. She was always there for him. And so their bond was really very strong. She died of old age September of last year. During her last days on earth, she was suffering from weak bladder and arthritis due to her hip displacement. She could barely stand and she just stayed the whole day on her favourite donna.

This time, CC was there for her, as well…. It was a terrible day for all of us Riss has a very beautiful spirit and nature. A week after her death, we bought a big yellow cymbedium orchid and we called it Riss after her honor. Her spirit lives on forever in our hearts and minds....