There are many people I admire. And there are many things that I have learnt from them. But it was my dog Snoopy who taught me one of the most valuable lessons.
Mid last year my parents shifted from Calcutta to Raipur. From the flat that they had lived in for almost twelve years into a huge bungalow with sprawling gardens. Snoopy had started showing symptoms of age in Calcutta but by the time they shifted to Raipur he had turned completely deaf and blind. He went into a major depression. Everything was unfamiliar to him. The smells, the rooms, the arrangement of the furniture, the house-hold help, the fact that my brother was not around (I had already shifted out of the house a couple of years ealier). He tried moving around a bit but he kept banging into things and hurting himself. He went into a phase where he lay around in his bed, refusing to move, getting up only when it was time for food. Food was his only motivation in life. He really was just ‘living to eat’. It saddened all of us immensely. Snoopy had always been the happy-cheerful-inquisitive dog. Even the presence of Whoopy (his partner) did nothing to pull him out of his depression. He was letting go and there was nothing that we could do.
And then suddenly things changed. (I give full credit to Whoopy for this. She was in heat and all that excitement got Snoopy on his feet). He started moving around the house. He started going out in the sun again (He loves sunning himself, like all Dachshunds). It is impressive the way he knows exactly where everything is kept in the house. He seldom bumps into things anymore. He runs around the house. (Again, I would give the credit to Whoopy. They have this strange sexual game. If Snoopy is sitting quietly she’ll go entice him and get him all excited. This is usually followed by her getting bored of the whole game and she moves on to something more exciting like mice or lizards. Meanwhile, Snoopy is all excited and starts following her around the house, jumping at her at every opportunity. When he still had his eyesight, it was an easy game for him. Now, with only his smelling power, the game is even more exciting and frustrating. Whoopy the chalu one gets him all excited and goes away, usually into the garden. And poor Snoopy runs in circles around the house, sniffing away.)
Indeed, it is so easy to give up on things. But Snoopy taught me how to accept and deal with things and to move on. All we really need is a Whoopy in our lives.
Mid last year my parents shifted from Calcutta to Raipur. From the flat that they had lived in for almost twelve years into a huge bungalow with sprawling gardens. Snoopy had started showing symptoms of age in Calcutta but by the time they shifted to Raipur he had turned completely deaf and blind. He went into a major depression. Everything was unfamiliar to him. The smells, the rooms, the arrangement of the furniture, the house-hold help, the fact that my brother was not around (I had already shifted out of the house a couple of years ealier). He tried moving around a bit but he kept banging into things and hurting himself. He went into a phase where he lay around in his bed, refusing to move, getting up only when it was time for food. Food was his only motivation in life. He really was just ‘living to eat’. It saddened all of us immensely. Snoopy had always been the happy-cheerful-inquisitive dog. Even the presence of Whoopy (his partner) did nothing to pull him out of his depression. He was letting go and there was nothing that we could do.
And then suddenly things changed. (I give full credit to Whoopy for this. She was in heat and all that excitement got Snoopy on his feet). He started moving around the house. He started going out in the sun again (He loves sunning himself, like all Dachshunds). It is impressive the way he knows exactly where everything is kept in the house. He seldom bumps into things anymore. He runs around the house. (Again, I would give the credit to Whoopy. They have this strange sexual game. If Snoopy is sitting quietly she’ll go entice him and get him all excited. This is usually followed by her getting bored of the whole game and she moves on to something more exciting like mice or lizards. Meanwhile, Snoopy is all excited and starts following her around the house, jumping at her at every opportunity. When he still had his eyesight, it was an easy game for him. Now, with only his smelling power, the game is even more exciting and frustrating. Whoopy the chalu one gets him all excited and goes away, usually into the garden. And poor Snoopy runs in circles around the house, sniffing away.)
Indeed, it is so easy to give up on things. But Snoopy taught me how to accept and deal with things and to move on. All we really need is a Whoopy in our lives.
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