Pet parenting… First brush with love!
I never imagined that I will be a pet parent someday. It’s my daughter who taught me how to love a pet. In fact, she was always afraid of dogs but wanted to have one. I don’t know how this miracle happened in my life as my daughter’s fear of dogs has gone away and I can’t stay away from my dog. Today she can pet him lovingly – she adores dogs now.
–Sahana Sharan, Mumbai
Growing up having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) left me with no friends and no one to talk to. My parents never wanted to come out of that state of denial because even today very few understand what ADHD is. I had waited for eight long years to get a pup. My brother convinced my father was two straight weeks, at last I have someone to talk to… Nimbus my pet! He lies down near my feet whenever I sit and work late in the night! Call it moral support or whatever, it works wonders. I am able to sit for long hours without realising I have ADHD. Someday, I wish to write a book or make a movie on Nimbus. He deserves it!
–Kaushik Keshava Ramanuja, Bengaluru
It happened when I was just 14 years old. One day while I was playing in our lawn, I heard a puppy yelping. I went out and found a small puppy under papa’s scooter, who seemed to have got separated from her mother. I adopted her and named her ‘Naughty’ – an adorable and loving dog! She was scared of firecrackers; because of her we never burst firecrackers on Diwali for almost 15 years. Even now – after so many years whenever we hear the sound of a firecracker, it reminds us of Naughty!
–Shweta Trivedi, Raebareli
We first adopted a stray when I was in class III in 1978. It happened on a very cold winter night, a puppy standing at our gate called us helplessly. My mother instantly rushed to pick her up. We named her Blacky. She stayed with us for 12 years and gave birth to two lovely sons called Tiger and Sheru. They all have gone but I can never forget them. Today, I am more than 45 years old and blessed with Bruno (Labrador) who has been growing along with my daughter. The amount of love we get from our pooches is unforgettable!
–Paramjeet Singh, Moga
My first puppy was a beautiful stray named Timmy. Got her from my uncle when I was in school around 15 years back. I took her home just for one day, but she stayed permanently with us as our family member. She was a sweetheart, the first pooch in our family. She was followed by Bonny (Doberman), Don (Labrador), Bindu (daughter of Timmy and Don) and Jacky (German Shepherd). All of them respected Timmy as the senior most in our family.
–Satyanarayan Swamy, Bengaluru
When I was just four years old, my parents asked me what I would want to become. “Animal doctor!,” I replied. They laughed. We got Sandy, a German Shepherd, when I was five. When I was in class VIII, I adopted a cross breed female dog named Cookie and four strays. After them came Blacky who gave birth to a sweet little pup named Jack. I also adopted a female German Shepherd named Lara and newest member in the pack is my first Pug called Liza.
–Nishi Chand, Lucknow
I’ll never forget the days Bruno helped me when one of my legs got fractured and I was bedridden for two months. Bruno was a brown Dachshund son of my parents’ pet dogs Buster and Juju. He stayed by my side during those days and only got down from the bed to answer nature’s call. The fracture healed within two months rather than the four predicted by the doctor. We shared an intuitive relationship which helped me become a true pet parent. My grief of losing Bruno in 2008 was lessened when my second pooch Coco entered my life.
–Vatsala Shukla, Delhi
Since childhood I saw army training dogs and wondered how they did it. My love for animals compelled me to help injured and abandoned ones. My parents always supported me for all these activities. Seeing my love for pets, my parents brought home a German Shepherd. I mark it as an important day of my life. It was on 3rd March 2010, I became a true pet parent to a German Shepherd.
–Pramit Kumar, Agra