Fenny Chronicles - Why have a pet?
We must all ask ourselves this before we get a pet. Everyone who lives in an illusion thinking bringing up a pet is easy, welcome to reality. I am now a self proclaimed expert on pets from ants, fishes, snails, bugs to dogs.
Remember that you will definitely out live your pet, so be ready for an emotional rollercoaster. Anyone who thinks they’ll get a pet and yet be detached is fooling himself or is someone who just lost his heart to Satan.
This blog is inspired by a very recent incident which confirmed my reasons for wanting a pet. When I was 17, I wanted a pet because I thought I needed to have someone who would help me understand myself better. Someone that I could tell about everything in my mind not worrying that there was any possibility of it ever falling on anyone else’s ears. Someone who wouldn’t judge me and be glad to know me and be in my company. Well I got what I wanted- a little black Labrador puppy.
Day one was a nightmare. She came home on April 1st and she was to stay in my room. All was going fine till it started raining followed by thunder. Now, she had just left her mom, come to a new environment, everyone around her was cooing and then suddenly thunder and rains. That was Fenny’s first ever encounter with rain. She was so insecure she peed all over my room (I almost resolved to keep her off water for a week, where did a small thing like her store all that pee?) I couldn’t sleep nor would she sleep. I woke everyone at home and we decided to take turns in calming her down. Day one was hellish. Day two didn’t seem too promising either. Potty and pee are clearly not a welcoming sight first thing in the morning. She was like this little bomb, the moment we saw her flicker her eyelids after a nap we’d pick her and put her in the garden and she’d do her job and then run back in. It took her a while to realize that if there was no one to put her out she could run out herself instead of messing the house.
It was decided that she would be a house dog and she would have minimum contact with strangers. Fenny thought I was her mommy and she followed me everywhere and as was expected she fulfilled all my reasons for wanting a pet. But just when I was enjoying my new found joy, she fell ill. It was a very traumatic period for all at home. She got so sick that she could not take any food or liquids. She had to be put on drips and had to take 17 injections in the first 50 days of her life. When she was sick all I could think was wanting to help her feel better. This whole thing about me expressing myself vocally to her and her not being able to tell me where she pained or what she wanted was torture. I was scared that whatever I did was worsening her condition, this went to the extent of me isolating myself from her for a day because I felt helpless. But she wouldn’t let me stay away, she came to me and got on my lap and slept for over 6 hours. That was the longest duration she had slept since she came home. From then on she decided that she would lie on my lap only and I obliged. The feeling of finally being able to help her was not just overwhelming but scary too. From there on she got better and we have had the most amazing time since.
It hasn’t always been hunky dory; we have had ups and downs. The next hurdle was teaching her to behave on the road while I took her for walks. We began with a slow jog and as she grew bigger and stronger she would run faster and within 5 mins I’d be breathless trying to keep pace with her and at the same time holding on to the leash with dear life. Just when we struck up a decent routine, we decided to move. A new house, a new area,totally unexplored vastness filled with varied aroma of all the dogs in our colony could only spell one word for Fenny--> A.D.V.E.N.T.U.R.E
Here I will admit to her being a little frightening and overly possessive about her territory and yes, if she were human she’d manage to be the nicest rowdy about town. One very sunny day a lazy mongrel was walking by our gate, before I realized it Fenny flashed out of the gate, after her me and after me my dad. It must have been a sight. I was screeching for Fenny to stop and my dad was screeching for the both of us to stop. We all did stop when the mongrel was cornered by Fenny completely trembling from nose to paw with his tail between his legs completely resigned to its fate, my dad and I intently watching fearing any movement would accelerate the tension into a fight. Just when the whole waiting bit was getting too unbearable Fenny turned around walked to me licked my hand allowed me to put the leash on and we were on our way back home safe without a scratch. I ran after Fenny fearing she would be hurt, but then during our wait anticipating a move from either dogs I really felt sorry for the mongrel. All the way back home I kept admonishing her for her reckless behavior at the same time being extremely proud of her which she clearly felt in my tone of voice. I guess that is why my “scolding” didn’t have the desired effect.
The same week my mom and I were walking her and I wasn’t holding the leash tightly because she was behaving. Right in front of us came three strays. As was expected Fenny gave them a chase and in the process she had my feet tangled in the leash which resulted in a major fall and then getting up by which time Fenny was really close to the dogs and to my horror, there was one frothing at the mouth and was very unsteady on its legs and was slowly inching towards Fenny. Fenny stood still keeping all three adversaries in view and started moving back wards, but she still had her tail up and hackles raised, she came and stood right next to my mom and me at the same time we pelted stones at the dogs and the rabid one pounced forward when a man intervened and shooed it with a whack.
We walked back home, Fenny clearly prepared for my “scolding”, but this time I wasn’t proud of her, I was angry about the way she behaved and worse than that, the minutes in which I thought the rabid dog would attack her some of the most terrible thoughts crossed my mind, the numerous what ifs? messed my head real bad. The moment we got back home I whacked Fenny one tight whack with the news paper. The moment I did that I regretted and hated myself. How could I allow myself to hit her? She looked more shocked, than hurt. She was surprised that I had hit her. I went to my room and cried because I was ashamed of having hit her, because I never thought I would hit her. The very idea had never crossed my mind, speak sternly to her may be but to hit her. Gosh it made me feel like an ogre. She came running to me and amidst a very droolish apology from Fenny I apologized to her and we were back to being best friends and the whole episode was forgotten.
Remember that you will definitely out live your pet, so be ready for an emotional rollercoaster. Anyone who thinks they’ll get a pet and yet be detached is fooling himself or is someone who just lost his heart to Satan.
This blog is inspired by a very recent incident which confirmed my reasons for wanting a pet. When I was 17, I wanted a pet because I thought I needed to have someone who would help me understand myself better. Someone that I could tell about everything in my mind not worrying that there was any possibility of it ever falling on anyone else’s ears. Someone who wouldn’t judge me and be glad to know me and be in my company. Well I got what I wanted- a little black Labrador puppy.
Day one was a nightmare. She came home on April 1st and she was to stay in my room. All was going fine till it started raining followed by thunder. Now, she had just left her mom, come to a new environment, everyone around her was cooing and then suddenly thunder and rains. That was Fenny’s first ever encounter with rain. She was so insecure she peed all over my room (I almost resolved to keep her off water for a week, where did a small thing like her store all that pee?) I couldn’t sleep nor would she sleep. I woke everyone at home and we decided to take turns in calming her down. Day one was hellish. Day two didn’t seem too promising either. Potty and pee are clearly not a welcoming sight first thing in the morning. She was like this little bomb, the moment we saw her flicker her eyelids after a nap we’d pick her and put her in the garden and she’d do her job and then run back in. It took her a while to realize that if there was no one to put her out she could run out herself instead of messing the house.
It was decided that she would be a house dog and she would have minimum contact with strangers. Fenny thought I was her mommy and she followed me everywhere and as was expected she fulfilled all my reasons for wanting a pet. But just when I was enjoying my new found joy, she fell ill. It was a very traumatic period for all at home. She got so sick that she could not take any food or liquids. She had to be put on drips and had to take 17 injections in the first 50 days of her life. When she was sick all I could think was wanting to help her feel better. This whole thing about me expressing myself vocally to her and her not being able to tell me where she pained or what she wanted was torture. I was scared that whatever I did was worsening her condition, this went to the extent of me isolating myself from her for a day because I felt helpless. But she wouldn’t let me stay away, she came to me and got on my lap and slept for over 6 hours. That was the longest duration she had slept since she came home. From then on she decided that she would lie on my lap only and I obliged. The feeling of finally being able to help her was not just overwhelming but scary too. From there on she got better and we have had the most amazing time since.
It hasn’t always been hunky dory; we have had ups and downs. The next hurdle was teaching her to behave on the road while I took her for walks. We began with a slow jog and as she grew bigger and stronger she would run faster and within 5 mins I’d be breathless trying to keep pace with her and at the same time holding on to the leash with dear life. Just when we struck up a decent routine, we decided to move. A new house, a new area,totally unexplored vastness filled with varied aroma of all the dogs in our colony could only spell one word for Fenny--> A.D.V.E.N.T.U.R.E
Here I will admit to her being a little frightening and overly possessive about her territory and yes, if she were human she’d manage to be the nicest rowdy about town. One very sunny day a lazy mongrel was walking by our gate, before I realized it Fenny flashed out of the gate, after her me and after me my dad. It must have been a sight. I was screeching for Fenny to stop and my dad was screeching for the both of us to stop. We all did stop when the mongrel was cornered by Fenny completely trembling from nose to paw with his tail between his legs completely resigned to its fate, my dad and I intently watching fearing any movement would accelerate the tension into a fight. Just when the whole waiting bit was getting too unbearable Fenny turned around walked to me licked my hand allowed me to put the leash on and we were on our way back home safe without a scratch. I ran after Fenny fearing she would be hurt, but then during our wait anticipating a move from either dogs I really felt sorry for the mongrel. All the way back home I kept admonishing her for her reckless behavior at the same time being extremely proud of her which she clearly felt in my tone of voice. I guess that is why my “scolding” didn’t have the desired effect.
The same week my mom and I were walking her and I wasn’t holding the leash tightly because she was behaving. Right in front of us came three strays. As was expected Fenny gave them a chase and in the process she had my feet tangled in the leash which resulted in a major fall and then getting up by which time Fenny was really close to the dogs and to my horror, there was one frothing at the mouth and was very unsteady on its legs and was slowly inching towards Fenny. Fenny stood still keeping all three adversaries in view and started moving back wards, but she still had her tail up and hackles raised, she came and stood right next to my mom and me at the same time we pelted stones at the dogs and the rabid one pounced forward when a man intervened and shooed it with a whack.
We walked back home, Fenny clearly prepared for my “scolding”, but this time I wasn’t proud of her, I was angry about the way she behaved and worse than that, the minutes in which I thought the rabid dog would attack her some of the most terrible thoughts crossed my mind, the numerous what ifs? messed my head real bad. The moment we got back home I whacked Fenny one tight whack with the news paper. The moment I did that I regretted and hated myself. How could I allow myself to hit her? She looked more shocked, than hurt. She was surprised that I had hit her. I went to my room and cried because I was ashamed of having hit her, because I never thought I would hit her. The very idea had never crossed my mind, speak sternly to her may be but to hit her. Gosh it made me feel like an ogre. She came running to me and amidst a very droolish apology from Fenny I apologized to her and we were back to being best friends and the whole episode was forgotten.
Comments
waiting anxiously for pet diary -II :)
@ Archie: c'est vrai:D