Friends...

Fluffball baby, i have been too lazy the whole of last month and i didnt write anything here.... everything is status quo and so there is nothing much to report.... that's a nice thing actually....

oh wait... you wake me up at 5.15 a.m on the dot these days. i tried putting up a navy blue bedsheet to block out the morning light to con you. but your body clock is pretty much accurate and now that its summer, you have decided that 6.30 is too late and drag me out of bed at 5 freaking 15 a.m. I do not know if i can ever get over how less i am sleeping or how early i am awake these days... its almost 10 months since we got you, and this is still my number one topic to crow about! 

if i dont wake up at the appointed hour, you have resorted to sitting besides me on the bed and looking at your(gorgeous) self in the mirror on the wall to the right of me, and barking really loudly till i give up and get out of bed!

you have three sets of friends now... 

Shadow - the paavum male stray dog that loves you and wants to play with you. i called him shadow because of the way he would follow you

Petal - the beautiful doe eyed female stray that lives on the construction site that loves you, but bullies you and you allow her

Two face and Caramel - the two female strays and their mother that live near the gym two streets away and play with you each morning. 

they've each attacked each other in jealousy when their territories overlap. Petal, Two Face and Caramel sometimes escort you back home. they sometimes enter the building and it breaks my heart to send them away. 

K is very upset and has asked me umpteen times to stop the "swami and friends" routine as on the few times he has to take you on your walks, he cannot handle the strays you want to play with. Also when we go together, he gets impatient and angry sometimes. 

I dont have the heart to stop this. For one, allowing you to play with other dogs has helped make you more friendly than you could ever be. you arent disturbed, intimidated or otherwise upset about the presence of other dogs anywhere publicly. that i think is a good thing. i couldnt handle a dog that gets worked up and cranky when in the company of other dogs.

secondly, the sheer happiness and joy that you get out of playing with these pooches....they are so friendly and loving and you roll on your back and prance and play with abandon. I have tried to get you to play with the other dogs in the colony but somehow all the pet owners are so paranoid about letting the dogs off the leash. And for the sheer inconvenience or danger of falling while the dogs are winding their leashes around our legs trying to play, they avoid it. 

thirdly, the exercise! you get a good workout doing this and if it can keep you healthy, i wont stop it.

the dogs are friendly, the love is mutual, they are clean and have no skin issues or ticks or fleas. i dont see any reason to stop doing this. 

there are other things that tug at my heart.... like how sad it is for these beautiful animals to live on the road. without a family and no one to care for / feed them or play with them.

Petal is the one with the most heart melting eyes... each time i tell her, "bye petal...stay now... see you tomorrow" my heart breaks.... she's crying to be taken home... but i know i cant handle another dog. If anyone reading this would like to adopt her, please leave a comment.

Separation and Reunions

My Dearest Fluffball.....how much i love you... and how proud i am of you.... and very grateful to the two people who complete our lives... J & B. K's dad turned 70 a few days ago and they'd planned this trip to this place i hadnt even heard of to perform a pooja and get married all over again (cute! i know!). so calls were made, talks were had and i found what i thought was the perfect place for you to stay while we would be gone for a few days. A pet homestay that an old friend has started and she like me, looks after the pets like they are people... they are allowed access to all parts of the house and play etc. So i breathed easy and planned everything, tickets were booked and we were on a roll. Until i called her to confirm dates and she said she cannot accomodate you because she was booked fully. I was stunned. I did not have a plan B and so K and I went back and forth about how we were to deal with this.... we called a few places and were not happy as most places chain the dogs up.... you start whining when chained even for a few minutes when we are around... so that was not an option.....

With the date for departure looming large, and the personal stakes being so high, opting out was not really an option... so i turned to a standing offer from my generous friends B and J who before you, would not even be in the same room as a dog, leave alone be comfortable with one. they are the ones who have fallen head over heels in love with you(who hasnt?) and pet you and pamper you when they visit... which is weekly and you were taken first to their house before we brought you home... so you get the picture? J has always said that he would care for you if we needed to travel for a few days and while its always generous to have an offer like that, i never thought i would have to cash in on it so soon.

one thing about them, they cant say no to us... and so when i asked, the response was the affirmative.... I asked them to move into our house, so that the place remains familiar and the maid can come in to make your food etc...you would be in your own home and atleast that familiarity would comfort you....we needed to be out for a week, but cut it short to two nights to make it easier on everyone else....

I talked to you for a few days telling you i would be going to office etc....preparing you and hoping you would understand what i was saying....On the day we had to leave, we took you on your walk and fed you so that you wouldnt be upset and refuse your food later, K left the house half an hour earlier like he was going to office, as he couldnt bear to see you confused... when i left the house, you had your usual "mommy is leaving" sad face, but i walked briskly and was gone.....

for the next few hours, it was tough to swallow the lump in my throat... i had no doubt that J&B would spoil you silly and care for you well....i was worried what you may feel? abandoned? confused? angry? sad? would you think we were not coming back? i resisted calling and you seemed to be doing fine... J had taken leave for two days to be with you completely. it is a debt i can never repay.... he didnt need to do that..but he did....by the evening, you were fed and walked and played with and everyone was settling when you began to bite and attack them at sleeptime...they made an sos not knowing what was happening and i said you may be hungry... once you were fed and walked, you slept....

the next day was better, you apparently stopped sulking and accepted your lot....all was well and despite not having slept the last three nights, debilating heat, over 50 namaskarams to be done while bending and kneeling and wearing a heavy kancheepuram pattu saree, i couldnt wait to tear out of bed at 3.30 a.m and get dressed to catch the 7 a.m flight back. on the way back, i would have thrown up out of anxiety....

nothing prepared me for your reception.... you did the usual i am happy to see you routine... a few licks, picked up a cushion and walked around... and then, decided you wanted to punish me for leaving you....you went and sat by J's side and refused to even come to me for more than half an hour...to say i was heartbroken would be putting it mildly.... but i allowed you your time.... you went to K and licked him and jumped at him and loved him....ignoring me all the time... looking at me with hurtful eyes...when you were done being angry you came to me, put your head in my lap and licked me....i embraced you and hugged you till i think i'd have cracked your ribs.... you sat by my side the rest of the day, slept next to me in the afternoon and wanted to be walked and petted and talked to...by the evening, everything was forgotten and you loved me just as much again... everything was happy and shiny.

you were a trooper... J and B have shown why they are who they are... and i am grateful....for them as i am for you....

love... me

Right after i get my toe nail pulled out....

My dear dear Sage, for the last 2 weeks you have been so upset with your schedule and wondering why i dont love you like before.... the thing is, 2 weeks ago, after a hectic weekend and Monday afternoon high summer shopping trip, i was down like a dead duck with a heat stroke. that resulted in my being out of action for three days. i somehow managed to drag my ass out of bed to walk you about three times a day and then for a couple of days just couldn't even get out of bed. that's when K had to step in and you didn't like it one bit. i don't know why you like to break his heart like that? he loves you more than i do you know....but you refuse to walk with him when he takes you alone and it makes him very sad. you sit on dharna at least a couple of times hoping i will emerge from behind to take your leash and when you are truly desperate, that's the only time you will go with him. it makes him sad, makes me sad too...

just as i was getting better from the heat stroke, on an evening walk, the dust-storm that blew a lot of debris around made you go crazy and run about madly because there were so many flying objects to catch. there were 10 odd kids trailing you and i was very worried that in the collective hyperactive state, someone would get hurt and its not polite to reign in the kids, so i tried to reign you in. between the children and you and me, i am not quite clear what happened, but i fell and jammed my left foot and before i could realise where the shooting pain was coming from, i had your leash firmly in my hands. i looked down and knew it wasn't pretty. lets just say there was a lot of blood and a nail that was precariously hanging onto its bed involved. as i hobbled upstairs with you on the leash, i knew this needed medical aide. a few painful attempts to remove the painfully bloody nail failed and then i called my doctor who wanted me to come in and see the surgeon as he suspected the nail would have to be surgically removed. evening time traffic and all meant i had to wait an hour for K to come home, ferry me to the doctor as the attempt to drive myself ended badly. lets just say a lot of pain was involved, i came home to rest an hour later. 

so for the last few days, i have been unable to put my weight fully on my left foot and the way i walk is hardly conducive to walk or play with you. the result of which is you have been giving K a miserable time. he always feels you aren't comfortable enough, he doesn't know how to deal with the various dog friends you have and most of all, you refuse to budge a couple of times, even running back and sitting poignantly in front of the lift. why are you doing this? you are perfectly happy to play with him and beg him for food or other treats. he is the one who gets you all your toys and washes your paws when we bathe you. he is the one who never raises his voice at you and always appeals for mercy when i punish you. you love it when the both of us walk you, but not K alone? still you give him such a hard time on the walks that i am unable to take with you? why sage?

i had to push myself to walk all the four times yesterday when you refused to go. my foot hurts, but i have no other choice. one part of me wants to go all awwww my dog loves me... the other part worries about how you will manage when i have to leave you for a small period of time to travel. 

you have been a sweetheart and agree to be locked up for 9 hours when we step out for work, now be an angel and go on your walks with K as well. Please darling? i am asking nicely...

love, me

heating it up

my dear hairy dog, you are experiencing your first summer in hyderabad with temperatures already reaching 39 degrees C and you are having a terrible time... i knew it would be bad... didn't think you would suffer so much my poochie.... you pant from the time you wake up to the time you sleep....sometimes you are unable to sleep in the afternoons because of the heat... like yesterday when we were at Amma's place and you kept changing positions and places on the floor when the floor tiles heated up with all the heaving....you have also begun to refuse your afternoon meal and do not want to go for a bathroom break till about 5 p.m . All you want is the a/c, you will settle for the fan if that's the only thing available... you drink copious amounts of chilled water, ice cube consumption is a minimum of 6 per day and you lap up buttermilk whenever offered. you are after all an iyer boy. I am seriously considering shaving off your hair. but the shallow human beings around you are worried you will not be as handsome.... what shall i do my love? tell me.... 

the truth about having a dog

i wrote a really long post about the reality of life with a pet, especially a dog. i love you, there is no doubt about that... and i wont trade you for anything.... i had to write this because in the last few days i've had these kind of encounters

spaced out girl #1: hey! can i touch him? whats his name? how old is he?
me: yeah of course, his name is Sage he's 9 months old
spaced out girl #1: i love dogs too and want to get one... infact where did you get him from? can you give me the number?
me: oh that's nice... yeah sure, some guy i met through a vet. where do you work? (she was walking with a laptop bag and a dangling Id)
spaced out girl #1: oh great, please give me, i want a Lab, will he have them? i work with XYZ company.
me: then who will look after the dog when you are at work? cos when they are small they need to be fed and cleaned etc...
spaced out girl #1: oh i was hoping you can help me here, do you know of any dog day care centre where i can leave the dog, because my hours are unpredictable.
me: oh! no i dont know of any, but even if there are, it would be very tough on the dog... so maybe you should think of it when you can spare the time....
spaced out girl #1: noooooo but i wanted one....
me: ok... goodluck then!

couple stops their bike and the girl gets off to pet the dog
girl: may i (gesturing if she can touch Sage)
me: yeah sure... he's friendly
girl: we also want to get one... where did you get him?
me: from a friend (way easier than explaining about the breeder)
girl: he's so cute... are you working?
me: yes, but mostly from home, although i do leave him for about 8 hours when i go to office
girl: do they need to be with people? cant they stay alone? because both of us are working so we will have to leave him in the house.
me: oh, better if they have company atleast till they are 5-6 months, cant leave them for more than few hours, because they will do susu potty in the house...
girl: oh but what about using the toilet? wahan kar sakthey hain na?
me: yes if you train them... but they need to be fed also when they are small, below 5 months they need 4 meals a day.
girl: oh ok... i and my hubby work night shifts, we come back at 2 a.m do you think its ok to make them also into night shift?
me: i dont know, i havent tried it. but will you have the energy to spare?
girl: yeah that's what i am thinking.... but they are so cute no? i wanted one badly....
guy: do you think we can keep saint bernard in hyd?
me: people do have them, but they suffer in the heat of hyd.
guy: yeah because my friend has one in bangalore
me: ok, bangalore is much cooler than here... also, they need space, you cant keep them in a flat
guy: no no, flat mein hi adjust ho jaata hai
me: i dont think that's wise... anyways nice talking... chalo goodluck then!

these are the kind of conversations i have.... i know dogs are cute... but they also involve atleast 2 hours of your time per day to care for them. if you cant give that, dont get one....

in the last few months, i have tried to help a dog orphanage which rescues and rehabilitates abandoned dogs. they have a large number of purebreeds which are abandoned by people who pay money for them because they cannot take care of them anymore.... all animal shelters will tell you similar stories....

so read my post here... tell me what you think....

lounging.......

here you are, snuggled in the razai with K when i went in to wake him up on monday morning and lost you too to the 'lazy morning reluctant to get out of bed'

encounters

what's with you and wanting to be friendly with people who dont even like you? cant you tell the difference between hostile and friendly people? no? i thought as much... you went towards the same people i had a run in with a few months ago...you were within 3 feet of them and they still had a problem... told me i am not to leave you around when they are around too... i mean it was 10.00 p.m should i wait till midnight to bring you downstairs? are you not to be walking around either just because humans who are scared shitless of a dog are around? this time, i didnt say anything... didnt respond...didnt apologise... nothing and i think it pissed off little mrs muffet a lot more... when i didnt react, she threatened to "take up the matter with the association (residents association) to ensure that i am not allowed to keep the dog". for the first time, i replied with a smile and said..."yeah surely you should do that"

i have fought / argued with a total of 4 people in as many months over you....i will continue to do so if i know you are not to be blamed.... that's my love for you... Take it...