laidbackperson
12-21-2012, 12:37 PM
Well, any feedback is welcome - positive or negative, grammer, typo mistakes, writing style, anything..
I have used only first capital letter in names of some of places and in my daughter's name, so please bear with that.
.................................................. .................................................. ...............
TO CYBER, WITH LOVE
Cyber came to us from city of H…. as a very small pup – a cute, white, fluffy bundle of spitz breed. Some local students of D…. who were doing hotel management course in H… had a grudge with their landlord there, so, when they were coming back home for vacation, they had stealthily picked up one of his newly born puppies and brought him to D…; first by hiding him in train and then by bus. When mom of one of the boys, who had taken the pup to his home flatly refused to keep it, a second boy who happened to be our relative, had brought it to our house as a pet for our 10 year old daughter T… .. I remember she had excitedly phoned to me in office about the pup and although I had shared her joy, I had taken it lightly. Children say so many things. Dogs meant, extra protection for the kids, more burden on sanitary and cleanliness, etc, etc. However, the pup managed to remain with us almost for a week and we even named him as ‘Cyber’, after the emerging cyber city, H...., from where he had come. My wife and I were still clear about not keeping it and one day actually gave him away to a willing neighbor few doors away. But under the pressure of Tanya, the puppy was to be brought back. Cyber was with us for keeps thereafter, till he died after some eight memorable years in our lives.
Having a puppy in the house do bring more life in the house, but it also meant extra daily work and tension. Taking Cyber to walks in mornings, afternoons and evenings for nature’s call was like going for fishing. Just as in fishing, you won’t know when you are going to hook a fish, similarly with a walking dog you would just not know, when he is suddenly getting ready for toilet. However, this was only a trivial issue. The real issue was teaching your dog that this activity is to be conducted only outside the house’s gate. You have to be on an alert that he does not do the wrong thing inside, keep taking him out every few hours just to check as precautionary measure even when he is not feeling like it, the feeling of despair and anger when he chose the house over outdoors, or the big sigh of relief as if you have won some event when you manage to rush out of the house with Cyber in nick of time to the nearby vacant plots; these were some of our new drills and highs and lows as new dog owner. However, like many other problems this problem too got largely sorted out. Perhaps it dawned on Cyber that his daily morning, afternoon and evening walks which he so eagerly looked forward to, were not solely conducted by his owners for his fun, enjoyment, exercise etc; the owners also hoped that he would oblige them by performing a specific task. Probably we became more knowledgeable about the type of food that suits dog’s tummy. Anyhow, Cyber soon fell into a good pattern and if at any other odd time of the day the problem loomed up while he was indoors, he started to perch himself right in front of us, eye us unwaveringly and make small, urgent noises. We understood. Life started falling in rhythm with Cyber; a bond started forming between us.
Very soon after we owned him, Cyber become like a fourth member of our three person family. Later my wife even started referring him to people as our four legged son. Within a year Cyber too had sorted us out. He understood that though Mommy loved him all right and she was the one who made food in the kitchen and remained alone with him for a major time of the day, she was firm and unyielding type. When she was angry and talked in a raised voice, he felt it prudent to go under the dining table, even when she was not addressing him. As for me, he considered me his pal, his equal, a person who would not mind letting him indulge in his fancies; an easy forgiver and one who do not blow his lid in anger. It was normally my job to take him for walks and I would let him linger longer wherever he wanted to stop to smell something and not get irritated even if he raised one of his hind legs n numbers of times to sprinkle. There were even occasions when he would just sit down in the road refusing to listen to me like an adamant child even as I pulled him; wanting me to follow his way but not go my way. I would relent to his wishes number of times, if not always. As for T..., though she also shared responsibility of feeding Cyber and taking him for walks and played with him, but as the time passed Cyber became more of my wife’s and mine dog than T..’s, for we were his lifeline; a growing girl on other hand has lots of other interests then just a dog.
We had got Cyber a collar and leash. We also got him vaccinated for rabies; the ritual that continued very consistently year after year. We found very early that Cyber was very much a barking dog. The first ring on our door bell, even softest sound of somebody clanking our gate, Cyber would instantly rush barking to the front door. As we opened the door, he would the first one to rush quickly outside as if telling us,’ I will handle this ’. The running and high jumping drama he enacted in front of our gate, inside the boundary wall and the noise he created made jittery any new person standing outside the gate. The angry manner he looked up at the people at gate and with his full throated barks, he often reminded me of Captain Haddock of Tintin comics glaring and swearing vociferously at villains. We had to drag him by the leash tied to his collar and tie him to the dining table chair. As a matter of fact for safety sake, leash would almost always be tied to Cyber’s collar and he moved everywhere inside the house with leash trailing behind him. It seemed that whole world is villain for him, even the persons who would interact with us regularly like our washerman, vegetable sellers, gardener etc. The first question that was posed at our gate by these persons was – Doggie is tied or not? Only few persons who were welcomed by him at our house were my parents, my mother-in-law and few close relatives and friends. For these people, his tail would shake so vigorously that his whole back portion would be shaking along with the tail.
In reality Cyber was lion only in front of us. When we all would go out in a car for few hours leaving him behind in Verandah, the little life was rather scared and miserable, and it was a bit of heart wrenching to leave him behind. Our washer man who would not dare to enter our gate when we and Cyber were inside, would tell us that Cyber would lie very quietly in a corner, not at all a barking or attacking dog, and he would put the clothes on the chair in Verandah, less than one foot from Cyber; but Cyber would not do anything. However, when we and Cyber were together in the house, he never dared to come inside. When we used to return home from outside, Cyber’s glee would know no bounds. To make amends, we would usually be bringing to him some of his favorite food to eat.
Then there were times when we took Cyber with us in our car and this was one thing he loved most. The seat by the side of the driver was always for him, whenever he was traveling with us; you just could not dislodge him for this seat. We would place a newspaper in this seat and then with his front paws resting in the open window, and neck outside he just loved to feel and smell the wind and see the world go by. Once he traveled like this from D... to town of R.... and back.
Another thing that he later became very fond of was going after female dogs during the mating season. Although our gate remained closed majority of the times, but a moment’s slip and he would dart out with leash dangling behind him. I don’t know if he ever succeeded in his mission for there would always be other bigger and stronger dogs around the female, and the competition would be vicious. Once I had to follow him almost for half kilometer as he jostled forward with other stray dogs after a female. Then as the other dogs pounced upon him to leave them alone with their find, I got the chance to catch hold of his leash and bring him back home safely. On another occasion, my wife told me that a big stray dog had him down on his back near our house in their quest for a female and Cyber was snarling at the dog even from his down position. ‘Good’ I thought ‘Papa, has not done anything so brave in his life at least son is doing a great job.’
I also loved the way he slept in his especially made wooden bed, with mattress, pillow and all, during cold winters. During daytime the bed would be put in sun and Cyber after a good lunch would be ready for the nap. With his legs fully stretched out, head rolling casually on one side, he would lie in his bed and doze off to a sound sleep very quickly. I used to feel an amused envy, seeing him enjoying such a relaxed sleep, free of any worries like office deadlines, office politics, promotions fears and whims and fancies of the top bosses.
Eight year is a long period and there are many vivid images and memories about Cyber. Cyber getting in full playful mood, becoming a ‘kargosh’ - racing across the length of the house in a breakneck speed like a rabbit and jumping with gay abandon on sofas and beds as we chased him. Cyber as a small pup, sneaking out of gate quietly, getting lost and coming home after several hours in badly bruised condition. An overdose of anesthesia to him once, and he becoming gravely sick for one full night. Cyber’s hilarious enmity with a big German shepherd dog and the two barking fiercely at each-other daily in the mornings - Cyber from inside our gate and German shepherd from outside it. Cyber raising one of his hind legs furtively for pee on one side of a particular sofa in our drawing room many numbers of time and when scolded putting his front paws on us very solemnly as if saying ‘sorry’.
I think, I learnt albeit indirectly at least one sure thing living with Cyber. On some occasions, I returned home from outside, feeling disappointed, for the things had not gone well or feeling disgusted and resentful at the thinking ways of a person or his and her lowly actions. You can share at times some of these things with your spouse but your dog do not understand your hidden anger and frustrations. He expects that you will give him a bit of your food when you are taking your dinner and will take him out for walk on his daily round after dinner. He seeks your attention, and when you talk to him and pat him, he appears content and fulfilled. As these little things got repeated with time, I came to realize that our little dog’s limited, dependant world, is no less important to me than other so called important activities and so called important people. It somehow reaffirmed me that I can continue remaining a little bit laidback, and that there is not much point for everyone in the world to indulge in the cut-throat competitions present in the world.
Cyber was dying. Even earlier, on few occasions it had seemed to us that he is on his way out but always he had spring back to normal life, not losing any of his old energy or activeness. ‘He will bounce back this time too’, we hoped wrongly. Vets, medicines and injections were not helping him like they did in past. I had suddenly noticed one day that Cyber was no longer keen on morning and evening walks. Tied to leash, he would be always in front, pulling me forward but now he is quietly following me. My wife noticed that he was not keen on climbing up in stairs to the first floor of our duplex house where he slept in his bed in winter. When ordered sternly. ‘Cyber go to your bed’ or a pull was given to his leash, he would climb up sluggishly and reluctantly. Then suddenly we realized that there is a problem with his left hind leg. His bed was brought down. Like all dogs, he was a great foodie. But he had lost all appetite for his choicest food – meat, eggs, sweets, curd. A compounder, who had treated him many times earlier, put him on one hour drip mixed with vitamins for three successive days. ‘The vitamins will help him to regain strength’ he told us. My wife and I would hold Cyber in lying position so that the needle does not get disturbed. Then one day we again took him to vet. He pronounced gangrene in his left hind leg, where we thought was a regular infection. In my heart I will always feel that we were also culprits somewhere. Cyber kept going down. I had to lift him and take him outside the gate for urine. He would stand wobbly in his legs. One day I was persuading him to drink water and he did not seem keen initially. Then suddenly he had put his head down and drank enough water, as if just to make me happy. Time had come to put him to sleep. I had phoned the compounder from office to come home in the evening with injections. When I returned from office, I picked Cyber in my arms and took him for one last journey of our entire house, even a peep in Worship room. The home he knew so well, where he lived like a king, moved freely everywhere and where he had passed majority of his life. His weight had reduced greatly and as I carried him, I could feel clearly in my hands that his breathing was uneven. He seemed relieved when I put him back in his bed; even this small journey had strained him. His eyes spoke of the pain he was enduring. I sat down by his side and kept patting him. He put his ears back, lovingly. I called T.... who was in her room upstairs with her teenage friends to have few alone moments with Cyber before he was gone. My wife was in other room and will not come out. I was patting Cyber, when the motor cycle stopped outside our gate. Cyber eyes and ears moved slightly, knowing that the compounder has come. He had such a good sense of hearing that my wife would say he would pick up my car or scooter even before I had taken the last turn to our house. The compounder made the needle ready. I kept Cyber pinned down. In his healthy days, it was impossible even to think of it but now all his strength had gone. The needle quickly went inside his thigh and in the same instant Cyber was gone, had become a lifeless body. The compounder was telling me softly that we should get another dog after some time. I was thinking that he must have done this to other dogs also and said the same things, he is saying to me now. I paid him the money and went to the gate to see him off. I was surprised that there was a lump in my throat and it pleased me for I took myself as a dry person not given to crying. We took Cyber in our car along with our gardener to a nearby area where they buried infants and dogs, and buried him properly there.
Nearly three years have passed since then. Life moves on. We keep getting into new things, remain busy in day to day activities and remember our past less. However, whenever I remember Cyber, it is with a sweet fondness, of someone who truly belonged to us. I like to think that God had sent him our way as His gift to us to enrich our lives and that one who really belongs cannot get lost forever. He would again get re-united in one form or other in God’s kingdom.
I have used only first capital letter in names of some of places and in my daughter's name, so please bear with that.
.................................................. .................................................. ...............
TO CYBER, WITH LOVE
Cyber came to us from city of H…. as a very small pup – a cute, white, fluffy bundle of spitz breed. Some local students of D…. who were doing hotel management course in H… had a grudge with their landlord there, so, when they were coming back home for vacation, they had stealthily picked up one of his newly born puppies and brought him to D…; first by hiding him in train and then by bus. When mom of one of the boys, who had taken the pup to his home flatly refused to keep it, a second boy who happened to be our relative, had brought it to our house as a pet for our 10 year old daughter T… .. I remember she had excitedly phoned to me in office about the pup and although I had shared her joy, I had taken it lightly. Children say so many things. Dogs meant, extra protection for the kids, more burden on sanitary and cleanliness, etc, etc. However, the pup managed to remain with us almost for a week and we even named him as ‘Cyber’, after the emerging cyber city, H...., from where he had come. My wife and I were still clear about not keeping it and one day actually gave him away to a willing neighbor few doors away. But under the pressure of Tanya, the puppy was to be brought back. Cyber was with us for keeps thereafter, till he died after some eight memorable years in our lives.
Having a puppy in the house do bring more life in the house, but it also meant extra daily work and tension. Taking Cyber to walks in mornings, afternoons and evenings for nature’s call was like going for fishing. Just as in fishing, you won’t know when you are going to hook a fish, similarly with a walking dog you would just not know, when he is suddenly getting ready for toilet. However, this was only a trivial issue. The real issue was teaching your dog that this activity is to be conducted only outside the house’s gate. You have to be on an alert that he does not do the wrong thing inside, keep taking him out every few hours just to check as precautionary measure even when he is not feeling like it, the feeling of despair and anger when he chose the house over outdoors, or the big sigh of relief as if you have won some event when you manage to rush out of the house with Cyber in nick of time to the nearby vacant plots; these were some of our new drills and highs and lows as new dog owner. However, like many other problems this problem too got largely sorted out. Perhaps it dawned on Cyber that his daily morning, afternoon and evening walks which he so eagerly looked forward to, were not solely conducted by his owners for his fun, enjoyment, exercise etc; the owners also hoped that he would oblige them by performing a specific task. Probably we became more knowledgeable about the type of food that suits dog’s tummy. Anyhow, Cyber soon fell into a good pattern and if at any other odd time of the day the problem loomed up while he was indoors, he started to perch himself right in front of us, eye us unwaveringly and make small, urgent noises. We understood. Life started falling in rhythm with Cyber; a bond started forming between us.
Very soon after we owned him, Cyber become like a fourth member of our three person family. Later my wife even started referring him to people as our four legged son. Within a year Cyber too had sorted us out. He understood that though Mommy loved him all right and she was the one who made food in the kitchen and remained alone with him for a major time of the day, she was firm and unyielding type. When she was angry and talked in a raised voice, he felt it prudent to go under the dining table, even when she was not addressing him. As for me, he considered me his pal, his equal, a person who would not mind letting him indulge in his fancies; an easy forgiver and one who do not blow his lid in anger. It was normally my job to take him for walks and I would let him linger longer wherever he wanted to stop to smell something and not get irritated even if he raised one of his hind legs n numbers of times to sprinkle. There were even occasions when he would just sit down in the road refusing to listen to me like an adamant child even as I pulled him; wanting me to follow his way but not go my way. I would relent to his wishes number of times, if not always. As for T..., though she also shared responsibility of feeding Cyber and taking him for walks and played with him, but as the time passed Cyber became more of my wife’s and mine dog than T..’s, for we were his lifeline; a growing girl on other hand has lots of other interests then just a dog.
We had got Cyber a collar and leash. We also got him vaccinated for rabies; the ritual that continued very consistently year after year. We found very early that Cyber was very much a barking dog. The first ring on our door bell, even softest sound of somebody clanking our gate, Cyber would instantly rush barking to the front door. As we opened the door, he would the first one to rush quickly outside as if telling us,’ I will handle this ’. The running and high jumping drama he enacted in front of our gate, inside the boundary wall and the noise he created made jittery any new person standing outside the gate. The angry manner he looked up at the people at gate and with his full throated barks, he often reminded me of Captain Haddock of Tintin comics glaring and swearing vociferously at villains. We had to drag him by the leash tied to his collar and tie him to the dining table chair. As a matter of fact for safety sake, leash would almost always be tied to Cyber’s collar and he moved everywhere inside the house with leash trailing behind him. It seemed that whole world is villain for him, even the persons who would interact with us regularly like our washerman, vegetable sellers, gardener etc. The first question that was posed at our gate by these persons was – Doggie is tied or not? Only few persons who were welcomed by him at our house were my parents, my mother-in-law and few close relatives and friends. For these people, his tail would shake so vigorously that his whole back portion would be shaking along with the tail.
In reality Cyber was lion only in front of us. When we all would go out in a car for few hours leaving him behind in Verandah, the little life was rather scared and miserable, and it was a bit of heart wrenching to leave him behind. Our washer man who would not dare to enter our gate when we and Cyber were inside, would tell us that Cyber would lie very quietly in a corner, not at all a barking or attacking dog, and he would put the clothes on the chair in Verandah, less than one foot from Cyber; but Cyber would not do anything. However, when we and Cyber were together in the house, he never dared to come inside. When we used to return home from outside, Cyber’s glee would know no bounds. To make amends, we would usually be bringing to him some of his favorite food to eat.
Then there were times when we took Cyber with us in our car and this was one thing he loved most. The seat by the side of the driver was always for him, whenever he was traveling with us; you just could not dislodge him for this seat. We would place a newspaper in this seat and then with his front paws resting in the open window, and neck outside he just loved to feel and smell the wind and see the world go by. Once he traveled like this from D... to town of R.... and back.
Another thing that he later became very fond of was going after female dogs during the mating season. Although our gate remained closed majority of the times, but a moment’s slip and he would dart out with leash dangling behind him. I don’t know if he ever succeeded in his mission for there would always be other bigger and stronger dogs around the female, and the competition would be vicious. Once I had to follow him almost for half kilometer as he jostled forward with other stray dogs after a female. Then as the other dogs pounced upon him to leave them alone with their find, I got the chance to catch hold of his leash and bring him back home safely. On another occasion, my wife told me that a big stray dog had him down on his back near our house in their quest for a female and Cyber was snarling at the dog even from his down position. ‘Good’ I thought ‘Papa, has not done anything so brave in his life at least son is doing a great job.’
I also loved the way he slept in his especially made wooden bed, with mattress, pillow and all, during cold winters. During daytime the bed would be put in sun and Cyber after a good lunch would be ready for the nap. With his legs fully stretched out, head rolling casually on one side, he would lie in his bed and doze off to a sound sleep very quickly. I used to feel an amused envy, seeing him enjoying such a relaxed sleep, free of any worries like office deadlines, office politics, promotions fears and whims and fancies of the top bosses.
Eight year is a long period and there are many vivid images and memories about Cyber. Cyber getting in full playful mood, becoming a ‘kargosh’ - racing across the length of the house in a breakneck speed like a rabbit and jumping with gay abandon on sofas and beds as we chased him. Cyber as a small pup, sneaking out of gate quietly, getting lost and coming home after several hours in badly bruised condition. An overdose of anesthesia to him once, and he becoming gravely sick for one full night. Cyber’s hilarious enmity with a big German shepherd dog and the two barking fiercely at each-other daily in the mornings - Cyber from inside our gate and German shepherd from outside it. Cyber raising one of his hind legs furtively for pee on one side of a particular sofa in our drawing room many numbers of time and when scolded putting his front paws on us very solemnly as if saying ‘sorry’.
I think, I learnt albeit indirectly at least one sure thing living with Cyber. On some occasions, I returned home from outside, feeling disappointed, for the things had not gone well or feeling disgusted and resentful at the thinking ways of a person or his and her lowly actions. You can share at times some of these things with your spouse but your dog do not understand your hidden anger and frustrations. He expects that you will give him a bit of your food when you are taking your dinner and will take him out for walk on his daily round after dinner. He seeks your attention, and when you talk to him and pat him, he appears content and fulfilled. As these little things got repeated with time, I came to realize that our little dog’s limited, dependant world, is no less important to me than other so called important activities and so called important people. It somehow reaffirmed me that I can continue remaining a little bit laidback, and that there is not much point for everyone in the world to indulge in the cut-throat competitions present in the world.
Cyber was dying. Even earlier, on few occasions it had seemed to us that he is on his way out but always he had spring back to normal life, not losing any of his old energy or activeness. ‘He will bounce back this time too’, we hoped wrongly. Vets, medicines and injections were not helping him like they did in past. I had suddenly noticed one day that Cyber was no longer keen on morning and evening walks. Tied to leash, he would be always in front, pulling me forward but now he is quietly following me. My wife noticed that he was not keen on climbing up in stairs to the first floor of our duplex house where he slept in his bed in winter. When ordered sternly. ‘Cyber go to your bed’ or a pull was given to his leash, he would climb up sluggishly and reluctantly. Then suddenly we realized that there is a problem with his left hind leg. His bed was brought down. Like all dogs, he was a great foodie. But he had lost all appetite for his choicest food – meat, eggs, sweets, curd. A compounder, who had treated him many times earlier, put him on one hour drip mixed with vitamins for three successive days. ‘The vitamins will help him to regain strength’ he told us. My wife and I would hold Cyber in lying position so that the needle does not get disturbed. Then one day we again took him to vet. He pronounced gangrene in his left hind leg, where we thought was a regular infection. In my heart I will always feel that we were also culprits somewhere. Cyber kept going down. I had to lift him and take him outside the gate for urine. He would stand wobbly in his legs. One day I was persuading him to drink water and he did not seem keen initially. Then suddenly he had put his head down and drank enough water, as if just to make me happy. Time had come to put him to sleep. I had phoned the compounder from office to come home in the evening with injections. When I returned from office, I picked Cyber in my arms and took him for one last journey of our entire house, even a peep in Worship room. The home he knew so well, where he lived like a king, moved freely everywhere and where he had passed majority of his life. His weight had reduced greatly and as I carried him, I could feel clearly in my hands that his breathing was uneven. He seemed relieved when I put him back in his bed; even this small journey had strained him. His eyes spoke of the pain he was enduring. I sat down by his side and kept patting him. He put his ears back, lovingly. I called T.... who was in her room upstairs with her teenage friends to have few alone moments with Cyber before he was gone. My wife was in other room and will not come out. I was patting Cyber, when the motor cycle stopped outside our gate. Cyber eyes and ears moved slightly, knowing that the compounder has come. He had such a good sense of hearing that my wife would say he would pick up my car or scooter even before I had taken the last turn to our house. The compounder made the needle ready. I kept Cyber pinned down. In his healthy days, it was impossible even to think of it but now all his strength had gone. The needle quickly went inside his thigh and in the same instant Cyber was gone, had become a lifeless body. The compounder was telling me softly that we should get another dog after some time. I was thinking that he must have done this to other dogs also and said the same things, he is saying to me now. I paid him the money and went to the gate to see him off. I was surprised that there was a lump in my throat and it pleased me for I took myself as a dry person not given to crying. We took Cyber in our car along with our gardener to a nearby area where they buried infants and dogs, and buried him properly there.
Nearly three years have passed since then. Life moves on. We keep getting into new things, remain busy in day to day activities and remember our past less. However, whenever I remember Cyber, it is with a sweet fondness, of someone who truly belonged to us. I like to think that God had sent him our way as His gift to us to enrich our lives and that one who really belongs cannot get lost forever. He would again get re-united in one form or other in God’s kingdom.