There is a stray dog near my flat door. It lies there during the warm part of the day; and sleeps there at night. It has been lying around this place for the last couple of months. I don't know where it came from and why it chooses to lie down near my flat door. It is definitely not the coolest place around, and I am hardly friendly with it. But still every day it lies there.
Now because the dog - a stray dog actually - has been lying down opposite my flat door, it causes inconvenience to us when we want to step out or when any e-commerce delivery person comes home to deliver items that we order. So we 'shoo' it away and reluctantly it gets up, looks at us dolefully as if we are heartless, and ambles away down one flight of steps to lie down comfortably in the landing. It will lie there for a couple of hours till there is relative silence and then when we are not looking, walk back up and park itself opposite our door again.
A couple of weeks ago, my wife insisted I take up this matter with our association to see if this dog could be taken away by some organisation. I took it up with the association representative, but she only referred me to Blue Cross and asked me to handle the issue myself since the dog chooses to be my 'doorkeeper'. Well, I did contact Blue Cross and other than some 'cross talk' (each of us being cross with the other), they refused to take the dog away saying that in these Covid times they themselves are overwhelmed by other animals to care for and a dog that presumes my house to be his, is no great danger to me, nor is it too unwell to be taken away and cared for by them. So Blue Cross had to be crossed out as an option. But the lady from Blue Cross did mention and give me the phone number of Chennai Corporation and asked me to contact them. I am a bit wary of Corporation and I have witnessed the horrible treatment meted out to strays, so I stayed away from contacting them.
Meanwhile we haven't fed the dog, thinking that if we don't it will get angry and leave us; but no it is getting some nourishment from someone and that is keeping it healthy; but its sleeping place is near my main door. I have seen a plastic container (that may have contained milk and water) and some biscuit pieces scattered near the dog, so I am quite sure there are some good samaritans taking care of the dog's stomach. Why they don't invite it over to their doorstep is something that I don't know!
We do believe in after-life and sometimes I feel as if my mother's soul has entered this dog and it recognises me as its son and that's why it takes liberties to lie down opposite my house! On the other hand it could be Ajmal Kasab's soul also. That's why I am not going to feed it or provide any form of nourishment. Only 'shoo' it away whenever I see it near my door.
Dogs are great animals. They have this uncanny sense to recognise good people. No wonder the dog doesn't leave your door.
ReplyDeleteStray dogs become passionate and follow people with a hope that they get adopted. Some how they get food. But the issue is eating elsewhere and poop at your step. The dog lovers in many cases are not dog owners. They feed the left over, but not at their door step. If we shoo away or try to other methods the DL complain against us. The sad part is dogs see you I to your eyes expressing that they long for you and your attention
ReplyDeleteHow sad!
ReplyDeleteYou could give it some food and see how loyal it remains to you. My husband was a great dog lover. Whether without a job or otherwise he seemed to have enough to buy biscuits for the dogs on my street. Every time the Blue Cross was called to take them away, he would bribe them and send them away empty handed. My neighbour was always very cross with my husband. Whenever she sighted me she would complain about him to me as though he was an erring student!
Never did she allow me to forget that I was a parent there and my husband my ward!!!!!