The time I had a Heart numbing Conversation with a Pup

Two years ago when I was coming back from work, I saw a little pup who was wagging his tail at the passers-by. It immediately caught my attention as the tiny four-legged fur ball was clinging to the legs of a well-built man. He was smoking a cigarette and had a grocery bag in another hand.

That evening the monsoonal winds had the longing for showers and it was getting dark. I was taking steady steps to reach home. When I came close to that tiny fur-ball, he quickly ran after the man. As the pup was constantly pulling the man by his trousers, he used the cigarette butt to scare him away. I paced and ran towards the puppy but he quickly hopped away.

As I came closer, he saw me and started pulling the hem of my palazzo. I saw his big bright colossal eyes staring at me with hope. He then tucked the cloth of my garment in his mouth and guided me towards the road-side shop. During that moment I felt as if I had a conversation with that tiny being.

When I entered the shop, I don’t know what happened to me before I could think of anything, I quickly grabbed a pack of biscuits for him. That little brown fluffy pup stood there obediently, waiting for me to return. The shopkeeper who was an old man told me that he visits here often and you shouldn’t feed him as he is a filthy stray dog. I didn’t pay heed to his word and just told him that he is hungry.

When I came back, he wagged his tail and ate all the biscuits in a wink of an eye. In a soft voice, I asked, “Do you want more?”. He looked at me with glaring eyes, wagged his tail and eluded into the darkness. That day when I came back home, I recited the whole story to my mother and how I felt that he was begging for food.

She said something beautiful that I still remember “Animals do have a voice but its humanity in humans which has gone deaf”. Her words hit me hard and I wonder why people fancy hybrid dogs and are completely oblivious to the strays, looking not for a place to hide but for forever homes.

Let thy spirit be high in love. Namaste