Theodore’s fabulous 5th birthday celebrations

Theodore is a one-of-a-kind dog. He is a master retriever and an epitome of love and true affection. There are very few dogs who can do so many commands. Theodore, or Theo as he is fondly called, knows 60 commands. These even include commands like –

• Painting on a canvas
• Opening the drawer to get my bottle of water and then closing the drawer
• Cleaning up his room i.e., putting his items back into a box
• Watering the plants with a water hose
• He held my wedding veil and walked me down the isle for my wedding
• He wipes his mouth on a towel after he drinks water
• Counting up to 5
• Bringing his own bed during bed time and sleeping on it

Big high-five for turning five

This year marked him learning 60 commands. So, I wanted to celebrate it in a big way. Besides his annual birthday charity drive, there were birthday hampers sent out to his furry friends in Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Each hamper was curated according to each of his friend’s requirements.

From puppy food, to adult dog food, shampoo bottles, hemp treats by Wiggles, dehydrated treats, room fresheners, bandanas, personalized diet charts, dog spas and the best toys for the doggos by Fofos and Bark Butler, the hamper had it all. Not only this, it had stuff for the humans too! It had wildlife trip details by Safari with Saba, complementary haircuts by Saba Poonawala Hair and Makeup, a ginger beer by Divs Kombucha, granola bars and crumble by Just Grabo, handbags and t-shirts by Superr Pets and a raw papaya chutney.

Theodore deserves so much more. He has travelled with me across India to places like Mahabaleshwar, Bangalore, Lonavala, Velas, Mahabalipuram, Kodaikanal, Mumbai, Pune, Khandala, Mulshi and many more. He has enriched my life with his good spirit and loyalty. He is simply as perfect as it gets and is the reason I love training dogs so much.

(Saba Poonawala – Co founder, Pune Chennai Dog Training Academy)