The Princess of our house
She sits in our hallway with one paw on the other and looks around at us hurrying with our busy lives racing against time with a look on her face that says “People, is my breakfast ready or do I have to whine?”
Irrespective of the hundred warnings asking her not to use the couch, or the bed, and not to enter the kitchen she would still majestically walk and sit around like it was her grandfather who built the house for us.
We still remember the day when she looked like a white fur ball. One would want to roll her on the floor, rub her softness against your skin, and those eyes and black shiny nose that looked like a black.
button on a white sweater. No matter how many slippers were chewed upon, and the in-numerous oases of Pee around the house we would never want to harm that innocent button nose. Everything was forgiven and we all would go “awwwww” with her every yawn, chew and bark.
We had spent a lot of money on her chew toys, yet she found the edges of our dining table legs and the couch more chew-able and tasty. It was a sight in the mornings to see every small little object which went missing the previous night apart from dog food coming out of her exits!!!!
For the brat she was one would want to name her a “brat” or “naughty” itself. But she was sweet, at least while she was asleep, I must say, so it was not much of a task to find her a perfect name. For the joy and sweetness, she had filled our lives with, there was nothing more apt than the name “Sugar”. She was filled with naughty energy, jumping around like a lamb, sometimes like a horse, we would wonder or wish to tell her “Sugar, you’re a dog, please behave like one.”
She would sit when asked to stand, or run around like she was stung by a honey bee when asked to stay, uncontrollable energy that was so hard for us to confine. At the end of the everyday’s dog party when she would go to sleep our hearts would melt like an ice cream on a hot pan. She looked like an innocent angel and the best dog in the world sent straight to us from heaven. Dad liked her the most when she was asleep.
Sugar had become a part of every moment of our lives. Lives that were then consumed with thoughts about what she was up to; what she would do next and which item in the house would be destroyed for the day. Clicking pictures of her every move and recording videos of her naughtiness was our newfound hobby. There was increased frequency in sibling rivalry when we had to choose who would sugar sleep with the night or who would clean up the pee and the poop she had made. With the latter it led to the
worst fights ever. Dad decided one day when she about 3 months old that it is time for sugar to start.
going out for a walk and finishing her excretion business outdoors. This made situation even worse.
when we had to wake up early in those chilly mornings to take her out before she could do anything at home The idea was to potty train her, and to help her start doing her business outside. We would
grumble every morning with this bundle of energy dragging us on the streets to smell every grass, pole, bike Tyre, people, the ass of other dogs and at the end of it all, when we returned home, she would pee right there indoors in the hallway. “Why the hell did we take you out for Sugar??” we would scream, not to mention Mom’s reaction towards all of this, she would look at us, blink and go check her food bowl as if to say “Alright, alright, I shall pee outside tomorrow. Now, is my breakfast going to be late??”
We had to get accustomed to her newfound hobbies. Hobbies that changed almost every other day, from tearing apart clothes, chewing couches, bringing home dead chameleons, chasing innocent
squirrels, sticking her wet cold nose in our ears when we were sleeping.
When we returned home from school the house looked like it was swept by a hurricane or Sugar had her “War of the Dogs” with other dogs in our hallway. The newspapers would be torn apart, the plastic covers all over the place, wires entangled on her neck, pee, poop and the fur, Good Lord it was a sight which would make my Mom faint and make dad go bonkers and throw Sugar out. It was a task everyday to clean up the mess before Mom and Dad arrived and make Sugar look like she was well behaved.
We eventually gave up on trying to teach her new tricks. We had to come to terms with reality that Sugar was an ordinary dog who lived to eat, destroy our home, pee and poop. Anything more than that, would either be a coincidence of another stunt which looks to be extraordinary or an outstanding accomplishment of a simple task like “Stay” or “Fetch”. For example, when thrown a stick and asked to “Fetch’, Sugar would gladly run and we would stand like proud owners awaiting our beauty’s return with the stick, but instead she would be gone for hours with the stick, happily chewing over it till it is nullified to pieces. A very great accomplishment indeed! If you get a chance, please do watch this movie named “Hachiko”, based on a true-life story of a Japanese dog, who waited for 9 years after his master's death at the same place every day. It would bring tears in your eyes to see the devotion the dog had towards his master, waiting for his master's return from work at the same place year after year until Hachiko himself died. By seeing Sugar, it was clear that if we were not around, she would definitely wait, but not for us, for the food to fall in her bowl.
I don’t even want to talk about the shedding season. It was a nightmare. And Mom has tasted soap a hundred times. Ever tried giving your dog a bath? You will know how soap tastes like then!!!
Years passed and Sugar was changing for good. We had to get accustomed to her. She had learnt to go out and pee and poop, she had become more patient with us. She was so fed up with the words “Stay” or “Fetch” that when we used either of it, she would raise her eyebrows and give us a look as if to say, “do it yourself Human”. She was too big for us to carry around; she did not like it either. Sugar found a boyfriend across the street, but Mom did want tiny monsters at home, so Sugar was forbidden from love making. The maximum allowed was sniffing of each other’s butts and touching of nose.
We could not imagine a day without her. The front seat of our car was always hers. We had taken her paw prints and framed it and hung it near her bed the first day she entered our home. It lies there to
this day. For us Sugar was more than a dog, she was a younger sister, a very naughty sister initially but later grew to be a more mature understanding sister whom we would turn to for comfort. Lying on her tummy was something I would look forward to every evening. We were complete with her around. Dad would make her rehearse her stunts of “Stay” and “fetch” often. She feared dad a lot and she would do it on his command. Mom would spend the whole weekends with her; she would be literally behind Mom the whole evening following her even to the toilet at times. She needed Mom for her baths, food and brushing. She did not let anyone else do the pampering. She needed dad for the long drives in the front seat. She needed us for her walks, snacks and bed time. We sometimes would allow her extra time with her boyfriend; somehow I felt she liked us more for that.
Every day we were welcomed home with the bee stung Sugar. She would run towards us in such force that we would almost fall, toppling things down, sniffing our bags and our crotch. “No Sugar we are not dogs and NO that is not how we say Hello”. We would just sit on the couch for 5 minutes dedicating ourselves for intense sniffing and licking until her excitement died down and then we could go and
change and freshen up. This drama repeated with dad’s entry as well. In the last couple of years, the speed of her running has slowed down.
12 years of Sugar filled our lives with a lot of laughter memories and tears as well. I still remember the day we took her for her first vaccination. At home she was like a lion tearing down things, at the vet she screamed so much even the big dogs that came for checkup got scared with her howling. My Mom cried along, and we laughed our lungs out. Though Mom would often spank her for all the disorders she had done at home, she was always Mom’s pet. Mom would serve her food first then attend to us. That’s how I guess she got this feeling that she rules over us and is the princess of our home.
Lately Sugar wakes up late, she cannot walk that fast. She does not stick her head out of the car. She has lost interest in her boyfriend over the years. Our hearts are pounding with fear. She is almost 80 plus in dog years. She is growing old. The vet told us it would be anytime soon. It is hard for any of us to accept the fact especially for Mom. The other day as usual, I was looking at her sitting in her usual paw over paw and giving the “I am a princess” look in the hallway, but the look on her face was not for the food.
It was something else. It was a wiser and mellowed down attitude she portrays. It was as if she was saying “I will miss you Humans in the dog world”. I sat on the floor with her and took her on my lap.
Rubbed her tummy for a while and kissed her. Tears rolled down my eyes just imagining what life is without her. Mom joined us on the floor after a while and we spoke of all the naughty things she had
done and all the Melodrama she had made us go through in all these years to the vet, to the grocery store for the walks. Mom still remembers when by mistake she let the dog chain loose in one of her
walks and the next minute our princess was racing down the road with twenty other dogs behind her. It was the mating season and my mom thought she would faint. After somehow managing to get hold of Sugar those dogs gave my mother a look she would never forget. They never liked my mom after that day. Mom cried a lot, and I chuckled saying “Mamma she is still here with us relax!!!” I was trying hard to hold back tears myself.
I knew exactly what I had to do. I remembered the first thing we did when we first bought her home 12 years ago. I immediately immersed her paws in blue ink and took her paw prints, took her picture and
when dad returned from work, we had a family picture. Her paws have grown bigger from what it was the first time. They were the cutest pinky paws ever. I kissed her paws, rubbed her tummy and just lay there hugging her on the floor. I could feel she knew what was happening. I could feel her say “Thank you”. I wish she could understand how thankful we were for those wonderful years we had. Our growing years were filled with sweetness of our princess, and no amount of food could express how much we loved her. One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that it doesn’t try to find out why. Sugar would come and sniff us when we used to cry after mom’s spanking. At that moment I felt and realized we never knew if Sugar cried at all. Was she really happy with us? She is my best friend. Properly trained a man can be Dog’s best friend. True. There is no one in this world who would greet us with so much Joy day after day in all years of their lives when you return from work or school.
I read somewhere – Everything I need to know I learned from my Dog…When loved ones come home always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a Joyride. Allow the experiences of
fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. The reason a dog has so many friends is because they wag their tails instead of their tongues.
Sugar, you will be missed.
Before losing you, I would want you to know Sugar that you are the princess of our house, and no one can replace you in this house. We will miss your warmth, your barks, licks, sniffs and your food bowl.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear God,
Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good Dog.
1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.
2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.
3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.
4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.
5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.
6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.
7. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying 'hello'.
8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table
9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.
10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt across the carpet.
11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.
12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good
thing.
P.S. Dear God, When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back?
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
