Pets.

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” ~ George H. Lorimer.

This photograph is of me watching something on the TV from my recliner while my companion at home Chutki is busy watching a fly or something else equally absorbing. The observation in our home is that when she is with Manjiree and Ranjan she thinks that she is human and when she is with me, she thinks that I am a dog.

No sir, money cannot buy me the unconditional love that Chutki gives me. I just have to go out for a few minutes across the road to the grocer to get something and on my return she makes me feel like I am returning from a decade long absence. When I am fast asleep, she will come to ensure that I am still at home and in the process waking me up for some goodnight words for her. It will be difficult if I lose her.

My family are dog people. From the age of about eleven I have had dogs at home, the most memorable one being, arguably the first to be imported into India, Doberman Pinscher Kaiser with an official name of Dee’s Black Escort. His descendants are still part of the Chennai Police Dog Squad. He was not a dog. He was human.  He was trained to be so my brother Barath who in turn was trained by Kaiser to be a dog. To the left of this paragraph, you will see Kaiser then with my father on a newly opened bridge while the whole family was going to a wedding at out village. Circa 1956.

In my immediate family, ie Urmeela, me and Ranjan, we have had dogs on and off at various places but due to our constantly moving around, none lasted very long. But keeping a dog for a pet at home was very much the in thing as Urmeela also had grown up with dogs in her childhood. I have written other posts about some dogs in our lives and two of them feature here. I even started a blog for Chutki inspired by Kaitlin,  but somehow cannot find the energy to write in that blog.  I shall try and do so again soon.

Pets become so much a part of the family that it is difficult to treat them as anything but. There is always the concern that they be given the top most priority in all activities at home.  Which makes me agree with George Carlin – “Dogs lead a nice life. You never see a dog with a wristwatch.”  The others at home do.

Today’s topic for the weekly Friday LBC post was suggested by me.  As you have seen, it is vested interest.  You can see what the other two participants, Shackman and Pravin have to say in their respective blogs.