Sheroo my youngest son

It was a normal hectic day with me rushing to school. I was driving past the commandant’s bungalow and just about to turn towards my school when I saw a small brown furry ball running after my car. My children squealed in delight on watching him chase my car. As much as I would have loved to slow down I couldn’t stop as I was getting late on the job. As the day progressed I completely forgot about him… the hectic day neared to an end…and the last bell finally rang. Tired I drove back home again to be chased by the same brown pup. My kids urged me to take him home but I refused as I already had two dogs waiting eagerly for me to get home. Since my childhood I have been an avid dog lover…but was allowed only one dog as a pet on a condition that I would take care of his grooming, walks and veterinary visits… my mom wanted nothing of it except providing the meals… and I got my first pet Silky. She was a wonderful companion and lived up to 17 years. She was a mixed breed. Guess the same genes I have passed on to my kids.

Second glance…
In the evening, me and my husband went out for our routine walk. Suddenly I heard a happy bark after me and on turning around I found the same pup running after me on his tiny legs. Amazed and recollecting the day’s experience I just couldn’t hold myself back and in-spite of protests from my husband I bent down and picked up the little urchin. I looked around for other of the same litter but couldn’t find any, so I took him across the road and set him on the grassy patch hoping that he would be safe and carried on with my walk. I don’t know what was there in that pup but I felt strongly attached to him and as I was returning I warned my husband that if again he follows me back then he is going home!
In my arms…
As I crossed the commandant’s bungalow I had a feeling of both pleasure and pain of not seeing him again. My husband who knows my nature and how stubborn I can be was just expressing his relief that the little one had found his mother and that I should not over react. Just then I heard a gypsy came to a screeching halt behind me and we turned in shock! We were just about to give the driver a piece of our minds when I saw a little furry ball curled up between the front wheels of the gypsy. I just couldn’t believe my eyes and picked up the little imp. That was him! He seemed so utterly helpless and lonely and I wasn’t going to leave him on the streets to see him dead in the morning!
Home-coming…
Much against the advice of my vet and constant coaxing of my husband I had decided that he was coming home. Luckily for me both my angels Samba and JW showed no aggressiveness and welcomed Lucky to the family. Now the problem came as my husband would not allow him inside the house so he was to be kept outside on the porch. I made a little kennel for him with small woolens to keep him warm during nights as winter had set in. He would constantly yelp for company and I landed up spending most of my nights outside with him wrapped up in shawl with a barn owl giving me company. This carried on for two months till it got very chilly to leave him outside and I fought to have him in. Anyway I succeeded in having him inside the house.
Chosen name…
Lucky was then rechristened as Sheroo as he just would not respond to the previous name and one-day when I saw him prowling to catch a squirrel I just called him Sheroo on an impulse and he gave up his target and straight headed for my lap licking my face as if approving of the name and thus it stuck….. Lucky became Sheroo. He chose his name just as he chose his pet parent! Today, he is a handsome dog of three years and I am ever so proud of my youngest son. That was not the end… the latest addition to my small family of a dozen (myself, my hubby, my two kids, Simba, JW, my two tortoises, three turtles and fishes) is a stray kitten called Snowbell (mind you my kitten and my dogs are terrific friends!) but that’s another story to be told some other day!
– Ranjeeta Nath Ghai, Secunderabad