PETS

PETS 

Growing pets at home must have been a product of Western influence, especially from the British who had established their presence on the Indian soil. It is a common sight in England, where elderly women move around in London streets with their Pets as healthy as the masters themselves. To our surprise at times the Pet is more cared for than even the members of the family. Till late 1970s or so, Indian household by and large had no ‘Pet culture’. 

Gradually, it got social acceptance and it slowly has attained the stature of ‘STATUS SYMBOL’ to keep pets at home. How does it bother us? It does, since the pet is so big a pet that the masters behave petty even when they drop in as our guests. Those masters do not leave the pet back home even when they visit weddings in another town. When their car moves out from the garage, it is pet that jumps into the vehicle and hangs his head out through the window, casting a menacing look on any passer-by. That is ‘their’ head ache. But when they call on us on the premise of attending some wedding or interview, the pet makes a Royal entry and chooses to bark at us. 

We are worried as our boys liberally target [pelt stones] barking dogs. The masters pacify us telling that Oh- he is just greeting … but, these visitors never greet us, as they are interested in the upkeep of their pet than of any concern for the hosts. Perhaps hosts look like ghosts for them and in response to the masters’ moods, the pet barks at only the host and servants of the host household. There is lot of fuss about feeding the pet. Being naïve, our children throw items like ‘appalam’ before him. He sniffs and starts sneezing. 

The masters are panicky that the animal has picked up cold; the elder son of that family catches the snout of the animal, and plants himself on the neck of the animal and ‘force opens’ the jaws of the pet and sprays some medicine into the throat of the pet and gets up triumphantly, looking around in gusto of his act of dare devilry of opening the dog’s mouth.  The whole morning turns irritating for the hosts as the pet menacingly sniffs every member of the host family. The owners of the pet merely enjoy our plight and do precious little to confine the animal by chain. They preach ‘pets should not be chained if they should be loyal to us’. 

Our mother murmurs within herself ‘who wants this saturn’s  [sani’s] loyalty’. Even more menacing is the cruel demand for a special gruel to be made for the pet to be ‘slow-cooked‘ in mineral water. The orthodox host asks ‘give us the cooking vessel to make the gruel’. The pet owner jetting the lower lip in disapproval says ‘use your utensil and make the broth’. The alert host retrieves an old vessel from a gunny bag and makes the gruel for the animal. The host asks’ What would you have for breakfast?’ The guest ‘we take just coffee and after bath go to the wedding hall; after wedding we visit temple; from the wedding hall itself we return to Chennai by early morning tomorrow in our car. A huge sigh of relief pervades the air and all children of the host family eagerly await the guests moving off to the wedding destination. Soon after they leave, the younger boy is caught hold of and his ear twitched firmly with a question “why did you throw the ‘appalam’ to that Saturn. None can eat it as the ‘pet has sniffed it’. Don’t be stupid to waste any food”.

What is a pet to someone may not delight everyone else, especially, when the pet owners take it to such host destinations. For those who have no pets, such animals as grown-up dogs cause anxious moments of disturbing experience. Pet keepers would do well to leave their pets in their home under someone’s care instead of making others uncomfortable.

Prof. K. Raman