Remembrance

This is the best Birthday Gift i could think of to a dear friend departed who was a great spirit of adventure.

Born on 8th April 1997, he was adopted by us on the day of my parents marriage anniversary : May 12th. Today if he lived he would have been stepping into his 12th year, but unfortunately he decided to put an end to his woebegone suffering yesterday around 6.40 pm completing his 11 years of companionship with us.

The day we bought a Tata Sumo after my 7th exams, dad decided it was time to take off somewhere in the new vehicle and decided on Ooty. Once we arrived there, my first pet dog was long due and the place being famous for hosting dog Shows and various dog breeds , we got a month old German Shepard pup later to be named as Chinnu fondly by dad who made his fond 11 year walking companion. He had a lot of complications traveling back to Bangalore but once he was home, the care which had already started was taken to a higher level; with feeding bottles, Cerelac which had to be used as he was not weaned by his mother yet. Although my mom had a problem with dogs being brought home, she soon acclimatized with this cute new family member who was too irresistible to turn your back on and for whom she cared for like her new son till his end. Slowly we watched, enjoyed his every stage of growing up, having fun with his new learnings and his misadventures. We sarcastically attributed his stalking and hunting instincts which he displayed on other dogs, cats, birds, cattle and anything foreign to the Jim Corbett Omnibus which he chewed up when left alone at home around 6 months of age.

Least known are his adventures of saving our house twice from burglars and for he cant tell us;we don't know how many have gone unnoticed especially once we shifted to the outskirts of Bangalore and into an isolated house,where often he was the only one guarding the house while everyone were away at schools and offices from morning till evening. For close to 2 years he was the only one staying in our own house while we had to shift to an apartment  closer to city convenient to my college and sister's school. But one sure thing was, he never even let a rat sneak into the house leave alone human invaders. Lot of snakes around my house have lived outside the compound only as per my observation so far and never even had a chance to enter the compound walls.

He had  a great affinity for water and was always found lying close to it, loved swimming, playing in puddles after rain etc, he enjoyed games we played with him like Ambush, hide and seek, running race to name a few. He was the best goal keeper we had during our penalty shootouts, the best fielder and to find the lost balls during cricket. His favorite words were 'Go Fetch' and 'Walking'  for which events he had inexhaustible energy and upon these words he just sprung on his feet however weak or ill he was, and woke us up by a lick on the ear at our bed, if we failed to take him out early. He recognized all our bike and car sounds from a great distance and would be waiting for us at the gate even before we arrived with his 'Where the hell you have been' look and whining. He somehow was a part of our in-house misunderstandings, ups and downs. Although he savored Chapatis and certain other foods rarely, he somehow had great aversion towards food especially vegetarian and never had a good appetite because of which he was hand fed for the half of his life , but he used to be all jumpy and excited whenever he smelt non-veg being cooked and got his share on demand.We celebrated almost all his birthdays with a cake normally bought or baked by sis as he had a sweet tooth.

Although he grew up into a mischievous adult, he made a lot of friends in the localities wherever we shifted our house. He was the inspiration and motivation behind us going for long walks on the country sides, going to the farm taking him to a swim etc, whatever he did he enjoyed it breathtakingly. Was a constant companion on drives, walks, and anything where he could be accommodated. But he never allowed us or himself to do something which he never tolerated like the smell of Dettol, crackers, being put under constraints like Muzzle and collars. He hated the Vets and dog trainers and would get along strangers only after  a careful scrutiny.

He became too sensitive overtime, developed a bad fear for thunderstorms (Brontophobia) , crackers and lightning, during these times he would remain hidden under the cot or was panting and running around us all the time. He was getting old developing lot of physical problems, like Inter-digital Cysts( foot disease common in breeds like German Shepards) , but we never realized the last disease which struck him: Ascites of which he couldn't recover due to old age despite treatment and care , would take him away from us so soon.

One more peculiar behavior of his was when there was any music played by Keyboard or the musical door bell, he would howl along  as long as the music persisted. As far my experience is with Dogs, i have not seen a more lively or intelligent game and guard dog so far  who only lacked the ability to communicate in our language although he showed us his emotions and expressions through his repertoire of barks and his own ways of expressions. He leaves behind us along with his canine companion Cherry aka Nanni with whom his favorite game was 'Tug of War' with every piece of cloth or rope he found, especially Footrugs, socks and Mats.

What hurts the most was being so close to him  and we think he had so much to say in his eyes for being speechless and even his sounds suppresses by his ailment and his energy sapped. Watching him go away, breathing his last in my arms as i held him helplessly watching was hard. And to feel the pain of losing him everywhere we go, every moment we shared.

His last walk for a short distance was with dad although unable to balance himself and a drive to GKVK his favorite walking ground  on the unfortunate day after i put him in car which he couldn't even climb or get off.

Now buddy may Rest in Peace under the Lemon Tree in my house compound, we miss every moment spent with him..

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