Sunday, October 30, 2011
Petless in (Ferns) Paradise : K Achuthan
We are pet less today and we live amongst a community that did not dissuade grooming of pets. In fact we have some pet lovers who encourage pets to be groomed.
To understand what it means to have a pet, you must realise what it means not to have one. In the few days that I lost both my pets, I realise that coming home is just 'coming home'. It would be sometimes better to walk through a 'welcoming' hotel reception than coming home to a petless house. After 25 years of our marriage, I must confess that Neena and I have gone through most of the drama that we realise the importance of giving 'space' to each other. When I come home, Neena is busy teaching yoga somewhere. If Robin & Ferro were to be there, they would have greeted me in such that I would feel as though I was coming home first time as a bridegroom.
The mornings begin as though I have been a lost a found item. The way they would lick me, I would not need a razor to shave. The joy of taking them out for their first walk and to see them do their jobs, you would be so relieved that even if you have a constipation, you would thank them that they did it on your behalf. On mornings that you wake up with a hangover, taking a pet out for a walk is like having a head massage. Pet less guys will never understand this.
And then there is the ocassional fight with Neena that sometimes grows so loud that our dogs would vanish under the cots and sofas. They know when to broker peace, for when they feel that the intensity is over, they would come up to us and cosy up. All tensions vanish and the topic of dispute changes to topic of affection, their affection.
The pain of having a pet is when they fall ill. The symptoms start with them ignoring food. From then on, it is trips to the Vet. When they recover, it is although you have lost and found your Rolex watch.
We had Robin, a Dalmation, and Ferro, a Dashhund. Both left in a space of two weeks.
To have a pet is like to have a child who will never grow up rationally but will multiply emotionally. If you are not strong hearted to accept that his life span is very small and no matter how close he is to you, you must let him go, please keep a pet. Please dont keep a pet if you are not ready to accept him as your family member. He will give you joy and he will give you pains too. He would chew into your leather sofa, bite your best friend, shit in your poojs room, and will not cuddle up to you when you really want him to. Count on him to give unconditional love.
Bow, bow,
Achu
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Having been a lover of animals in general, it was always a desire to have a pet at home. I have lived with this unfulfilled desire for many years now. Having another person, Vikram, at home fully rooting for a pet did not help- Kamala has some paranoia about pets, especially dogs, and that there is history to that fear is another matter.
ReplyDeleteI have envied people who have company of pets at home - what you said in the end says it all- the relationship is unconditional and rooted in the present. Also, you have a neutral and independent person at home whose ability to bring balance in domestic relationships keeps the home warm.
I commanded an Army Dog Unit in 1980 for about a month (when the commanding officer went on leave for a long time) by default- they were my neighboring unit and the mantle fell on me. So I used to take their parades (dogs also have PT and drill!) and over a few weeks got to understand that they were a tough lot when it came to managing them. There were as many dog handlers as there were dogs (normally 32 to a unit). The Army dogs have three roles: guard dogs, infantry patrol dogs and scouts. Phenomenal in their sensory abilities, they must have saved hundreds of lives in Nagaland and Manipur over the many years. If a dog fell sick, there was a psychosomatic effect- invariably, the dog handler would also fall sick, can you believe it. The relationship between man and dog is so symbiotic and harmonious that we would never change handlers. If a handler went on leave, the dog would be on leave too (dogs are also entitled to leave!!). And boy, they were clever too- I remember Meera, one German Shepherd, who would play pranks during morning PT. She would feign illness and shirk- but when it was a race or any other mandatory test, she would invariably be first in the lot.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story.