My pet dog - Simi

After a period of hibernation i am back to blogging. No better way to start again by remembering my good ol' Simi......



Its sad in less than a month after I have been away from my pet dog Simi, she is no more. And I am writing about her, remembering her, missing her. Life in Chennai with Mom alone in an independent house wouldn’t have been easy for us if it was not for Simi. We took for granted the safety she used to provide knowingly and unknowingly. Her love for us has been unconditional. She just knew one thing that I and my mother was her world. She depended on us and we even more on her. We loved her and she loved us even more, more than anyone can love another living being.
I brought her home when she was two and half month old pup, to be exact it was on January 25th 1995. The cute little cuddly pup, was not so welcomed at home and were viewed suspiciously from my mother, sister and grandmother. But I was reluctant, was 12 at that time, somehow convinced them to let her stay. Afterall she was a gift from my best friend, whose Alsatian dog had just had seven litters. Never did anyone realize at that time that Simi would grow to be loved and accepted as a family member. Simi was very naughty as a pup. My best friend Priscilla who gifted me would say that she was the naughtiest from the lot. The first thing we got done was getting Simi vaccinated. So it would be safe for us and Simi. I still remember the innumerable bites Simi used to give while playing. The mornings before going to school, discovering that Simi has torn my socks. And sometimes me putting on the torn socks to school for not having time to search for a new pair. How I and my sister used to irriate simi by dancing for the Spanish song Macarena. Simi used to hate that song for an unknown reason. That might be because both sisters used to turn the TV volume to high and start jumping to the tunes. Everyday Simi used to wait eagerly till I used to return from school. She continued it all the years and used to wait for me till I used come back from college or work. The welcome which she used to shower when i come back home, no matter how tired or exhausted I was, it just use to refresh me so much. It is such a good feeling to know that someone is eagerly waiting for you back home.
Simi used to love chocolates, ice creams, snacks, chicken and biryani and all were the top favorite list for her. Though these foods were not given to her regularly, considering they were harmful for the dog, the usual menu for simi, with egg and milk, and mutton and rice was enjoyed by her so much. She would starve the day if she didn’t find non-vegetarian food on her plate. Simi used to love the evening walks which I used to take almost daily. The days which I felt lazy, simi would come to me try to move my hand and draw my attention, which I immediately used to understand that it was for morning walks.
Though Simi loved everyone at home, she had a special attachment for me. Maybe because I was the one who brought her home. I love pets and I love to devote time to take care of them. I used to bathe, give food, talk to simi, take her for walks, maybe Simi was just returning back the affection which I had for her. She used to get scoldings sometimes too for being mischievous, for giving me a playful soft bite (sometimes not that soft!), or fighting with my cats. Yes cats, I had plenty of them even before Simi came. At one point I had two big cats and their four kittens. But after Simi came, the cats started to run away one by one and then there was only one cat. We brought our cat Sneaky after seeing ad in newspaper for adopting a kitten, it was February 2002. After my sister’s wedding and after my grandmother passed away, I and mother was alone that time and our only company were Simi and Sneaky. Never did we realize these both are going to find their support from us and we from them.
Simi has been with me through many ups and downs. She used to understand in some mysterious ways that I was upset or worried. If I am sick any day, she used to come to my bedroom and enquire in her own sweet way, whether am ok or not? I guess she used to understand Malayalam my mother-tongue very well and a few English words too.
She used love travelling in Auto’s. Whenever I and mother used to travel out of town, we used to leave her in a dog shelter and when the caretaker arrives to pick her up, she almost immediately jumps into that Auto. Am sure she must be missing us while we are away. But the Auto journeys used to be very enjoyable for her. She was a healthy dog and only only once or twice has she fallen ill majorly. Another good habit of Simi, was that she never used to waste any food that was given to her. She used to complete her meals and never did she trouble us for any reason.
After I started working, Simi had by then become a geriatric dog with 12+ yrs of age. She was slowly aging and we started noticing the sure signs of aging. She used to rest more often, during her last days, she was not able to hear that clearly, so would not bark instantly if someone’s at the door. But still she was quite healthy. The doctor was quite positive she will live till 15. And we wanted her too to live. But slowly, changes too came in my life. And that change was inevitable and I knew it was coming. Some days I used to tell her “not to live very long after I leave, because there will be no one who can take care of u like me” maybe because I knew, she won’t be able to live long without me. I knew I was her world. Though I used to think that time Simi wont even be able to understand the consequence of the things that I was telling her. Dog’s as they have a Sixth sense, a sense beyond our understanding. Maybe she understood and could foresee what I was telling her.
I got married in February 2009. Life had taken a wonderful new turn for me, I was so happy and at the same time sad that I would have to leave Simi away and go to a faraway land. The day I was flying to US, I called Simi and gave her a big hug and cried for a while. I still remember her seeing me leave. That would be the last time I would ever see her alive in this world. Within days after I left she became ill, the doctors were not able to identify her illness. Some said it was psychological. But then she stopped eating, her end was near. It was on Saturday March 7th 2009, she breathed her last. I had still not got the news. My mother knew I would be upset and since I was so far away, she was worried how she could convey it to me. But she didn’t have to, because my Simi came that night in my dream, where I could see her face so clearly. Probably she couldn’t leave this world without seeing me. The next morning I woke up and called my mother to enquire about ailing Simi. My mother told me that she was no more. I couldn’t stop crying but I told her that she had been in my dream and I was expecting it.
Sometimes love for a living being knows no bounds. I was not physically present with her during her last breath. But I believe she couldn’t leave without seeing me for one last time. And I will always remember the dream for the years to come. Those fourteen years spent with Simi shall live on in my memory ……………………………….