Mark Tully’s love for the Labs

Sir William Mark Tully, popularly known as Mark Tully, needs no introduction. This multi-talented personality has been an excellent commentator, traveler, journalist, broadcaster  and an author. Here, Dogs & Pups discovers his eternal love for dogs… especially Labradors.
Mark Tully
Sir William Mark Tully has been a household name in India for his quality commentaries about happenings in India for many years….way to the 1970s. Former Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi, he held the position for 20 years. Tully was awarded the Padma Shree in 1992 and in 2005 he received the Padma Bhushan. He and his partner Gillian Wright have few things in common – books and pooches being the foremost.
FAB Labs!
On asking about the beginning of this eternal pooch bond, Mark shared, “As a child, there was never a time when I was without a dog. Later, when we shifted to India from Britain in 1972, we got a Labrador and named him ‘Bahadur’. He was General Maneckshaw’s (popularly known as Sam Bahadur) dog, so we called him Bahadur. He was a magnanimous dog, full of vibrancy. Ever since after him, I have several pet Labradors until we faced a series of mishaps. One of my pets died due to overeating, one we lost while swimming and another one died by consuming poisoned water. So, we decided not to have pets ever again.”
Pet love is eternal!
Though Mark and Gillian (his partner) were busy with their regular lives, they felt a void in their lives. It was a lacunae created due to the absence of a pet dog. This time, destiny played its role in bringing joy back to their lives. As Mark fondly narrates, “After a year, one of my friends was shifting and he had two sweet Labrador puppies. He decided to send them to shelter but was worried about their future. Since he was aware of my love for dogs, he requested me to bring them home and this is how I got my current pets – Misthi and Soni, both Lab girls.”
Sharing more about them, he further added, ‘Misthi was earlier called Missi by his French pet parent. She is so sweet, so we named her Misthi (sweet), and it sounds like Missi. Soni is a beautiful dog and that’s why her name, which means beautiful.”
Being a responsible pet parent!
Mark feels incomplete, if they are not around. So, they are allowed to roam all over the household, and they are really well behaved pooches. As they are sharing home with two writers/authors, they are very well aware of the fact that they have to be calm and quiet at times. On asking about how they spend time together, Mark shared, “Both my dogs are cynosure of every eye, they are loved by all. They love to roam all around our house and are pampered by all members of the family.”
On asking about taking them out, he shared, “We want to take our pets out on trips with us, but they both hate traveling. So, they remain within city. I often take them out to Lodhi Garden in New Delhi for strolls and every day they go for walks in the morning and evening.”
Message to pet parents!
“Never have a pet, if you don’t have enough time to take care of him,” concluded Mark Tully, the happy and responsible pet parent.