A stray dog couple had made my shed their home for the past one year. The two make a nice looking pair, the male is especially handsome. And I had gotten into the habit of feeding the dogs slices of bread every day.
A few months back the female gave birth to 5 puppies. 4 were of them were alike - cute, healthy while the last one, which resembled the father (he was black like his father - other puppies were brown like the mother), was a loner and gaunt, looked sickly. And he behaved weird, he would run the moment he saw anyone. His whole demeanor was awkward, while the other 4 were very friendly and come running to me when I was passing by or bringing bread.
About a month back, I returned home one day to find that the 4 puppies (that were similar) were no longer there. Apparently someone had called the dog catchers and they had come and taken them away. Only the father, the mother and the sickly puppy were left. I wondered how it was that these three got away from the dog catchers. I used to look at the father and mother to see how they reacted to losing 4 of their best. They didn't seem to behave in a human way throwing tantrums. Life for them went on as usual.
Earlier a friend of mine had commented that the loner would not survive. And she and I were both surprised that it was the sickly loner that survived and not any of the other four. And we concluded that's how life is.. so unpredictable.
Today as I was going out my mother asked me whether the loner was alive. Apparently my sister-in-law who saw the puppy y'day had commented that it was not going to survive much longer. So I went to look at the puppy, I found him lying with his jaws open and teeth showing, very much dead. I was stunned. And there the puppy's mother was lying wagging her tail and the father circling me as usual, handsome as ever.
The loner didnt make any noise. He just died quietly during the day.. Ugly while alive, he had a young and a graceful death.
I almost had tears in my eyes. How does it feel to lose your children.. Does one feel sorry for the dogs that they don't seem to realize what has happened? Or is one better off being like the dogs?
The illustrations were done by Tukun.
Additional reading:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/to-be-one-with-a-canine-buddy/article9018371.ece
A few months back the female gave birth to 5 puppies. 4 were of them were alike - cute, healthy while the last one, which resembled the father (he was black like his father - other puppies were brown like the mother), was a loner and gaunt, looked sickly. And he behaved weird, he would run the moment he saw anyone. His whole demeanor was awkward, while the other 4 were very friendly and come running to me when I was passing by or bringing bread.
About a month back, I returned home one day to find that the 4 puppies (that were similar) were no longer there. Apparently someone had called the dog catchers and they had come and taken them away. Only the father, the mother and the sickly puppy were left. I wondered how it was that these three got away from the dog catchers. I used to look at the father and mother to see how they reacted to losing 4 of their best. They didn't seem to behave in a human way throwing tantrums. Life for them went on as usual.
Earlier a friend of mine had commented that the loner would not survive. And she and I were both surprised that it was the sickly loner that survived and not any of the other four. And we concluded that's how life is.. so unpredictable.
Today as I was going out my mother asked me whether the loner was alive. Apparently my sister-in-law who saw the puppy y'day had commented that it was not going to survive much longer. So I went to look at the puppy, I found him lying with his jaws open and teeth showing, very much dead. I was stunned. And there the puppy's mother was lying wagging her tail and the father circling me as usual, handsome as ever.
The loner didnt make any noise. He just died quietly during the day.. Ugly while alive, he had a young and a graceful death.
I almost had tears in my eyes. How does it feel to lose your children.. Does one feel sorry for the dogs that they don't seem to realize what has happened? Or is one better off being like the dogs?
The illustrations were done by Tukun.
Additional reading:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/to-be-one-with-a-canine-buddy/article9018371.ece
HSP I rest my case.
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