“Paw-Tales” l Mar-Apr-2006

Unconditional love
I have always had pets, but never a dog. So when I asked my 15-year-old daughter Payal, who was busy with her pre-boards, whether she wanted a pup, she almost threw away her books and rushed to search in the newspaper classifieds. We wanted a small shorthaired dog on a shoestring budget and the pet shop offered us a mix of two breeds (a Pug and a Miniature Pinscher), who straight away rushed into Payal’s arms. We felt as if he was custom designed for us!
Anyways, we named him MnM (Mischief Monger), fondly called Emmy, and he has lived up to his name. He is super active. ‘Hyper’ is what many people call him.
Being tiny but made up for his size with a larger than life personality, the little fellow brought us good luck. Within three days of his arrival, Payal got a one-year scholarship to study in Germany. After she left for Germany in July 2005, Emmy spent his entire evening barking at imaginary doorbells and waiting at the door until I went and told him that she will be back only after a year. He gave me a sad look and then walked away silently.
Meanwhile, as all my free time alternated between his feedings and walks on the terrace, I realised the wonderful bonus point – I began to lose weight – without any effort. He is also a great learner. His latest trick is a pirouette and he looks like a ballet dancer! He has also been remarkably cooperative when we leave him alone although he gives the noisiest welcome on our return.
Emmy is very friendly as he takes on the mantle of companionship very seriously. He fills my lonely hours with lots of love, fun and frolic. He has also taught me the true meaning of ‘unconditional love,’ a term I had heard often but have felt it highly overrated. Thank you Emmy, my son.
– Nanda, New Delhi