Saab Magalona posts a tribute for her dog Joey
Saab Magalona revealed the heartbreaking news that her dog Joey has passed away.
Saab shared Joey's story to honor her fur baby, a dog that she called her first child.
She started off her Facebook post with a question from her in-laws asking what would happen if their baby is allergic to dogs.
““What if your babies turn out to be allergic to dogs?” My in-laws presented this question to me when I was a few months pregnant with Pancho and Luna. I answered instantly and half-jokingly, “Then I guess the babies would have to stay with you because Joey was here first.”
"They knew how Joey was my ultimate baby. I took her with me everywhere and since I met her, all my life decisions were based on her happiness and comfort.”
Joey has been with her since 2012 and is a huge part of her life.
“She is a big part of why I am where I am today. I got her around the time Jim and I first started dating in 2012. I made it clear that she wasn't a joint-puppy kind of thing. This puppy was not a promise ring.”
She also confirmed that Joey taught her how to be responsible and actually prepared her for motherhood which she currently enjoys with sons Pancho and Vito.
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“It was through her that I saw how kind and equally responsible my then-boyfriend was. Jim started taking on more responsibilities with Joey and I found myself falling in love with him and thinking how he would make a great father. I started writing Joey Magalona-Bacarro when we would take her to the vet.”
Saab looked back at the year when Joey had to adjust when Pancho arrived.
“When I got pregnant in 2017, we had to slowly transition her to sleep on her own bed. It's so she wouldn't relate the babies' arrival to her getting kicked off ours. In my head I was thinking, we'll get her back on the bed when the babies are a bit older.”
Joey was present when Saab lost her daughter, Luna. However, she couldn't be held by Saab due to her post operation scar. Joey also needed to be separated from her because of Pancho's delicate condition.
“I had a complicated pre-term birth in 2018. We lost our baby girl and each night, I would go home to Joey and she would comfort me from Jim's lap. She couldn't be in mine because of my post-op scar. We brought home a very fragile baby boy from the NICU 2 months later. I had no choice but to separate Joey from Pancho because he had a very delicate wound from brain surgery.”
Saab expressed her admiration for Joey who was a brave puppy regardless of all the things happening around them. She also understood that she was no longer Saab's baby particularly when Vito arrived.
“She never fought for my attention. She seemed to understand that something was amiss and we'd need a little time to adjust. As Pancho grew stronger, they started bonding and she would lick his feet while he'd throw some food off his high chair.
"When I got pregnant again with Vito, I think Joey understood that she was no longer our baby. She was our big girl now and she knew I wasn't as available to go on adventures with her for now. I kept thinking “she'll understand” because between breastfeeding, taking Pancho to his different doctors, work and OB appointments, I just didn't have much energy to take her to training camp or bake her treats from scratch like before.”
Pancho and Vito's pediatrician recommended ruling out Joey's hair as the allergen when they got sick with pneumonia. Saab's mother, Pia Magalona, took Joey in.
“My boys got sick with pneumonia before Vito was even a month old. Both were confined and it was a very traumatic experience for our whole family. In February of this year, they were starting to sneeze again and our pedia recommended that we rule out Joey's hair as an allergen.
"Thankfully, my mom was more than happy to take her in as she's the one who looked after her whenever Jim and I would travel. The sneezes and rashes went away but I always thought of Joey. It's much cooler in Antipolo and my mom, brother, sister, and their help Gleza and Lang showered her with so much attention. They sent me videos and photos of her and she was so so so happy. If I kept her in our house, it would have been for selfish reasons.”
Due to the enhanced community quarantine, Saab couldn't visit Joey in her mom's house. They were only able to see each other through Zoom calls. However, Joey got sick and had an infection.
“Last Thursday she had blood in her pee and I asked if she could be taken to the vet because she had 2 surgeries in the past for bladder stones. The vet sent me x-rays thru e-mail. Her blood test showed she had an infection and I was told she needed another surgery.
"I was afraid because it would be her 3rd but it was what the doctor recommended and I had no choice but to give the go signal. When they opened her up yesterday, they saw that she had a tear in her bladder already and that caused complications with her recovery.”
Saab said that they drove to see Joey for the last time.
“Jim and I drove more than an hour through 3 checkpoints to hold her one last time. My mom and Gleza were there and we all said a prayer for our beautiful Joey Bear.”
Before she ended her tribute she admitted that getting a dog meant signing up for a lot of pain.
“It's true that we sign up for a lot of pain when we decide to get a dog. We get years of unconditional love but there will always come a time to say goodbye. Joey brought us immeasurable happiness for the short time she was with us and nothing can ever replace it.”
Saab added that she is grateful to have Joey. Now she is is free from pain.
“I am so thankful for my sweetheart but it brings me comfort knowing that my baby girls are together now. Your papa and I are incredibly grateful for you, Bear. Run free. We will always love you.”
Saab Magalona looks back at Baby Pancho's surgery two years ago
