It's madness! Here are the tales!
ASKALS
We grew up surrounded with "askals" or street dogs, but in our case, they lived with us. They were not just pets. They were our guards, our hunters, and our friends. We loved our "askals" as much as we love our pedigreed dogs now. The optimum love and care we share with our dogs transcends to a commitment and responsibility in our role as animal lovers in the cruel society we live in.
ASKALS
We grew up surrounded with "askals" or street dogs, but in our case, they lived with us. They were not just pets. They were our guards, our hunters, and our friends. We loved our "askals" as much as we love our pedigreed dogs now. The optimum love and care we share with our dogs transcends to a commitment and responsibility in our role as animal lovers in the cruel society we live in.
ASER (Labrador Retriever):
In 2008 we wanted a dog badly as our companion and tireless research started into a suitable breed. St. Bernard was appealing but was discarded as too big. We settled for a Labrador Retriever and decided that we wanted a non-pedigreed female yellow. A wealthy breeder from an elite subdivision in Talamban, Cebu, furnished us with pictures of the puppy and following a couple of phonecalls off we went one Sunday morning to pick her up.
There was a joyous celebration in our small rented room in those days. It came from a bouncing, jumping, tail wagging, face licking, rapidly growing four-legged fellow that followed our footsteps everywhere. It came from an innocent faced, brown eyed ball of energy that has made itself at home in our room and in our hearts.
We named her Aser, from my wife NyASsa and my name ERic. I had no doubt that the then small, cute, energetic puppy would soon grow to be the size of a baby elephant, but it didn't matter. We will love her forever anyway.
ROBI (Shipoo):
Aser was bored inside the room waiting for us to arrive from work in the evening. She was very destructive. I had to take some days on leave just to give her housebreak and basic obedience trainings. But then she was still lonely. Thus, we decided to get another puppy, a shipoo. This time, we got it at the main entrance of Robinson's Place-Fuente Osmeña, an illegal market for dog trading. We named him Robi. He was so sickly then, ugly looking furry creature. I had to bring him to our vet for his first shot of vaccine and grooming. Aser and Robi became best friends. They grew up together.
JUDGE (Pekingese x Japanese Spitz):
In 2009 another puppy came into lives, a Pekingese x Japanese Spitz. We named him Judge. Most dogs have an innate sense of protection for the people with whom they live. This protective sense is stronger in Judge than others. When he was about 4 months old, we assigned him to guard my mother-in-law in the Province of Siquijor. Gladly, when he was accustomed to the house and its occupants, he automatically assumed a guardianship over the household. It became his new home. But just recently, he passed away. Our special Judge. What can we say about the nearly two years you shared with us? We owe you so much. You were our first guard dog - the one who taught us how very special mixed breeds are. You taught us to appreciate you as a 20-pound lap dog. To be able to sleep soundly on my chest. To understand that no matter how many people were sitting on the couches in the sala, there was always enough room for you to squeeze in beside me so that you could put your head in my lap. Thank you for these past two short-lived years, Judge. You’ll always be fondly remembered and sadly missed.
COCO (Golden Retriever):
Two days prior the 2010 National and Local Elections, we got a new furry friend, a Golden Retriever. The original owner (Rajiv) is a good friend of mine and a fellow dog lover. His mom named the pup Coco because Rajiv is as handsome as Coco Martin. We welcomed Coco with the same affection as the others who arrived before him. As a puppy, my wife likes to see him sliding through the tiled floor especially after taking a bath. Barely a month after, we noticed Coco limping already. He was suffering from hip dysplasia. We then decided to bring him to the province to replace our late Judge as companion-guard of my mother-in-law and at the same time for his immediate recovery. Our helper brings Coco to daily swimming as part of his therapy and does "fetching" in the morning. Since we left him last December 2010, we already see some improvements in his physical condition. When we went home last summer (4 months after we left him), Coco and let him live a normal life. leaped with unfathomable joy, crying, tail-wagging, face licking - every second was treasure for him. And we felt the same way. May the Good Lord of creation heal
Decision to Breed
After Aser we were not so particular what breed to be our companion. We forgot about the dog's size, temperament, trainability, grooming, etc. We just love dogs!
Dogs fill our lives with love, our hearts with devotion, and our minds with wonder. This is the same love that made us reflect and decide to become responsible and devoted breeders. We chose "EMONNO", acronym of Eric Mark Opaon and Nyassa Nodado Orquillas, as our kennel affix because our kennel wouldn't not have been possible without our love for dogs. We need to emphasize that all our dogs are part of our family. Thus, they should bear our name in their pedigrees. This will also remind us of our responsibility to propagate future litters that would speak the highest standards of the different breeds in our kennel.
