Saying Goodbye to Fu

It’s been an emotionally draining day today (Sep 22). It’s so sad to see my little Fu go. Here’s a short clip of Fu sometime in March 2019, when I was playing with her after we went out for a nightly stroll:

I have written articles about Fu, from her rescue in October 2018 to her transfer in May 2019. And now, I’m choked up to see her go.

Fu’s health condition deteriorated in June 2019, a couple of days after I transferred her to a new foster family. I was shocked to know about her condition because she was fine (aside from her dental caries and foot injury) prior to her transfer. She might have been sick when I rescued her last winter, but it didn’t manifest until the following summer.

Naming her Fú 福 is rather symbolic: the Chinese character means “good fortune” but I keep on translating it as “blessing.” Indeed, Fu is a blessing and she came to my life at a time when I was struggling with anxiety.

I can still remember the moment I saw this blind and limping Pomeranian that almost got hit by a car on a road in Sanlitun. I blocked the road so she could go safely to the sidewalk… and eventually to my residence.

My intention to temporarily shelter her for only three days turned into 7 months until I left my job. During this period, I never thought that I, myself, had been a blessing to Fu as well. Perhaps that fateful day when I rescued her meant her second life. And perhaps those funny moments when she used her snout to open my bedroom door in early mornings to sleep under my bed meant comfort to her. And perhaps those hugs and playtime moments meant companionship to an old, blind dog.

It was a hard decision to give her away but we were both blessed to find such a loving foster family who cared for her in the last 5 months of her life. I was truly hoping her medications would help her recover, but her vets said the drugs weren’t working anymore.

A couple of hours before this post was published, I visited Fu at the same hospital where I first brought her and bade my last farewell to her. Eleven months before, she was wriggly and howling; today, she was trying to be alert. Silently. Shaking.

I truly believe that dogs feel our worries and pains. And they bring these with them when they go. Thank you, Fu, for watching over me during the past 11 months. Heaven’s got another cute pooch.

Special thanks to Perlita Pengson, Emma Jones, Mary Peng, the International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS), and the people who generously shared their love with Fu over the past 11 months. You have been a “good fortune” to a blind limping Pomeranian. She’s left us but her blessings will remain in our hearts forever.