Give and take

I like to say that dog is our best friend without a friendship band. And we keep hearing how the four-legged ones love us irrespective of how or who we are. But we somehow conveniently forget that it's not THAT simple. We tend to shower affection on them and they return the same, many folds over without fail. The trick lies in selflessness and that's what we miss while assessing this strong but strange bond between humans and the so-called canines. We love them with everything we have and then they make us love them with everything we have till the day they pass away. Despite knowing very well that their life expectancy is always going to be a hurdle in continuing the relationship, we still go ahead with it so as to make the most of the limited time at hand. Just a little trace of selfishness that was mentioned earlier. So, the conclusion being we might be able to replicate this success rate in relationship with humans too provided we give our selfishness and insecurity a break and embrace others wholeheartedly.

Where are we heading?

It’s nothing less than a miracle that i haven’t killed brats who habitually throw stones at stray dogs. Contrary to what my wayward tattoos suggest, i’m not prone to violence but it disturbs me no end to see how children behave these days. Especially in the company of their non-intrusive (instructive isn’t the right word here) parents. I grew up in one-room settlements and even then, i don’t remember coming across anyone from contemporaries (or otherwise) who harmed dogs or cats on the street. There was a sense of co-existence in the people who resided in slums. One particular episode that remains etched on my mind is finding a dog struggling to get his head out of a narrow-necked plastic pot. It was obvious that the poor thing must have inserted his face in search of water. The panicky dance it created was unforgettable. Restlessness and fear must be a lethal combination as the mongrel kept banging against the wall in the hope of breaking his mask. Being the girl that i was, i wept like a boy, helpless in setting him free. Face wet with tears, the spectator turned into sprinter and reached home only to make amma suspect whether somebody bullied/beat me (again). On learning what has really happened, she turned off the stove and hurried to the spot. I still remember the calm with which she handled the situation. Gently getting hold of the uneasy dog first, she stroked his neck to relax him and then like a katana-yielding samurai, pulled the pot out of his head in one go. The poor dog was so relieved that he started jumping here and there, barking at the kneeling saviour. Insofar, it was his way of thanking her. 

Conclusion: Some lessons are best left to parents and their action.