Dogs are very attached to their masters and show their displeasure in various ways when left alone, such as stopping eating, being aggressive, having accidents here and there, etc. Well! I have never been particularly fond of dogs, but here I am talking about my daughter's pet dog ‘Nacho’-A Toy Pomeranian who just celebrated his 4th birthday on 6th June.
His excitement is worth watching: spinning in circles, talking back with his amusing barks, standing on his hind legs begging for a biscuit, and running to hide in small spaces when scolded. Whenever I visit my daughter and hug her, he frantically barks and is appeased only when she picks up and cuddles him in her arms.
In the first week of June, my daughter went on a holiday, and as always, her two house-helps (Sheetal, Lakshmi) and Nacho were transported to my house for the stay. Nacho barked, whined, followed me everywhere, and showed little interest in eating. Wherever I sat, it cozily settled between my feet and growled at Sheetal and Lakshmi, when they tried to take him on the terrace for a bio-break. It took a lot of cuddling and snuggling to make Nacho comfortable, allowing him to sleep on my bed too.
It so happened that on 4th June, Dr. Sangeeta Sharma and her husband Dr. Sunil Sharma, came to visit my house. They are well known in the poets’ fraternity.
As the bell rang, Nacho rushed to the door barking. I opened the wooden door. From the iron-grilled door, they saw Nacho.
“Does he bite…Please chain him…we are scared of the dog.”
“Seetal, take Nacho away to the other room” I gestured to the house-help and opened the iron grill door to welcome my guests. Exchanging pleasantries, I made them sit comfortably on the sofa. “Don't worry he is a friendly dog, and will just try to lick you… that's all! He won't bite.” Saying so I closed the sliding door of the drawing room so that my guests could be comfortable. We discussed common interests, such as poetry, their online Setu magazine, and knowing each other better. Tea was served. Carrying on the conversation, Dr. Sangeeta asked, “Is this your dog?”
“No, he’s my daughter’s. She went on a vacation, so the house-help and Nacho are staying with me.”
After tea, I took them around, showing the house, and then back to the drawing room.
We had barely sat down when Nacho quickly sneaked in, without a single bark, hopped onto the sofa, passed through the back of her husband, Dr. Sunil, came out, and quietly squatted next to Dr. Sangeeta, with his head down in total surrender like a baby cuddling close to its mother.
We all glanced at each other, noticing the dog's surrender. She hesitantly started patting the dog. The more she patted the more he sprawled himself. She kept patting him, and eventually, all her fears subsided. They were amazed at Nacho's loving behavior and commented, “Wow, we have never witnessed this kind of love from the dog. This is truly magical.”
It surprised me too, but immediately I understood, and told them, “Dr. Sangeeta, I know the reason. You resemble my daughter. You are as tall as she is and you look similar too. Nacho is identifying you with his master. That's why he’s sitting quietly next to you.”
Dr Sunil quickly got up to click pictures of this moment. Nacho seemed happy getting his pictures clicked. He then hopped down and sat near her foot, and stayed there. He made sure not to alarm the guests, and to be with them too. This moment was supremely divine. Happiness spread all around like an effervescent spell. As long as they stayed, Nacho squatted peacefully between her feet.
By 5.30 pm, it was time for them to go as another meeting was lined up. I walked them to the door for the send-off. Nacho kept wagging his tail giving them a warm sendoff too, peering at them until they were out of sight.
I cuddled Nacho in my arms, “Love you dear, Nacho…You are so adorable. Stay happy and healthy. You are always welcome in my house.”
Bio: Every new thought is a new identity of her persona. So, she believes. A new beginning, a new understanding of the world she belongs to, as she treads the path of her life. A graduate in Psychology Honours. She has dabbled in many shades with creativity. Be it doing plays in AIR, teaching in schools, theater, writing scripts, short stories for children, etc. The focus always remained on keeping her hobbies alive. She has children’s books and many anthologies in poetry in English and Hindi to her credit. Poetry, she believes is just like a spring that wells out from our inner reservoir, called soul. She finds joy in the little things that life offers, which come alive through the power of a pen... Yet there’s a long way to go.
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