I absolutely have no idea why I have given this piece of writing such a heading. It is nowhere close to what am going to be talking about. Well, not directly at least. This is just an emotional outburst. So people reading it, do understand that this was written when I was going through one of the worst mood swings ever and you’ll know why in the lines further to come.
People say things happen for a reason. There is a reason why I chose to work in CUPA. One of the obvious reasons was, I wanted to always be around dogs and help them with whatever they needed. Not for a moment in my entire life did I realize that this decision was going to change my perception about life. I might sound supremely philosophical, but yes, it did happen to me. Otherwise I won’t be writing this. Moving on, this one month, I had the time of my life. I am in the last week of my internship, officially. I am going to continue working with the NGO because they need help. Since it was the last week I decided to stay back at the shelter and help Mr. Lingraj with the dogs, feed them, tie them up, take them out for walks and cuddle on to them. 12 dogs are there in the abandoned section, of which 3 are Labradors, 4 are Pomeranians, 1 is an English mastiff, 1 is a German shepherd and the other is an Afghan hound.
When I say abandoned, these dogs are not only picked up from the streets. Some owners pretend like they are not their dogs and leave them at the shelter. Some of them are “shy” to tell the people at the shelter they cannot take care of the dogs. Instead, they bring them to the shelter saying they want to get the dog sterilized and never come back for their “pet”. There are some who tie them up in the electric pole next to the shelter and buzz off from there. How sweet of them not to let go of them in the middle of a highway. And of course, there are the BRAVE owners. They shamelessly accept to the fact that they can’t take care of them anymore and decide to leave them all of a sudden.
Most of these dogs are sick ones. They either have maggot wounds or have some ailment or the other. Some “kind-hearted” people adopt them and after a few months, abandon them; and back to square one. Just a small instance; Sooty is furry dog, who is the most adorable. He walks beside me whenever I take a dog for a walk in the College campus. He was adopted by an old lady on October 2nd last year. However after a month he was back in the shelter. The reason why? He refused to bark.
Coming back to the abandoned ones; the three Labradors have the prettiest eyes ever. They are the most gorgeous labs I have come across since my childhood. And guess what, they were all abandoned. Two of them have maggot wounds in their ears and one of them has a skin problem. And just today he was taken to the ICU as he was suffering from kennel cough. What makes me sad is that, why on earth would people abandon Labs. Okay. Let’s look at it this way. MAYBE, they were moving out of Bangalore, MAYBE they were moving into a smaller house, MAYBE they could not afford taking care of a dog anymore, MAYBE one of the family members suddenly got allergic to dogs or MAYBE the dog fell sick like crazy. No offence. I do understand people do have their own problems in their life and they don’t want a dog to be an extra hassle. So the best thing to do is to let them go. “Go baby Go. Find your way to your new home. I am sure you will be happy somewhere.” Guess what?! They did not do fine. They landed up in a shelter; ABANDONED. They were found by people who actually have a heart unlike all you owners who one day woke up and decided to throw them out of your house. And guess what?! There are people who have adopted your pets now. And they finally have a happy home. Of course I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t come back, ABANDONED.
Forget all this. One spends so much of money to buy a puppy, take care of him till he grows up to his full size and then let go of them. I hope these people realize that they are NOT human beings like US. We get out of the house once we are 18 or 21 to either work or study. With constant supply of monetary benefits from our families, we are happy and comfortable wherever we are. Unlike us, dogs cannot talk; they cannot go to an ATM to withdraw money when they are hungry or they cannot get a doctor’s appointment in the best hospital when they are sick!
All that these cuties need is a lot of care when they are little puppies and later a lot of love and affection. And guess what, dogs return this love and affection to you. And that’s the best darn thing that can ever happen to you. The overwhelming feeling you get when you park your car and your pet comes running to the gate waiting for you to get out of the car is something you need to experience to believe how it actually feels. The kind of welcoming you get after you come back from a long holiday either from Fido or Snoopy is the best. No amount of flowers or chocolates from your lover can give you that kind of a feeling.
For all you people who are deciding to buy a dog; think twice. Now I guess the title makes sense. If you can’t take care of them, don’t buy them. They will have a happy home where people can afford to shower the kind of love the pets need.
And finally, for all you people who “hate” dogs; try to think again. You have no idea the kind of pain they go through. You might have had a pretty bad encounter with a dog when you were little. Then stay away from them. Try not to hate them. You know why? Most of them have had a bad encounter with us human beings. Visit the CUPA shelter in Bangalore or any other shelter in your city. You’ll know what I am exactly talking about.
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