La Canine Affair

Every morning when my dog pulls me out for a walk, I try to question if I am taking him for a walk or he is the one taking me for a run knowing well my affair with butter chicken and extra kilos on my body…reasoning apart one of the simplest pleasures in life is for sure - a dog walk!  To put it in a ‘kennel’, having a dog as a part of the family is simply great. They keep you happily engaged and tickle your emotions, give no reason to be less of a human even a single day and don’t care if you had a late party last night. All they need is your attention (in full innocence) and all they give back from their round button eyes and moist noses is undiluted love. Good that they can’t speak as they are blessed with a superior device - an invisible router to keep everybody in the family connected on its woof-woof network 24X7 and with no rental charges! Complimenting this device, however, there is also a canine translator to human emotions which make them an astute follower of your mood swings and the real dog lovers may swear by the way their pooches twitch their ears in combination with tail when you get back from work- sometimes stressed and sometimes simply exhausted…a happy pooch fixes it all!

I wonder how many animals our ancestors  would have tried  to finally declare Dog as man’s best friend but today these four legged are more than just friends and increasingly being welcome by more and more families to  put a spindle in their emotional wheel which otherwise has spins less in fast and virtual world. Try remembering when you last saw a plaque card on the house front saying “Beware of Dog”….there are very few left actually. One, the dogs are no more used for hunting or guard reasons, primarily they are adopted as extended family members and secondly it is assumed by all dog owners in their full rights that all guests will love their dogs the same way as they do,,,Ummm over cautious guests are a difficult lot …actually in that case we anyways don’t manage our dog, we manage our guests  ;-) !

Good that over the ages, modernization has not hit the canine kingdom, as I can’t imagine chatting online with my “Zeus” and following him on Twitter or Facebook . There is no replacement to the raw and earthy feel of your Pluto licking and cuddling you all over and whining to get more out of you. They just need to be around you, be it summer, winter or rains and you feel strangely comforted within yourself when you provide simple comforts to your dog. Especially winters, when they snug in your quilts and you allow them, as the savior in you takes over and more importantly you also enjoy the warmth and aroma of your dog, isn’t it? We love the playful biting in their puppyhood even forgive the brat for brushing his jaws with most expensive furniture, footwear or mobile phone and sometimes undergarments too. All doggy homes are blessed with such furniture turning into Tiger scratch marks with a story behind.

Human beings are an evolving lot and so have they in their canine affair too. A puppy brought in a home soon becomes an eye candy and you only grow fonder and fonder with time. You fix up a reliable vet first, then a good dog food each promising so much content to make him a poster dog, vaccinations and then exhaustive grooming sessions. In the evolved stage if your “dog really has his day” you may treat your poodle with elaborative spas, massages, pool and hair cut ! Some dogs are born with silver bowls otherwise an Aam Admi  will run for a champi after paying for spiritual salvation of your Tuffy ! Needless to say, the backbone of any canine affair is simple love and affection of family members who owe it. An occasional doggy treat to fire his taste buds is a must. A happy Roxy will be probably the most well behaved Roxy.

While every proud dog owner has full right to exercise his PDA (public display of affection) however, the modern day community living will surely dampen your display there. The most important command to be taught should be “HOLD”. Then use it instinctively in elevators, common areas, walking alleys till you are out of gate so that you don’t get uneasy paying a fine while the dog is easing himself clueless of the cost involved.  

My canine affair dates back to my childhood where my family supported it fully and being a proud dog owner of one year old lovely boy Zeus, still I have a wish list to make this world more canine friendly:

·         Picnic spots where we can go with our family and extended family.

·         Open air restaurants for enjoying long drive and food together.

·         Highway hotels where we can stay without worrying about the left behind soul.

·         Beaches allowing dogs along with their owner families

·         Free supply of dog biscuits and dog food (now I am getting too ambitious…two woofs for that!!)

And finally few pubs in the city to make the experience “shaken” and not only “stirred”