Oh! The Kings And Queens Of Heart!

Well what’s not good about having a pet ???

Without being argumentative on the issue let me come straight to the point. I have always had pets. I am a dog person. When I came home from the hospital as a new born baby my father also got a Duchschund pup and named her Julie. I don’t know what my mother’s reaction was to that but she brought both of us up together, howsoever, grudgingly.

Julie was a Golden Duchschund. Very gentle, kindly and a fierce watch dog. We then had a big house. One evening we all went out and father by mistake left the front door open. Julie kept sitting at the door growling if anybody passed by. We came back late and found her there. What happened in our absence was narrated by the press woman who had come to deliver the ironed clothes. Julie wouldn’t allow her in.

Julie always supported my weird experiments. Once I tried to walk with both feet tied. Obviously I fell to the ground headlong. My elder sister had a good laugh. My father kept a serious face. But Julie pressed her wet nose onto my cheeks to show solidarity which made me cry copiously.

It was father’s wrong decision to leave Julie with his cousin when we shifted to the Capital. By the time he decided to bring her back she had left for doggy heaven heartbroken. I could never forgive my father for that.

Next was Badshah, an Alsatian mix, who actually needed a lot of space and attention. We had a very small house by then. Badshah destroyed everything around, chewed the furniture, tore the calendars to pieces if we left her home alone. He competed fiercely with me and my sister for mother’s love and attention. He was a little wild and never thought twice before walking over our stomachs when we slept or climbed up on mother’s forehead as she lay on bed if he had to access the window. As he grew his wildness became more apparent. It was, therefore, thought appropriate to give him away to an English lady who ran an organisation called Animal’s Friend so that he could get more space to grow up befitting his nature. He was sad when he left but father had done his homework well about the organisation and the lady who ran it was supposed to be a genuine animal lover. So, I guess it was to Badshah’s benefit that he got a sprawling field to play on and perhaps forgot us in due course of time.

Next came Jojo who was a tiny, playful creature. She loved to chew our toes as soon as we lowered our feet from bed. But soon after my paternal grandmother died and we hurried back to Kolkata for her last rites. Jojo was sent back to her mother and never brought back

Those were difficult times for our family full of ups and downs. Keeping a pet had to be thought about carefully because that meant feeding another member.

Then there was a long gap till I was transferred back to Delhi from Kolkata. Even then mother was not keen to look after a pet since my working hours were pretty long and she was left all alone at home.

When we shifted near my sister’s place my nephew picked up a whimpering puppy from roadside and insisted on giving him a proper life. My brother-in-law supported the cause of giving shelter to a stray. That’s how Mr. Snow Boot came in our lives.

He was big, ferocious, ill- tempered, traumatized with a biting tendency. Many times I thought of giving him away because he was so unmanageable. But his vet persuaded me not to commit that sin. So Mr Boot stayed on with us for ten years and left us as suddenly as he had become a distinguished member of our family. Cause of his death was unknown. Howsoever he was, we all loved and pampered him to no end. With his untimely departure I promptly went into depression.

One year later my sister gifted me Ms. Rinky, a thoroughbred Labrador, to bring the smile back on my lips. Rinky is quite old now and suffers from numerous age related issues. But she is a darling!! I read the newspaper to her, give her ocassional sermons in character building, share my thoughts and opinions on how the world is going to the dogs and coax her to pray to the Lord for some much needed wisdom and relief from gluttony and apathy towards familial duty. You bet, she can’t be bothered.

Rinky does not like strangers. She is very disciplined in so far as meal times are concerned, demanding about her needs and eccentric to the hilt. They say she has taken after the mistress.

The mistress likewise is extremely devoted to her and cannot fall asleep without her musical snores.

In brief, pets are loyal, non-judgmental, loving and the bestest of friends. The most rewarding part is, unlike Dr. Dolittle, we do not understand what they have to say. If we did, I am sure, as fallible humans we’d have died of shame. Their companionship is so consoling and fulfilling! Especially for loners like yours truly.

Of course, there are Kali and her sister Maasi who have adopted me and without my asking have made my home their home. I guess post retirement I can very efficiently run a canine hostel.

At the expense of being self opinionated and rude I would like to state that humans are the worst possible creatures on earth with the deplorable habit of taking advantage of every other creature for their own selfish motives. The canine members of the bomb squad have to give up their lungs for our safety. The beasts of burden have to undergo various forms of torture to carry our loads. The cattle are humiliated when the oligarchs snigger at their ‘class’. The cows are milked dry and left on roads to die eating plastics. The oceans are polluted endangering the underwater flora and fauna. Even Antarctica has not been left garbage free where the peace loving penguins and seals have to bear the brunt of it.

Amidst this squalid condition that we have degraded our mother earth to our pets still love us unconditionally. How pray we eulogise their magnanimity and generosity of hearts?