The Ten Commandments.....Canine ishtyle!

I came across this picture when I was just crawling through the Internet a few hours ago. It has to be one of the most touching things ever... and true to the last bit!

Awww... this brings back such memories about Appu and Tsuyoshi... I teared up a little when I found Tsuyoshi's old leash today. Ah... I guess I'll dedicate another post to all her antics that endeared her to everyone into whose life she sauntered into.

Blame... Blame.... Blame!

I've some very sad news to share. An 18 month old child was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Bangalore. My deepest condolences and the kindest thoughts go with the mourning parents of the deceased. And I know that nothing can ever make the pain go away as far as their loss is concerned. You can read more on that story here.

But I've also been seeing a lot of "Anti Animal Rights Activist" thing going on. It's like almost the entire country is bashing the animal rights activists for having brought about the ABC law (Animal Birth Control law) into existence. And though I know the incident was extremely sad and unfortunate, there's really no need to bear up the arms against the activists!

Now, let us ask ourselves a few questions before we begin the activist bashing. Alright?

Who's to blame here?

The dogs? The guy around whom the dogs hung around? The parents?

Hmmmmmm.....

Isn't it the sweetest thing to wake up in the morning and to be greeted by the wagging of two tails and four eyes looking up at you with so much love? I think I'm finally in love.... truly in love! :)

Happiness is a warm puppy!!

I've always been an avid animal lover and I've brought home more number of malnourished strays than I care to count, only to let them go when they're treated and healthy. It always saddned me that I wasn't able to hold onto them, thanks to my Mom and Granny screaming in fright everytime a puppy runs towards them wagging his/her tail.

Well... so far, I'd been the one to go towards the pups. This time, I had one come to me. It was well nigh one in the morning and I was breaking my head over contour integrals and matrix diagonalization when I swear I could hear a shrill bark. It sounded too young for the dog we have right now, another stray to whom we'd become family. I had to wait till morning to find out who the brave little warrior was. And to my surprise, I found myself opening my front doors to a wee little puppy. He must be just a few months old, just having weaned from his mother's milk and utterly lost. Infested with ticks, dirty and very very malnourished - that described the little one perfectly.

Well, half a day later, I should say he looks much better already! He drank an entire glass of milk and a few doggie treats to boot and has some of the natural brightness that hunger and suffering stole from him return! And it seems he considers us his family already! :)

So, give it up for Tsuyoshi - the newest member of our family, folks!

Tsuyoshi (毅) in Japanese means "Strong". And he seems just that! The little one climbed a foot and a half high fence to come towards us once we were properly acquainted enough! And this is from a month old puppy who hadn't eaten in days! Oh, and our other dog, Tsume (爪) seems to regard him with a bit of wariness. But she hasn't attacked him yet and wagged her tail when she sniffed him for the first time. Hopefully, they'll get along. But Tsume-chan is an intelligent canine, so I'm sure my worries are misplaced! :D

Psssst: If you didn't see the Japanese connection coming, I'm guessing you're new to the blog! Yay for 日本国! :D

Have a Heart! :(

I must say I am a really big admirer of anything Japanese. But recently, I came across an article that has saddened me a lot.

The Japanese are really nice, agreeable people... they are polite, punctual and very hard working. But they have certain quirks that are a little irritating in certain situations. I am talking about the numerous dogs that are abandoned every day in the streets of Japan because their owners had lost interest in them. Now, I am sure this sort of thing is common in all countries of the world... we've heartless bastards everywhere! But what really makes it difficult for these poor creatures is the stigma that is associated with adopting a dog from the shelter.

The Japanese consider anything second-hand as damaged and not worthy of ownership. So, the abandoned dogs are considered 'hand me downs' and so, not many people come forward to take them in and give them a loving home. Since there's always another designer pet shop around the corner that stocks up on the latest trends in canine ownership, why would anyone want hand me downs? This means that the shelters there are hard pressed to find homes for these animals. And since very few people would go to the shelter, these animals have a very bleak future that would last seven days at the most... then, they are euthanized.


But there is still hope for these adorable animals.

"Heart Tokushima" is a non-profit organization that is trying to change the mindset of the people regarding shelter pets. It is a known fact that these animals are a bit more loving than the other pets one buys since they know the harsh realities of the shelter and the bliss of a loving home.

Let us hope things get better for our furry friends out there! And remember... adopt, don't shop! I could give you a million reasons why! :) But all that for another time.