Wagging tales: Life with Jaadu, Karishma and Millie

The first time I laid eyes on a cute golden ball of fur at my dad's friend's house at Dadar was in May 2004. His big brown eyes, his cute wet nose, his little paws that were still so pink, his tiny tail that kept wagging every time I snapped my finger or whistled at him. I knew he had to be my first pet. I just couldn't wait till I could get him home and call him mine! Wrapped up in an old towel, he bade goodbye to his black Labrador mum and his 3 siblings! Gosh! if only he could speak, he would have told me how painful it was to leave his family, to make some other family complete! We called him "Jaadu”. It took only a few days and he was a part pf our tiny family! A month passed by, just running behind him with a old cloth to clean after him every time he ate and pooped or peed! The smell was disgusting, but all that yuck-feeling disappeared whenever he looked at me with his big brown eyes.  Pooja with Karishma Karishma recovering But something was not right. Something was just not right. Was it the food? Was his bed not comfortable enough? What was it that he kept searching for? What was it that kept him awake all night? What was it that kept him howling all night long? We realized he just wanted company. Someone of his own kind.  It was as if all hell broke loose. Dad and Mom were contacting everyone they knew to find out if someone had a spare Labrador puppy for sale. But all in vain. We had almost given up hope when someone from far-off Panvel responded to our request. As we knocked , a lady opened the door and we saw one Dalmatian,one Great Dane and one Labrador with 2-3 little puppies. And I again fell in love the tiniest of them all. She was a small, cute, dark golden pup, or maybe I should say baby,who was the first to come forward to welcome us. Within 45minutes, she was on her way home with us. No crying, no growling. She was over-excited to get out of the house I suppose. We named this new addition to our family Karishma. Pooja with Jaadu Millie Life totally changed after that! We were no more just a small family of three, but a family of 5! Starting with early wake up calls from the 4-legged siblings to the barking and howling whenever they went out on the roads for their rounds. From making food for them, to cleaning up behind them. From having a hectic schedule to having a more hectic schedule. The good part was that I did only the loving-hugging-kissing-cuddling part whereas all the toiling was done purely by mom and dad. (Poor souls I must say!) Two years passed then doctor gave us the breaking news! Karishma was pregnant! Two months later there was a third addition to Jaadu-Karishma's family and a sixth addition to the Roychowdhury clan - "Millie". Her addition just doubled the responsibilities and the fun. In fact it was a bit irritating to see someone else get all of mom's attention, but to see mom's eyes sparkle with joy was worth it! Karishma and Jaadu I have learnt a lot from my four-legged siblings .I have come to realise what it feels like to be responsible for someone .How it is to fear that your loved one might get hurt because of some stupidity of theirs. From childhood I’ve always been a bit irresponsible and forgetful. When Karishma was ill ,after she had to undergo an operation for a tumour ,it hurt to see her in distress. And that’s when I realized how much it must have pained mom to see me weak when I used to be ill for days on end .I’ve come to realize that when my parents scold me and “nag” me they only want to keep me safe from all the bad, worse and worst things that could cause me pain .Just as I want my pets to be safe and happy. So at last, I'll just sign off saying that not only have our pets changed our lives ,they have also changed my attitude .Brought me closer to my parents, made me see mom's motherly love under all her  scolding and shouting .I also got to see dad's affection below all his strictness. Having pets at home is not just having animals at home and training them to sit and shake hands, its also about what one gets to learn from them .I have learnt my lesson and am sure I am going to learn many more in future. Till then, ciao. :) Millie