Gone to the Dogs!

One of the major features of Kolkata and its streets are the countless number of stray dogs that has made the streets their own home. Its one of the many love-and-hate relationship that we maintain with the city.

Our Housing complex near Kakurgachhi is no exception to any normal location of the city, and it is well populated with a number of dogs. And each building has their own share, as of each of them are partially pet with each of the members of that specific building. A few of them have become friends enough with my son, even to allow him to pull their tails time and again. The way he reacts to the dogs around our building reminds me of my childhood pet Kalu.

After my father go transferred to Kolkata in 1982, we moved into our ancestral house in Kalighat. And one fine morning a street dog came back with one of the family member, I do not remember now with whom Kalu first came to our house, but she became Kalu (pretty unceremonious name for a lady!) the day he moved in! She stayed with us for almost two years. And after our initial attempts in trying to make her move out of the house, attempts which include taking her far away from the house for a walk and leaving her alone (may seem inhuman!), but she manage to return back every time!

She became a pet and at the same time a toy for me and my younger brother, and we used to irritate her, pester her, but she allowed us. Although like everything had its limits, she also drew the line on the extent we were allowed to take her for granted as on one occasions she actually bit me on my right hand. I was coming between her and her breakfast!!

She also gave birth to a litter of three, none of them survived though! One by one all of them died accidentally, even before they could properly walk! And it was after that she left home, she left us, and it was really on a morning that she suddenly went on her morning stroll and never came back. It was exactly the day after the last of the litter died, hit by a taxi on the street in front of our house.

We had another pet dog after that, but that is a different story.

Coming back to a not-so-long-ago time, back in Kakurgachhi, to say what really had gone to the dogs. Many not-so-dog-loving people will say actually the whole city has gone to the dogs. But to me this is not so true. But I can also list down all those things that has actually gone to the dogs! Let me tell you how!

We live on a flat on the first floor. And the youngest member of the family, our five year old sony has a habit (which has now become more of a passion) of throwing out things (ranging from his own toys to many important household items) from the balcony. To the dogs? May be! And hence we do have a tentative list of things. But the last thing on the list is a hot-water-bag! And on our way back from the evening stroll from the park yesterday, we found the hot water bag lying in front of the gate of the building. It was gnawed well enough to prevent us from reusing it. It had really gone to the dogs!!