Doggy Days
“Dil mera har bar yein sunneko bekarar hein “ …… bow . bow . bow ….w .. w.. w----??? Jolted from the cushioned seats and switching off the T.V, we began searching the ‘ bow bower’ frantically. After a futile search of over fifteen minutes, we resumed the T.V show. Hum ..mm.. mm ..m----! But would the relentless cacophony allow us to continue? Irritated we dispersed.
The sound became more and more loud and clear as I ascended each step upstairs. The initially initially boring search now seemed challenging. The loud noise activated a “Sherlock holmes “ kind of spirit in me, and propelled to find out the mystery behind it. As I was about to enter the bedroom, something raising from the bath tub caught my attention. And wat is it ? hurrey! I got the mystery solved. That was none other than our lovely neighbour RUBY who made himself comfortable in the soapy coolness.
Hey—so lemme give you some introductory details about him. The sweet memories of our first meeting is even now fresh and fragrant in my mind. I made to the Nairs, draped in a yellow dress with a box of chocolates on my 11th birthday. That is when I came to meet this wonder, sleeping in the coze of maternal warmth; born in the early hours of the same day! I greeted the newborn with a dog soap, and thanked God for this sweet gift.
Ruby’s endearing nature attracted each and every child in the neighbourhood. He would spectate the children at play with keen eyes, and would even try his hands and,   of course, legs in cricket at times. Were his limbs not rigid, he would become an ace cricketer!
He used to come gracefully moving his curly tail to greet anyone who passed by his home. He would pull their dress to have his presence acknowledged, if somebody went unnoticing him!
The weekend race with Ruby is worth mentioning. Lakshmi, and I would go cycling on every weekend. It would follow us in jet speed until we stopped and paid him attention. This little doggy was a regular visitor to VSSC KG School. Every afternoon it used to wait for my brother outside the class. The teacher, seeing the others getting scared, would allow Chandu to leave much earlier than the usual time. Ruby accompanied him back home like a responsible guardian.

Daily, at the day’s end , after it’s duty of watching people, the tired ruby was affectionally taken to the VSSC Shopping Complex for his sumptuous dinner consisting of delicious cakes and chocolates. In the absence of  Shiva and Hari, my neighbour's sons  he would approach my father and would keep on pulling his dhoti until he came for his help. The way it intelligently approached its master’s friend and led him to the proper shop giving him correct directions, shows that the animal world is on par with us humans when it comes to smartness.
Animals know only true friendship; unlike humans they ns neither pretend nor feign false emotions ; nor do they know the difference between pretense and true feelings. Ruby was a sort of go-getter, who mingled with humanity. His blind faith in the two legged beings dragged him towards his sad end, in the hands of the dog catchers. We were all grieved by the huge substraction of joys in our lives.