For a reason, for a season

Have you ever wondered why some people (both the two legged and the four legged) come into your life, and just when you get really attached to them, they leave? My daughter says they come to teach you something or give you something you need at that point in your life. And sometimes you are in their life because they need you on their journey forward. 

Chocolate came into my life for a few months but she made a huge difference and I am sure I  made a huge difference to her life as well. 

Chocolate speaks

Hi, My name is Chocolate. Today I am around 10 months old, happily living with my new mom, M, in a hill station. I say new mom because M was not always my mamma.

I was taken away from my doggie mamma when I was just a little over a month old. And then I was dumped in a compound with a few other stray dogs. I missed my mamma dog, but I soon made friends with the stray dogs and the human children who petted me a lot. 

One day, a crowd of people came to where I was sleeping under the slide, and started yelling and pointing at me. I did not understand what they were saying, but I knew they were angry and it seemed as if they were angry with me. Suddenly one of the men hit me with a stick, I managed to wriggle out, but he hurt my tail, which has been broken ever since.

That’s how my first mamma, Mamma S,  found me (though she didn’t really become my mamma then), yelping in pain, hiding under a car. She tempted me out with a treat and then hugged and cuddled me close to her. I licked her all over her face to say thank you. She just laughed. 

From that day onwards, she would take me away from the garden, to the back of the building and feed me. One day she gave me a nice bath. I felt so clean after that. All those pesky ticks and fleas were removed and I could sleep and play in peace.

Then the person who had taken me away from my doggie mamma, picked me up and took me to his house, because his son wanted me. But when I wanted to play, and tugged at the shoes and clothes, they beat me. The next evening, the  boy’s mother and sister  took me to Mamma S’s house and dumped me there, saying that they could not look after me. I was happy to be with her. But in the night the boy and his father came and demanded that she give me back to them. I didn’t want to go and so I hid under the table.

Mamma S refused to give me up and that is how she became my first mamma. Mamma S loved me a lot. She taught me a lot of things and took me down for walks as well. She even took me to a place she called the vet. I was not afraid because I knew Mamma S would never do anything to hurt me.

I was happy but I soon started growing big, very big for my age and I wanted to run around and play in the grass and mud. Mamma S’s house was small and she could not keep me out the whole day. So she started searching for another home for me where I could have the kind of freedom I longed for. 

She told me she loved me and always would, but she also told me that I needed a bigger space and more freedom and that is why she was sending me away. One day my second mamma, Mamma M came to see me. She smelt nice, like a lot of dogs all rolled in one and when she told me she was taking me to her house, I was ready. Though I was a little sad to leave Mamma S, she promised to come visit me once I settled in. And that is how I am here, in this wonderful home.

 My side of the story 

When Chocolate came into my life, I was still grieving the loss of Muffin, my fur baby who had been with me for eight years. She was a part of my soul and I still felt her presence in every corner of the house; I could hear her barking and would search for her. I dreamed of her every night and woke up with tears on me cheeks. There were days I wished that I could die and go and be with Muffin.

And then Chocolate came into my life. She had already been abandoned and abused, hit so badly that her lovely tail is now crooked for life. In spite of that she was such a joyous puppy, who loved playing with all the kids and the dogs in the compound.

Looking after Chocolate and trying to get her adopted took so much of my time and energy, that I forgot to grieve for Muffin. I didn’t miss her so much anymore, though I thought of her often. I would often compare the two of them. Muffin was a timid shy soul who hated interacting with anyone but people she knew very well. Chocolate on the other hand, loved everyone, people and animals alike. She played with the stray dogs and all the kids and even the adults adored her.

It was so tempting to adopt her myself, but I knew it would make her miserable if she was shut up in such a small space. She needed space to run and play and dig and chase. I could not give her all that.

So I stormed Heaven, spoke to everyone I knew, put up posts on every adoption site and my friends, God Bless them, shared the posts. Strangers called me to verify that she was truly up for adoption and asked if they could reshare the posts. And finally on Christmas Eve, I got a call from Miss M, who lives in a nearby hill station, and already had a few dogs and cats. She wanted to adopt Chocolate who is now in her l forever home being loved to bits. 

Before Chocolate came into my life, I used to waste a lot of time and then wonder where the time had gone. Now I realised that I had the time, but I just wasn’t using it properly. Now I am grateful for the time I have and have started using it more productively.

After Muffin left me, I had got used to being alone; going and coming as I pleased; or rather not going out at all if I could help it. With Chocolate, I had to get out three to four times a day, and because she wanted to play with everyone, I started interacting with people again.

When I couldn’t sleep I used to work through the night, but Chocolate had some innate sense of time . As soon as it was 10.30 p.m., she would go into the bedroom and bark for me to follow her. My sleep cycle got better; I would go down for a walk with her first thing in the morning and then we would have our breakfast together. 

I was forced to tidy up after me if I didn’t want to see my note books chewed up or my grocery bags ripped apart before I could empty the groceries into the containers. 

I do miss Chocolate, but having her here made me realise that I am not ready for another dog. I am not as young as I was and found it difficult running around after her. I also want to do so many things, like travel, complete my theatre acting course among other things.

So though I go gooey eyed over all the puppies and kittens I see, I now know that I am okay not having a pet. There are other ways I can help out.