Safegaurding Your Pets Against Air Pollution Vol XII , Issue No 12 , Dec 2019 | Seite 10

Pets & Us
ANGELS OF A DIFFERENT KIND
LIFE LESSONS I LEARNT FROM MY PETS
“No matter how little and how few possessions you own, having a pet makes you rich.”
- Louis Sabin
By Dr. Sheena Thamman *
I
got my fi rst dog, a 10-day-old
black and tan Dachshund pup,
when I was around 12 years of
age. I got him as a gift from my father.
He was so small that I was scared to
hold him, thinking that I might end
up hurting him. Named Euro, he was
with us for 9 years. I have not been
able to forget him – at all. The loss
of a dog hits really hard. After Euro,
I decided never to keep a dog again.
But, the heart is fi ckle a thing and
before my parents could know, I had
brought home another Dachshund
very similar to Euro. That’s how I
became a pet owner once again. His
name is Shampy and he has been
with me for 6 years now. I love him
very much and he makes me a better
person in every way.
For dogs, we humans, and especially
as their owners, are the best beings in
the entire universe. I get to see this in
Shampy everyday as he hops down
from the bed full of excitement when
he sees me come back from work
after a long day apart. But, each time
he runs towards me, I ask myself, if
I deserve the role that my dog has
given me? If not, then can I live with
myself disappointing, as it were, little
Shampy? The answer is obviously
no. That is how he makes me a better
person. He guides me to actually be
the person he thinks of me as. I don’t
think I will be able to live with myself
10
and carefree environment. At the
event, Shampy, though shy and
angry at fi rst, slowly started to get
comfortable as he met other dogs.
Quite soon he was playing with them
and it had become very diffi cult for
me to hold on to him as he pranced
about with his new-found friends. It
took him almost 2 years to leave his
inhibitions behind. There are many
things that take us down in life,
but we should gather the courage
to leave behind our fears and move
forward.
if I disappoint him. For that, I want to
be as best a person in the universe as
possible.
The fi rst step, I have realised, is
through the removal of inhibitions
we have against other human beings.
This too, I learnt from my dog. When
Shampy was younger, he didn’t like
meeting other dogs or playing with
them. He was either too scared or
too angry at them. But, one day I took
him for a dog event and left him to
meet other dogs in a more friendly
Creature Companion | December 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 12 • Noida
It is in this rather innocent and
simplistic manner that every pet,
and not just my dog, draws us out of
ourselves and brings out the kindest
impulses of humanity. They connect
us to nature and the rest of the animal
kingdom. Our pets unlock a deeper,
more wholesome part of ourselves
- a part more compassionate, less
arrogant, more responsible and loyal;
a part that is willing to share our
lives fully with other beings in the
world. Unlike humans, a pet loves in
any and every situation. They aren’t
concerned with which religion we
belong to, how much money we earn,
how we look, or how we dress. They
accept us the way we are. It is in this
impartial, unstoppable acceptance
that a pet teaches us what true
happiness really means - where we
live and love impartially.