They say, ' Give Kindness to Animals'. Yet few actually manage to give that.
They say, ' Dogs are Human's Best Friends'. Yet, few actually believe that.
We do have a soft corner for street dogs and generally give them food and if they are lucky, we manage to give some medical help if we can provide, don't we?
I have been witnessing that first-hand right after my wedding. My better-half is a dog lover. No wonder, since her brother is a dog trainer and they often have somebody's pets at home for training.
But, they also have street dogs waiting always for my wife's or her mother's all the time.
Right after my engagement until some months after my marriage, whenever, I would visit my in-laws home, their pet dog - a boxer, would almost never acknowledge me nor my attempts to make friends with him.
Maybe he had a grudge against me that I took away his sister -my wife away from him. Any attempts to go near him however friendly would be returned by a growl or a warning. Which remained until the end.
On the other hand, a female street dog they had adopted at home always would welcome me meekly when I visited their home at the gate. No overdose of joy, no barking, just standing up and looking up at me with eyes that expressed joy and welcome at my arrival.
But this post is not about my wife's home or their dogs. This episode is about how a street dog in my locality turned out to be my wife's best friend.
So, some couple of years back, an old street dog limping badly turned up in my locality asking for food or water. My wife saw that, and not only gave him food and water but also some medicines daily to help him heal his wounds on the leg. The dog, now named 'Langu' ( The one who limps) became a regular visitor at my home and locality.
We very rarely heard him bark. During the monsoon, when the road would become flooded with water, my wife would open our home's main gate to let him in, so he could sit near the parking lot and sleep until morning. He would expectantly turn up every time it rained to be safe at our home, but never entered inside after the monsoon or in the dry days in the season.
I of course tried to support my wife by letting him in, in absence of my wife. However, this last monsoon of the year 2025 was different. It rained so hard that our parking lot was flooded with water and I was thinking what could be done to reduce the water in my room.
Out of the blue, I heard my wife talking as if to a baby. I came out and saw that her pet 'Langu' had actually made itself a home in my living room and slept soundly while the TV was on.
My reaction? Of Surprise, fear and acceptance at last. You can't convince your wife when she's determined to do something she has already processed, right?
Langu stayed there or slept there for almost 3 years before the rain subsided and he was allowed to go outside . However, I felt that a chapter was over in his life.
2 months back, the old dog turned really sick and we had him admitted into a local animal welfare center and would regularly learn about his health updates by the vets, who were not positive of his health.
We then decided to visit him at the care center. As we approached, we learnt that he had been sleeping or unconscious the whole time after he had shifted there and would be soon be leaving his body.
My wife approached him and tried to pet him and hold his paw. And suddenly, the Dog - Langu, out of its natural instinct, tried to protect itself by unconsciously trying to bite her hands before we could react. All in 3 seconds. Fortunately, my wife took her hand away in time. It shocked me though, as it tried to bite the hands which fed him always.
As we got home, we knew that it was the final time we had seen him and it turned out to be true as the next day, we received news of his departure. A satisfaction for us that we tried everything in our control for his good.
Such is life!
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