"The Dogs have it ! The Dogs have it !"

 “The Dogs have it ! The Dogs have it!”

Dinesh K Kapila

In our Parliament there has been a convention to say when a bill musters a majority, ‘the ayes have it, the ayes have it’! Not for a moment am I comparing or casting any aspersions. Simply I got an inspiration and insight from this convention, considering the way dogs are getting upgraded, from pets to just about equal to humans to maybe an even more exalted status. The upgradation and the perception is rather perplexing but post Covid there has been a major change. In the cultural context and attitudes. We had the song long back, The Age of Aquarius, well now another pop group should sing The Age of Dogs. It’s their time !!!

I am a dog lover and have been keeping pets since long. Only in the last few years I have not kept a pet, mainly being rather preoccupied.

Now to the subject. We have judges at the Supreme Court stating stray dogs cannot be moved from the locality they frequent. We also have a rather voluble politically active lady with a huge soft corner as regards dogs who ensures we cannot even say that stray dogs better not be fed, no, anyone is feee to feed them and as such we have to let them (the dogs) be our honoured guests in our locality. Never mind a dog or two snarling at you or growling and coming near you and gnashing it’s teeth. And scaring you. Just as you simply walk in the locality or go about your errands. Maybe their Exalted Lordships and the Honourable Lady should give up their security retinue and then maybe a different viewpoint would emerge. In Srinagar once a stray dog chased me, strays there are rather well built, well I could have freaked out totally but for a neighbour who threw stones at it.

We have a Welfare Act for Animals and rules on strays being kept in the same area and their being safe post neutering etc. Well, fine, we are evolving to a higher plane, a civilisational construct, but what about safeguards for us humans when they snarl and growl and feel it’s ok to try for a nip!

Back here in Chandigarh, two stray dogs adopted by a kind gentleman decided one late evening that my long coat and cap merited snarling and maybe a bite or two. They were strolling outside their house and decided I did not fit into our locality. I was shouting for the gentleman but nobody came and I was absolutely boxed in when a passer by on a cycle helped me escape.

Next day I accosted the guy and told him to control his dogs. This guy has pedigreed pets and adopts strays too. I told him that one of the stray dogs had attacked other walkers too. He replied in Hindi - unki bhasha samjhiye, samajhne ki koshish to kariye - try understanding their language, at least make an attempt to understand their language. I was rather flummoxed at this, just what was I expected to say to this real gem, an absolute piece of enlightenment ! He also told me rather sagely about the virtues of showing calmness and being steadfast and facing a dog straight up but not into his eyes when he was in a bad mood or in the middle of negative emotions !! I was getting rather emotional with such wonderful enlightenment !

Then a friend gave me more such enlightenment. His young nephew, just a child, was set upon by a pet dog, the dog was snarling and aggressive and this friend of mine jumped and charged with a stone and a stick and chased the dog away. The child was safe. The owner of the pet dog, a rather finely dressed young lady was aghast and so very angry, she unbraided my friend sternly and actually screamed at him. Her point was the dog was just frisky and would not have done anything, being unable to speak - after all a dog and hence voiceless, my friend had just not understood him (the dog). My friend was rendered absolutely speechless, recovering he could just say, well then what was the barking and snarling if not a clear indicator of its intent and more accurately, a demonstration of its language !! Dog language that is, after all they could in the future pick up our language and speak it but not as of now ! But if some rather noble souls had their way, this would be the next step in evolution.

Some Ladies in their fifties are there, all manicured and coiffed, to see them meet their pets is so sweet, I wonder if they had grand children or even if they have grand children, do they demonstrate the same affection. They call them Beta (son), say come to Momma, give them nicknames and we’ll it gets so so sweet and cloying!

To jump back a bit, a rather ferocious pet dog attacked a docile small pet dog in our neighbourhood. The owner of the smaller dog, a rather aged lady tried to save her pet and was herself attacked but saved by her thick winter clothes. The owner of the larger ferocious pet incidentally retreated to his house and pretended he saw nothing, heard nothing, obviously knew nothing ! I I posted this in our common group wherein I was delighted to be advised that I should convey to the lady not to be traumatised !

Huskies, dachshunds, pugs, German Shepherds, Tibetan Mastiffs, Pomeranian’s, Golden Retrievers, Labradors,all are in demand and are pampered now with door to door services for shampoos to what not. It’s a fine world in which they live. Rather luxurious and maybe could be envied too by some !

I am off to another story, believe this, you will believe anything ! A guy here lost his kitten- I know I am writing about dogs but please do read this too - the owner posted the snap and name and said he was heartbroken as he could find it. Last seen it was chasing a bird across his boundary wall. So far it’s conventional. This turned up in our Group where I got to know there is a profession of Animal Communicators !! The said animal communicator would make cat noises and kitten noises and would trace the cat or kitten or whatever it was ! The fees was pretty high and on an hourly basis! This profession would surely reduce our burgeoning unemployment issues at the micro level but I am still sort of confused about the communication part ! Think of it, a rather active lady when asked about the leash being somewhat too long enabling a wider circle of attack by the dog stated his (the dog’s ) emotions were hurt by a shorter leash and the vet advised to lengthen the leash. Never mind us people more at risk ! Then there are those who try to give their pets slides in the children section of the park and even swings ! It’s just increasing !

Dog poop is now a concern. On pavements and berms and in parks. One lady stopped me and said it got onto her driveway through the tyres. Another distinguished gentleman stated after ringing the bell to mg house, dog poop is all over my expensive shoe. I told him fine, I am posting another appeal for using dog poop bags or diapers but it’s a phenomenon across the cities now. Chill and bear it !! One guy I know gets up at 530 am in the cold weather we had to chase away pet dogs relieving themselves on the well kept grass on his berms.

Then there are ladies I have seen driving from one locality to another locality, religiously every evening, feeding stray dogs. I have no issues or objections to it, but we have any number of poor construction labourers working on houses. Why not extend some charity to them too for their nutrition or medical issues. Why just for dogs only.

It’s very complicated I know. Human emotions and cultural values do evolve from one era to the other and decade to decade even. And each one of us reacts in a different way. But even then, a snarling dog or a dog running swiftly towards you looking all angry is certainly a most fearsome experience. It can make you just about give a different colour to your trousers or shorts or jeans. If you know what I mean !! We can have our differences but on this we should agree and let safeguards be employed. For strays and pets both. It’s honestly required.

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Tailpiece

Good afternoon Mr Kapila. You should stop ensuring the fogging of the area happens regularly. You might soon be accused of taking the lives of community mosquitoes! After all they must have also been born in the area. Come to think of it, what about the rats, mice and the cockroaches!!

Our controversy over stray dogs continues ! By the way they are community dogs now !! A fellow resident sent me this after another flare up over an attack by two stray dogs on a child, luckily no injuries as passer-by’s were there. We have had four actual cases of dog bite but the heated debate continues.

An activist wanted clean drinking water from a tap and a raised platform at the designated places to feed the stray {community) dogs ! Stalemate———————————-

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