Must love dogs ;)

So, we are not a dog family. Never been though we've not had anything against dogs. My earliest exposure to pets came when I was a kid. My grand-dad looked after two dogs on the street as pets. They stayed on the road, came for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were strays who loved to come and stay in our house. My house that time was h-u-g-e, what Tamils will identify as 'vathaalam.' The dogs'd come into our compound and lie under the tap during summers to beat the heat. My grand-dad, much to my grandma's disgust fed the dogs before he ate because (I think) he never trusted my grandma to feed them :P I do not really remember my relationship with these dogs. I liked them, yes. I think I even used to pet them and all that. But beyond that, I have no memories of these dogs. Ramu and some other name :)

But, but, yay! We moved out from there (my mom didn't think she could bring up 3 temperamental girls with the local rowdies carrying us :P) to a more posh (!), residential location. Very well known in Bangalore for slightcha upper middle class families. I loved it. There were huge parks, wide trafficless roads, kids on the street who went to the same school as me to play with, trees on the roads :) It was like living a dream of mine, though it was quite normal for any major residential area in Bangalore! But then I came from an area full of people fighting for water from the local tap, men loafing at the corners of streets with their beedis, the road was witness to sewage problems everyday and my father, being the only slightly more educated, with a little more money, a little more voice, fighting with the corporation guy on the road! Okay, I digressed there. Let me get back to the dogs bit of it!

The only problem in my new locality was that EVERYONE seemed to have a dog! They all walked them in the mornings. Dogs had friends. People made friends with others thanks to their dogs. After growing up on an Enid Blyton diet, I just had to keep up with the social scene at my new locality with a dog only. I begged, pleaded, threw tantrums at 11 to have a dog. Finally, finally, we got one. My sister(s) and I were thrilled. We thought of Enid Blytonish dog names for him, while my Dad named him Ghattu after Ghatotkacha :( We weren't at home when he brought the dog home. So, by the time we came, he responded to this Ghattu name! So, we obliged. At least we had a dog now! My other sister hated him. Someone told her his claws resembled that of a tiger, and she is paranoid of animals. Actually, anything that moves ;) So, she refused to socialize with the dog and hated him. My granny was totally on another plane. I think she secretly missed having dogs, you know? She hated him initially, but got used to him. He loved her! He'd wait for her every morning when she went for a walk. She is an orthodox woman and refused to touch the dog. He graciously moved away (just like all of us did) when she walked. She'd scold us citing his example: "Even the dog understands that it should not touch me" :D

This dog bit me twice :) I say it with a smile coz it taught me a lot of lessons. The first time he bit me, he actually just scratched my back. Every night, we'd lock the gates and let him loose in our garden. On one such night, he came running behind me, and put his paws on my shoulders and just pulled it down. It was a minor scratch and all that was taken care of. The next time he bit me was when I took him out for a walk in spite of my dad asking me not to. My dad felt something was wrong that day with the dog, and generally, and asked me not to go out. I was 15. What do you think I did?

I took him out at 10 PM for a walk with my 8 year old 'I love dogs too' sis. He bit into something - a jack fruit peel and I tried pulling it out and accidentally hit him on the head. I think I hit the wrong spot by mistake and he just jumped. When he jumped, he bit my lower lip (cut into two parts) extending to my chin and my cheeks and scratched my hands. He immediately sat down there and started crying. Poor thing! I was shocked and my face was bleeding. I started talking to the dog calmly before my dad arrived on the scene. My family's reaction was worse.

I said: How could you do this to me, Ghattu? I love you so much.

My sis who hates dogs: I just knew 'it' was going to do this. And she is doing nautanki even now. Talking to him, it seems. Leave him and run, stupid!

My other sis who loves dogs: That is all. No more dogs for us, and he will be sent somewhere now (breaks into tears)

My mom ( in tears) : OMG, look at her face (all the time praying I do not have permanent scars- what will happen to my value in the marriage market YEARS later :P)

My granny: Dogs are animals after all

My dad: I told you so!

So, in a moment of teen ego, told my dad I could take care of this and since I'd been bitten previously, I knew what to do. My dad stared at me (more out of anger) and let me get inside, wash my face and came with me to the hospital next door. There was only a duty doctor there who was shocked. She called 101 other doctors and confirmed that as an exceptional case, my wounds had to be stitched and closed. (Dog wounds are not usually covered with bandage) I found her to be very nervous. I was fine by then, just worried that I may not able to talk with my lip like this. She cleaned my wound, while I constantly showed off my knowledge about medicines to be used during a dog bite.

Doc (cleaning wound and trying to talk in a reassuring voice): It will be ok...

Me: Ya, I know. Its only a dog bite. So, is this betadine?

Doc (shocked): Umm..yeah

Me: Okay. It is an ugly brown solution but is really good with wounds like this.

Doc (talking to my dad now): Ya...I'm going to give her anaesthesia now since am going to stitch her cheek and lip.

Me: Great. Could you give me local anaesthesia? I'd like to know what is happening to my face. And also, see how much pain I can endure.

Doc: It will be really painful

Me (reassuring smile): I know I can manage. After all, I fall everyday and get hurt in the same place everyday

Doc: Umm...ok.. (to my dad): This is going to be painful

Dad: Let her experience it. Nothing will hurt her. See how she is smiling. She wants to, anyway. Stupid girl (storms out of the room)

Doc (totally shocked): Err..ok

10 mins later. She is using suture now and stitching my lips together. And my jaw which we realized was also bitten.

Me: Good. So, you are using suture right? Is it the dissolvable type?

Doc: Umm...ya

Dad: Can you stitch those two lips together? Its okay if its dissolvable also!

Me (in shock, turn jerkily to look at him imploringly to show some love and forgiveness): Aaaaaaaa (the suture pulled too!)

Needless to say, the doctor got tired of me and sent me home packing with the stitches. With local anaesthesia, of course and I could not talk for approximately 10 days. The silence was deafening. Like I was the only person who ever spoke in my house. There was NO sympathy for me when I got back from the hospital thanks to my dad's wrath :(

Every time I narrate this story, people ask me about the dog. I tell them what happened, however, my close friend's long well-explained version is what everyone loves to believe.

"Oh, the dog bit Nandu and died. It was very sad. He suffered for a year after that day. Not from guilt, but from some sort of disease. He died just before her Maths exam. He knew she won't do Maths well anyway, so she couldn't blame it on his death, he died just the day before her exam."