Lessons i learnt from dogs who came and went

Going as back as i remember, I hated animals of every kind. They just co-existed in this planet for me. Something that i had to work my way around. I did not hate them for any specific reason. I guess at some level, i was just terrified of them. And maybe they guessed that and had their fun terrifying me more.

Namuna
The first dog to change me was a stray puppy who used to come to our house for food and water. Very intelligent, and the only one of my dogs who had 20 nails. (It is said that the dog who has all 20 nails is rare and a really intelligent one). We never named the dog but it was difficult to ignore a dog who adored you so much. We never named him- never crossed our mind. I had some relatives visit our place who said that the dog is a real "namuna" and hence we eventually just started calling it Namuna. It was around the same time that we realised that Namuna was a "she"- and that too when we realised that she is going to be a mother. She was a lovable dog who used to come and drop me to the bus stop every day and used to wonder where i went, standing there as she saw the bus vanish before her eyes. Still she invariably came every day and stood with me.

She taught me how to love animals- one of the greatest gift i have received in life. And she taught me all about unconditional love and admiration- something i have come to believe that human beings are incapable of.

She had 5 pups- all of them died. Then she became a mother again and 1 pup survived. Namuna was taken away by dog catchers eventually and it is one heartache i could never recover from.


Bhukamp

Namuna's pup- he was one of a kind. He has one brown patch on his left eye and the other one was white like most of his body. He used to eat anything and everything- including peels of vegetables, raw potatoes, carrots and anything i can think of. Soon after he was born, the 26th January earthquake, that shook the entire country, happened. We named him Bhukamp which means an earthquake. Because he was born around that time and also because he ate as if he has come from a disaster stricken area where he got nothing to eat. By this time, i was already in love with dogs. It was nice to see him sitting my the gate when i came home and the joy with which he wagged his tail was enchanting. He was one of the cutest dogs ever who thought he was the king of that place. He used to take rotis and bury them in sand when he was not hungry and used to forget all about it and then come back for food when he got hungry. Snatching rotis from a cow's mouth was his favorite game. He too was eventually taken by dog catchers but he was at fault because he had started biting passer bys and had become dangerous.

Taught me the lesson that as much as you love someone- there is only so much you can do to save him from his fate. You have to accept what is in store- although you may want to do anything and everything to change that.


Mowgli
 He was my uncle's dog and the first "pet dog" in our family. I remember going along to get him. He was one of the many pups and we just did nt know whom to pick. They were all on top of each other and then the bottom one shifted and all fell- and the bottom pup climbed on the top. We picked him and named him Mowgli. He was just like his name- naughty and lovable. It was a pleasure visiting their home knowing he will be there and to take him for long walks and seeing him play in the garden. He was loved by all but he suffered from some diesease which took him away sooner than we would have thought. He was in a lot of pain and by the end of it we knew it was the best thing that could happen to him. He taught me the pleasure of dog walks. I felt so proud taking him for a walk.


He also taught me an important lesson that as much as you love, sometimes you must not think selfishly and accept the fact that death may be for the best. We always want our loved ones to live forever but sometimes it is too painful for them. I have learnt not to ask God for life or death- but rather what is the best for everyone concerned.


Moju
My pet dog. When Namuna became really ill, my parents got him for me. At first i did nt want him because i thought they wanted me to not love Namuna anymore and rather replace her in my life. Namuna recovered and both became best friends for life. Namuna protected Moju from other stray dogs and got into fights with them to save him. As for me, its difficult not to love a puppy who is as big as your palm and looks at you like you are his whole world. Moju was my first real pet- someone who slept with us in our bed and got into our blankets when he was cold. In summers, he strategically places himself where the air conditioner cools the most. We all are supposed to accomodate accordingly. He is the craziest but most lovable dog i have met. He was never too naughty when he was a pup too. His only concern is his food and i am sure he thinks that are just born so that his food schedule is as per time. I sometimes feel he just about tolerates us in "his" house. Our house is now known as "Moju's house" and car is known as "Moju's car". We named him Mowgli Junior and shortened it to Moju. It also means a wave in Gujarati or a sock (as in a pair of socks). It would take an entire note to write about him. So i will keep it short. He has changed my life, been through my best and worst times. I remember studying for my CA exams at night and in winters i used to cuddle him, waking him up at night. He loved me through all of it.

The thing i learnt from him was that having a dog completes the family in a way you cannot imagine. The house suddenly looks happier and brighter. And every single day, as hard and tough it was, you look forward to going home and there is someone wagging his tail, always happy to see you. Always ready to love and be loved.
 
Pinni/Nandi
The latest addition to the family- a stray pup who just walked in and decided to make it her home. She was adopted by many and always came back due to one reason or other- till we realized that maybe she was meant to be here. Moju has adopted reasonably well- as long as she does not come near his food. I still have to meet her and am looking forward to go home in December and be with her. For anyone who has had dogs, they will know that the best time is when they are puppies and naughty and silly.

There are something that is destined to be. Some souls that are meant to walk together- humans or animals. Pinni was meant to be with us and she just found us. Everything falls into place. The puzzle does fit. So dont worry much about perfect conditions and let things just happen.
  
Jenny
 She is not ours but is more family to us than we can imagine. She is one of the naughtiest. A stray pup who was adopted from the road and i am so glad that she was. She has changed a few families and now has finally found her home with Shashank and Tumpi. She is very important to us and she taught Nimish how to love animals. She did to him what Namuna did to me. She has stayed with us a few times and it has been crazy fun. She wont let us be lazy and sleep and she is always upto something. The moment she sees us she licks us from head to toe. She is adorable and she is one major factor that bonds both the families together.

Adopting a dog is one of the greatest pleasure of all. Irrespective of breed, the way they look at you- your heart will melt


Sheru
He is a stray dog who lives on the way between my home and office. He walks me to my office everyday and his tail starts wagging with increasing intensity as he sees me walking towards him. I think he believes that i am incapable of finding my way to office without him. Even in his deepest of sleep, he wakes up with a long sigh and fulfills his duty of walking me to office. He is the best part of going to work.

The best things in life are actually free

Karma and religion

The thoughts and beliefs that you are exposed to since your childhood is what frames you into the person you are.....

I grew up in a home which was not overtly religious but did believe in the existence of God and "good and bad". When something good happened in life, we were taught to thank God for it and when you cant deal with troubles in your li...fe, pray for assistance to God. We were taught to say a small prayer every night which we religiously followed every night. I vividly remember my father, brother and me sitting in a circle on the bed and saying our prayers. More than 20 years now and i still say those prayers everyday.

As we grew up, we got so busy with our friends and other activities, that prayer was something that did not remain so pure. It was bombarded with lots of distracting thoughts and ideas - like who in the class had a better lunch box than us or how to impress the teacher enough that she makes you a monitor of the class. Soon prayer became a splendid source to ask God for what you thought was the greatest injustice in your life.

But the essence of good and bad that was taught to us in childhood still remained. Sometimes even when I take a selfish decision, there is this gnawing feeling in the mind that takes the pleasure of the act away. That is what religion is to me.

It did not teach me to always do the right, but taught me to always make an attempt to walk on the right path. I did not learn to always think of others before myself but learnt that sometimes when i selfishly think of myself over what i should have done, it does not give me a good feeling to live with. I learnt that i don't do good to others because it is the right thing to do, but do so because it makes me feel good from within.

From the existence of "God", i slowly made a transition towards strongly believing in karma. Not because the whole world seems to be talking about it. But because it suddenly started making more sense. I look around and see everyone, including myself, pay for their deeds and also gain benefits over their good deeds. The people around me who are actually happy are the ones who have actually strived to follow an unselfish life. Maybe they are not rich in the conventional sense but still seem much more fulfilled than the majority of us.

It is believed that the universe is like a big ball of energy. And ultimately everything balances out. The energy is constant. If you are a negative person, it comes back to you and if you are a positive person, you are only affected by the positivity around you. None of us are privileged enough to have an uneventful life- one with all happiness and no sorrow. But still when you look around some people always look happy (and it makes you feel so jealous!) while there are some people who are perpetually distressed. It only substantiates my belief that if you do good, you see good around you and feel good.

I have spent days and years hating people who have hurt me and i still probably do give into the temptation of wishing ill to a few. But i do realize today that the only person that gets really hurt is me. At some level, you are ashamed of the person you have become and its difficult to sleep every night like a baby- without a care of the world. It is extremely difficult for me to think beyond short-term happiness especially when I see a majority people around me doing it. It is pretty difficult to do the right thing without giving it a second thought, when so many people around me don't do what should be done (and don't have that gnawing feeling too). Sometimes I am left with the thought that am I reading too much into all this? ......

........But somewhere this is the only way the puzzle fits. I believe that whatever you do, you reap the benefits or pay for your deeds in this birth itself. And if it does not get balanced out, that's what gets carried forward in your next birth. When we actually say that X is born with good luck or Y has a really bad luck, its just the karmas balancing out.

I still say my prayers every night and do a little puja every morning- although i am not too sure about the existence of God as a being. I rather see him as a source of positive energy. And starting the day with a pooja or ending the day with a prayer makes me feel calm and positive. Makes me feel closer to positivity in this world- which i call "God"