| Subir Roy: Dogs will be dogs | |
| Subir Roy / New Delhi July 1, 2009, 0:51 IST | |
I made no attempt to cultivate the thin severe looking old gentleman, with fresh bibhuti marks on his forehead every morning, who lived a few houses away from ours. But I was forced to cross his path and the culprit was our dog who seemed quite oblivious of what he had done. It was fairly early in the morning and I was out walking him, the expression standing for the compulsory stroll round at least a bit of the neighbourhood for him to do you know what.
The morning stroll was usually quite pleasant and the dog fairly well behaved most of the time. But this particular morning something got into his doggy head and he decided to do you know what right in front of the old gentleman’s house at the base of a flowering tree. Before I knew it, the gentleman was out of his house and reprimanding me: How can you do this in front of my house and that too next to the tree when we use its flowers for our puja.
I was too ashamed to say that it was not I but the dog which was doing it and what can you do about dogs when the urge visits them. I mumbled something about it being quite unintentional and dragged the fellow away by his leash. I spent the next half hour chasing random thoughts scurrying across my head about the inconsiderateness of people who do not love dogs and the stupidity of dogs who unthinkingly ruin your relationship with your neighbours.
Well, that was some time ago and here I was, furious with unknown neighbours after luckily missing you know what as I stepped out of my car.They had made it a point to let their dogs do you know what right in front of my house where I have carefully developed a little green patch to prevent slush from gathering when it rains. I know dogs will be dogs once in a while but do they have to make the front of my house their favourite spot for posting messages marking their visits as an invitation for other to do the same.
I knew I couldn’t stop it but was determined to give back to at least one of my neighbours a bit of the treatment that the old man had meted out to me. And the opportunity soon came. The verandah that overlooks the road is pleasant to while away a bit of the late evening when temperatures are high. That is also the time when dog owners take their wards out for a final stroll before turning them in for the night. Sure enough one late evening came along this beautiful poodle with a Chinese girl in tow who was herself fairly good looking. And they stopped right below our verandah to do … (you know the rest).
My moment had come. I waited till the dog had thoroughly compromised itself through its posture but not exactly started to do … and then got up from my chair and cleared my throat. She looked up, the dog of course kept looking vaguely into the air and did not know what wrong he had done for the girl to drag him away just as he was a about to do … I felt hugely pleased with myself. I had not raised my voice the way the old man had, not to speak of speaking in that terrible way as if it was I who was guilty of the act.
Taking our dog out for a walk had been a learning process. When he first came and was not familiar with our time management he would drive me to the edge of my patience, continuing with his exploration of the hedges around our Gurgaon gated community, seemingly forgetting to do … for which he had been taken out. You couldn’t blame him. He had learnt that the longer he took to do … the longer he could have a stroll because once he was through I would turn back irrespective of whether he had a decent stroll or not. So eventually we came to a compromise. He would not unnecessarily delay things and I would allow him his standard stroll irrespective of whether he had done
Once we had settled down to a mutually acceptable routine we both managed to make the best of it. His idea of fun was to look for nonexistent life in the bushes which he could chase away, my idea of a bonus with a pleasant walk was to occasionally relish the discomfiture of those whose dogs suddenly decided to do … How discomfited they were almost defined their personalities. At one end was this anglicized Delhi girl who couldn’t care less and at the other end was this stiff upper-lipped gentleman who looked as if he never lost his composure until one day his dog decided to do.
subir.roy@bsmail.in
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