Pets are a pain & pleasure
Tanima Shukla’s love for dogs is not born, but cultivated through proximity with them
My love for dogs wasn’t something I was born with. Frankly speaking, I was shit scared of them until I got married into a family where my cousin sister-in-law had three dogs plus a whole bunch of street dogs whining for her attention. As they rightly say, familiarity did make my heart grow fonder and unknowingly I fell in love with the four-legged canine. In my thirty five years of married life, we have had the pleasure of parenting three dogs. Every time we lost one we vouched not to keep another as the pain of loosing your loved one was enormously unbearable. But their absence was even more painful, hence one more stepped into our lives.
The kids all grown up and gone to peruse their careers, life became little depressing and lonely and thus came Toddy- a beagle- in our lives. He is the youngest member of our family and spoilt enough to be called a brat. Things like not climbing on the bed, which was a rule for the earlier dogs, doesn’t even exist for him as he happily sleeps on my bed, never making me feel that I am alone. He snores not letting me miss my husband while he is sailing. They say that beagles are very intelligent and hyper and I wouldn’t agree more. Toddy understands everything but chooses to do his own. He has a massive sweet tooth just like all the Shuklas in the family.
Pet parenting is just as painful, fun, enjoyable as bringing up your own child. It’s a task to toilet train them. The most nightmarish phase is when they are teething and end up chewing your furniture, chappals, shoes and what not. Once they are past that it’s a joy to have them around. My advice to all those have ever felt lonely or depressed even for a while adopt a dog and you won’t have a moment of loneliness or depression. They sense the emotions you are going through and will stand by you silently telling you “I am here”!
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