A K9 Concern...

Yesterday I visited one of my school friend’s house, who was home for the Diwali holidays.

It’s been more than two years since I last visited her place as she has been working out of town for long now. But I did remember about meeting her pets on my last visit. So I was expecting a noisy welcome this time too.

As we entered the gate, and moved along the side of the cars parked in the passage-way, I noticed Archie standing and looking at us from the far end. For the information, Archie is her little dog who is somewhere mid way between a ‘Blood hound’ and a ‘Basset hound’. I wonder if we have any ‘Basset hounds’ in India. If not, then he is a ‘Blood hound’.

To describe him, he’s a little K9, not much higher than a 'Pomeranian', with large black ear flaps hanging on both the sides. He is white, with patches of black all over. One of those dogs who are full of hair.

As I approached him, I was pretty surprised at the amount of soberness he was showing towards a stranger. Before long, he started walking towards me too. But as we came close to each other, I could sense something strange about his manner. He just sniffed and after deciding that nothing was abnormal and worth creating a ruckus about, he turned back and walked away. Something highly in contrast to his manner when we had last met.

When we had seated ourselves in the drawing-room, and he having placed himself quietly at my friend’s feet, I couldn’t help but ask her about the reason of Archie’s quiet behavior.

To which I was shockingly informed that he being old now (ten years is too old an age for such dogs) had developed cataract in both the eyes. Because of which, his eye-sight had almost gone down to level zero. No wonder I couldn’t find the sparkle in his eyes this time.

Remembering about the active and lively self that he was at the last time we had met, I felt really sorry for the poor pet.

My friend told us how they had consulted the top ophthalmologists of the city for Archie’s problem, but everyone declared their inability to help in his treatment. While we chatted, he quietly changed positions around the room to rest without disturbing us even a bit. Something I constantly felt uneasy about all the time.

When we got up to leave, he did arise from his nap to see us off, which must have been a reflex for him all his life. And as he came near me, he couldn’t stop bumping his nose against my leg, which clearly indicated that he wasn’t being able to even make out objects in front of him.

I wonder why there are no specialist veterinary ophthalmologists who in my city who could treat the poor pet and get him going as he was some time ago. I really wished then that I was a ‘vet’. Then I could at least have helped those wonderful living beings who cannot speak, but still make our lives so beautiful.

If any of you reading this bit does know about any veterinary ophthalmologist in India who could treat Archie, please inform through this blog or at my email, so that something can be done.

And I wish everyone should consider their pets as one of their family members (which they obviously are) and take good care of them like this as they would of a family member.

Elopement...

Ok. So, I’m back !

Back after a rather adventurous fortnight of my life. Being somewhat in the thick of things, I couldn’t really get time to post about my exciting life lately.

Ok. So as you must be knowing by now that I got involved into helping my friend elope and marry. It being the usual ‘inter-religion’ case, things weren’t easy at all. So, desperate measures were required.

But rather than the usual ‘elope and marry’ thing, it became a sort of ‘marry and elope’ scenario. Well, if you are failing to grasp the plot, I’ll just elaborate it for you.

As mentioned in my last post ‘Right or Wrong...’, I was on my way to get my friend married to the girl of his choice. Though both their families were well informed of their choice, neither was ready to accept it. (Isn’t it ironical that people who carry on an affair behind their parents’ back are always considered the obedient son/daughter by them. But if they are honest enough to confess their choice, they at once become the spoilt and disobedient child…)

So, they eventually got married. It was decided after the ceremony was over that neither would inform their family and they would keep it a hush-hush affair till their parents see some sense and they could manage to persuade their parents to accept their choice in due course of time.

But as usual, there are always people around who cannot do without getting some ‘excitement’ into other people’s lives. And it so happened that within the very first week, both the families got the news of their lives. (Well, surely not everyone does get the ‘news’ of their child getting married…)

As almost always happens in such cases, the scenario regarding the girl’s family is usually the more delicate one. And it just sounded like a co-incidence to me when their arose an emergency of sorts in the girl’s home which resulted in her arriving in some panic.

If I have not mentioned it earlier, I should tell you that the girl is from my own city living not more than five minute’s drive from my house. (And her dad’s office is just two houses down my own street…!)

So, I received the couple when they arrived at the station. I dropped the girl some distance from her house to avoid her being seen by someone which could result in some unpleasant consequences. We (my friend and I) were driving to my home when she called to inform that there really was no emergency. It was a trick to call her home and look into matters (which I was sure wasn’t going to be something pleasant…)

While my friend continued to try to get to talk to her on the phone (there appeared to be quite a commotion on the other end between her and her mom as I could hear), I decided that certain drastic measures were needed to be taken in the situation. We had already entered the street to her house when I heard her mom shouting into a phone for her dad to return home immediately. Which meant, he had no clue about the proceedings by then. But the return of her dad would make sure that things would get highly complicated. I had already heard about the shortness of her dad’s temper before.

So, I quickly and strategically parked my car into a by-lane very near to her house while my friend suggested her to come out of the house as quickly as she could. Now, when I say suggested, it was more of a mix of panic and desperation. But it surely was effective.

We were rapidly losing precious time, as it wouldn’t be much more than a matter of five minutes before her dad would be driving in, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Well, we didn’t get to see if actually he did so because before long, she could ‘escape’ out and made her way towards us. I was ready with the door open and she had hardly got inside, when I told her to lie down on the back seat.

And we drove off….

I still wonder about the number of seconds by which we gave her dad the slip. But yes, I had to drive around town (with her still lying on the back-seat) into clever short cuts and by-lanes to avoid barging into her dad or someone even remotely known.

I have always believed that the best place for any criminal to hide after committing a crime is the police station. That is the last place where anyone would go searching. And so, I got them to my home, knowing that her dad’s office was barely a few steps away. But as I said, he would never come searching for her anywhere near his own office. Though I had to use a back-lane to get to my own house, but that was worth it.

We waited until it was dark and then I got them bundled onto a bus headed out of town to escape being pulled up by any acquaintance. So it became a case of ‘marry and elope’…

It has been many days since, and they have returned and resumed their work. The families, though still sulking, are somewhat recovering from the shock. But we all are positive that they will manage to please their families in due course of time.

As for me, I’m rather satisfied to have been of help in preventing at least two lives getting spoilt for good.

And also that I got sufficient practice at driving off with a girl in the back of my car… I don’t know yet if I’ll require that for myself too.

But, who knows… :p