Love comes in all shapes and forms. But let’s face it, nothing compares to the unconditional love pets give us. There’s more to their love than just the kisses and snuggles–it’s the most beautiful, unconditional and purest form of love, which can make the toughest person melt into a puddle of goo.
I’ve loved animals since I was a child–a parrot, a whole cat family, a dog–I’ve had ’em all. But having a pet as a kid is not the same as taking on the responsibility of a pet as an adult. My journey as a pet mommy began when I fostered a kitten and ended up adopting her (against my mom’s wishes). And over the years, it grew from one cat to three!
I’ve always wanted a dog but I was always anxious for that kind of responsibility. However, I somehow ended up taking the plunge during the COVID-19 lockdown! I was visiting my fiance in Goa in March 2020 when the lockdown was announced, and I ended up staying there till June. I had lost my job at the beginning of the lockdown, and had a lot of free time on my hands. So, all my time was spent learning how to cook, binge-watching shows and feeding the strays in the area. And there was this one stray who was the definition of love and he looked like a husky (I’ve always wanted a husky) and behaved like one too! So, my fiance named him Huskie.
I would call out to him and no matter where he was, he would come running and just drop on the ground asking for belly rubs. He practically lived outside our door and we fed him every single day. He’d spend time with us during the evening while we had tea in the garden. We’d get treats and dog food for Huskie and I’d give him baths once a week.
Huskie was a big old 2-year-old dog and he’d beg me to pick him up like a little baby. And every time we would lock the door while stepping out, he would start whining. He had separation anxiety and my heart went out to him. My finance is an Indian Naval Officer so, during my time there, work called and he had to leave me alone for nearly a month. Just before he left, he begged me to not take our doggo inside the house no matter what. But we both knew that that’s exactly what was going to happen. For the next month or so, Huskie lived with me and kept me company. He’d snuggle with me at night and we’d go out for walks and play during the day.
And then came the time for me to leave, but just the thought of leaving this boy behind broke my heart. I could not bring myself to go back without him, but I was so scared of the responsibility of taking him home. Somewhere deep down, I knew that Huskie could not handle being left alone after receiving all that love and care so, I took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. I booked our train tickets and made all arrangements to bring him home with me, and I’ve never regretted it for a single second! Sure, it was a total shock for my mother who had no idea about it but the adorable, loving pupper had won me over and kept me sane. He never let me feel lonely and had the emotional quotient of a human being. He just knew when I was feeling low or angry or upset, and every time he’d see tears rolling down my eyes, he’d rush to comfort me.
Adjusting in a house full of cats was not an easy journey, but Huskie loved it! He’d pester the cats and get beaten up on a daily basis (still happens), but he just did not know how to give up. So, now I have this sweet, loving boy with the goofiest smile! FYI, he fights and argues with me just like a husky and I absolutely love that about him.
While it may seem like I adopted him and rescued him from the streets, it was him who turned out to be my knight in shining armour. Huskie adopted his mother and he saved her from going insane alone! All this while being his aww-dorable self.
