The Canine Connection
"Mommy when can we have a Doggie?" I have lost count of all the times my kiddos have asked me this question. Every time my heart says yes, but my mind asks them to wait for the right time. I try to evade the question and change the course of our conversation to some more lucrative subject like which movie would they like to watch over the weekend, or what candy do they want this time when we go grocery shopping. It’s very easy to distract them. But sometimes I give in and we talk about Dogs. Usually it starts with my recital of the basic commandments of owning a dog. And that’s to make sure that they know exactly what they are getting into. They might think that it’s like picking a toy from the toy store, but they should understand that they can't put it away in the bin when the playtime is over. It is like bringing a new baby in the world. It’s a big responsibility and commitment for life. It’s like welcoming a new relationship, even while knowing that it’s going to hurt you like crazy when it ends. This inevitable pain which comes with the package sometimes makes me look for excuses. But every time the pros make the cons look smaller and manageable. And the child within me makes it 3 to 1 in favor of a doggie pal for the family.
Sometimes I wonder, what is it that has always drawn me towards these cuddly adorable balls of fur? Is it the fact that they are cute or is it because they are so warm and playful or is it the reason that they are the most faithful and loyal friends one can ever have or may be their unselfish love that they shower upon you? Well I think they will never stop surprising me.
One of the most favorite memories from my childhood is growing up with Dogs, lots and lots of them, sometimes five at a time! Each one of them had a completely different personality and ways with life, but the one trait that they all shared was their blind devotion to their masters.
Since I started retaining memories, not a single day had gone by without having a dog around me. They came in all sizes and all colors imaginable: Dachshunds, Labradors, Alsatians, German shepherds, Pomeranians and so on.
What a wonderful and blessed childhood I had, all engulfed in care and warmth, the most of which came from my lovely Grandparents. They gave me and my siblings all the time in the world, which I think is the most precious thing one can have. Every night Grandma ‘Jiji’ captivated us with her glorious and vividly colorful mythological stories. It was like being transported to another place and time in the Universe. But during the daytime Grandpa ‘Anna’ brought us back from that enchanting world, to the real world of sheer amazement. We were in awe of his exciting Shikar [Hunting] and fishing adventures and the endless tales about all the pets that he owned. Anna may have passed his fair complexion and blue green eyes to just one of his descendants but everyone else surely inherited his love for dogs! It won’t be an exaggeration if I say that this special trait of his has long been encoded in our gene pool!
Talking about all his previous dogs was Anna's favorite past time. I never saw Peter, Coonie, Bella, but it felt like I had known them for years. They were always hanging around in the corners of my imaginations. How Peter used to be a terror around the neighborhood, how efficient was Bella in retrieving the cricket balls from the pool, how Coonie once bit my dad on his nose and then how she was so remorseful for days; these were all the stories that I used to listen to over and over again.
Johnny and Coonie were the two Dachshunds who happened to be my first contact with this amazing species. I remember them accompanying me wherever I went throughout the house. Their odd personas with short legs and long bodies were never an amusement to me. What mattered was their silent pursuit and undivided attention that they gave me.
After they were gone a lot of other dogs came to the family. Runa, Ruby, Sophie, and Jack.
After them came the Pomeranians Robin and Lacey. One fine April afternoon in 1993 Lacey delivered a beautiful brood of four boys and a girl. We were only allowed to have a peek every now and then as lacey’s maternal instincts had overpowered her love for us. She used to be extra watchful and would only let my mom near her. But that phase was about to pass soon and later in a day or two she relaxed and didn’t mind us hovering around all the time. The puppies freshly out in the world were not a pretty sight at first, but we knew that sooner they would morph out into beautiful cuddly balls of fur. Getting groomed by consistent licks from their mom, the small pink blobs soon started turning white. Always snuggled close to their mom for warmth, they only got up to feed. Whenever lacey went out to roam around the yard, we caressed the little puppies with feather light touches. Time flew and it was just one more week until they all would open their eyes. One evening, while watching them I noticed that one puppy was a little smaller than the others. Dad said he is a little weak but its normal and he would soon catch up with the others. Not convinced by what he said, I started watching out for him. And that was the start of a beautiful relationship which would fill my life with so much love and warmth for years to come.
I named him Chotu [the smallest/youngest].Whenever it was feeding time the other four puppies would hurriedly scramble their way through one another and would start feeding, but Chotu was always left behind. He would never succeed to find a spot for himself. I would pick him up and help him get to a safe spot. But he would always be trampled upon and finally displaced by the hungry monsters. So I decided that from then on he would get special treatment. I would take all the puppies away from lacey and then made sure chotu gets all his feedings in time. My efforts paid off and Chotu started showing signs of recovery. He put on some weight. Soon the other four opened their eyes but Chotu lagged behind. I made peace with the fact that he would always be behind the others in every step of the way. I was content enough to see him healthy. When he finally opened his eyes I was staring at the most cutest puppy ever. His upper jaw had a little deformity which would make his tongue stick out a little, but that gave him a weird cute look. The little moist black nose complemented the jet black eyes perfectly. When you love someone so purely you somehow find beauty in their flaws too! or even better you don’t see them at all. I was growing more and more close to that bundle of joy. But somewhere deep down I knew that this is going to cause a lot of grief. Sooner or later we would have to give up the puppies. We were told loud and clear, time and again that even thinking about keeping one of the puppies was off limits.
They were growing up very fast. We were enthralled to see them take steps towards learning to walk, growl, bark and wrestle with each other. The best sight of all was when trying to drink from their plates they would lose balance and fall into the milk.
And then the day came, when we said our goodbyes. Although we were very sad to see them go, knowing that they all were going to loving homes helped us through the agony. Nobody picked Chotu, though. I thanked God and I prayed that nobody ever should. But my prayers didn’t work. He was adopted by a family very soon. When I saw them taking him away my heart broke in million pieces. It felt as if they were taking away a part of me. But as it was destined to happen anyway, I was prepared for it and so I gathered myself up and tried to go on with my life. College, studies, friends, and books kept me away from thinking too much about the pangs of separation.
A month or so passed and one day I was given a surprise visit, which did more harm than good. Chotu had grown strong and all fluffed up with a new coat of healthy fur. I was happy to see him thrive. But when I went close he behaved as if I was invisible. I realized that he had moved on. He had new ‘people’ and he was happy. I decided to move on too.
But the destiny had some other plans for me. One hot afternoon a knock on the door woke me up from my siesta. It was my brother holding something in his hands. He said, “He is sick and they don’t want him anymore.” I squealed with joy. It was Chotu. He had come back to me. My belief in God grew a million times stronger. But I stopped myself from being too happy. I knew that nursing that frail little ailing body back to health, was not going to be an easy ride. Everyone reached out; Dad provided the monetary support, brother arranged for medical help at home, and mom’s kind words every now and then made me go through the tough time. The Vet said that there was a fifty fifty chance of survival. But it didn’t deter me in any way, as I always knew that he was going to be all right. I cared for him day and night. I force fed him with my hands, administered the meds from time to time, cleaned his poop from the room as he could not go outside, and also kept a steady vigil while he slept. Sometimes in the night I would bring him up on my bed. Our broken bond started to heal and so did chotu. He sprung back to health. He became so attached to me that he would never leave my side. Every day when I went to the college, he would wait at the gate until I came back. In my absence he always felt insecure even though everyone at home loved him. On the other hand in my presence he had the courage to get into a fight even with our German Shepard. He would never let other dogs come near me; he was never a good sharer. He could guess my mood correctly and always acted accordingly. When I spoke sternly he used to behave and when I let myself loose he used to take all advantage that he could. While being out on the yard with other dogs he would start his chase when they had ended theirs. Always late in everything, such was my Chotu, a flawed, eccentric but a very loving dog.
When he went finally, I decided not to have a dog again, ever. But after all these years my kids have made me drop my barricades. And now I look forward to yet another relationship, this time with a Golden Retriever. When the time is right and we are all prepared, I am going to get a puppy for my boys. I am sure they will have a great time teaching him tricks and feeling great about it. But there will come a time when they realize who’d been teaching all this time.
