Am Rethinking your name

am wondering if we should have called you "trooper" instead of Sage Sizzler.... you came to us with gluten and lactose intolerance that took us about 4 weeks to figure out. In retrospect, i want to kiss your paws for obliging and being a playful puppy when you were the sickest because of the food we didnt know was making you so sick. Also that blasted commercial pet food which didnt suit you. Yet you played and nibbled and were generally such a darling and endeared yourself to everyone even while you kept teaching us what not to feed you and how to make you better.

you swallowed a plastic frog motif from my slippers and made it through that... also one day with a tummy full of pebbles. I dont know how you managed to wow the houseguests we had that weekend when you were trying to digest 200 gms of stones! *respect

on sunday we had a party for 10. early morning you showed signs of teething with one of your canines breaking and getting bloodied. i was worried, but you reassured me by nipping and lunging at me that you would be fine. by the time i had finished cooking and wanted to catch a quick nap, you decided you would have none of it and started to get cranky. you wanted to sit on my tummy while i lay down and wanted all sorts of things that i couldnt figure. i offered you a toy, food and water.... K then made you play vigourously to tire you out when all of a sudden i realised you had a mouthfull of blood. it stopped me in my tracks and made me rush to give you some ice cubes. half the tooth had broken off and the other half, hanging vicariously was very painful, because for the first time in 3 months, you winced in pain several times (something you have never done) and tried to get into my lap. so i allowed you to sit and chew my arm, then you got up and got yourself a profusion of really hard stuff to chew...the fake bone, an empty plastic bottle, a really thick stick.....then finally back to my arm again. that's when i realised you were trying to break that tooth off. all the while sitting on my lap. so i offered you your favourite red toy - scooby. and in a matter of a few minutes, the tooth was off....you licked me a lot. in the midst of all of this, lunch guest arrived, fawned all over you and we gave you 1/2 a cup of beer to drink which you lapped up. I was hoping you'd fall asleep. But a lot of teasing and rough play was in store... and even tho i didnt like some of it, i waited and watched hoping as always, you would set your own pace.

by the time we were done with lunch it was 5 p.m and when i took notice of you again, you were burning with fever and were really tired but still not giving up on the activity. by this time, you had not eaten one full meal, slept your usual 3 hours and so i was so worked up about you but i still had my guests at home and so couldnt focus on you. I took you for a walk and you just flopped down listlessly on the sand pile. you didnt want to dig, or play or do anything. just sat there and i knew you were in so much discomfort that i couldnt even focus on making tea let alone drinking it.

by the time the last of the giuests left it was 7.30, your temperature was high, tongue burning hot and you had a salt patch on your nose. I called Dr. Saikia and gave you crocin on her advise. The three of us went to bed by 9.30, me holding you in my arms, but you as usual wanted to sleep on the floor. After a long time i prayed you would feel better.

i woke up with a start at 4 a.m somehow the tiredness blanked out everything after i hit the pillow. but at 4, i suddenly remembered you were running temperature the previous night. i found you near the clothes hamper, on your back with your legs in the air, rollicking away. when i switched on the light, you had a look of shock at being caught in the act!

i was so relieved that i laughed so hard K woke up. We went for a super early, super long walk to celebrate. and you just proved once more how easily you will work towards bouncing back. to take everything in your stride and work through it...to never show how much pain you are in.....you are truly what we should have named you "trooper"

Who is teaching you this stuff?

I have a feeling K is clandestinely teaching you stuff that annoyed him about me... you've picked up some annoying behaviour off late.

• you hate the camera and cant sit still, unless you are sleeping, just like K. when i aim the camera at you, you just lunge forward for it.
• you hate my talking on the phone or using the laptop. you try to pry the phone out of my hands, or jump at me for a bit if i am at the laptop. 

Its getting a little chill in the mornings, so i got out my favourite powder blue shawl to cover up for our morning walks. but you have decided, you need it more than me, either to chew on or to make a pile and sit on. here is a picture of you in action

you also claim anything i need as your own, my towel before i head for a bath or like my slipper that had to be your headrest....

Getting ticked off

Yesterday was a milestone i'd rather not remember. the day went off as always, with you following me, giving me model behaviour through the day and the evening. K was in bangalore and was to return later in the evening. Around 8 p.m after we'd both had our dinner, we went down for a potty break and a walk. you were already very excited cos there was dropped yogurt in the lift you wanted to lick and i didn't let you...a few other's got into the lift (they - building secretary, were terrified for no reason - pet hating assholes)...so why couldnt they wait for us to go down and use the lift later? they insisted on climbing in and i had to use all my strength to restrain you... you are used to being petted and so couldn't understand the hostility.  

with the excitement and i think the urgency to pee, you peed in the corridor, in full view of the building association secretary and treasurer. I went to get the cloth i keep handy to clean up after you, in a fraction of a second, you escaped from my grip and ran toward the badminton court where a family was playing. every evening there is a group of kids who play with you at the badminton court, and for you this was no different.  the kid of this family is a cantankerous one. she threw a shuttle cock at you and began to run, shrieking all the time in a high pitched voice. you thought it was fun and games and started to run behind her. i was chasing behind the both of you, asking both of you to stop. Kids being kids, they are more agile than 30 yr olds... and you being you, obliged. soon there was yelling and screaming and shrieking and about 10 odd poeple who were around in the parking lot/ badminton court/ lift area were all trying to catch you and you were delighted that so many people wanted to play. but quickly realised they were pissed off with you and not wanting to play. i think it broke your heart in that moment, and you lay down near the lift.

i apologised to the family whose kid you chased. there were 12 people pointing fingers at you and me and accusing me of letting loose on them a dangerous dog. i didnt want you or me to go thru any more than necessary nonsense, usually a quick and sincere apology is all that matters, so they got one...then i hugged you and told you i love you and that we should go walk....

It doesnt matter that she provoked you and threw stuff at you and then ran. it matters that you are a dog and a dog has to be well behaved, disciplined and trained at all times. no matter if you are just a baby, you still are a huge threat to anyone who even sets eyes upon you. have you noticed the number of people who shrink away when you are on a walk? even if you are paying no attention to them? or the number of people i have heard telling their kids "dont go there, that dog will bite" instantly instilling a morbid fear in the mind of the little child, who will grow up to be a stone throwing ass.

we went on our walk, you knew something was terribly off and were so subdued. when we returned i left you with the security guard to go and check if the kid was ok. I told the father that you'd escaped in a flash of a second from my hands, seeing that someone was playing as there are kids in the building who play with you everyday. that i wasnt making an excuse, but that it wasnt intentional and that you wouldnt hurt anyone. he brushed it off sdaying it was ok and that his daughter herself was wanting a dog. i also asked him to apologise to his wife on my behalf as she was (understandably) agitated and told me to keep the dog chained or locked up.  i walked a few steps and encountered the lady in question. i told her the same thing, about the kids and the flash of a second reflex action. she then asked why you werent well trained. i wanted to ask her how trained her kids were at 5 months, but i held myself, explaining that you were still a puppy. she then said she was afraid you would bite. i empathised and said i knew just how terrifying it would be to be chased by a dog, and that you are docile and would not bite. i had to hear the snide comment of "all dog owners say that their dogs dont bite". i didnt want to argue or reason with someone who thinks that the mere sight of a dog is dangerous. i simply said i agreed with her and walked away with you.

you came back upstairs and wanted to sit in my lap. i knew you were upset....we comforted each other, as i was also roughed up a bit. i wish this would not have happened, but it was inevitable i guess.

i know its traumatic and terrifying to have a dog run after you. i am not denying that. i feel very guilty that my reflexes were not sharp enough to catch you. i've made a resolve to have you on a tighter leash and not try to make you make friends with hostile people.

I narrated this story to K when he got back from bangalore. he was furious at the people who thought you were dangerous....saying that some of the kids in the building are a bigger nuisance than you are! typical K, blinded by his love for you...but at the end of the day, i think we all needed that. 

Resisting Sleep

Its 9.12 a.m as i write this. I am in the study and you have possessively taken the aqua cushion that you think is your property and are tossing it around. I have been trying to get you to sleep for the last hour...you are doing everything you can not to....i miss those days when i was able to con you, all i had to do was carry you into the bedroom, put you on the cushion and close the curtains or turn off the lights to darken the room and lie down. in less than a minute, you would be asleep. now you have a mind of your own, and its getting quite stubborn.

first i thought you waited for K to wake up and give you time, then for him to get dressed and leave for office...now what? the house is silent but for the sound of me typing on the keypad...its pretty chill for a november morning ... and you are refusing to sleep....i have been ignoring you the last one hour... doesnt seem to work....

So for a pup that woke up around 5 a.m, had two rounds of food and milk, three walks and 20 minutes of play time, you are just holding up on willpower...i have just one thing to say to you - "go the hell to sleep!"