THE UNSPOKEN LOVING STRENGTH

Dogs occupy a very important place amidst our society; hence a knowledge of dog behavior is quite a useful thing. The various breeds of dogs, ranging from very expensive to the cheaper ones, the very beautiful to the quite ugly, the hot tempered to the cool couldn’t care less types are much written about by dog lovers. Add to that the much pampered ones and the common street dogs, known as the mongrels. They have certain special qualities, like faithfulness and devotion to their masters which make them the most sought after pets.

I cannot forget my own experience of a good breed dog, the expression in his eyes and the sixth sense he had. Newly married I went to Tea gardens in Assam (India) with my husband. The huge bungalow we lived in had many servants to help, but on Saturday evenings all disappeared as it was the pay day and all around the house drunken laborers would be roaming. I was alone at dusk time as my husband too came very late on pay days. This day I was scared to death, but could not say anything to anyone. There was this dog called Charlie by the staff who roamed around all the houses but came and slept in my verandah. I was told that he was the pet of the previous owner who left him here, but since he belonged to no one now, he wondered all around the colony as he pleased. I was young, quite scared being alone in that lonely big house, when I started noticing that invariably Charlie would come and sit down at dusk on pay days near me in the verandah. His presence gave me so much courage, I cannot express in words. I wished I could tell him and thank him for being there, something I did not know how to do. But he seemed to have sensed everything and sometimes though he was not seen for few days but came Saturday dusk and he would arrive, much to my relief. I used to get tears in my eyes and Charlie sat with the grave expression of an elderly family member protecting me from weird drunkards’ men all around. No one dared enter the gate as they saw Charlie there. Today when almost 20 years have elapsed I still feel Charlie was much more then a dog, he could understand my state of mind just with his loving sixth sense. I pray for his soul and wish we could understand them too.