Nolan Pinto discovers how dogs can teach humans the value of love
Nolan Pinto discovers how dogs can teachu00a0humans theu00a0value of love
My admiration for all animals and in particular dogs has taken a giant leap since my mom first got me a pup just before my 10th mathematics examination in 2000. I remember the mini arguments and promises that endured before she relented. That pup we named Trixy, and today, she is a massive 40kg German shepherd who is absolutely terrifying to outsiders, butu00a0 oh so adorable to us at home.u00a0
u00a0It did not stop there for us with one dog. Today, we have four dogs as our pets at home and believe me, people do think not twice but thrice before touching our gate!! In the beginning, I was all after a pedigree dog. I wanted a German shepherd and nothing else would do. So, next came another Shepherd, Teddy who is Trixy's son. But out of my four pets, two are mongrels. Now, you might wonder, these are not breeds? Of course they are not, we picked them up from the road and made them our pets.u00a0
u00a0Time spent with Trixy, looking after and playing with her, is that breed or no breed, they all love you the same.
That is how; the two mongrels came to be a part of our household and we named them Maggie and Gypsy.u00a0
This was all in Mysore, my home. When I joined work, the building where the office is situated has many dogs roaming about. They are friendly and well there is one, whom I classify as fattened. He will not accept buns or bread. All he wants is a puff, salted biscuits, sandwiches and the like. Got to blame the people here who have put that taste in his mouth.
However, I started giving one small brown dog some to eat every now and then whenever is see her. Well, the moment she sees me, she runs and starts jumping and its paw prints are on my jeans. One look at those cute eyes and I cannot say no, so off I run to the side shop and give her a bun. This is my first duty everyday before beginning work. But what happened next was fabulous and my friend nudged me to write about that.u00a0
A few nights ago, she wanted me to follow her down the road. I understood that and did so. Suddenly, she stops in front of a house with an open drain. This was at 1 in the morning. Pitch dark as it was, I could see nothing. A few days later, when I had a holiday and decided to step into work to check my mail, I see this pup at the same place. So, I head over there and it is the same place where this dog that night has sat facing. She was trying to tell me her pup is there and that I should give it something to eat too.
The puppy, a cute little one, did not respond to me at first. It was scared. Buns were in scarcity in both the shops nearby so biscuits would have to do for the moment. I had to drop it on the ground and nudge the biscuit close to this pup. She/He took time to come but when it got the biscuit, it took it in its mouth and ran into the gutter. A few minutes later, when I whistled, it came back asking for more.u00a0
Animals are not dumb. They too feel and are highly intelligent. This dog trusted me and that's why she showed me her pup. Usually, they would attack if we humans go near their young ones. Animals have indeed taught me one good lesson in life. A person who is kind to animals will never harm human beings and this I was told to by the editor of Pet India way back in 2002 while I was pursuing my degree.u00a0
Finally, these are simple things in life that can cheer your up. Go and give it a try. The next time you see a pup, don't think twice. Pet it and maybe offer him something to eat. He might get run over on the road one day or not be a part of our lives every day, but what will keep you going was that you were not selfish in not providing him affection, when he needed it the most.u00a0
u00a0All I need now is a name. Can anybody suggest one?
