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A man in Malaysia has taken to Facebook to recount his time with a Rottweiler that his father adopted.
The touching tribute by Fizwann Abdul Halim saw him reminiscing to the time in 1997 when his father started a goat and cattle farm in Selangor after retiring from the police force.
He was assisted by three of Fizwann's brothers, two cousins, and his mother.
Fizwann recounted that they were faced with many challenges in managing the farm at that time.
For instance, two years later, in 1999, the farm was robbed by five robbers who beat and tied up his father and brothers.
Fizwann's mother was also kicked and tied to the stairs of their house.
The robbers managed to flee using two lorries along with all the goats and cattle.
He wrote that the police did not manage to find the robbers as they were using fake licence plates.
Love at first sight
After that incident, the family did not give up and carried on with rearing goats and cattle.
Things changed in 2002 when his father and his eldest brother visited a friend in Banting, Selangor.
It was then his father laid eyes on a two-month-old Rottweiler puppy at his friend's house.
"My father did not waste any time and asked his friend whether he wanted to sell the puppy. His friend agreed to sell it to my father and was given a "breeding" certificate as proof that the puppy is a Rottweiler," Fizwann wrote.
His father then went through various documentation processes and applied licences to adopt the Rottweiler for agricultural purposes.
His father named the puppy, Amin.
Amin, the obedient dog
Amin was loved by everyone in Fizwann's family to the point that Fizwann, who was attending medical school, felt jealous every time he came home as everyone would be giving their attention to Amin instead.
According to Fizwann, Amin was an intelligent dog and he respected and listened to his parents.
"Whenever my parents or brother do not let him out from the farm, he will just stay in the farm," Fizwann shared.
He also added that Amin followed religious rituals and practices.
"When my parents gave Amin his food, he did not eat until my parents read 'Bismillah' (a prayer Muslims say before they start to eat)," Fizwann wrote.
Amin, too seemed to know the things that are considered lawful and forbidden in religion.
Some of the things that Amin "observed," according to Fizwann, include not entering resting areas or areas for prayers and not licking his father's hands, legs or face.
Fizwann also wrote at length on how Amin protected his family and took care of the farm to the point that several highly esteemed individuals, including a minister and a businessman of Genting Highland hotels, persuaded his father to sell Amin to them for a high price.
But neither his father nor his brothers want to sell Amin to anyone.
Loved Amin till his death
Fizwann's father's love for Amin was so deep that his father told Amin: "Amin, when I am no longer alive, you need to take care of yourself, of this farm, of you mother and brothers. Therefore, do not be naughty."
Amin looked at Fizwann's father as if he understood what he was saying.
His father, too, advised Fizwann's siblings not to abandon Amin or to sell him off.
"Amin can be considered like your little brother," he said.
The next day, his father passed away due to old age.
Amin, who never left the farm to go to Fizwann's family house located about 10 minutes away, appeared at the doorstep of the house and barked as if he was calling Fizwann's father.
When the family brought his father to the cemetery, Amin followed slowly and waited in a corner.
Amin died the next day
That evening, Amin did not want to eat.
Instead, it went to the storeroom, took out his father's shirt that he used to do his farming chores, and snuggled it to sleep.
The next day, Amin was nowhere to be seen.
His mother went to the barn and saw Amin. She tried to move Amin, but there was no response.
Amin had passed away while snuggling in his late father's shirt.
Fizwann wrote that 12 years has since passed, but his sadness grew each year.
At the end of the post, he described the feeling of losing a pet as similar to losing a family member.
Fizwann's Facebook post has received more than 25,000 reactions.
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Top image via Fizwann Abdul Halim/Facebook and Greg Wilson/Unsplash