what kind of a dog are you?

Seriously? i am tempted to ask of you as we wrap up Diwali. For a puppy that ran to the next room when the TV was switched on in the first few weeks you were brought home out of fright from the sounds....to standing next to a flower pot and wanting to eat it...barking at lakshmi bombs and flopping down to sleep a midst hydrogen bombs....i really wondered over the last few days if you were deaf.

it was business as usual tho and you were the only dog that stood a few feet away from K as he lit the crackers (we got mostly the aerial stuff) and were most annoyed that i didnt take you along while i lit a few rockets. the deafening sounds around you hardly bothered you and for that i am eternally grateful. i know cindy made amma's life miserable and Happy had such a tough time with the noisy crackers. so i am really saluting you here.

I started the festive season by giving away all the diyas, cos knowing you, i was sure you would try to lick the oil and eat the flames of the lamps. i also knew i would not have to do the rangoli and risk you having multicoloured potty the next day not to mention maybe poisonous rangoli powders.

we were ready to head out to the IL's place when you decided you wanted to pee and then sit on it...i yelled at you cos i had just bathed and then took you in for a bath and had another one myself.... we reached the IL's place and you have now settled into a nice routine where you know what not to do and where not (read pooja room) not to venture....

the whole day you refused to eat your thayir sadam cos you knew there was better stuff such as ribbon pakodi, mysore pak, laddu and balushahi. you settled down with some pappadaam and gulped a few hot crisp dosas, but refused thaiyr sadam. you are thoroughly spoilt there. there are about 4-5 kids in your fan club, ably managed by Pooja and they wait for you to come down to play although most of them are scared stiff....you oblige them with licks, patiently sitting while they pet you and offer you food in the palms of their hands....

after the Il's we got back home. K was really unwell and you were tired, we thought we'd skip B&J's house. but we bucked up, picked you up from your sleep and drove over. you behaved for an hour, made two trips downstairs...and then suddenly decided that you'd had enough and ensured we drove you back home, ending our evening quite abruptly.

the next few days till the carpet of scrap paper that came out of all the crackers was what delighted you and you chased after the piles, chewed on large mouthfuls of it and generally had a ball of a diwali.

I know how tough it can be to have a pet during diwali. i have seen all of mine shiver and suffer with the blasted noise. one reason why i have always hated crackers has been this....so i am grateful that you chose to take it all in your stride.... many ummas for that my chammathu.

sand crazy dog

since the last few days, i have realised you go absolutely bonkers in sand. you furiously dig a tunnel and then burrow your face in it... sometimes you roll over and over and when the sand cascades down, you try to stop it with your paws! it is one of the most incredible sights ever. and i feel like i want to always remember that... i wish i had pictures, but that hardly will do any justice!

its amazing how your personality is developing.. you are quite an obstinate little bugger. and if you think its too hot for your walk, you just stay put and refuse to move till sometimes i forcibly carry you out, or give up and turn back. am sure that you hide a smirk somewhere in that jowl of yours!

give him to me

boy have you grown big! i cant carry you anymore! i keep saying that i know... but now, i truly cant. and the days that i do try, my body feels battered!

we've begun practice walking without the leash. at first i allowed you to do the last 5-10 feet into the house, inside the corridor without the leash. we moved onto you walking to the lift without it.... then the last leg before we entered the gate, and today we did the whole walk without the leash. when the roads are empty and you are not distracted by anything else, you obey and look only for me... so its pretty easy and safe! like mary's little lamb, always a couple of steps behind me... when you spot someone you know, a few steps ahead... if you think i am not around, you immediately stop in your tracks and sit rooted to the spot till you or i find each other. am amused and proud! but i do need to get K to walk you at times, cos you are refusing to go with him!

the sandpile! there is construction going on in our lane and a full lorry load of sand was delivered a few days ago. i took you to it to watch your reaction. as always i wish i'd filmed it! you approached the sand mountain gingerly, then fingered it with your paws, when the sand gave way, you dug furiously and joyously and made a small tunnel to bury your head into. snout, face and feet all coated with fine sand! after doing that a couple of times, you got bored of it (yes you have the attention span of a wasp!). so then you decide to roll....over on your back and back again onto your front, gleefully enjoying the sand in your face and mouth and other orifaces! i havent the heart to tell you to stop.

So this spectacle continues for a few times each day and today, one construction worker stopped to talk to me. most of them just stand around and watch and when you know people are watching you play to the galleries. So this guy asks how old you are, etc and then says "madam, give him to me no....i will bring him up and keep him well. he's a nice dog" i said, yeah sure why not ...see if he will go with you and handed him the leash. he takes a few steps, till the leash permits, then turns around. you are rooted to the ground, sitting tight on a spot and looking at me desperately. he tries to whistle and cajole you and you dont budge an inch. he tries some more... then finally gives up and hands me back the leash. you jump up and start licking my hands and whatever other body part you can reach. he tells me "madam this dog doesnt want to leave you, not even one step he took without you". i say "yes i know" but inside i am ecstatic and choking at the same time. Choking for how much loyalty you have or love or that i am your alpha pack leader or whatever it is that made you stay rooted to the ground and not budge an inch. you delighted me beyond what i can explain  that day....

stopped counting

We got you on a saturday, the 13 of august and it was raksha bandhan/ avani avittam that day. ever since, i count each saturday to see how many weeks we've had you. yesterday i didnt. does this mean something? because it feels like we always had you now.

K texted what has to be the most beautiful message he's ever written (and that is saying something!). it included you and he has forbidden me from writing it here on a public forum. am just making an entry so i dont forget. and every time i complain of how much my arms ache cos you pull on the leash, i hope to remember this message.

its sunday today and i woke up as usual at 5.45 a.m. we've gone on our walk and i am onto my second cup of coffee. you've had your milk and breakfast. K is asleep with the a/c on and the room is so chill, yet you want to sit at my feet in the study where even the fan isnt on, although you love the a/c... my little lamb.

you are making it a practice to pick up fallen flowers on our walks and slink off as though you have a rabbit or partridge in your mouth. its hilarious to see a half grown dog with large pink flower in his mouth. did i say that you are adorable? or is it just my blinding love?

oh yeah and the fanbase is increasing! there are some 'hot chicks' as K likes to call them. they come and call you by name and tell us which apt they live in and how much they talk about you and they fall all over you to pet you. you love it.... but i think K loves it more! he also said how old it makes him feel!

btw, random boys are coming up to speak with me! i have so far met parag, chetan and amit... they all appear to be terrified of even touching you but they pretend to be dog lovers and ask my name in between asking yours, how old and what breed! totally random and very amusing!

updates and milestones

you lost your baby teeth.... and got new ones... two on the upper jaw and two on the lower. this meant that for 3 days you were dull and clingy and only wanted to sit in my lap. i was feeling so bad for you but couldnt help it.

you also met baby shayaan. you tried to chew on his socked foot and wondered why he started crying. you chewed on and swallowed a large part of a wooden spoon i gave him to play. i waited 12 hours to see it safely exit!

you ate a lot of pebbles last saturday and were in deep pain. refusing food and water for more than 14 hours. it freaked the hell out of K and me... thankfully they exited after 24 hours. 

K and I moved up to a cot, you still prefer to sleep on the floor. but the cot/ bed is still your play area. anything that needs to be chewed or time that needs to be spent waiting for us to wake up in the morning is on the cot.

my brother was here on a personal trip. he was disgusted to see you eat thair sadam and went out and got you some real meat and bones. he made a soup of it and fed it to you with rice. the way you sat and gnawed on that  bone like there was no tomorrow was both endearing and sad. sad that you are no longer my little iyer boy! you are going K's way! when you were naughty, he sat you down and had a man to man talk with you. i dont think you liked it much.

am enjoying your mischievous antics! yesterday you snatched a milk packet out of the hands of a bewildered milk boy. when your sharp teeth cut thru the packet and it started to leak like a shower, you were terrified and ran towards me! how can anyone be angry with you? 

you still sleep the same way as you did when you were 6 weeks old.

offers to babysit

today marks 6 weeks since we got you. i cant believe its only 6, feels like a lifetime. I woke up with no alarm on a satur(freaking)day to take you out and i didnt hate you or my life one bit!

yesterday a car stopped in the middle of the colony street where we walk, out popped two very attractive young (early 20's.... yeah ... i know!) girls who asked permission to touch you. they rubbed and petted you and you rolled over for a belly rub. they baby talked and behaved like they knew you forever. then they looked up at me, asked how old you were, if we had moved in recently and told me where they lived. they said they wanted me to know that they would be very willing to look after you if i had to step out for a few hours/days. I thanked them for the generosity of their offer. you are very cute right now i agree, but i am still shocked at how generous people are with their show of affection. ever since we got you, friends have offered to take you in if needed. you have atleast 3 official godmothers... and now random strangers too....

just when i was becoming cynical and generally grouchy, you come and thru you i learn a whole new side of the story.....