All for the love of a dog

DOGS have been a man’s best friends for ages. The love for pets can sometimes be greater than the love for fellow humans. What would you do if you had to pick between your love for family and your love for a four-legged canine? Well, I do not have an answer for that, but I have a story to tell.

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It was a harsh winter night in December in Delhi when I got a midnight call from my friend in Chandigarh. Apparently, he was rendered homeless and was trying to figure out what to do. He had had a lovely Labrador for many years and she had died a few months ago. Everyone was sad and depressed except for his father who was not a big fan of having pets at home. He wasn’t really happy, but was surely (for the lack of a better word) relieved at the canine’s departure from their lives.

One fine day, my friend, who saw his old dog in every other pet, brought home a brand-new and extremely adorable Beagle pup. His mother and sister were ecstatic to have another pet. But his dad, of course, had conflicting emotions. He asked my friend to get rid of it as he did not want any new pets coming to the house. Apparently, he was quite furious that his state of “relief” had lasted only a couple of days and was now being threatened by a new dog. The argument between them went so far that my friend’s father, in absolute Bollywood style, said, “It’s either going to be me or this dog living in this house!”

It seems at that point, the love for the dog was stronger, mixed with deep emotions, which made my friend leave the house in the middle of the night. He tried checking into a hotel, but none would allow a pet to stay with him. He tried his friends and no one would again let a puppy stay. I provided full support by offering him to come over to my place in Delhi and stay for as long as he wished, but against all reason and logic, he decided to spend the night in the car itself.

The next day, he took leave from work and found a new house for himself and his beloved companion. He was quite excited and it rubbed off on us as well, and we started planning a housewarming for them. Meanwhile,  the love of the dog had been playing in the hearts of the family without the son. The next day, my friend’s sister also shifted to his new house, leaving behind the parents. A day later, his  mother too moved in. Of course, the father could not stay alone and shifted to the new house in less than a week.

And just when I thought that things were falling in place, I got a call from my friend. “So how’s the dog and how is your father taking it?” I asked him.

“Well,” he paused, “I returned the dog. I think it was for the best!”

I was speechless for a moment and then burst out laughing. “So basically, you left your family and home for a dog, spent a chilly night in your car,  got a new home, your whole family then shifted to the new house and then you threw out the dog?” I asked, perplexed.

The line went dead. I like to believe it was due to a bad network.