One For The Road

He is always there to greet me on my way to office longing for a biscuit from me or just a friendly pat on his head. When I walk home in the dark, his presence reassures me that I am guarded well. With a well-proportioned body, black-lined eyes, blackish snout and rounded off tail behind him, he is so irresistible. Yet, he does not wait for me to go to him; no such ego with him. Rather he comes running, nay galloping, to me even if he sees me passing by. The scratches near my car windows are a witness for how he reaches out to me and my family with his paws on the windows, demanding to be caressed.

My recently acquired friend is just one of a pack of Indian dogs, all idling away their time in the vacant sites around my house. They run up to anyone who seems to be a dog-lover vying for their attention, totally ignoring others who are averse to them. I love their sense of dignity. They love me simply.

It is so challenging for me to convince others why I love these innocent creatures – especially when the media keeps reporting story after horrifying story of stray dog attacks on human beings. Not that I seek to convince everyone to love dogs, as much as I would like man to give equal consideration to the right of dogs to peaceful survival. For the simple reason that God created both human beings and dogs for them to live together. In fact, as per the Bible, God created animals before he made man !!

Reading up on the comments to a news item on dog attacks sometime back, I was horrified to read someone’s suggestion that all stray dogs be killed to put an end to the menace. I wonder whether we would apply the same rule to human race, just because one angry, hopelessly frustrated, mislead man or woman (read terrorist) abruptly puts an end to several innocent lives without any direct provocation.

The role of dogs in a happy societal life in Indian context cannot be ignored. Almost all of us remember growing up with atleast one ‘Moti’ or ‘Tommy’ or ‘Hero’ near home. The neighbourhood security guard would invariably have an army of mongrels guarding the premises – and a stretch of road – along with him.

Dogs have always been a faithful genre of animals – they are man’s best friend. They take the least and give the most – loyalty, love, affection et all.  They are guide to the blind, therapy to the disturbed, companion to the lonely. I quote – and believe – what some wise person said – The more people I meet the more I like my dog.

Yet while we find it relatively easier to digest the fact of a security guard turning burglar or a killer of his own master / mistress, so much so that it would not make exciting news anymore, one dog attack makes headlines.

My due respects to parents who have lost their children to ‘killer’ dogs. The innocent children have been hapless victims of ‘stray’ incidents – pun not intended - of needless animal rage. At the same time, one wrong does not set right another which means no amount of mass killing of stray dogs will bring back the children to life. We can only act to avoid such horrific incidents in future.

A recent incident gave me hope that all is not lost for these friends on road. I was at the local goldsmith, when a woman came along to purchase a medal for her child. The goldsmith gave her two medals each with a different design – one of a deity and another of, guess what, a dog. I asked what for she wanted those medals and she explained that her son was getting fear spells in the evenings, and wearing the medal would dispel them. I waited to see which one she would picked up, and was pleasantly amazed when she took the medal with the dog image. See? We all need our dog friends!!

(Published in Daijiworld in Aug 2011)