FOR THE LOVE OF CANINES-Avantika Jhunjhunwala

For the Love of Canines

    --by Avantika Jhunjhunwala, Class IX

“I talk to him all the time and in a way, he replies,” 

says Utsav Maskey, a Plus Two student.

“I feel like he cares for me and that gives me a really good feeling. He’s attii (very) obedient and I like that.” Maskey, here, is not talking about any human but rather his five-year old dog.

For as long as humankind has sought companionship and protection, dogs have been the

animals of choice. Dogs love you unconditionally. They don’t care how fat or thin you are.

They’re not racists. They could care less what you’re wearing or not wearing. As long as you

love them, dogs will love you back. And oftentimes, even if you neglect and mistreat them, their love does not disappear.

Sashakta Thapa, a 15-year old who owns three dogs, says, “When there’s something I can’t

tell anyone, I say it to my dogs.” Dogs, for most pet owners, are often such sounding boards.

They aren’t judgmental and will not think less of you for anything. “After I’m done, they come

near me to make me feel good,” says Thapa.

These canines have qualities that are often difficult to find in humans–the way they gently

cuddle up when you’re quiet, that look of longing they give when you leave them, the way they

wag their tails when they see you returning and the manner in which they’re ready to bite off

anyone’s heads if they so much as touch you wrong.

Street dogs and mixed-breeds can be just as faithful. 

It is strange, then, even after all this warmth, that people use the term “kukkur” to cause offense. Dogs are among the most loyal and faithful creatures on earth and sometimes, the way people treat them is extremely inhuman. They are kicked, beaten and even hacked with knives. However, they return time and again, unable to let go of their masters. The streets of Kathmandu are often host to dead bodies of street dogs, sometimes in the middle of the street, crushed ruthlessly by vehicles, and no one can be bothered to even pick up the carcass and set it aside. That really doesn’t seem the best way to treat your best friends.

Most people favour pure-breeds but the qualities that make dogs attractive are not simply limited to these expensive canines. Street dogs and mixed-breeds can be just as faithful. Rather than breeding dogs, might it not serve better to pick a dog from the streets and bring it home? Give it food, shelter and some love instead of throwing stones at it.

The shared history of humans and canines go back a long way, almost 20,000 years ago wen

wolves and wild dogs were first domesticated by early man. Since then, an inexplicable bond

has developed between the species. This bond is not something that is contingent. It is a bond

that seemingly transcends boundaries and is often very difficult to explain away. A German

shepherd, “Capitan,” ran away after the death of his Argentinian master Miguel Guzman in

2006 and went directly to Guzman’s grave. He has not left the grave for six years and the staff of the cemetery are now feeding and taking care of the dog. According to Veronica, Guzman’s widow, no one had ever taken Capitan to the grave and so, it remains a mystery how the

German shepherd managed to find his owner’s resting place.

When hijacked planes hit the Twin Towers in New York, Omar Eduardo Rivera, who is blind,

was at his desk, working with his dog seeing-eye dog, Dorado. Rivera knew he wouldn’t make

it so he let Dorado go free, ordering him to flee. The dog, swept downstairs by the crowd,

returned for his master and with the help of another co-worker, managed to get Rivera to

safety.

There are countless such examples. The relationship between dogs and their owners is

often difficult to comprehend. Brought in as pets, they end up becoming best friends and family members. The death of a dog is a tragic, heartbreaking affair. Despite the long history we share, humans can be quite callous towards our companion species. It really all comes down to how you should treat a being that loves you more than they love themselves.

This article was written during the Feature Writing Workshop by VENT!  on 15, 16, 22, 23 December, 2012.