MY DAYS WITH THE PUPPIES

MY DAYS WITH THE PUPPIES

Golden yellow light was pouring in through the window. I was standing near it, deep in thoughts. I had always wanted a puppy. Whenever I spoke to my father on the topic, I would get a reply that generally ties up my tongue. That day the urge was some what uncontrollable.

I asked him in a stern voice, Father, I want a puppy, cant you afford one? My father gave a sarcastic look and said It isnt money that is the problem. Then what is it? I asked.
It is the puppy that matters. Dont wonder how! Having nurtured a dog named Varun for 17 years, I and your mother know what a pain it is to have a dog in the house! . This was followed by a serious bark (angry retort) from me proving his statement right. But still.... I whined.
There is no use talking to a dog which doesnt understand my mother intervened. My father had a hearty laugh, which made my mood go even worse.

Suddenly the sky darkened as if expressing my mood and the rain started to pour down as my emotions. I went and stood by the window looking at the heavy rain with a heavy heart. My friendly street dog started to bark. I thought it was because of the rain as the dog usually barks whenever it rains. But the barking continued for a long time. Out of sympathy and to divert my mood I took an umbrella and went downstairs to have a look at the dog. After going down I saw the dog standing under the roof of our opposite flat, staring at my house. I went out to the street and looked around for the reason. There were two cute puppies, stranded alone under the tree adjacent to my house. They were the sort of puppies I used to adore. After seeing me, the two puppies came and rubbed my leg for warmth and started to yelp, no wonder out of hunger. I felt very pitiful and wondered whether my parents would allow me at least to give the puppies a temporary shelter.

I ran upstairs in despair and explained the situation to my parents.
Thats how they learn to survive, remember Darwin s theory? they told to me. It was hopeless to argue with them.

I tried to divert my mood by reading a story book, but the thought of the two cute little ones refused to go away. The rain did not seem to stop. So, I paid frequent visits to see the puppies. The puppies kept on yelping and the sound was quite audible at the first floor. My parents mind also got affected by the pitiable yelping.
Varun, see here, you can bring the puppies in and keep them near the stairs but you have to leave them outside as soon as the raining stops my mother said.

That was enough for me - after all something is better than nothing. I ran downstairs and lifted the two puppies carefully taking care not to hurt them. I kept them near the stairs of my house. I sat near them patting them; soon one of them fell asleep. The other cuddled near my legs. My heart was ecstatic. I sat looking at the two puppies with little heart to return them to the road after the rain. I wished that the rain would continue for a long time.

The Adorable Puppies

My next door neighbor who was watching me offered a help. Seeing my plight, she said, If you can take care of the puppies for some more time, I will ring up Blue cross; they will collect them and take care.

I gladly accepted the offer. She called up Blue Cross and they informed that their van would come only the next morning. That was actually good news to me! Surprisingly, my father and mother came down to see the puppies. They too were charmed by the beautiful puppies. My mother immediately went upstairs and came down with a bowl of milk which utterly surprised me. As she kept it near the puppies, I waked up the sleeping puppy which later joined the other to drink the milk hungrily.

While I was seeing the puppies going to sleep, a call came from my father. I realized it was already dinner time. Only then I realized that my stomach was growling which I had failed to notice in my preoccupation with the puppies. I gulped down the food hungrily like a dog. I tried to have a little chat with my father about puppies, but, as usual he was least interested in such silly topics.
Why dont you go down and talk to the puppies, I would doubt whether they would bother listening to a bore like you!

I scowled and went down to see whether the puppies were still sleeping. I saw that one puppy was awake and one was still sleeping. The one sleeping seemed to be ill. As I just patted the sleeping puppy it opened one eye and gave a look that seemed to say Oh, its just you! and then continued to sleep again. The puppy which was awake just sat near my leg for a few minutes and slept very soon. I also started to feel sleepy after seeing that. So I went up and brought a cup of milk to the puppies and kept it near them so that it could drink it whenever it wishes. Then I went upstairs and slept well.


The next morning I woke up and after doing my morning duties, I went down to see the puppies and found something brown floating on the milk. On questioning my parents about it I heard a pleasant surprise that as the puppies whined in the night, my father fed them a few biscuits by softening them in the milk! Oh! They managed to soften my Dads heart too!
I took my breakfast and it was time for school. Before I left, I asked my parents to take care of them and return them carefully when the blue cross van comes.
I got the reply I expected Do not worry; we have 17 years of experience in growing a dog! Thats all I wanted. I left for school with a mood not so good.

As I returned tired, I heard a bark. I saw that the puppies were still there and I wondered whether my parents had changed their minds about me having the puppies at home. I also felt that it was a step next to impossible. When I enquired, my neighbor told me that the van would come only at 6.00 in the evening. It was already 5.00 pm. I sat with the dogs waiting for the van with a fervent hope that it wont.

But soon it came. I handed over the dogs Half-heartedly to a grim looking man from the Blue Cross, wondering about the type of care the puppies would receive. Suddenly the street dog started barking at me angrily after it saw me handing over the puppies. I saw the puppies being caged and taken away along with my hopes of petting them.

Then as I thought of handing over the extra milk to the street dog which was usually very friendly, it ran away at my approach, as if completely hating me. It was so surprising! After all, the puppies had been abandoned by some other stray dog and this friendly dog of mine had no business what so ever connected with the puppies. Even among animals, there is so much of compassion about their clan!
How can I explain to the dog about my predicament? Will it think of me only as an un-trustable person who hands over hapless puppies to grim looking strangers whose treatment to the dogs remains unknown?