That Black Friday I want to Forget

I strongly refute the accusations that I create a 'ruckuss'! Are you trying to imply that I am intolerant and jealous of my other friends? Yes, I bark a lot – but that is only to assert my seniority. When we came to live in our new house, I was the only dog who went out for a stroll with Baba. Now I think its become a style statement to own a dog. I have many friends – Alsatians, Labradors and even Rottweilers. They were pups when they first came here – but now they have grown thrice my size. But their imposing size does not really matter – I am their childhood friend. And I mean it. Have you not seen – how we embrace when we meet each other during our walks? Our parents still laugh and wonder at our friendships! And Chotu didi, have you not seen the puppies who come running to me under the watchful eyes of their mothers. They know I love them – they just sense it. So, I am not the ill mannered brat that you describe me to be.

I admit that it is not as if I am friends with every dog in the neighborhood. I could never establish a rapport with Sunny. Every time he passed our house, I created a ruckuss and he paid me back in the same coin. But I think, it was a healthy verbal duel – very much enjoyed by our neighbours. Sunny died last year – he was quite old. I miss him. I miss our barking duels.

So what I am saying is that I love to make friends – now if humans don't understand our language, that is not our fault, is it? But there are bad experiences too – like what happened on 16th May.

On that day, when I was returning home with Baba from our evening walk, an Alsatian appeared from nowhere and attacked me. With my survival instincts, I slipped out of my collar leaving the leash in Baba's hands and ran towards our house. When I reached our gate, I looked back to see that Baba was hitting at the dog with my leash, trying to stop him from chasing me. Then the owner of the dog came out and dragged him into the house. Never before had I been attacked like this! I was traumatized by this incident for at least two days – I did not even take my evening meal of milk and roti. Next morning when I did not wake up Baba, Ma suspected something was wrong with me. She found me crouching in a dark corner of the bathroom. I was put under close scrutiny and a gaping hole was found in my chest – I had been bitten by that dog. My vet was consulted. As I had been given my yearly shot of vaccines, the vet assured us that there was no cause for worry. But Baba gave me a course of penicillin anyway for – extra precaution and some powders for healing the wound – and for some days after I went around with a purple tongue (I licked on my wound which was coated with this powder which made my tongue go purple)

Later we learnt that the Alsatian was a visitor to our neighbourhood – a visitor from Vazirabad in Pakistan. I am sad – we could not be friends. Then I could have proudly told my sisters – who seem to have friends from all over the world – that I too have friends – from across the border….