By Saheli Bishnu
Tin and Ping are of the same age and Utsob is one year younger. Tin, a white colour Labrador Retriever, loves to be around other human beings, sniff around, and pee in most places. My friend occasionally visits our home to cuddle and play fetch with him. He is obsessed with playing ball. One will be amazed at how he moves round and round all over the park when he has zoomies.
Sometimes, when it is dark in the park during the night, we cannot spot our Rottweiler owing to his black coat. On the contrary, Tin is quite visible. Ping, the Rottweiler loves to walk on the street and park. He absolutely loves to be cuddled by other humans, especially those with cars. He is always following me in the house. He exudes affection when he is introduced to another dog in get-togethers arranged by their behaviourist. He has a good name in the get-together for his wonderful nature and obedience. Once, we drove to that venue, Ping was so excited to see the other pet dogs, he jumped out of the window of the car.
Tin and Ping are very social in nature. I often find people taking photographs of him when we are standing at our neighbourhood bus stop. There was this one time when Tin and Ping both had vanilla ice cream from the ice cream cart. I did not have money that day and had to pay later, but the ice cream seller offered them ice cream for free. This is one of the many perks of having adorable dogs. Ping regularly checks whether my father’s health is fine and Tin has got rid of eating up his sandal. Utsob generally visits his room whenever he decides to sleep.
The one who has the highest prey-drive and becomes crazy when he spots the squirrel is Utsob, the standard-size American Bully. He is very much fond of my mother and follows her in the garden and home. Most of the time, he nudges Ping to play with him. He has the most cuddling face and loves to be cuddled and kissed by family members. When Ping and Utsob run or chase each other, it feels like an absolute storm. Utsob is always the one to be alarmed first when someone is entering our house.
While we all are at a park, life feels so wonderful. I feel so much connected to nature. They brought routine and discipline into my life. I don’t enjoy my vacations anymore as we have to leave them with my mother. They taught me what it takes to be patient and calm. Pets love you more unconditionally than your family or anyone else on the planet and their progress and experience depends on us. After connecting with my pets emotionally, I started to feel the agony and suffering of street and community dogs and tried to provide them with first aid, preventive medicine and food. Lastly, I want to thank their behaviourist and veterinarian who always ensure they are living their best lives.
* Currently studying animal welfare and want to start an animal shelter in Durgapur. I love working for community dogs. Reach me at crimson.flute@gmail.com
