Dogs

We all know they are our best friends. But 2 years of dog-parenting taught me that this simple statement has such a profound meaning.

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I have always been an animal lover since my child, despite the fact that I didn’t grow up around them and my parents never taught me to love animals. After decades of working hard on my analytical rigor, presentation skills, I am proud to say my super power is being an animal-lover. Everything else was from me slogging, but animal love was gifted to me.

As a child, my dream was to get a dog as soon as I stepped out of the confines of my parental care. But life had other plans. First two years of my career was spent in a long-hours, travelling job and I could only browse social-media, scrolling through dog-videos. But after that, I changed jobs and my.. nah.. our story begins there.

Scooby came into our lives 2 years back. I remember standing near Hotel Empire in Indira Nagar anxiously waiting. We hadn’t eaten since morning due to the excitement. A dilapidated grey scooter pulled over and the rider waved to me. Walking up to him, my heartbeat got louder with every step. I knew, in another 30 seconds, our lives will change forever. The man on scooter handed me a beige plastic basket and my mind went “Uhmm I want a dog, not vegetables”. But when I opened the basket, there was Scooby. A little bigger than a rat, nervously pacing in the tiny basket. Even the basket was big enough for him to walk around. On the ride back home, he started to squeal and sniff. We thought he wanted to pee but our cab was stuck in a traffic jam. I got him out and held him like Simba for him to pee. It was our first task together and we were so happy to accomplish that.

We had purchased a bed for him, bought puppy food, toys, medicines. The second he came, he frolicked on the bed, pooped in it. Good part of next couple of months was poop-cleaning duty.

Till date, shopping for Scooby is the most fun thing I get to do. I hardly care how much I spend for him and usually I buy way more than he would need. The best part is that I get to pamper him.

But what really makes the bond between you and your dog so special? And why do all pet-parents dote their pets? To me, it transcends what videos, pictures can capture. I thought I would write about it.

Loyalty - My biggest privilege

From disasters to work-place issues to betrayals, almost all of human life is complicated, rocky and has a dark side. Be it with your friends or family or colleagues or even the political leaders, you realize the idealistic view of the world fails laughably as you step from being a student to adult. You realize that this was what your parents meant when they said life is inherently unfair. It is natural to feel nihilistic, guarded and anxious in such a world. I felt that. But I discovered that idealism was not an Utopian concept, like I had previously thought. I found it in our relationship. He trusts me that no matter what that I will be there for him. And he reciprocates the same with me. In a world where people kill, hurt, betray, cheat, fraud, we have each other, hand-in-hand, protecting each other. Our relationship with each other is my biggest privilege, for he gave me the opportunity to experience this unquestionable loyalty.

You know what they say - when you have a dog, you become part-dog, and the dog becomes part-human. Because loyalty is always a two-way street. And no, you don’t start to raise your leg and pee.

Our walks - Each one is an Indiana Jones episode

Walks are a joint adventure. Everyone of them. If you think dog-walks are just you walking with a leash, then think again. He sniffs something, and instinctively I check it too. Partly because I want to make sure he does not put his nose where he shouldn’t. But also because I am curious as to what makes him excited. Little by little, I start to see the world through his eyes. I know what fascinates him, what makes him curious. And he starts to see the world through mine in figuring out what to avoid and what to not sniff.

When he poops, he will slowly turn his head and look at me. Dogs do that because their pooping position is usually when they are most vulnerable and they want to look at their master for reassurance. And every time he does that, I look at him and smile. He knows when I smile, things are okay. Quite a weird place to share our mutual love but when you become a dog-parent, a lot of weird things get instantly normalized. You get used to a house littered with toys all the time. Every fabric, surface of your house will have fur. Eating becomes a communal activity (Good luck trying to eat without giving a bit to your dog).

You don’t need words to communicate

A certain intuition got created as the bond between me and Scooby grew. The best part about him is he doesn’t understand language. So the only way for us to bond and show our love with each other is through action. It could be playing, or feeding him bread when our vet clearly told us don’t over feed him. But over time, I can tell by his body posture if he is hungry or just throwing a tantrum. And he would know when I am stressed or down physically. This is when you realize you don’t really need words which are so opaque, open to interpretation and confusing. The bond you share goes beyond the limits of language.

You learn how to be happy

Many would tell you that dogs make you happy. It is true to some extent but that is only half of the story. They teach you how to be happy. A big difference. It is the difference between the proverbial giving a man fish vs teaching a man to fish. When I see him playing with an old sock or happily tearing away a piece of cardboard, he is blissful and content. Nothing in the world can bother him at that moment. It is when you realize, happiness is just in your head. He chooses to be happy every single day. He chooses to make the best of every day. And if it doesn’t work out, he sleeps it off.

All I taught him were simple commands and tricks. But in return, he taught me so much more and for that, I would always respect him.

I still believe every dog has their own personality and a unique relationship with their parents and friends. As much as the work that goes into it (if you think not, try getting a large dog to bathroom and bathe him), it has been incredibly fulfilling. He still tries to push his boundaries during our walks, infuriates me by placing his mouth where he shouldn’t. But that is the part of having a dog at home. If you plan to get a dog, I hope this article serves as a great pitch material or give talking points to convince yourself. Till then, woof, woof!