Life with Dogs

It is often said that a dog can change one’s life. There is certainly no arguing to that. I understood that at once after a day in April 2011 when Tekka left for his heavenly abode. He was a medium sized Cocker Spaniel with long ears and a happy disposition, but he thought of himself to be one of us and so did we.

Although, I was always an inborn animal lover, being the youngest in the family, I resorted to pulling his antenna-like ears and tried to irritate him in every way possible. Sometimes when I tried playing with him, he doubting my kindness, would move away. Out of the 14 lovely years he spent with the Sen Family, he was never fond of me - not even if I tried to catch his attention with his favorite biscuit treat. Later in the years, I figured out why – I had probably taken up his space after being born four months after him.

My  father was Tekka’s go to person at all times. Tekka could sense him returning from work and would run all around the house with excitement. My sister, Abheri, was also Tekka’s favorite and of course he would be – he was indeed her first born little brother. She used to constantly keep him company and played with him and Tekka anxiously waited for the same. My mother spent a substantial amount of time with him all his life, and to be honest, she is the reason behind him growing into a lovely person.

It was not easy to see him leave, as the 14 year old twinkling eyes tried to say goodbye in the most strenuous way.

Exactly two weeks after Tekka left the Sens, a new member made an entry into the Sen Family. Emo, a mixed breed, with beautiful eyes, sharp ears and a tiny tail - docile, bold and trustworthy. Right from day 1, I was fortunate enough to be her master and she looked into my eyes with love and affection. She was pro-active and always found out a way to play with anyone around her. Yes, she was extremely possessive and did not like us adoring or spending time with other dogs. Right from those little vacant spaces through the gate, she used to observe every little thing that moved; be it a man, her fellow friends or the cats. She was never amused to see cats run past her and would give it her best shot to get a hold of the cat.

It was a hasty decision to get another dog in the house and we hardly thought about how Emo would react to it. Emo was very emotional and moody at the same time. On 12^th June 2016, a 35 day old Labrador puppy, Lobo was added to the Sen Clan. It was yet to be seen how Emo would react to this and we were worried indeed. As the door opened, Emo caught a glimpse of Lobo and in no time started sniffing him. Yes, we were a bit scared as to how well Emo would adapt because for the last 5 years, she got all our attention all by herself. She was worried that the little puppy right in front of her would now get the majority of attention and she might feel left out.

It was a daunting task to take care of Lobo at the start. While it was my mom who used to do everything when Tekka was here, I took up the challenge mainly because I was the one who wanted a brother for Emo. Everyone was busy but at the same time, Lobo was a little puppy and someone needed to look after him at all times. Life is never good when your dog is not potty trained and socialized. Such was the case with Lobo.

As it was my sister’s and my wish to get Lobo home, we had to do bulk of the work. Right from taking Lobo out for a walk thrice a day to cleaning the mess at home, we were certainly up for it! There was no sleeping till 9 am thereafter, as Lobo would systematically jump on each of us and lick our faces signaling that he wanted to go for a walk. Well, that jump used to be at 5am each morning and what about our sleep? There was no sleeping thereafter.

Every dog is special in their own way. Lobo was unique too. Gradually, we had to look for someone to take Lobo and Emo out for walks. A dog walker started taking Lobo for walks, but Lobo was assuredly uncomfortable going out with someone new. Thereafter, he would not let anyone but me put his leash on him because he was not comfortable with new people. He was curious and I think he wanted to go to people, but he was just not sure yet.

Labrador retrievers have a genetic variant that make them more likely to gain weight and we were up for the task as Lobo had to do the long yards now. Every morning, I took Lobo for a run, but he was reluctant to go after a few days - one of the reasons why they are called the lazy dogs. He would rather enjoy a sleep in an air conditioned room after a heavy meal. Fortunately, he is almost two years and has a fit body, I tell you.

Whenever I come back home, be it from a vacation or even from school, that energetic jump just makes my day. At least someone anxiously waits for me. Due to a bucket load of training, Lobo has integrated into our family beautifully and is a core part of our family, not just a pet.

Now that I’m done with school, college is not far off. I cannot imagine leaving home and more importantly my dogs behind when I move to University. Tough days coming up.

If you want to get a furry friend home, take out time from your busy schedule and spend it with them. No matter what your schedule is like, quality one-on-one time with your dog is super important, both for your pup and for you! You made the important decision to get a dog, so it’s equally important to love them as much as possible.

Dogs really do deserve their title of 'man’s best friend'. They're loyal, intelligent, devoted and affectionate – and are known to improve our physical and mental health.

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