Jessie

I first met Jessie when I landed on these shores in 2011. She lived outside the 7/11 opposite my condo.

In Thailand, there are many street dogs, or soi dogs as they are called here. Strays that roam their own part of the street and forage for scraps although many benevolant Thais often drop them bags of rice to eat and some are given collars, to make them look like they are owned to stop them being taken away during the very ocassional round-ups.

I used to sit on the step outside the 7/11 each morning with instant coffee and pre-packaged 'croissant' and watch the world go by, and Jessie would come over and lay beside me and look up at me. It only took a couple of days for me to add a sausage to my morning menu and the thing that struck me was how gentle she was when she took food from your hand. A further couple of days later, our relationship had progressed to her waiting for me to come out at the right time and running up to me, excitedly. That was it, we were mates it seemed!

To be fair, she was a wily operator, or to be completely blunt, a right old tart! She had many benefactors at various points of the day, and if I happened to be there when one of the more generous types called by, I'd be temporarily dropped like a hot brick, but not many stayed sitting there drinking coffee like I did three or four times a day, and she'd be straight back after doing her 'sweet little doggie' act and earning her reward!

During the terrible floods at the end of 2011, I'm not sure who, but she was taken to safety and returned, when we all did three months later when the water had subsided enough for us to wade through it. She must have had some fun on her holidays as when she came back, she was expecting and duly delivered six gorgeous puppies a few weeks later, many of the locals were quite excited and we all waited for the day. I didn't see her for a few days but came out one morning and as I took my place on the step, over she squeezed out from under a car with something squirming in her mouth and dropped it at me feet, she repeated this again and again until these 6 little bundles of fluff were wobbling around and trying to get their bearings, we ate breakfast while the little 'uns played and when I got up to leave, she started carrying them back under the old car.

They were very cute and as happens here, they were quickly taken by people as pets I guess, but no doubt only whilst they were still cute.

So in 2015 I moved, about 6 miles away but still went back every week to see her and she didn't forget, still greeting me like an old friend, whining and jumping up, or I'd pretend to run away and she'd chase me. Even if I couldn't see her, a gentle whistle would bring her scurrying out from wherever she was snoozing.

After my 6 month hiatus in the UK this year, I came back and hopped straight on the bike and there she was, I whistled and she looked straight up and squinted and then ran over, fussing me and whining and as we sat enjoying a coffee and some doggy chews, I realised she was getter older. A bit slower, and I got the impression she couldn't see too well. I of course had no idea how old she was, but she still looked pretty well.

About three weeks ago I went, she wasn't there. I had a quick look around but nothing, and two or three further visits, same result. I could of asked in the shop, or at the noodle stall in the car park, but didn't really want to. Until last Sunday, when knowing I was soon going to be travelling back to the UK for Christmas, I thought I better ask.

The noodle seller, a woman in her seventies at least, watched me approach.
"Ma tay leaw".

In my life, I've loved more animals than people, and most definitely, more animals than people have loved me.

Jessie was a beautiful, sweet natured soul and I will miss her. Wherever I go, I play with stray dogs and cats, but there was just something so special in those big brown eyes.

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