We always wanted a dog. Well, I always wanted a dog and as any man can tell you, that’s all that’s needed for most things to happen when you’re married, a wife’s desire! Hence, we always wanted a dog. Now I have had the awesome luck to grow up with a lot of pets whom I loved dearly and some of whom loved me back. So having a dog was a no brainer for me, like a matter of fact, going to happen kinda thing. But for my husband, it was a different situation. He did not have pets growing up and his memories of dogs were not made of the I’m so cute take me home eyes or cuddle me I’m soft or rub my belly and I’m yours kinda dogs. His memories were made of a scared teenager trying to ply his bicycle at the maximum speed he could ride at because stray street dogs in Pune(India) thought the street he was riding on was their territory, which my husband was trespassing . Or maybe it’s a dog thing, to chase everything on wheels…not sure. Fortunately, my husband never had the opportunity to find out if they were merely chasing or had any serious intention of ‘defending’ their territory. But the vision of my husband as a teenager, skinny and gawky riding his bicycle as if his life depended on it and a pack of blonde Indian hounds chasing him always makes my day. Its amusing when the misery is not yours and particularly when it’s your spouse’s ! Again, married people can vouch for this – although not sure how long you will stay married now that you have openly acknowledged the existence of this fact.
So we set about ‘researching ‘ the what and how of owning a dog. Now, this researching aspect comes from my husband whose need to ‘research ‘ can extend from situations involving which is the best toilet tissue to buy up to what is the best six sigma approach to apply to the sequencing of the chassis of the town and country model of 2010. I am not saying that it’s not necessary or that it’s not useful, I’m just saying that it’s a pain in the you know what for someone who barely got through her research years as a student doing her Masters with the help of caffeine, caffeine and yes, caffeine. So for a year (yes, a whole year), we did just that – research. We saw all the television shows even remotely related to dogs, including Dog the Bounty Hunter(it has the word dog in it). It’s me or the Dog is a personal favorite – I know all the dogs Victoria the host and trainer helped by straightening their owners(Its never the fault of the dog she says) as if I was the agent who got them the show.
We took all the personality tests on all the websites who helped us determine what breed of dog was most suited for us – not Labradors as they are very energetic and our ‘personality’ would not suit them (with one ‘researcher’ and the other half being me, its inertia central in here people). A German Shepherd would not do because it’s a big guard dog and we have a small apartment which has nothing worth guarding – unless my mother’s pearl necklace that she ‘forgot’ at my place only to use that as an excuse to get another bigger one can count as a treasure worth guarding. Then again, I am not sure what self respecting German Shepherd would want to guard that…and self respect is what the Sheps and Germans are known for I hear, so…not a breed for us. A King Charles Cocker Spaniel looked like a good match for a while, but I think the pet shelter/adoption agency we applied to did not think we were royal enough for a King Charles. We understand, they have a reputation to protect. We thought a Dalmatian or a St.Bernard would fit the bill, but my husband kindly pointed out that if I ever had to take the dog out for a walk alone, it would be a pretty funny scene. I mean imagine a 100 pound woman walking a 200 pound giant dog. It seems fine at that scene, but imagine if that dog caught the scent of a squirrel and decided it wanted to chase it. Now imagine a 200 pound dog chasing a 3 pound squirrel dragging a 100 pound woman on what is supposed to be the dog’s leash. Pretty funny don’t you think. Again, refer to the point about the spouse’s misery, this is another example. I can see my husband smiling inside(I think he is rolling over with laughter with what must seem like the biggest laugh ever). Point in case, no big breeds for us.
We now directed our attention to the little ones, the we’re so cute and we know it ones, the ones who are tiny by only size and can bring down a mansion with their sheer vocal prowess…the Chihuahua’s, the Shih Tzu’s, the Pomeranians, the Maltese and their kind. Apartment dwellers, couch potatoes, no children yet…perfect for a small breed, right ? Not so much and not always, as we found out. Now small they maybe, but that’s only the pounds of flesh we are talking about. The attitude punch they pack is a whole different story my friends. We saw this adorable Pekinese at one of the shelters. She was cute as a button, red soft coat, pretty eyes and that cute nose. We approached the crate she was in with all the affection and she proceeded to well…walk away in the other. Not the ones to be deterred by such minor ignoring by a dog, we went over to the other side where she was. She looked up, gave us that look for half a second and moved away again. Now I love dogs and all, but I must say my petty human ego was hurt. We later found out that the Pekinese are usually a one person dog and maybe she was too attached to her previous owner. In any case, my petty human ego was hurt at being snubbed by the cutest little red head and I had to move on. On another weekend, we happened to meet the most paradoxical dog ever – an English bulldog. The bulldogs if you have seen one, look mean. They ‘look’ like mean business and have the attitude of no messing around. They are broad shouldered, look like they hit the gym twice a day and run marathons regularly. If you have met one, you would know that in fact, they are the cutest little angels with the funniest attitude ever. They are gentle and love to cuddle. Sitting on the couch and watching the telly would be their favorite activity and getting up to shift their weight from the left paw to the right would easily qualify as workout for these gentle souls. This dog seemed like the perfect match…but my husband suggested that a seemingly lazy dog in the life of the laziest couple on the block would not be so good. I mean I don’t want to be competing for the title of the lazy, lazier and the laziest everyday…and that’s exactly what would happen in the house. A couple days later, we happened to go to a local pet store who were hosting an adoption event. We met the most energetic little fellow with beautiful brown spots on a soft white coat. His eyes were full of mischief and his nose was glued to the ground. Meet the beagle, the ones with the best sense of smell and bred to hunt small game. These wonderful ones are known to have a singing voice, err bark or howl. We immediately fell in love with this one and promptly went up to the desk to fill in the adoption form. The kind lady there asked us some ‘routine’ questions like who will be in the house (us) , why do you want a dog (err, why not?) , do we have a fenced yard ? (Nope - no yard no fence…we are apartment dwellers.) Oh oh she said, that’s a deal breaker for a beagle…they have to have a fenced yard to sniff and run around.
Disappointed by the months of no luck even identifying the right breed, we were near giving up on the whole dog thing completely. Maybe we should get a goldfish or even a ball python. Then one boring afternoon in office, I was reading the news and there happened to pop up an ad for an upcoming pet adoption event. I had almost given up but something caught my eye. It was a pair of the most soulful brown eyes I had ever seen (second to my husband). They were accompanied by a big black button nose, long ears, one brown and the other spotted. Her name was Kiss-me, listed as a beabull from Kentucky, currently residing at a local shelter waiting for a fur-ever home. Kiss-me needed a home and we needed her.
I called my husband and insisted I had found the one. He did not quite believe me haven given up the dog hunt way before I did. I contacted the shelter and set up an appointment for the following day. That morning, I dragged my husband to the adoption event at the very hour they said they would open(what if someone else fell in love with those eyes?)
We walked in and there she was. The perfect one. The soulful eyes and the attitude to match. She walked up to us, sniffed us for a moment, looked up at my husband and then it happened. He knew, just as I had, that this was the one. There was no doubt about it. When you know, you just know, they say. And how we knew.
A week later, she was living with us. Her name is now Kashmir (after the beautiful state from India as well as the wool from that region, just like her coat). She is a beagle and bull dog mix - like God decided to finally give us the best mix of a dog suited for us, the laziness of the bull dog along with the energy of the beagle. The sense of smell of a beagle with appetite of the bull. The attitude of the beagle yet the soul of the bull dog. I told you, perfect !
Every morning walking her is easily the most favorite time of our day. She has added so much love to our lives, it’s unbelievable. They always say…you don’t rescue a dog, a dog rescues you.
Woof Woof !
