Friend, a word, thrown so casually in our daily conversations that it has lost the very essence of its meaning.
And what about love?
Special educator Anuradha Kurup knows this and reserves these words with Genuity, sparingly for humans.
From being scared of animals — to rescuing abandoned pets and injured street animals, hers has been a journey of tail wags, woof, meows and more.
Here’s her journey in her own words…
Living with dogs made my life stress free!
My companionship with dogs began with little Grumble, a three-week-old pup adopted by my son from a shelter. Unfortunately, the time we had with him was way too brief as the poor pup pushed for the rainbow bridge.
Grieved by this tragic loss — we came across the adoption update of three-month-old Husky-Spaniel mix pups. It gave our melancholic hearts a new found hope.
Blizzard named so as he’s a whirlwind of activity ripping through the home. While Phoenix has a literal meaning behind his name – arising from the dead like Undertaker.
Little did we know that our home and lives would never be the same again.
See also: Beautiful Untranslatable Words That Your Dog Knows!
Daily walks, playtime and of course laughter and fun became an integral part of our everyday life. Stress wagged away by a couple of tails and a woof and then some.
In clockwork, the world of community animal care opened up to us. And also the terror of animal abuse. Abandoned pets, accident victims left to die by the roadside… At first, it was all too horrible to even read about, let alone handle.
See also: Thinking to adopt a dog?
But then the question loomed large over us – If not Us, then Who? If not Now, then When?
What dogs taught me?
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they have invaded your territory.
Take naps and stretch before rising.
Run, and play daily.
Be Loyal.
Never pretend to be something you are not.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
No matter how often you get scold, run right back and make friends.
Bond with your pack.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Long after you are gone,
remain a memory, in your loved ones’ dreams.
Dogs understand you like no one else. When you’re stressed, upset, angry, or just peeved over your favourite team losing the match, your dog knows it.
Dogs can tell when we’re ignoring them; a recent study out of the UK confirmed that our pups get depressed when their people spend too much time on their phones. Your dogs are also masters of reading body language.
Complement this loving account with poetess Mary Oliver’s dog poems and Simran’s endearing tale of finding a stray home. And if you need some inspiration to adopt, please see Rupee’s story!
Have a furry story to tell? Reach us via the comments.